I've bought them 5 years ago, didn't know you, Steve, but thanks to my wife's decision - we're both musicians. The vocals of opera singers coming from them made goosebumps and jazz instruments made shivers. The build quality is outstanding. We recommend. They are powered by Marantz amp, which gives them even more sweetness and warmth. We fully recommend.
Totalmente de acuerdo con usted. Los tengo conectados a un amplificador marantz 40n y el sonido es espectacular. Escucho jazz, blues, etc. Y algunas veces,( pocas ) escucho musica electrónica o música de organo con graves profundos y les conecto un subwoofer Monitor audio silver W12 y ya es un espectáculo. Lo mejor es ver cómo Whaferdale y Marantz se compenetran a la perfección.
I purchased these Steve. I'm not sure why this is the only de new , in English, of these beautiful speakers. I had the 4.2 and returned them for the 4.3 I also heard the Lintons. My groves are jazz and classical. These little guys are perfect for my room. They disappear into the very open roundness and the musicians on stage in a small club are nearly visible. There's none of that right left crap going on. Thanks for this convincing, spot on information. 4.3=⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just bought the 4.3s and heard midrange “enunciation resolution” that I’ve never heard on 2 way speakers. I think woofers and tweeters are uncomfortable with midrange and a seamless midrange dome does better. I’m hearing ess instead of sss and the 4.3’s proper pronunciation’s continue to make me smile. I love them!
I love tjhat expression "they just let the music pass through the speaker like they weren't there" OK I'm sold. Always had bad speakers but alot of music. These are gonna be my first big buy step up, thank you
Hi Steve, it's the real wood veneer, hand applied over many hours. They also match the woodgrain on the left and right speaker pairs. How crazy is that for the speaker in this price range? Someone said Wharfedale over engineers and underprice, this speaker series is a true testament to that.
Its Sunday morning, This review has reminded me of my youth growing up in NY. The nytimes’d be delivered early Sunday we had a big family so there was always jostling for it. I could get up late cause I was the only one interested in what Hans Fantel had to say. These days my phone’s notifications start at 7 am. So thanks the reviews and the memory, now if I could only find a decent bagel .
Wharfedale are one of the oldest British companies along with Celestion and Tannoy. Celestion used to make hi fi speakers years back, but focus on guitar speakers now. Proud of British speakers. Wharfedale are still up there
@@yippie6862 It is a British design though, their headquarters is still in Huntingdon England. Funding nowadays is usually global in fact no nation owns anything anymore.
I recently purchased a pair of evo 4.1s. The same basic sound profile in a much smaller package. I have them sitting atop two 24" bar stools, putting them at ear level. They totally fill my 13'x19' media room with full, rich British sound. Like the 4.3s they feature a ribbon tweeter and a bottom slotted port. A great buy at $699 US, complete with real wood veneer.
The 4.1 definitely does not have the same sound signature as the bigger models, the 4.1 is the only model in the line up that has a significantly lower crossover frequency on the AMT wich makes the tweeters resonance frequency audible. Measurements of this 4.1 model clearly show a quite big bump around 4Khz.
@@73Xtian : I've never heard the resonance you speak of even at high volume, but no two pair of ears are the same. Personally, I prefer the 4.1s to the 4.2s. I found the 4.2s a bit harder to optimally position in my particular room and couldn't really justify the price difference. But to each their own.
Interesting review. I would have suggested you review the 4.4 EVO's with the larger woofers. The soft-dome midrange, IMHO, is a grossly under used driver in the industry today. I think the way Wharfedale integrated it with the AMT tweeter is a gorgeous design and blends effortlessly. I hope other manufactures follow Wharfedale's lead and integrate more SD mids.
My Evo 4.4 speakers came with discs for the spikes to protect the speakers. They were hard to find, hidden way down in the bottom of the box. At first I thought they just didn't come with the discs and I was pretty annoyed. I love my 4.4's though. Easy going, smooth, musical sound. They definitely aren't the most dynamic though. But they just kind of do everything pretty well.
