The DALI OBERON GRAND VOKAL is a large-format center-channel loudspeaker designed for serious home-theater systems where powerful, full-range dialogue and effortless dynamics are priorities. Introduced as the larger companion to the standard OBERON VOKAL, the GRAND VOKAL was developed specifically for larger rooms and systems incorporating DALI’s OBERON 7 and OBERON 9 floorstanding speakers. Its substantially larger enclosure and twin 7-inch drivers give it considerably more acoustic authority than a conventional center speaker.
At the heart of the GRAND VOKAL are two 7-inch bass/midrange drivers incorporating DALI’s SMC (Soft Magnetic Compound) technology. The drivers use DALI’s familiar paper-and-wood-fibre cones, which combine low mass with rigidity and controlled resonance. SMC is intended to reduce distortion in the magnetic circuit, particularly through the critical midrange where voices and dialogue reside. The result is a center channel designed to remain clean and intelligible even when the soundtrack becomes demanding.
High frequencies are handled by a 29mm ultra-lightweight soft-dome tweeter. DALI emphasizes the tweeter’s low moving mass and wide dispersion, characteristics that are particularly valuable in a center channel because listeners are frequently spread across a wide seating area rather than sitting directly in the acoustic sweet spot. DALI describes the GRAND VOKAL as providing a “wide listening area” in which dialogue and other details remain consistent from different seating positions.
The bass-reflex cabinet is unusually substantial for a center speaker, measuring approximately 27.5 inches wide, 7.9 inches high and 12.2 inches deep. A rear-firing port is tuned to approximately 40Hz, contributing to the speaker’s published 45Hz–26kHz ±3dB frequency response. With a 91dB sensitivity and 111dB maximum SPL rating, the GRAND VOKAL is capable of producing considerable output without requiring enormous amplifier power.
Although primarily intended for horizontal center-channel use, the GRAND VOKAL has enough bandwidth and output capability to serve as a left or right front speaker. In a 2024 test, AREA DVD actually evaluated three GRAND VOKAL speakers in a 3.0 configuration and concluded that its larger drivers and cabinet make it suitable for front-channel use as well as center duty. The publication characterized it as “versatile and acoustically convincing.”
Audioholics highlighted the speaker’s “super wide, panoramic dispersion,” while noting its higher 91dB sensitivity and 111dB maximum SPL compared with the smaller OBERON VOKAL. The publication also pointed out that its 4-ohm impedance makes an AVR with a reasonably robust power supply advisable, particularly when the speaker is expected to deliver high output.
The GRAND VOKAL’s combination of high sensitivity, substantial bass capability, low distortion and wide dispersion makes it particularly well suited to large home theaters. It is also deliberately timbre-matched to the rest of the OBERON family, allowing dialogue and effects to transition smoothly between the center and front channels.
Product Specifications
- Type: 2-way bass-reflex center-channel loudspeaker
- Recommended Use: Large-room home theater; also suitable for L/R front-channel use
- Tweeter: 1 × 29mm ultra-lightweight soft dome
- Bass/Midrange Drivers: 2 × 7-inch (180mm) SMC-based wood-fibre cone
- Crossover Frequency: 2,500Hz
- Frequency Response: 45Hz–26kHz (±3dB)
- Sensitivity: 91dB @ 2.83V/1m
- Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms
- Maximum SPL: 111dB
- Recommended Amplifier Power: 25–200 watts
- Bass Reflex Tuning: 40Hz
- Connection: Single-wire
- Recommended Placement: Shelf or stand
- Recommended Rear-Wall Clearance: 2–20 inches (5–50cm)
- Dimensions (H × W × D): 7.9 × 27.5 × 12.2 inches
- Weight: 28.3 lb (12.85kg)
- Key Technologies: SMC magnet system, wood-fibre cones, wide-dispersion soft-dome tweeter
- System Matching: Designed especially for OBERON 7 and OBERON 9 systems
