In this review, we will be comparing Windsor Duke and Windsor Earl, two Passive Bookshelf speakers by Castle.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Castle Windsor Duke and Castle Windsor Earl first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Castle Windsor Duke | Castle Windsor Earl |
|---|
| Brand | Castle | Castle |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1.1" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" Woven Polypropylene | 6.5" Woven Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 52-22k Hz | 58-22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-150 watts | 25-100 watts |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 18-1/2" x 11" x 12-3/16"
470.0 x 280.0 x 310.0mm | 16-15/16" x 9-7/16" x 10-1/4"
430.0 x 240.0 x 260.0mm |
|---|
Windsor Duke and Windsor Earl are members of Castle's Windsor series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Castle Windsor Series
History
What size room are the Castle Windsor Duke and Castle Windsor Earl 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 Windsor Duke |
Castle Windsor Earl |
| 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 Windsor Duke and Windsor Earl are 2-way speakers.
Castle Windsor DukeCastle Windsor Earl
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 Windsor Duke |
Castle Windsor Earl |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
Windsor Duke features a 1.1" Micro-Fibre Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 8" Woven Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.1 kHz. On the other hand, the Windsor Earl features a 1.1" Micro-Fibre Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Woven Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.2 kHz.
Frequency Response
Windsor Duke has a frequency range of 52-22k Hz whereas Windsor Earl has a frequency range of 58-22k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 52Hz, the Windsor Duke can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Windsor Earl's min frequency of 58Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf 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
Windsor Duke and Windsor Earl have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Windsor Duke sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Windsor Earl's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Castle Windsor Duke a more sensitive speaker compared to Castle Windsor Earl, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf 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.
Windsor Duke can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Windsor Earl has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Windsor Duke.
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
Windsor Duke features Binding post type posts and Windsor Earl has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Windsor Duke and Windsor Earl have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 Windsor Duke's and Castle Windsor Earl's external dimensions. Castle Windsor Duke has external dimensions of 470.0 x 280.0 x 310.0mm (18-1/2 x 11 x 12-3/16inch) whereas Castle Windsor Earl has external dimensions of 430.0 x 240.0 x 260.0mm (16-15/16 x 9-7/16 x 10-1/4inch).
Castle Windsor Duke is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 40mm wider, 40mm taller and 50mm deeper than Castle Windsor Earl.
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 Windsor Duke needs about 39% more floor or shelf area. Castle Windsor Duke is 50mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Castle Windsor Duke is 40mm 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 Windsor Duke is approximately 868.0cm2 / 134.5inch2 and base area of the Castle Windsor Earl is approximately 624.0cm2 / 96.7inch2. The Windsor Duke requires 39% more surface area than the Windsor Earl which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.