Steve, I don’t quite know how, and I’ve actually asked Schiit, but when 2 Aegirs are used as monoblocks, you get 80 wpc into 8 ohms. Thanks for another great vid, man! 🎶🔊🙂
That's correct: when you use the amplifier in bridge mode (any amplifier compatible with the bridged mode) the output power is (theoretically) 4 times the power of the single channel. That's because the power is equal to V^2 / Z, where V^2 is the square of the output voltage and Z is the load impedance. In bridge mode you double the output voltage thus the power is 4 times the power of the single channel on the same load. I said theoretically because when in bridge mode also the output impedance is doubled and that's why usually bridged amplifiers don't like too much low impedances.
Doubling the voltage increases the power by a factor of 4 if the power supply can handle it. The Stereophile measurements of the Aegir showed 49 watts rather than 80. www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-aegir-power-amplifier-measurements
Simone Cominato Yeah, I should’ve said “theoretically” too. I was obviously just repeating what it says on the Schiit site. Thanks for the detailed explanation too. 🎵✌️
8:45 Description of the Wharfedale Linton Heritage is spot on. I've got them, best purchase in years. Never get tired of listening. Relaxed, and yet they can deliver more than enough bass. However, the Lintons are deep boxes and in addition they need space between them and the wall. They need good room to shine.
@@jerryjohnson4625 Same to you 😊 Interesting combination you have. Mine is a refurbished Denon PMA-1060 amplifier from the early 1990s. It doesn't look like much but that's why these are perfect when on a budget and yet getting new Lintons. This Denon plays the Lintons very well, better than other amplifiers I tried (even a new LEAK Stereo), but your Primaluna indicates there still might be room for me for an upgrade later.
One issue with these speakers for some, is that they are very revealing. If there is a flaw in a recording these will really project it. For example, Led Zeppelin BBC recordings are painful to listen to. Put some well recorded material through them and that revealing side is an enormous plus, just incredible for the price.
Wharfedale just seems to have a nice sound that I assumed was the woven Kevlar cones. But with the AMT and silk dome midrange I guess it’s just their overall design. Really handsome cabinets, too.
They’ve always been more mid focused with a softer easy treble . The bass is there but doesn’t announce itself. At least that’s what I heard on older models. The new stuff should sound nice
Design = aesthetics, engineering = functionality. I work in product design and it's a common thing I have to explain to people who aren't in the industry for good reason. It's pretty ambiguous terminology. I ended up biting the bullet and getting "forever speakers" of B&W 702 S2's but I gave a serious audition to this speaker and it's big brother the 4.4 and I would advise ponying up the extra for the 4.4 unless you have a small room. I'd say this is a very accurate review after spending some time with them (it's amazing what you can get on demo with a credit card swipe).
I've had these for 4 months now. I'm using a Schitt Vidar and I've been a very happy camper. Your description of them being laid back is right on. They certainly will play louder than the moderate volume I usually listen to but will easily handle more if I feel the need to crank it up and they've easily handled everything I've thrown at them from King Crimson to Drive By Truckers to Dire Straits to acoustic to Count Basie. Incidentally, mine are walnut and the finish is veneer.
I have the 4.4’s driven by a Yamaha AS801 amp. Love the sound and I use the bass and treble on my amp to tweak the sound on different music. The speakers come with discs for under the spikes.
If I were reviewing audio equipment, I would listen to only two or three different music selections so that I could compare from memory (if that is even possible) the equipment that I had previously reviewed more accurately. Thanks for the enjoyable videos!
Hi Steve, I have only recently started listening to audio reviews on RU-vid but am really enjoying your reviews and am finding such a rich variety of topics going back over the years previous to the present. I grew up with the Wharfedale name in the 1960s and I read the book by Gilbert Briggs on speaker design. He of course was the originator of the Wharfedale name. They were innovators in the 1950s-60s and it is wonderful that the name is still in business today. I'm currently seriously looking at buying a set of the Evos, probably the 4.3s.
