In this review, we will be comparing EVO4.3 and ES60, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Wharfedale and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale EVO4.3 and Polk ES60 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale EVO4.3 | Polk ES60 |
|---|
| Brand | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 | Polk Audio
United States · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.18x2.36" AMT (Ribbon) | 1" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 2" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5" Kevlar | 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48-22k Hz | 32-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-150 watts | 50-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | — | 23.60kg / 51.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 34-1/2" x 9-1/4" x 13-1/4"
877.0 x 235.0 x 337.0mm | 44-1/2" x 8-1/2" x 15-3/4"
1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Wharfedale EVO4.3 and Polk ES60 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 EVO4.3 |
Polk ES60 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
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 EVO4.3 is a 3-way design whereas the ES60 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 EVO4.3Polk ES60
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 EVO4.3 |
Polk ES60 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.18x2.36-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 2-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
EVO4.3 features a 1.18x2.36" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter, a 2" Midrange and 2 x 5" Kevlar Woofer. On the other hand, the ES60 features a 1" Terylene High-Res Soft-Dome Tweeter and 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
EVO4.3 has a frequency range of 48-22k Hz whereas ES60 has a frequency range of 32-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the ES60 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the EVO4.3'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
EVO4.3 and ES60 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. EVO4.3 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the ES60's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Polk ES60 a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale EVO4.3, 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.
ES60 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas EVO4.3 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the ES60.
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 EVO4.3 and ES60 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both EVO4.3 and ES60 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 EVO4.3's and Polk ES60's external dimensions. Wharfedale EVO4.3 has external dimensions of 877.0 x 235.0 x 337.0mm (34-1/2 x 9-1/4 x 13-1/4inch) whereas Polk ES60 has external dimensions of 1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm (44-1/2 x 8-1/2 x 15-3/4inch).
Wharfedale EVO4.3 is 254mm shorter and 64mm less deeper than Polk ES60 but it is also 19mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale EVO4.3 and Polk ES60 in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale EVO4.3 and Polk ES60 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 EVO4.3 is approximately 792.0cm2 / 122.8inch2 and base area of the Polk ES60 is approximately 866.2cm2 / 134.3inch2. The EVO4.3 requires 9% less surface area than the ES60 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Wharfedale EVO4.3?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of EVO4.3:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Outrigger feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spikes (pre-installed)
- 4 Isolation pucks
- 2 Jumper-bars (pre-installed)
- Pair of white cloth gloves
- User Manual
What's in the Box of Polk ES60?
Here are the items that come with the ES60:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille (attached)
- 4 Feet (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- Online Product Registration