Wharfedale EVO 4.4 Floorstanding Speakers – Black Oak

Here we have a pair of well-regarded floorstanding loudspeakers from former British company Wharfedale. Probably one of the best known brands in hi-fi, the company is now part of the International Audio Group and still specialises in producing high value loudspeakers. Our examples of the Evo 4.4 are in very good condition, and come in original factory packaging along with grilles and our three month warranty.
Wharfedale Say….
Wharfedale’s new EVO4 has grown out of the extensive research and development that produced the Elysian flagship loudspeakers and borrows much of the technology involved in Elysian.
Primary focus is on the AMT development resulting in a radically different way of reproducing high frequency detail efficiently and accurately. Similar cabinet technology to Elysian provides a stable and solid foundation for the drive units with radiused edges to help integrate the driver output with the room acoustics. In addition the unique SLPP bass reflex system, as developed for Elysian, is now incorporated in EVO4.
Developed from the advanced AMT in Elysian, EVO4’s Air Motion Transformer treble unit utilizes a radically different way of moving air compared to the conventional dome tweeter. A large, pleated lightweight diaphragm is driven across its surface by rows of strategically placed magnets. Not only is this an efficient way of moving air but it is also very accurate as the diaphragm is under close control of the motor system at all times. The result is a wide bandwidth transducer that achieves low distortion naturally and delivers wonderful musical detail.
To match to the EVO4 AMT, Wharfedale has developed a fast and responsive dome midrange with wide bandwidth thanks to the incorporation of a damped rear chamber. This soft fabric dome, damped with a plasticizer coating, is vented aperiodically into a specially shaped rear chamber that is profiled to scatter and absorb rear energy from the dome. As a result this dome midrange features a linear response from 800Hz to 5kHz, an astonishing bandwidth from such a unit.
Thanks to its high flux magnet, the EVO4 midrange dome also has a high efficiency, ideally matched to that of the AMT, enabling it to respond easily and quickly to the dynamics of the music fed to it. The wide dispersion of this dome and AMT combination ensures that you’ll hear all the musical detail no matter where you sit.
Utilizing the advanced, low distortion motor system developed for the Elysian bass units, EVO4 marries this to a woven Kevlar cone fitted with a low loss rubber surround, giving a wide bandwidth driver which is equally adept at producing powerful bass in addition to a natural lower midrange quality.
Like Elysian, the bass units are loaded by the most advanced version of the unique Wharfedale Slot Port yet. Christened SLPP (Slot Loaded Profiled Port) the rear output of the bass units is not wasted. Instead the lowest frequency energy is vented to a slot at the base of the speaker, specially profiled to equalize the high internal pressure to the low pressure in the room.
Combining the outputs of the drivers is an advanced computer modelled crossover that has been developed over hundreds of hours of listening tests, fine-tuned to make sure that the blend between the drive units is seamless.
Crossover components have been specially chosen for their audio transparency and feature high-grade polypropylene capacitors and laminated silicon-iron and air core inductors, laid out to avoid electro-magnetic interference on a specially designed circuit board.
Specifications:
General Description: 3-way floorstanding speaker
Enclosure Type: Bass reflex
Transducer Complement: 3-way
Bass Driver: 165 mm black woven Kevlar® cone x2
Midrange Driver: 50 mm soft dome
Treble Driver: 30 x 60 mm AMT
Sensitivity: 89 dB
Recommended Amplifier Power: 30 – 200 W
Peak SPL: 107 dB
Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω compatible
Minimum Impedance: 4.3 Ω
Frequency Response: 44 Hz – 22 kHz (+/-3dB)
Bass Extension: 38 Hz (- 6dB)
Crossover Frequency: 1.4 kHz. 4.7 kHz
Dimensions: 1060 (H) x 250 (W) x 340 (D) mm
Weight: 25.6 kg

To read a review from What Hi-Fi? magazine please click here