Question On-Wall Speakers; XTZ Spirit vs Dali Oberon

rriisshhii

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Good Morning all,

Indecisiveness has struck again. I've recently found out about the new Dali Oberon range, with its on-wall speakers. I'm about to buy a Spirit 5.1 comprising 3x Spirit 6 and 2x Spirit 2 with a 12.17EDGE. The Dali Oberons are a very pretty set of speakers, and I'm wondering if anyone might have any insight as to how a 5.1 comprising 4x On-walls and 1x Vokal would match up?

DALI OBERON

Frequency Range (+/-3 dB) [Hz] 55 - 26,000
Sensitivity (2,83 V/1 m) [dB] 86.5
Nominal Impedance [ohms] 6
Maximum SPL [dB] 107
Recommended Amplifier Power [W] 25 - 100
Crossover Frequency [Hz] 2,100
Crossover Principle 2-way
High frequency driver, Quantity 1 x 29 mm
High frequency driver, Diaphragm type Soft Textile Dome
Low frequency driver, Quantity 1 X 5.25"
Low frequency driver, Diaphragm type Wood Fibre Cone
Enclosure type Bass Reflex
Bass Reflex Tuning Frequency [Hz] 50
Connection Input Single Wire
Recommended Placement On-Wall
Recommended Distance From Wall [cm] 0 - 10
Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm] 385 x 245 x 120
Weight [kg]


XTZ SPIRIT 6

Construction Type: 2-way Center- / Wall-Speaker
Tweeter driver: 1 x 25 mm (1") dome tweeter (Multi-coated in Waveguide design)
Midrange / Woofer driver: 2 x 150 mm (5 ¼") Cocentric Dual Layer C-ABS cone driver (Cellulose fiber, acrylonitrile butadiene styren)
Frequency Response: 63 - 22.000 Hz (+/- 3dB)
Nominal impedance: 4 - 8 Ohm
Sensitivity: 86 dB (2,83 V/1 m)
Power Handling: 250 W Short term IEC 268-5, 125 W Long term IEC 268-5
Cover: black (Matte black), white (Matte white)
Connections: gold plated
Settings: Bassreflex / Sealed (2 ports), Treble adjustable in 2 different modes
Dimensions: 480 x 200 x 140 mm (W x H x D) /19.1 x 7.9 x 5.6"
Weight: 7,5 kg / 17 lbs
Color: matte black, matte white
Wall mounting: Keyhole mounting slots / Cinema Flushmount Kit (optional)
Warranty: 5 years
Quantity: 1 piece
Crossover frequency: 2.700 Hz
Filter steepness: Midrange / Woofer driver: 12 dB, Tweeter: 24 dB
 
Good Morning all,

I've got some XTZ Spirits on order, and will very shortly be ordering a pair of the Dali Oberon On-Wall speakers.

I plan on doing a very rudimentary test to see which I prefer and then taking the plunge for a full 5.1 set-up. I'm a layman in every sense of the word when it comes to AV, so if anyone is near the Gatwick area and has any audio testing equipment or room EQ stuff, and fancies helping me test these speakers, drop me a message! Hoping to do it in the next 2 weeks.
 
This will be intresting! :smashin:

If you aren`t size limited (height) you could think about also Dali Opticon LCR. The price difference is only 60£ per speaker to Oberon On-Walls. You would gain larger mid-bass drivers (5,25" to 6,5") and ribbon tweeters with a better build quality. Opticon is still higher serie and i remember one member compared these to Rubicon LCR, he felt Opticon came close enough with superb pricing!

DALI Opticon LCR White Wall Mountable Speaker (Single) - DALI - AudioVisual Online - UK Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists
DALI Opticon LCR Walnut Wall Mountable Speaker (Single) - DALI - AudioVisual Online - UK Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists

Oberon On-Wall; Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm] 385 x 245 x 120

Opticon LCR; Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm] 482 x 285 x 127
 
I was impressed with the Spirits when I listened to them last year. They were better sounding than the B&W M1s my brother has. So the Dali will have to be a very good speaker for the money to beat them.
 
This will be intresting! :smashin:

If you aren`t size limited (height) you could think about also Dali Opticon LCR. The price difference is only 60£ per speaker to Oberon On-Walls. You would gain larger mid-bass drivers (5,25" to 6,5") and ribbon tweeters with a better build quality. Opticon is still higher serie and i remember one member compared these to Rubicon LCR, he felt Opticon came close enough with superb pricing!