We have a pair of the 4.4's with a Chord Qutest DAC and Cary SL300.2D integrated amp at 450wpc and a Rythmik subwoofer and they sound great. They come alive with a high current, high power amp and a resolving DAC.
I have also the Linton Héritage, I think these are just awesome for the price. I have also the Denton 80 Anniversary and a pair of Reva 3 in the stunning rosewood finish. I have had Spendor, Dynaudio, BW, Focus, I have sold all of them but I certainly will never sell my Linton Héritage. I use them with a tube EL 84 amplifier and you can spend thousands euros before you can beat this set.
Just purchased a pair yesterday and was informed it is real veneer. I was also provided floor protection but it was only visible when I opened each speaker from the bottom. A small white box is attached to the shipping material and contains the floor protection pucks.
Nicely done. I had EVO 4.4s for a bit in 2019 and I had sent them back to Crutchfield, because I felt the mid bass had lacked energy: this was the wanting dynamics you had spoken about. Maybe there's something to Kevlar vs aluminum drivers, or else it was a weaker motor system or a smaller magnet. Female vocals were great: not shouty, not having the overly aggressive US speaker sound, and had seemed to fill the room. The AMT has a much narrow dispersion than the dome, but they have it crossed over at 5k or so, so not noticeable. Goldenear and Martin Logan cross theirs over lower, I think. Once I had put on Led Zeppelin, bass guitars and drums had sounded wimpy, lagging the Monitor Audio speakers I had before (the Silver series 2.5 way towers that sell for under $2000). Upper midrange had sounded better on the Wharfedales. Maybe there's something to Kevlar vs aluminum drivers.
One of the legendary loudspeaker designers, NHT uses a 2 inch dome mid driver for some of their full range speakers. Unfortunately lately they trimmed their speaker lines to a bare minimum and they just don"t offer a lot of choices in the way of finishe and sizes.
Hi Steve, I would really love to hear you review the Wharfedale Evo 4.4 speakers. Your review of the 4.3 was excellent! No techno mumbo jumbo just the types pleasure these incredible speaker. I was was 15 when I bought my first Wharfedale Denton 2XP’s. The year was 1975 😂 Best regards. Stephen Murphy 🇮🇪
Bravo. Glad to see someone review a midline loudspeaker. Thought you might find them likeable. I think there are better matching amps out there. Like Cambridge or Naim.
Thought this was a review on an NHT speaker when I saw the thumbnail. I’d love to hear what the tweeters and midrange drivers of these Wharfedales are like.
I was with you! I have a friend that outfitted his home theater with NHT speakers in polished piano black finish. I LOVED the angled front baffle. Very stylish for the day. NOW HEAR THIS ((O:
Gary Smith my dream speaker back in the day was the Super One, which I couldn’t afford back then. The ones with the angled baffles were towers, like the 3.3, correct? Those things were waaaay more than I could afford.
Hi Steve, Love you daily show. Just to let you know the speakers are definitely veneered. Noel Keywood from Hifi World mag in the UK thought that the Evo 4.2s were covered in vinyl but corrected that in his review of the Evo 4.3 speaker in this month's magazine.
Initially I wanted to buy the 4.3 because 4.4 is huge. The 4.4 costs 20% higher. Identical tweeter and mid range dome driver. Ironically the 4.4 is more efficient at 89db. After listening both speakers, the 4.4 is better in every way. It was no brainer for me and I ended up buying the 4.4!
@@ngkokbeng thanks for the reply. I’m leaning towards the 4.2 because they can live either side of the tv unit. Buuuuuuut the 4.3”S are slender and possibly have a bit more authority.
@Chris Yes I'm in the UK, just saw them on the bay for £895 which looks like a bargain!! That's praise indeed if that are holding their own with speakers in the 2.5k region! Thanks again for the info Chris :)
@Chris - I have both the Quad S5 and the Wharfedale Evo 4.2 and the Quads are simply the more special speaker. It does every single thing better than the Evo 4.2 except bass. However, the bass definition on the Evo 4.2 is not stellaer and is bested by my KEF Q350s which dig even deeper and are more nuanced in the lower frequencies. Simply put, the KEF Q350s track the tonal shift in bass notes better than the Evos and i would overall consider it a better speaker than the Evos. Coming back to the Quads, i have negated their slightly weaker bottom end with a REL T9i which integrates beautifully and entirely negates any advantage the Evos have in the bass department, even in a situation where the Evos are also paired with the REL.
