In this review, we will be comparing Rebellion and Dovedale, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from Klipsch and Wharfedale.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Klipsch Heritage Rebellion and Wharfedale Dovedale first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Klipsch Heritage Rebellion | Wharfedale Dovedale |
|---|
| Brand | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | Compression Horn | 1" soft dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" Paper | 10" black woven Kevlar cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 60-20k Hz | 36-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 95 dB | 89 DB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 6.5 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | 25-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 14.51kg / 31.9lbs | 26.20kg / 57.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 19-1/8" x 12" x 9-3/4"
485.0 x 305.0 x 247.0mm | 26.0" x 14.6" x 16.4"
660 x 370 x 417mm |
|---|
Rebellion and Dovedale are members of Wharfedale's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Klipsch Heritage Series
History
What size room are the Klipsch Heritage Rebellion and Wharfedale Dovedale 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* |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion |
Wharfedale Dovedale |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* 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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Rebellion is a 2-way design whereas the Dovedale is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Klipsch Heritage RebellionWharfedale Dovedale
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion |
Wharfedale Dovedale |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
1 x 10-inch
|
Rebellion features a " K-702 driver Compression Horn Tweeter and 1 x 8" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 715Hz. On the other hand, the Dovedale features a 1" soft dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 1 x 10" black woven Kevlar cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 560Hz and 2900Hz.
Frequency Response
Rebellion has a frequency range of 60-20k Hz whereas Dovedale has a frequency range of 36-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 36Hz, the Dovedale can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Rebellion's min frequency of 60Hz.
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
Rebellion is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Dovedale which has a nominal impedance of 6.5 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Rebellion sensitivity is rated at 95 dB and the Dovedale's is rated at 89 DB. This 6 dB difference makes the Klipsch Heritage Rebellion a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale Dovedale, 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.
Dovedale can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Rebellion has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Dovedale.
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.
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Dovedale features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Rebellion has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale Dovedale's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Rebellion and Dovedale 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 Klipsch Heritage Rebellion's and Wharfedale Dovedale's external dimensions. Klipsch Heritage Rebellion has external dimensions of 485.0 x 305.0 x 247.0mm (19-1/8 x 12 x 9-3/4inch) whereas Wharfedale Dovedale has external dimensions of 660 x 370 x 417mm (23.6 x 14.6 x 16.4 inch).
Wharfedale Dovedale is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 65mm wider, 175mm taller and 170mm deeper than Klipsch Heritage Rebellion.
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.
Wharfedale Dovedale needs about 105% more floor or shelf area. Wharfedale Dovedale is 170mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Wharfedale Dovedale is 175mm 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 Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is approximately 753.4cm2 / 116.8inch2 and base area of the Wharfedale Dovedale is approximately 1542.9cm2 / 239.1inch2. The Rebellion requires 51% less surface area than the Dovedale which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Klipsch Heritage Rebellion weighs 14.51kg / 31.9lbs and the Wharfedale Dovedale weighs 26.20kg / 57.6lbs. This makes the Dovedale 81% heavier than the Rebellion.
Here is a comparison of how Rebellion and Dovedale's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Bookshelf class.
Weight
All Bookshelf Speakers
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
 Sensitivity |
95 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6.5 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Height |
485mm
vs
660mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
753cm2
vs
1542cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1199USD
vs
5000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Minimum Impedance |
3.6 ohms
vs
3.3 ohms
|
Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier |
 Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
36 Hz
vs
60 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
| General |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion |
Wharfedale Dovedale |
| Brand |
Klipsch |
Wharfedale |
| Speaker Type |
Bookshelf speakers |
Bookshelf speakers |
| Power Range |
up to 200 watts |
25-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
95 dB |
89 DB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
6.5 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.3 ohms |
3.6 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
60-20k Hz |
36-20k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
10" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper |
black woven Kevlar cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Compression Horn |
soft dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
715Hz |
560Hz and 2900Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
485.0mm (19.1") |
660.0mm (26") |
| Width |
305.0mm (12") |
370.0mm (14.6") |
| Depth |
247.0mm (9.7") |
417.0mm (16.4") |
| Weight |
14.51kg (31.9lbs) |
26.20kg (57.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
18 mm MDF with real wood veneer |
MDF/Wood Veneer |
| Available Colors |
Black Ash, Walnut |
Walnut |
| Mounting Bracket |
|
No |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
n/a |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Wharfedale Dovedale costs roughly 4.2x what Klipsch Heritage Rebellion does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Wharfedale Dovedale digs deeper - 36Hz against 60Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is more sensitive (95dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | Wharfedale Dovedale takes more power (250W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is easier to place; Wharfedale Dovedale is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Wharfedale Dovedale: bi-amping. Klipsch Heritage Rebellion sits in a wider range (12 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is cheaper - $1,199 against $5,000, about 76% less; arguably a different class. |
A Klipsch Heritage Rebellion B Wharfedale Dovedale
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 60Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Klipsch Heritage Rebellion much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate Klipsch Heritage Rebellion the better fit for a small room, and Wharfedale Dovedale for a large room and a very large room.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.