In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Castle. Castle Tintagel 2 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Tintagel 1 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Castle Tintagel 2 and Castle Tintagel 1 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Castle Tintagel 2 | Castle Tintagel 1 |
|---|
| Brand | Castle | Castle |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1.1" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Advanced Fibre | 5" Advanced Fibre |
|---|
| Frequency response | 44-20k Hz | 55-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 86 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-150 watts | 30-100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 21.00kg / 46.2lbs | 7.30kg / 16.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 39-3/16" x 9-13/16" x 11-1/4"
995.0 x 250.0 x 286.0mm | 13-9/16" x 7-5/8" x 9-15/16"
345.0 x 194.0 x 252.0mm |
|---|
Tintagel 2 and Tintagel 1 are members of Castle's Tintagel series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Castle Tintagel Series
History
What size room are the Castle Tintagel 2 and Castle Tintagel 1 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Castle Tintagel 2 |
Castle Tintagel 1 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Average |
| Small Room |
Average |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Bad |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Tintagel 2 and Tintagel 1 are 2-way speakers.
Castle Tintagel 2Castle Tintagel 1
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Castle Tintagel 2 |
Castle Tintagel 1 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 5-inch
|
Tintagel 2 features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Advanced Fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.5 kHz. On the other hand, the Tintagel 1 features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5" Advanced Fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.2 kHz.
Frequency Response
Tintagel 2 has a frequency range of 44-20k Hz whereas Tintagel 1 has a frequency range of 55-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 44Hz, the Tintagel 2 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Tintagel 1's min frequency of 55Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Tintagel 2 and Tintagel 1 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Tintagel 2 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Tintagel 1's is at 86 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Castle Tintagel 2 a more sensitive speaker compared to Castle Tintagel 1, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Tintagel 2 can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Tintagel 1 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Tintagel 2.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Tintagel 2 features Binding post type posts and Tintagel 1 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Tintagel 2 has a bottom firing port whereas Tintagel 1 has a rear firing ports. Castle Tintagel 2's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Castle Tintagel 1 with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Castle Tintagel 2's and Castle Tintagel 1's external dimensions. Castle Tintagel 2 has external dimensions of 995.0 x 250.0 x 286.0mm (39-3/16 x 9-13/16 x 11-1/4inch) whereas Castle Tintagel 1 has external dimensions of 345.0 x 194.0 x 252.0mm (13-9/16 x 7-5/8 x 9-15/16inch).
Castle Tintagel 2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 56mm wider, 650mm taller and 34mm deeper than Castle Tintagel 1.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Castle Tintagel 2 needs about 46% more floor or shelf area. Castle Tintagel 2 is 34mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Castle Tintagel 2 is 650mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Castle Tintagel 2 is approximately 715.0cm2 / 110.8inch2 and base area of the Castle Tintagel 1 is approximately 488.9cm2 / 75.8inch2. The Tintagel 2 requires 46% more surface area than the Tintagel 1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.