After having lived with the Evos, i'd say don't. The Quad S Series at the same price are substantially better (have no idea about Revel). The Evos only beat the Quads in the bass department. But then, the KEF Q series does better while sounding better.
Chris - amen. One question chris, i have the quad s5s which, as mentioned earlier by me, don’t have a strong bottom end, whereas you said your S4s dip down exceptionally well to 45z. I suspect its down to my amplifiers which are all entry level i.e. Marantz PM6006, Crown Xls1502 and an AVR viz. marantz sr6013. My dealer said i need a high current amp to properly drive the Sts. What do you have yours paired with?
I had a pair of Wharfedale EVO2-10s and they were beautifu and a great valuel; these look to be several degrees better than those. I think I need a new pair of speakers ✌️
Just bought a set of these partly because of RU-vid reviews like this, and they are very good, so thanks Steve. I have them pretty close to the wall but there's no bass boom. The build quality is excellent I think and the packaging likewise (white gloves provided for handling). I have that Replacements album on vinyl somewhere and I haven't heard it in ages, but I'll definitely play it via Qobuz later on.
@@iainnorton cool looks good!! So u must be getting badass sound. I got this speaker unexpected from my friend for ok deal. I ran it with smsl class d rated 40W&8 Ohm channel!! No mids I almost cried. Tried some chinese made tda 300W sounds ok! Tried icepiwer diy 50Ws superb sound. I might go xtz.. Like urs can u try this track electrpnose deep zenonesque? Hope u would share with me how it sounds on your badass setup.
@@iainnorton Do you still like em? I just ordered a pair, they'll be powered by two Parasound HCA750's (bridged, each powering one speaker). I also have two Scanspeak 10 inch subs on a Parasound HCA 1200 and a Minidsp DDRC24.
It is wood veneer, not vinyl. I bought a pair of the Evo 4.2 bookshelf speakers from Music Direct in February. Unfortunately I find them to be lifeless and lacking detail unless played loud. If the towers are close to the bookshelves, I'd say there are many better options out there.
I have the EVO 4.1's. At first if I made the right decision. But I really started to like them after about 3 or 4 weeks of playing them every day. I'm streaming into a Topping D90 DAC that feeds an Keces E40 integrated amplifier (both are reviewed on Soundnews RU-vid channel). That combo provides great detail for me.
@@keithjohnson2863 Hi Keith, thank you for the comment. I really need to hook them back up and give them more time. I've read too many comments and positive reviews and perhaps I didn't give them adequate break in time. I like to swap gear so I think it's time to put them back on the stands and let them play for a while and see what I've been missing.
The Replacements overlooked?! Nah. Maybe on the East coast? Here in the Midwest, they are still quite fondly remembered. Of course, Steve . . . a TRUE 'Mats fan would reference something from when Bob Stinson was their guitarist. : )
Wharfedale Diamond 11 Series are very close in sound to these and much cheaper ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Peter Comeau it's the designer of the Diamond 11 and EVO series ! They all sound very good for a third of the price of other speakers that barely come close to these ! !!!!!! Good Job Wharfedale ! I will buy speakers from you for the rest of my life if you hire people like Peter Comeau to design your speakers with great passion ! Not only for the money !
@@user-el2zj3pw5r Hello! I had both of them, but i kept my Diamond 11.3. The evo 4.3 are a little bit more silky and detailed in the upper frequency because of the AMT driver but the rest is the same. The bass-mid drivers are very similar. If you want to convince yourself just buy a pair of Evo 4.3 and listen to both... Then choose what you like better.
@@ryousuketakahashi5038 i cant do that anymore after your experience. I paid £300 for new 11.3, and new evo 4.3 £1000. The only other option i would consider is evo 4.4 But then why not get 11.4 instead, for £700 as evo 4.4 £1200 I think 11.4 vs evo 4.4 will be very similar to each other just like 11.3 vs evo 4.3 Thank you sir for your information very helpfull
That Replacements album Pleased To Meet Me was recorded at the great Ardent studios in Memphis. The 'Mats were attracted because that's where Big Star's records had been created.
I have a personal *prejudice* in favor of AMT tweeters. It's very unscientific -- I own/use one pair of speakers (2-way) that use AMT tweeters. I find them transparent yet musical -- not a typical pair of attributes in most speakers. My AMT equipped speakers tend to 'sing' rather than 'tweet.' Does anybody else share that experience with AMTs?
Would like to see you reviewer expand and do more manufacturers such as Monitor Audio, Paradigm, and other brands. We are missing so many great speaker reviews.
The Replacements were great. A car load of us drove 2 hrs to Long Beach to see them after their 84 Let it Be album came out. That was the original band before Bob Stinson died and they were at their peak. I had all their albums,. More punk rock and I hated it the first time I heard it but it’s on a short list of best 80’s albums. Check out “Answering Machine” an amazing song then look up Lydia Loveless’s live cover on RU-vid, how I discovered her. She became my current favorite since 2016. She has that Replacements swing and attitude with their level of wit.
Steve, you might want to try out the Quad S2s. Same price as the Wharfedale Evo 4.2 but amazing micro details, stereo imaging and the best voices in any speaker at this price range.
Steve, thanks for your videos. I've learned a lot. Just for the fun of it, with the holidays on the horizon what would be your ultimate, spare no cost, system.
For whatever reason, Wharfedale sells well in the UK....but not so well in the US as a general rule, comparatively speaking. No idea why? I love my little half pint Diamond 210's in my office. Great sound and super value.
bought a rega cursa miai (don't care how it's spelled) combo a few years ago to try with some pretty good speakers, have never returned a product so fast in my life.
Note: Vinyl / ATC has the best calotte (dome) midtones speakers for generations / Proac has been working downwords bass port for decades, Elac also. Since Wharfedale is one of the oldest British and world speakers manufacturers (George VI "Bertie" announced himself at the enthronement in 1936. via the Tannoy 1926 or Wharfedale 1932 speakers), then they can be forgiven for "borrowing" from smaller and more reputable companies in the audio world / When integrated amplifier becomes mono via bridge mode, the power double (and the sound ''picture'' usually becomes deeper, wider, ''darker''). Cheers!
I run the evo 4.4s with iotavx sa3 pa3 stack bridged in mono mode...one amp per speaker...soundstage has certainly gained more depth and openness. Works really well.
1:58 I think the ribbon twitter gives that very open sound. Midrange just plays main notes with wide acoustic energy diagram not focused in any particular place, so that even out of focus it sound similar.
I agree ribbons are phenomenally fast, and detailed. I love them. But combined with dome mid.... I'm very interested to hear these to see if they are worth buying
@@MT-eb2dx Hm thanks for the recommendation! I was planning to buy used Infinity Renaissance 90s which cost the same as new Wharfedale 4.4 and now i am just curious which one will sound better. 😅
Good review! I know you're a fan of the Maggies, and the LRS… Any chance you'll review more 'non-box' speakers? I realise it's a question of a lot of factors (getting paid/loaner gear/etc), but I think it'd be fun and a little different. I loved your prior videos on the subject!
So at first as you describe the speaker and the openess etc, I'm thinking how does it compare to a Magnepan of similar price. Then you mention the price and then say it's not your first choice for dynamics etc. So is this more exciting than a Magnepan of the same price in your opinion, hard to call?
The 4.4's are even better Steve ... and sadly the older Diamond 11.5's were missed by many reviewers which I think are better still. Unfortunately due to be discontinued in October.
