In this review, we will be comparing Windsor Earl and Evoke 30, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from Castle and Dynaudio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Castle Windsor Earl and Dynaudio Evoke 20 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Castle Windsor Earl | Dynaudio Evoke 20 |
|---|
| Brand | Castle | Dynaudio
Denmark · founded 1977 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1.1" |
|---|
| Woofer | 6.5" Woven Polypropylene | 7" Magnesium Silicate Polymer |
|---|
| Frequency response | 58-22k Hz | 40-23k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 86 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-100 watts | up to 180 watts |
|---|
| Weight | — | 9.90kg / 21.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 16-15/16" x 9-7/16" x 10-1/4"
430.0 x 240.0 x 260.0mm | 15" x 8.5" x 12.5"
380.0 x 215.0 x 317.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Castle Windsor Earl and Dynaudio Evoke 20 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 Earl |
Dynaudio Evoke 20 |
| Near-field |
Average |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Good |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Bad |
Poor |
(* 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 Earl and Evoke 30 are 2-way speakers.
Castle Windsor EarlDynaudio Evoke 20
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 Earl |
Dynaudio Evoke 20 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 7-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the Evoke 30 features a 1.1" Cerotar with Hexis Tweeter and 1 x 7" Magnesium Silicate Polymer Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 3200Hz.
Frequency Response
Windsor Earl has a frequency range of 58-22k Hz whereas Evoke 30 has a frequency range of 40-23k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the Evoke 30 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 Earl is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Evoke 30 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Windsor Earl sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Evoke 30's is rated at 86 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Castle Windsor Earl a more sensitive speaker compared to Dynaudio Evoke 20, 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.
Evoke 30 can handle a max power of 180 watts RMS, whereas Windsor Earl has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 80 watts less than the Evoke 30.
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 Earl features Binding post type posts and Evoke 30 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Dynaudio Evoke 20's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Windsor Earl and Evoke 30 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 Earl's and Dynaudio Evoke 20's external dimensions. 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) whereas Dynaudio Evoke 20 has external dimensions of 380.0 x 215.0 x 317.0mm (15 x 8.5 x 12.1inch).
Dynaudio Evoke 20 is 25mm narrower and 50mm shorter than Castle Windsor Earl but it is also 57mm deeper.
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.
Dynaudio Evoke 20 needs about 9% more floor or shelf area. Dynaudio Evoke 20 is 57mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Castle Windsor Earl is 50mm 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 Earl is approximately 624.0cm2 / 96.7inch2 and base area of the Dynaudio Evoke 20 is approximately 681.6cm2 / 105.6inch2. The Windsor Earl requires 8% less surface area than the Evoke 30 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Dynaudio Evoke 20?
Here are the items that come with the Evoke 30: