Dali Oberon 1 - ₹ 36,900

As far as we're concerned, Dali is long past having to prove itself when it comes to producing quality budget speakers. Its cluster of What Hi-Fi? Awards makes the point clearly enough. And, in quality terms, the Oberon 1s are typical of the brand.

About the size of a shoebox, the 1s adhere strictly to convention on design. They are two way, rear-ported boxes, just like all of the established competition. But look closely and you’ll find areas where Dali’s engineers have tried to eke out an advantage.

Greater depth

The tweeter uses a 29mm soft dome, which is claimed to be considerably lighter than that used on most rivals. The larger-than-normal size (most tweeter domes tend to be 25mm wide) means that it can delve lower in frequency than alternative designs, aiding integration with the mid/bass driver.

Much care has been taken with the motor system and managing the sound that comes off the back of the dome so that it doesn’t distort the forward output.

Moving down in frequency, the 13cm mid/bass unit uses one of the company’s trademark wood/fibre cones. Dali has long preferred this material for its low weight, rigidity and fine self-damping properties. The mid/bass and tweeter are integrated with a single-wire crossover.

The lack of biwiring isn’t an issue for us. It keeps things simpler, and lets the user concentrate their budget on a single high-quality speaker cable.