In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Wharfedale. Wharfedale AURA 4 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the AURA 1 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale AURA 4 and Wharfedale AURA 1 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale AURA 4 | Wharfedale AURA 1 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0625 x 3.5" AMT (Ribbon) | 1.0625 x 3.5" AMT (Ribbon) |
|---|
| Midrange | 4" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Glass Fiber Matrix | 5" Glass Fiber Matrix |
|---|
| Frequency response | 37-22k Hz | 48-22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 86 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | 25-100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 24.55kg / 54lbs | 12.50kg / 27.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 43-1/2" x 14-1/2" x 15-5/8"
1105.0 x 369.0 x 397.0mm | 14-7/16" x 9-3/4" x 13-3/4"
367.0 x 248.0 x 350.0mm |
|---|
AURA 4 and AURA 1 are members of Wharfedale's AURA series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Wharfedale AURA Series
History
What size room are the Wharfedale AURA 4 and Wharfedale AURA 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* |
Wharfedale AURA 4 |
Wharfedale AURA 1 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Average |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AURA 4 is a 3-way design whereas the AURA 1 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 4Wharfedale AURA 1
MidrangeWoofer
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 4 |
Wharfedale AURA 1 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0625 x 3.5-inch
|
1.0625 x 3.5-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 5-inch
|
AURA 4 features a 1.0625 x 3.5" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Glass Fiber Matrix Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 475Hz, 3.3kHz. On the other hand, the AURA 1 features a 1.0625 x 3.5" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter and 1 x 5" Glass Fiber Matrix Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.9kHz.
Frequency Response
AURA 4 has a frequency range of 37-22k Hz whereas AURA 1 has a frequency range of 48-22k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 37Hz, the AURA 4 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the AURA 1's min frequency of 48Hz.
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 4 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the AURA 1 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the AURA 4 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. AURA 4 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the AURA 1's is rated at 86 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Wharfedale AURA 4 a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale AURA 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.
AURA 4 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas AURA 1 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the AURA 4.
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
Both AURA 4 and AURA 1 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Wharfedale AURA 4's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Wharfedale AURA 1's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both AURA 4 and AURA 1 have bottom firing ports.
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 4's and Wharfedale AURA 1's external dimensions. Wharfedale AURA 4 has external dimensions of 1105.0 x 369.0 x 397.0mm (43-1/2inch x 14-1/2inch x 15-5/8inch) whereas Wharfedale AURA 1 has external dimensions of 367.0 x 248.0 x 350.0mm (14-7/16inch x 9-3/4inch x 13-3/4inch).
Wharfedale AURA 4 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 121mm wider, 738mm taller and 47mm deeper than Wharfedale AURA 1.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale AURA 4 and Wharfedale AURA 1 in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale AURA 4 and Wharfedale AURA 1 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 4 is approximately 1464.9cm2 / 227.1inch2 and base area of the Wharfedale AURA 1 is approximately 868.0cm2 / 134.5inch2. The AURA 4 requires 69% more surface area than the AURA 1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Wharfedale AURA 4?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of AURA 4:
- 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 Wharfedale AURA 1?
Here are the items that come with the AURA 1:
- 2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Jumper wires
- 8 Rubber feet
- Pair of white gloves
- User Manual