The new Wharfedale EVO4 Series sits between the existing Diamond 11 Series and Wharfedale’s forthcoming, flagship Elysian speakers. The initial range comprises six models: two standmount speakers (EVO4.1 and 4.2), two floorstanders (EVO4.3 and 4.4), a large home cinema centre speaker (EVO4.C) and a surround speaker designed for on-wall siting (EVO4.S).

A more compact centre speaker (EVO4.CS) will be added to the range towards the end of the year.

Empty abstract dark concrete room interior. 3d render illustration

Wharfedale Elysian Project

The EVO4 Series was developed concurrently with the Elysian project and benefits from the same R&D processes. Much engineering and technology is shared between these speakers and the family resemblance is obvious, from the cabinets with their curved sides to the driver array.

Air Motion Transformer Tweeter

Developed from the Air Motion Transformer (AMT) high-frequency unit created for Elysian, EVO4’s AMT unit utilises a r different way of moving air compared to conventional dome tweeters. A large, pleated, lightweight diaphragm is driven across its surface by rows of strategically placed magnets. The pleats in the diaphragm contract and expand under the influence of the musical drive, squeezing the air between them to form the desired waveform. Not only is this an efficient way of moving air, it is also accurate as the diaphragm is under close control of the motor system at all times.

Dome Midrange

To match to the AMT treble unit, Wharfedale has developed a dome midrange driver with wide bandwidth, assisted by the incorporation of a damped rear chamber. This unit is used by all the three-way EVO4 speakers – every model bar the two-way EVO4.1. The soft fabric dome, damped with a plasticiser coating, is vented aperiodically into a specially shaped rear chamber that is profiled to scatter and absorb rear energy from the dome. This results in a linear response from 800Hz to 5kHz. Thanks to its high-flux magnet, the EVO4 midrange dome also has a high efficiency, ideally matched to that of the AMT treble unit, enabling it to respond rapidly to the dynamics of the music.

Bass Units

The EVO4 Series’ bass drivers utilise the advanced, low-distortion motor system developed for the Elysian bass units, married to a woven Kevlar cone fitted with a low-loss rubber surround. This gives a wide bandwidth drive unit. Wharfedale’s engineers have been working with Kevlar for two decades.

Bass performance is augmented by the most advanced version of Wharfedale’s signature slot-loaded port yet devised. Christened SLPP (Slot Loaded Profiled Port), it ensures that 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 equalise the high internal pressure to the low pressure in the room.

Crossover

The drivers’ output is combined via a computer-modelled crossover network that has been developed over hundreds of hours of listening tests. Crossover components have been carefully 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.

Cabinets

The EVO4 cabinets are hand-finished in wood veneers. Beneath the veneer is a sandwich of woods of different densities, designed to reduce panel resonance to below audibility. This multi-layer construction also inhibits the leakage of unwanted sound energy from inside the cabinet, which would otherwise interfere with the forward output of the drive units. The baffle’s radiused edges smooth the flow of sonic energy around the cabinet, helping to integrate the drivers’ output with the room acoustics.

Peter Comeau

Speaking about the development of the EVO4 Series, Peter Comeau, Wharfedale’s Director of Acoustic Design, said: “Other than some inventive names for ‘fancy’ cone materials, it might seem that little has changed in moving coil loudspeakers over the past 50 years. That’s why it’s refreshing to work with the advanced motor systems we’ve incorporated into the EVO4 Series, along with our version of a dome midrange and an AMT treble unit that has grown out of our research for the Elysian project. This Wharfedale speaker range is distinctly different, yet it continues to do what Wharfedale does best: deliver superb material and sonic value-for-money.”

Price And Availability

The Wharfedale EVO4 Series is available from October in a choice of black, white or walnut wood veneers. RRPs are as follows:

EVO4.1: £449 per pair

EVO4.3: £999 per pair

EVO4.S: £999 per pair

EVO4.2: £599 per pair

EVO4.4: £1199 per pair

EVO4.C: £499 each

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