Dali Oberon Vokal C Active Centre Speaker

Dali Oberon Vokal C is an active centre speaker, designed to match with other Dali speakers as the centre channel speaker in a surround sound system. It is small in size but has the performance of a much larger speaker. It is also wireless and has a built-in class D amplifier for plenty of power. In fact, two amplifier modules are used. One for each frequency band. Vokal C connects to the Dali Sound Hub Compact (available separately) via a high-resolution radio link, this uses 30 bits and has low latency. Several finishes are available.

Importance of a good centre speaker

Most movies come with multi-channel sound, and it is especially important that the centre channel has its own speaker. The centre channel carries dialogue and will bring clarity and depth to any performance. The centre channel is also used for sound effects. As a result, it also needs to have good bass performance. Furthermore, to avoid trailing wires the Vocal C uses a high-res radio link to transfer the audio. This can be used with the Dali range of preamps for a multichannel sound experience. Finally, the bass port is front-facing, so you can install the speaker in a cabinet without any booming.

Wood fibre cone for accurate detailed sound

The Oberon Vokal C features two 5 1/4” bass/midrange drivers. These are placed on either side of the tweeter and have wood fibre composite cones. These have the advantage of being both stiff and lightweight. The result is a detailed sound with accuracy and transparency. The sound is also enhanced by the low-loss surround and spider assembly.

Advanced magnet motor

Dali speaker assemblies use a soft magnetic compound (SMC) for the magnets. This reduces mechanical distortion caused by eddy currents from the voice coil. As a result, the motor magnet system has a much lower third harmonic distortion. Distortion is caused by non-linearities in a system. Furthermore, it is called a motor system because it resembles an electric motor which also uses a coil and magnet to create motion. This design should provide a surprising amount of detail for a speaker at this level.

Class D power

Class D amplification is used for the Oberon Vokal K speaker. The amplifier modules are compact enough to allow two to be used. One for each frequency band. In other words, both the bass and treble are driven by their own 50-watt amplifier module. This obviates the need for a passive crossover. The amplifier modules have very low noise so that even a whisper can be heard. Class D amplifiers are almost 90% efficient, so power consumption is kept to a minimum.

Class D amplifiers use MOSFET output transistors instead of bipolar. These can switch much faster and are either fully on or fully off. The high efficiency generates less heat and uses less power for a given output.

Oversized soft dome tweeter

The Vokal K features a large 29mm ultra-lightweight soft dome tweeter. This was specially developed for the Oberon range. While it borrows some features from the Opticon and Rubicon ranges, it also has new upgrades. These include higher sound pressure, with less voice coil movement, as well as an optimised front plate design. The result is an extended frequency response with wide dispersion.

High-end cabinet

The cabinet of the Oberon Vokal C is made of CNC machined high-grade MDF. This assures a precise airtight fit for the drivers. Moreover, the internal damping is placed so as to maximise midrange energy attenuation, so that it does not degrade bass performance.