DALI Opticon LCR White Wall Mountable Speaker (Single) - DALI - AudioVisual Online - UK Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists
DALI Opticon LCR Walnut Wall Mountable Speaker (Single) - DALI - AudioVisual Online - UK Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists

Oberon On-Wall; Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm] 385 x 245 x 120

Opticon LCR; Dimensions With Base (HxWxD) [mm] 482 x 285 x 127

Thanks Gasp. I'm only planning on testing them in stereo against 2 of the Spirit 6s to keep it fair. I'll be testing my PS4 with gaming, Netflix through my C8, and some BDs, all hooked up to an X3400. Anysuggestions as to what else I should do?

With regards to the Opticon, they're £499 each whereas the Oberon On-Wall are £439/ pair! As far as a 5.0 is concerned, 4x Oberon OW & Vokal it comes to £1174. Using Spirit 6 as the LCR, and Spirit 2s as rear surrounds, it comes to £1130.

I was impressed with the Spirits when I listened to them last year. They were better sounding than the B&W M1s my brother has. So the Dali will have to be a very good speaker for the money to beat them.

I'm looking forward to hearing them! If you've any suggestions on how to test these 2 speakers and compare, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks Gasp. I'm only planning on testing them in stereo against 2 of the Spirit 6s to keep it fair. I'll be testing my PS4 with gaming, Netflix through my C8, and some BDs, all hooked up to an X3400. Anysuggestions as to what else I should do?

With regards to the Opticon, they're £499 each whereas the Oberon On-Wall are £439/ pair! As far as a 5.0 is concerned, 4x Oberon OW & Vokal it comes to £1174. Using Spirit 6 as the LCR, and Spirit 2s as rear surrounds, it comes to £1130.



I'm looking forward to hearing them! If you've any suggestions on how to test these 2 speakers and compare, it would be greatly appreciated.

Ohh crap! I think it`s time for me to start looking glasses! :facepalm: :oops: Half ass reading after i compared some bookshelf models of both and the price difference was small. Oberon isn`t cheap line, but then again Zensors weren`t either.

You should notice the difference with those you mentioned. Stuff you would be listening normally at home using different material. Dali`s might sound quite different if they have kept the bright tone from Zensor serie, some reviews point this direction. Some other spekers might sound boring compared to Dali`s tone, but then again certain music/movies might sound too shrill as was confirmed by one member who i chatted with short time ago, it was my experience aswell with Zensors. But this won`t apply to all people, some ears are more sensitive to these things than others. It`s great that you get to home demo, best place to listen speakers.

There is a review with the Spirit 6 & Spirit 2 and they measured the speakers, noticed that they should be kept near walls as they are designed clearly for that to get little "boost" from walls.
 
Good morning all; the layman returns.

I've taken delivery of an XTZ 5.0 comprising of 3 x XTZ Spirits and a pair of Spirit 2s, and also ordered a pair of Dali Oberon On-Walls at a whim, just in case.

My plan is to have as minimal as possible a set-up, with all wall-mounted speakers. I have no idea what I'm doing so I'm looking for as much advice as possible. However, to begin with, I thought I'd post my first impressions of both sets of speakers.

I've only opened 2 of the Spirit 6s and one of the Spirit 2s to compare to the Oberon OW.

Observations:

1) I don't know where XTZ gets their measurements from, but the Oberon OW & Spirit 2 are both meant to be 120mm deep. It seems the Dali is 120mm WITH the grille, but the XTZ WITHOUT.

2) Build quality on the Dali is slightly better. The XTZ logos on both the Spirit 6 & 2 are very slightly off centre. A minor gripe, but as I'd be running them naked, it would irritate me.

Based purely on looks, I'd go for the Dali hands down. They're overall smaller, and better looking. But I'm not sure how they'd fare in a 5.1 as L+R+Surrounds.

I had planned on going for the XTZ SUB 12.17 EDGE, but with recent issues, I'm planning on reverting to my original option and going for a BK. Plus the BK will be almost £160 cheaper

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Ohh crap! I think it`s time for me to start looking glasses! :facepalm: :oops: Half ass reading after i compared some bookshelf models of both and the price difference was small. Oberon isn`t cheap line, but then again Zensors weren`t either.

You should notice the difference with those you mentioned. Stuff you would be listening normally at home using different material. Dali`s might sound quite different if they have kept the bright tone from Zensor serie, some reviews point this direction. Some other spekers might sound boring compared to Dali`s tone, but then again certain music/movies might sound too shrill as was confirmed by one member who i chatted with short time ago, it was my experience aswell with Zensors. But this won`t apply to all people, some ears are more sensitive to these things than others. It`s great that you get to home demo, best place to listen speakers.

There is a review with the Spirit 6 & Spirit 2 and they measured the speakers, noticed that they should be kept near walls as they are designed clearly for that to get little "boost" from walls.

