Dali oberon 1 vs wharfedale 12.1

[Ashh]

Hi.
I need a little help to decide between these two.
I have 5.1 AVR yamaha htr 3067, 70 W per channel. It came with yamaha NSP 20 speaker package. I want to enhance my stereo experience. So i want new bookshelf speakers. I came down to dali oberon 1 and wharfedale 12.1. I did audition of dali oberon 1. I found it very expressive in vocals. It was like vocals were live, I could feel the emotion behind the vocals. But it felt little brighter and lacks in bass. However the shopkeeper told me that they are not bright. They were connected to yamaha rn 303.
On the other hand i could not test diamond 12.1 because they were not available there. Only from reviews I know that 12.1 are warm, laid back and surely not bright.

The problem here is that I like the expressiveness of dali. I surely want that but not at the cost of sparkle and brightness.
Can I anyone who has listened 12.1 suggest that do 12.1 has same expressiveness as dali oberon 1.

My preferences are like. I dont like brightness. I like neutral signature.

Can anyone suggest that what is the signature of 12.1 and what should I buy.

 

[Nitin K]

Hi.
I need a little help to decide between these two.
I have 5.1 AVR yamaha htr 3067, 70 W per channel. It came with yamaha NSP 20 speaker package. I want to enhance my stereo experience. So i want new bookshelf speakers. I came down to dali oberon 1 and wharfedale 12.1. I did audition of dali oberon 1. I found it very expressive in vocals. It was like vocals were live, I could feel the emotion behind the vocals. But it felt little brighter and lacks in bass. However the shopkeeper told me that they are not bright. They were connected to yamaha rn 303.
On the other hand i could not test diamond 12.1 because they were not available there. Only from reviews I know that 12.1 are warm, laid back and surely not bright.

The problem here is that I like the expressiveness of dali. I surely want that but not at the cost of sparkle and brightness.
Can I anyone who has listened 12.1 suggest that do 12.1 has same expressiveness as dali oberon 1.

My preferences are like. I dont like brightness. I like neutral signature.

Can anyone suggest that what is the signature of 12.1 and what should I buy.

I have not heard the Wharfedale but chances are that they may have a warmer sound signature.
I have the Oberon1 but since I am using it with a Marantz and Audyssey XT32, I can control the warmth or brightness through the MultEq Filter on the Audyssey phone app. So I get the vocals with a warm tone to my liking since I too dislike bright sound signatures.
The low and mid end Yamaha's are more on the brighter side atleast on the amps that I have heard hence may add to the brightness overall.
You may need to hear the Wharfedale's yourself with your avr to see if it suits your tastes.
Both the bookshelves won't give you adequate bass and you may need to add a subwoofer.

 

[Ashh]

I have not heard the Wharfedale but chances are that they may have a warmer sound signature.
I have the Oberon1 but since I am using it with a Marantz and Audyssey XT32, I can control the warmth or brightness through the MultEq Filter on the Audyssey phone app. So I get the vocals with a warm tone to my liking since I too dislike bright sound signatures.
The low and mid end Yamaha's are more on the brighter side atleast on the amps that I have heard hence may add to the brightness overall.
You may need to hear the Wharfedale's yourself with your avr to see if it suits your tastes.
Both the bookshelves won't give you adequate bass and you may need to add a subwoofer.

What model of marantz you are using?

 

[Nitin K]

What model of marantz you are using?

It's SR 7011.

 

[Ashh]

Of any one have listened diamond 12.1. May please suggest.

 

[ssf]

I have heard the Diamond 12.1 a long time back. Can't remember what they sound like. If they sound anything like the Wharfedale D225's that I own, you should be quite happy. It's laid back but at the same time does not miss out on a lot of details. Great speakers for the money.

 

[argho]

Arent these 2 speakers at different price points ?
What price quote have you received ?

 

[Ashh]

Arent these 2 speakers at different price points ?
What price quote have you received ?

Dali oberon 1 is offered at 39K. And 12.1 is like 32k

 

[nagbbv]

Dali oberon 1 is offered at 39K. And 12.1 is like 32k

Where it is available at that price? online or offline?

 

[Ashh]

Where it is available at that price? online or offline?

Offline at delhi

 

[nagbbv]

Offline at delhi

Okay. Thank you. Looks like Wharfedale 12.1 is a good deal.

 

[argho]

Only an audition can tell which sound you prefer.

I have heard neither, but what I can say from having owned earlier Wharfedale Diamonds, and now a Dali Oberon 5, is that :
- Wharefadale Diamonds are excellent entry level budget speakers, but
- the Dali Oberons are definitely a notch above.

The pricing you are seeing right now is because these Wharfedale Diamonds are new, hence priced a bit higher than where the price should eventually settle.

My personal view - the Dali Oberons are a class / category above the Diamonds.

But as I said, only you can hear and decide which sound you prefer. Both are certainly excellent bookshelf speakers.

Have a look at the WhatHi-Fi UK review prices mentioned - a clear GBP 100 gap (~ Rs 10K).
Both speakers are rated 5 star in their price category.

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 review

Surprisingly sophisticated standmounters for their size and price

www.whathifi.com

Dali Oberon 1 review

A quality pair of speakers with an unfussy nature

www.whathifi.com

Just my view.

 

[aljojohn]

Hi.
I need a little help to decide between these two.
I have 5.1 AVR yamaha htr 3067, 70 W per channel. It came with yamaha NSP 20 speaker package. I want to enhance my stereo experience. So i want new bookshelf speakers. I came down to dali oberon 1 and wharfedale 12.1. I did audition of dali oberon 1. I found it very expressive in vocals. It was like vocals were live, I could feel the emotion behind the vocals. But it felt little brighter and lacks in bass. However the shopkeeper told me that they are not bright. They were connected to yamaha rn 303.
On the other hand i could not test diamond 12.1 because they were not available there. Only from reviews I know that 12.1 are warm, laid back and surely not bright.

The problem here is that I like the expressiveness of dali. I surely want that but not at the cost of sparkle and brightness.
Can I anyone who has listened 12.1 suggest that do 12.1 has same expressiveness as dali oberon 1.

My preferences are like. I dont like brightness. I like neutral signature.

Can anyone suggest that what is the signature of 12.1 and what should I buy.

I prefer DALI over WHAR in all parameters....DALI is a different league

 

[Credoh]

If the OP is looking to stay away from brightness the Wharfedale Diamonds are an excellent choice. I have a Diamond 11.2 that I may sell. Please PM me if anyone is interested