Castle Windsor Duke Speakers (Pair)

The Castle Windsor Duke Speakers are a step up from the Castle Earl speakers, with a larger woofer and a slightly bigger cabinet. They also have a higher power handling at 150 Watts. Castle now makes the Windsor range in the UK and they feature superb craftsmanship. Moreover, they are made in collaboration with the world-renowned speaker designer Karl-Heinz Fink.

They feature a 200mm woofer with a woven polypropylene cone as well as a 28mm tweeter that has a textile dome. Both drivers work seamlessly together. Next, the cabinets are designed to be resonance-free and feature hand-selected veneers with furniture-grade finishes.

Castle speakers are now made in the UK. The company was founded in 1973 and the Windsor range is a collaboration between one of the best designers in the world, Karl-Heinz Fink, and Castle. Castle Windsor Duke Speakers are hand built and finished in England and made with the craftsmanship long associated with the brand. Karl-Heinz Fink has a long track record and has won several awards for his speaker designs.

Detailed tweeters with low distortion

The Castle Windsor Duke Speakers feature tweeters with a high-consistency exposed polyester dome. There is also a pressure-equalized Ferrite magnet system. Moreover, there is also a stable metal front plate. Next, the dynamic range is improved by having no ferrofluid for cooling. The resonant frequency is also lowered to 800hz. Another advancement is the voice coil, which has a diameter of 28mm and a copper cap that reduces distortion. This results in an increase in detail. This is the case, especially at very high frequencies.

200mm woven polypropylene woofer cones

The woofers in the Castle Windsor Duke Speakers are larger than the Castle Earl speakers and have a woven polypropylene cone. The polypropylene is first cut into strips and then woven into a fabric. Next, it is pressed into a cone shape and cut to size. The complex manufacturing process has several sonic benefits. Firstly, the material has variable rigidity at different points about the voice coil and surround. The result is less resonance and a flatter frequency response. Finally, the surround material is designed to have a long life and it also has a low hysteresis for a faster response.

A speaker magnet system with less distortion

A compensation ring is used by the Castle Windsor Duke Speakers. This ring is made of aluminium and is designed to minimise the variation of the impedance of the system across the whole frequency range. This has the effect of reducing the harmonic and intermodulation distortion values. The result is more openness in the midrange.

Glass fibre voice coil

The Castle Windsor Duke Speakers feature a voice coil that is wound on a former made of glass fibre. This has been bonded with high-temperature resin. Notably, the stiffness and rigidity are similar to aluminium. However, this construction does not create eddy currents as metal does. The result is a signal with high purity and less distortion.

Top build quality

Drive unit technology and materials have advanced considerably over the last 50 years. However, the basics of cabinet design were calculated by the BBC many years ago. The design principles still stand and the Castle Windsor Duke Speakers use a traditional box design. MDF is still the best material for speaker cabinets and this is used in a sandwich with acoustic glue. Two layers are used that have the effect of further damping any resonances in the midrange area. Additionally, point-to-point bracing is used to dampen any peaks and troughs in the response.

Beautiful Architectural veneers.

The Castle Windsor Earl Speakers maintain the Castle tradition of superb craftsmanship. Choose from architectural-grade walnut or mahogany veneers. All are sourced from sustainable forests. Moreover, only deep-figured slices are used not composite mush. The final processing stage takes many hours as the veneers are hand finished and polished. The veneers are also mirrored and then sealed and waxed. This produces a beautiful lustre and depth of character
High-grade crossover

The crossover used by the Castle Windsor Earl Speakers provides a flat frequency response. Advanced computer modelling was used along with many hours of listening tests. The main improvement is with the inductors. These are air core types that do not use metal cores. This prevents any hysteresis that can cause distortion.