Hi Gasp3621,

I unfortunately don't have much time to test the Dali speakers as I only have them for 14 days, whereas the XTZ I have them for 30 days. A big factor is the WAF, and my partner has already said that she definitely prefers the look of the Dalis.

There is also the big issue of price; the Dali (4x OW + 1x Vokal) would cost £1177. The XTZ (Spirit 6x3 + Spirit 2x2) cost me £950. If I can get the Dali for that price, I'd go for them.
 
Will be intresting to hear your thoughts of how they sound. Sadly you don´t have any old subwoofer to test with? I understand the need for minimal size/look, but those XTZs are still very compact sized. Probably more so than some people thought. With dual mid-bass drivers they will have edge in certain areas over Dali. But depending of your use...

"I had planned on going for the XTZ SUB 12.17 EDGE, but with recent issues, I'm planning on reverting to my original option and going for a BK. Plus the BK will be almost £160 cheaper"

I would think about this again. There is no issues concerning the Edge models. It has been on design table from early 2017 when they discovered the problem with the more basic amp. ICEpower amps are known to be very reliable (thats why example PSA uses those) and XTZ is not a new comer in audio world. I don´t remember which model you were looking from BK, but 12.17 Edge outperforms every BK model. Notice you get more modern design (class-d, DSP tuned to behave exactly as they want), port tuning/eq switches, PEQ, driver from Cinema serie 1x12, 5year amp warranty vs. 2 years on BK subs. They have been sold out from Sweden too, cause they are so frickin popular. Some members here got their Edge models months ago already when first batch came. It is shame people have to wait, but there is nothing saying XTZ wouldn`t take care of their customers. Ian from HifiPilot seems great bloke who has been very helpful to member @fallinlight .
 
That's right, @Gasp3621. Apologies, I only very quickly skimmed the page, is @rriisshhii considering the M6? If you can get those, hands down the M6 has my vote.
 
Hi Gasp3621,

I unfortunately don't have much time to test the Dali speakers as I only have them for 14 days, whereas the XTZ I have them for 30 days. A big factor is the WAF, and my partner has already said that she definitely prefers the look of the Dalis.

There is also the big issue of price; the Dali (4x OW + 1x Vokal) would cost £1177. The XTZ (Spirit 6x3 + Spirit 2x2) cost me £950. If I can get the Dali for that price, I'd go for them.

So what is your opinion? I am very eager to hear what you think. Cheers!
 
So what is your opinion? I am very eager to hear what you think. Cheers!

20190215_233415.jpg


Hi @Psha ,

I went for the XTZ. Unfinished, but I thought I'd show my setup in its final stages.

The Dali Oberons are a better looking speaker, no doubt. However the Spirits are the better kit. And they're cheaper. The Spirit 2s are smaller than the Oberons too. There's much more to the Spirits as they've got Bass Ports and Treble Jumpers so they can be tweaked for your sound.

My 5.0 cost £950 (3x Spirit 6 & 2x Spirit 2). But this was discounted as a deal to buy an XTZ sub.

The Oberon on walls x4 with a Vokal would've cost £1177.

So far the speakers sound excellent. I haven't stretched them but watching Dunkirk 4K, Master and Commander BD, GoT S1 BD, and playing Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War on a PS4, the setups
sounds brilliant.

If XTZ offered a walnut option, I would've been all over them. If the Spirits looked like the Dalis, you'd have an unbeatable on-wall speaker. But that's very subjective. The Spirits do look awesome on my wall. Put simply; Dali for looks, XTZ for everything else.
 
Can anyone tell me how the XTZ Spirit 2 compare to the Dali Oberon on wall?
I'm looking for stereo speakers for the kitchen, no sub
 
Can anyone tell me how the XTZ Spirit 2 compare to the Dali Oberon on wall?
I'm looking for stereo speakers for the kitchen, no sub

If you read the thread you will realize thats exactly what they're all talking about. Have a read and see :)


View attachment 1122210

Hi @Psha ,

I went for the XTZ. Unfinished, but I thought I'd show my setup in its final stages.

The Dali Oberons are a better looking speaker, no doubt. However the Spirits are the better kit. And they're cheaper. The Spirit 2s are smaller than the Oberons too. There's much more to the Spirits as they've got Bass Ports and Treble Jumpers so they can be tweaked for your sound.

My 5.0 cost £950 (3x Spirit 6 & 2x Spirit 2). But this was discounted as a deal to buy an XTZ sub.

The Oberon on walls x4 with a Vokal would've cost £1177.

So far the speakers sound excellent. I haven't stretched them but watching Dunkirk 4K, Master and Commander BD, GoT S1 BD, and playing Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War on a PS4, the setups
sounds brilliant.

If XTZ offered a walnut option, I would've been all over them. If the Spirits looked like the Dalis, you'd have an unbeatable on-wall speaker. But that's very subjective. The Spirits do look awesome on my wall. Put simply; Dali for looks, XTZ for everything else.

rriisshhii - Your setup is looking amazing. All mounted to the wall is so clean. How have you found everything to be with continued usage?
 
If you read the thread you will realize thats exactly what they're all talking about. Have a read and see :)

The Spirit 2 are only mentioned in terms of dimensions etc, not in terms of sound.
@rriisshhii did you compare the Oberon On-Wall to the Spirit 2 regarding sound quality?
 

In more detail I mean - in the above comments you mention bassports on the XTZ, etc but the Spirit 2 don't have them. I assume if you directly compare XTZ Spirit 2 to the Oberon On-Walls, the Oberons would eventually be the better choice (standalone).
 
Hi @rriisshhii - I've bought some Spirit 6s and Spirit 2s.
I was wondering if you could share your crossover and level settings so I can try them on my set-up?

Thanks
 
Hi @rriisshhii - I've bought some Spirit 6s and Spirit 2s.
I was wondering if you could share your crossover and level settings so I can try them on my set-up?

Thanks

He haven`t been here in months. You can´t copy he`s level settings. Run your av-receivers setup with the microphone placed at main seating position seated ear height and room made 100% silent (use tripod or boom arm mic stand for the mic if possible)! Then tell us which figures you got for crossovers so we can look does something of those need tweaking.
 
The mic in the AV receiver set-up is poor quality and the set-up is therefore poor.
Last time I ran it (Denon), it set my speakers to large when they were small satellite speakers. I spoke to the company that I bought it from and they told me that because the mics that are supplied with the AV Receiver are so poor, the set-up was therefore poor too.
It certainly worked out that way for me and when I manually adjusted, it was much better.
Take your point that rishi's settings will be different, would just be interested to hear what they were.
 
The mic in the AV receiver set-up is poor quality and the set-up is therefore poor.
Last time I ran it (Denon), it set my speakers to large when they were small satellite speakers. I spoke to the company that I bought it from and they told me that because the mics that are supplied with the AV Receiver are so poor, the set-up was therefore poor too.
It certainly worked out that way for me and when I manually adjusted, it was much better.
Take your point that rishi's settings will be different, would just be interested to hear what they were.

Most receivers will set them large, that is very normal and something i wouldn´t stress about. You still need to use it to set levels, distances/delays correct. So just run it and then we can tweak some of those settings. Where you place the mic and how tight area makes difference also. With Denon comes usually the cardboard mic stand so use that so the mic is high enough and "sees" all speakers in your room. If your couch is against rear wall then make sure the mic is at least 0,5meters forward. You can do 3mic positions starting from middle of your couch if that is the main position you sit. Then move it little bit (30cm) to each side for 2. and 3. positions. The mic is very sensitive so room must be totally silent and get away from mic/speakers when you run it. Below short 9min video has some tips.

Before you run it though make sure your speakers are placed as optimal as possible cause some issues can be due to that.

 
Thanks for the advice - I will try it again but will have to wait a while until I have finished redecorating the room to accomodate the new speakers and screen.
 
Thanks for the advice - I will try it again but will have to wait a while until I have finished redecorating the room to accomodate the new speakers and screen.

Ok keep us posted when you have done it and then you can take screenshots from each of those Audussey menus so can look what needs to be changed. Typically you shouldn´t need to tweak the levels much apart from subwoofer. If center channel is placed too low and/or inside av-cabinet then one may feel the level needs to be boosted, but that is mostly due to poor speaker placement. So in short get the speakers close to seated ear height (tweeters) and center channel in free space (not shooting knees if possible) not inside cabinet. Subwoofer i would try in front corner first. Check the sub knobs are set correct before you run Audussey (gain/volume knob at 12clock roughly, phase 0, crossover knob (hz) set to max/lfe/bypass, power mode always on - not auto so it won´t sleep etc).
 
Thanks. I plan on putting the centre speaker where the M1 Centre speaker is currently. With my old M1 speaker, I didn't have any problem it being so close to the TV. What do you think?
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Thanks. I plan on putting the centre speaker where the M1 Centre speaker is currently. With my old M1 speaker, I didn't have any problem it being so close to the TV. What do you think?
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If you feel the tv can´t go any higher (and bit more left so you would get the mains bit more apart while the center channel wouldn`t be too close to either main l/r) then that is the best you can do. Level the main speakers (height wise) as the cardboard models aren´t leveled.
 

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