Nice review Steve. I took your advice and bought Amber Rubarth’s “ Scribbled Folk Symphonies” album from HDTracks. Really loved the sound via my Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. Keep those music suggestions coming 👍👍
I think it is vinyl. I bought EVO 4.4 and the wood pattern is absolutely same on each box (no chance to achieve 100 percent match with nature wood). Howerer it is incredibly realistic, it feels like wood, it looks like wood, there are even few spots which break light like real wood knot.
@@danielvrba8374 We pattern match veneers for a pair of speakers before the veneer is applied. So there will be a very close match as you've seen. It is real wood, I can assure you, which is why it looks and feels like real wood!
@@petercomeau2190 Thanks for reply, I was confused by product description at some e-shop. Except excellent sound, it is also very nice looking piece of furniture which dominates my living room.
Peter Comeau congratulation on great works on Evo series! I’m happy owner of 4.2! Please can you advise us which amplifiers will be a good match beside Audiolabs?
@@MrSplit57 thank you for the compliment. I'm happy that you're happy! QUAD Artera Solus Play also works very well: www.avforums.com/reviews/quad-artera-solus-play-all-in-one-system-review.17837
THANK YOU and thanks to your comment, I found mine taped to the bottom of the bottom piece of styrofoam! Made it worthwhile listening to "Are you ever going to get rid of those boxes?" for the last few months, lol. Thanks again.
I manage a hifi shop and walk between rooms listening to different systems all playing same song on Roon. It’s really the only way to hear the difference in timbre and presentation. These speakers are very engaging with upper mid and dynamics at first but good god are they fatiguing. The AMT tweeter and dome midrange do not handle horns well in my opinion. Dome mids lack the ability to handle dynamic swings without cone breakup which you clearly hear on these after a while. Even so, these speakers are very engaging with PRAT. In fact, I don’t really understand Steve’s opinion of these speakers. They are very upper midrange centric and lack any warmth in the lower mids. I would never classify these as warm, a little shut in? Maybe but warm, no.
3:54 Steve 2020: "so while i was down there on my hands & knees" Me: OK go on... Steve: trying to find the bass port Me: are you sure you were finding bass port? 😂😂😂
I have come to take all reviewers opinions with a grain of salt. You described this speaker as being somewhat laid back and I have heard that before. I just finished reading several reviews and they both were talking about how hot and spicy the treble can be. Some called it hot and recommended pointing the speaker straight out into the room and not pointed right at the listener. For every opinion that says one thing about a speaker, there are two other reviews claiming the exact opposite. The best thing is to just go and listen...ideally in YOUR room.
I agree totally, your room, your electronics, your music, how loud or quietly you listen, how you place m the speakers. The variables make predicting sound quality next to impossible.
Thank you for the reply Steve. I was surprised to see a reply to a video 3 years old and you being a busy guy and all. No offense taken I hope. I've been checking out your videos for years now and will continue to do so. It can be bewildering sometimes though when you're trying to come up with a short list of speakers to debut and opinions vary so wildly. Thanks again for all the videos over the years.@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac
Speaking of wall placement earlier this year you reviewed the Ohm Walsh 2000's which work best close to the wall ,and as you also noted are made here not China.
Greetings. I bought the Denon amp and CD player, as well, and now need to upgrade my speakers. You seem pleased to use them with the 4.2's which I'm considering as well as the 4.3's. May I ask what kind of music you generally listen to? I listen to all kinds but, mostly, rock. Zeppelin, Pixies, Blondie - stuff like that. Does your set up work well with those?
I just bought myself a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 300. Curious how they fare against the Wharfedale, since they are more or less in the same pricerange.
I'm struggling with the same decision now. I think the scales are tipping in favour of the Evos simply because the 300s will probably need a lot more grunt to be pushed to their full potential. If I had deeper pockets though, I would go for the 300s and a nice beefy amp.
@I was with your mother It isn't a question of volume, it's a question of sound quality. The impedance of the 300s drop to 3.7 ohms for starters, I don't think there are many low - mid priced amps that can handle that with grace. Not to mention that MA themselves recommend at least 80w for em.
