In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers. Wharfedale Dovedale is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Klipschorn 80th is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale Dovedale and Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale Dovedale | Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" soft dome | Compression Horn |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 10" black woven Kevlar cone | 15" Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 36-20K HZ | 34-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 DB | 103 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6.5 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-250 watts | 100-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 26.20kg / 57.6lbs | 65.70kg / 144.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 23.6" x 14.6" x 16.4"
660 x 370 x 417mm | 51-15/16" x 31-1/2" x 24"
1320.0 x 800.0 x 610.0mm |
|---|
Dovedale and Klipschorn 80th are members of Klipsch's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Wharfedale Heritage Series
History
What size room are the Wharfedale Dovedale and Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary 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 Dovedale |
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Good |
(* 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 Dovedale is a 3-way design whereas the Klipschorn 80th 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 DovedaleKlipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary
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 Dovedale |
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 10-inch
|
1 x 15-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the Klipschorn 80th features a " K-692 with K-5-K aluminium horn Compression Horn Tweeter and 1 x 15" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz.
Frequency Response
Dovedale has a frequency range of 36-20K HZ whereas Klipschorn 80th has a frequency range of 34-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 34Hz, the Klipschorn 80th can go slightly deeper then the Dovedale's min frequency of 36Hz.
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
Dovedale is a 6.5 ohms speaker compared to the Klipschorn 80th which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Dovedale sensitivity is rated at 89 DB and the Klipschorn 80th's is rated at 103 dB. This 14 dB difference makes the Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary 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.
Klipschorn 80th can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas Dovedale has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the Klipschorn 80th.
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 Klipschorn 80th Anniversary
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Dovedale features Binding post type posts and Klipschorn 80th has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale Dovedale's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Dovedale has a rear firing port whereas Klipschorn 80th has a front firing ports. Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Wharfedale Dovedale with its rear-firing port.
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 Dovedale's and Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary's external dimensions. Wharfedale Dovedale has external dimensions of 660 x 370 x 417mm (23.6 x 14.6 x 16.4 inch) whereas Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary has external dimensions of 1320.0 x 800.0 x 610.0mm (51-15/16 x 31-1/2 x 24inch).
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 430mm wider, 660mm taller and 193mm deeper than Wharfedale Dovedale.
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 Dovedale is approximately 1542.9cm2 / 239.1inch2 and base area of the Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is approximately 4880.0cm2 / 756.4inch2. The Dovedale requires 68% less surface area than the Klipschorn 80th which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.