Wharfedale Dovedale Speakers (Pair)

Wharfedale Heritage Dovedale speakers follow on from the Denton 80, Denton 85 and Linton models and are the largest of these updated models yet. Proudly designed, engineered and made in the UK, Dovedale applies the latest technology to ensure the build quality, finish and performance of the classic designs is greatly enhanced, whilst remaining faithful to the spirit of the original.

Heritage

The Dovedale speaker first appeared in 1965. Notably, it is named after a valley in the Peak District. Originally a two way design, it became the Dovedale 3 in 1971. This large three way speaker became renowned for it’s rich, open and effortless sound quality. The new edition is re-engineered and takes its inspiration from the Dovedale 3. The cabinet proportions have been maintained but the new edition is a little taller and a little wider. This is a large speaker by modern standards, but this was done for a reason, to move more air.

Drive Units

The bass driver is a 10” unit, while the midrange is a 5” unit, both have cones made of woven Kevlar. This material was invented in the same year that the Dovedale was originally released. However, it was not used for speaker diaphragms for another 10 years. It is a very strong and stiff material that resists warping. The midrange unit has it’s own internal enclosure. The isolation stops any vibrations from the bass driver reaching the midrange driver, for a cleaner sound.

The 25mm tweeter has a fabric dome and ceramic magnet. This tweeter is used throughout the Wharfedale classic series. However, the new Dovedale edition has been improved with a rear chamber. This has been damped to prevent any output from the back of the dome. As a result the resonant frequency has been reduced to well below the frequency of the crossover. This ensures that full treble detail is revealed without affecting the smoothness.

Cabinet Design

The cabinet midrange and bass enclosures are both carefully damped using acoustic foam and long hair fibre. This gives the midrange unit a smooth response. As a result an accurate slope can be calculated for the crossover. Moreover, the bass unit has a ported enclosure allowing bass extension down to 25Hz. Instruments are presented with clean articulation.

A combination of woods are used to cancel out any panel resonances. The cabinet construction uses a sandwich of high density particle board and another layer of MDF. Each layer is separated by a damping membrane of specially selected glue. The cabinet is then covered with figured grain real-wood veneers. This is applied to all the surfaces and then hand polished. Finally, the cabinet is lacquered to give a satin finish. Each cabinet is carefully matched.

Crossovers

The crossover in the Dovedale has to seamlessly blend the output of the three driver units into a coherent whole. This is done by using an electrical filter set, that splits up the frequency band for each driver unit. The crossover components have been specially chosen for their revealing and transparent character. They are laid out on two PCBs that avoid electromagnetic interference.

The crossover points and the power delivery of the new Dovedale speaker have been refined by listening tests. A wide range of music was used to make sure that the speaker delivers just the music with no colouration or interference. As a result, the speakers suit all styles of music, at whatever volume level you like. Moreover, the impedance characteristics make it easy for any amplifier to drive them.

Further Refinements

Critical analysis has been used to refine the design. Internal bracing is carefully placed to control resonances. This results in no colouration to the music. Additionally, the midrange unit and tweeter are offset to prevent any reflections from the cabinet edges. This improves the stereo image. The position of the drivers is also mirrored in each pair. Finally the Dovedale speakers are designed to be listened to with the grilles on. Removing them results in a slightly brighter but less smooth output.

About Wharfedale

The Wharfedale name is well known amongst audiophiles. The company was founded in 1932 and they were early proponents of two-way speakers and ceramic magnets. Another claim to fame was the double cabinet. To reduce resonances the cabinet was double-walled with the gap filled with Yorkshire sand shipped from Wharfedale. During WW II the Bradford-based speaker factory made transformers for Marconi radar sets. Today they are owned by the International Audio Group and make high-end speakers across several ranges. They also have a professional branch known as Wharfedale Pro.