In this review, we will be comparing AURA 3 and Concord, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Wharfedale and KLH.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale AURA 3 and KLH Concord first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale AURA 3 | KLH Concord |
|---|
| Brand | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 | KLH
United States · founded 1957 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0625 x 3.5" AMT (Ribbon) | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | 4" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5" Glass Fiber Matrix | 2 x 6.5" Kevlar |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39-22k Hz | 28-23k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 94 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 150 watts | up to 225 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 23.05kg / 50.7lbs | 20.45kg / 45lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40-3/4" x 13-3/8" x 13-13/16"
1036.0 x 340.0 x 351.0mm | 40-3/8" x 8-5/16" x 14-15/16"
1026.0 x 212.0 x 380.0mm |
|---|
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 AURA 3 is a 3-way design whereas the Concord is a 2-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.
Wharfedale AURA 3KLH Concord
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Wharfedale AURA 3 |
KLH Concord |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0625 x 3.5-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
AURA 3 features a 1.0625 x 3.5" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 2 x 5" Glass Fiber Matrix Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 460Hz, 3.3kHz. On the other hand, the Concord features a 1" anodized aluminum Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Kevlar Woofer.
Frequency Response
AURA 3 has a frequency range of 39-22k Hz whereas Concord has a frequency range of 28-23k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Concord can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the AURA 3's min frequency of 39Hz.
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
AURA 3 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Concord which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. AURA 3 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Concord's is rated at 94 dB. This 6 dB difference makes the KLH Concord a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale AURA 3, 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.
Concord can handle a max power of 225 watts RMS, whereas AURA 3 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 75 watts less than the Concord.
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
AURA 3 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Concord has a 5-Way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale AURA 3's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
KLH Concord's 5-Way post terminals
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 Wharfedale AURA 3's and KLH Concord's external dimensions. Wharfedale AURA 3 has external dimensions of 1036.0 x 340.0 x 351.0mm (40-3/4inch x 13-3/8inch x 13-13/16inch) whereas KLH Concord has external dimensions of 1026.0 x 212.0 x 380.0mm (40-3/8 x 8-5/16 x 14-15/16inch).
KLH Concord is 128mm narrower and 10mm shorter than Wharfedale AURA 3 but it is also 29mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale AURA 3 and KLH Concord in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale AURA 3 and KLH Concord Size and External Dimensions
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 Wharfedale AURA 3 is approximately 1193.4cm2 / 185.0inch2 and base area of the KLH Concord is approximately 805.6cm2 / 124.9inch2. The AURA 3 requires 48% more surface area than the Concord which gives it a small disadvantage 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 Wharfedale AURA 3 weighs 23.05kg / 50.7lbs and the KLH Concord weighs 20.45kg / 45lbs. This makes the AURA 3 13% heavier than the Concord.
Here is a comparison of how AURA 3 and Concord's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Wharfedale AURA 3?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of AURA 3:
- 2 Floorstanding loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Terminal-jumpers
- 8 Spike feet
- 8 Collars 8 Knobs
- 8 Protective discs
- Pair of white gloves
- User Manual
What's in the Box of KLH Concord?
Here are the items that come with the Concord:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet (w/ locking nut attached)
- 4 Protective discs
- 4 Rubber feet
- Port plug
- Manual
- ATTENTION! note
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Max Input Power |
225 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
94 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
39 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
23k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1026mm
vs
1036mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
805cm2
vs
1193cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1000USD
vs
3999USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Wharfedale AURA 3 |
KLH Concord |
| Brand |
Wharfedale |
KLH |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 150 watts |
up to 225 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
94 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.1 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
39-22k Hz |
28-23k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Glass Fiber Matrix |
Kevlar |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Butyl Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.0625 x 3.5" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
AMT (Ribbon) |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
460Hz, 3.3kHz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1036.0mm (40.8") |
1026.0mm (40.4") |
| Width |
340.0mm (13.4") |
212.0mm (8.3") |
| Depth |
351.0mm (13.8") |
380.0mm (15") |
| Weight |
23.05kg (50.7lbs) |
20.45kg (45lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
Multi-layer wood |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Piano Black,Piano Walnut,White Gloss |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
10 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
10 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Wharfedale AURA 3 costs roughly 4x what KLH Concord 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 | KLH Concord digs deeper - 28Hz against 39Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | KLH Concord is more sensitive (94dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | KLH Concord is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | KLH Concord takes more power (225W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | KLH Concord is easier to place; Wharfedale AURA 3 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | A | Wharfedale AURA 3: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | KLH Concord is cheaper - $1,000 against $3,999, about 75% less; arguably a different class. |
A Wharfedale AURA 3 B KLH Concord
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?
KLH Concord is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Wharfedale AURA 3 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 39Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, Wharfedale AURA 3 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, KLH Concord is the easier speaker to get right.
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.