Wharfedale Dovedale is a 3-way Passive Bass Reflex Bookshelf speaker designed by Peter Comeau for Wharfedale. It features a 1" soft dome Tweeter, 1 x 5" Midrange and 1 x 10" black woven Kevlar cone Woofer. The speaker has a frequency range of 36-20K HZ and a sensitivity of 89 DB. Wharfedale Dovedale has an MSRP of 5000$ per pair.
What size of room is the Wharfedale Dovedale speaker good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use the Wharfedale Dovedale is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various sizes of environments considering its size and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Suitability |
| Near-field | Poor |
| Small Room | Poor |
| Mid-size Room | Good |
| Large Room | Good |
| Very Large Room | 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.)
Wharfedale Dovedale Speaker Structure
What are the speakers in Wharfedale's Heritage Series?
Dovedale is a member of Wharfedale's Heritage series of Passive speakers. To celebrate its history, Wharfedale has established the Heritage Series, recreations of famous models from its past, entirely re-engineered using contemporary techniques and materials. The range of Heritage speakers consists of the Denton 80, the Denton 85th Anniversary Edition, Linton and the latest installment of the Dovedale. Below you can see the main specs of these speakers.
Wharfedale Heritage Series Speakers
Wharfedale Heritage Series Speakers
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What is the Frequency Response of the Wharfedale Dovedale speaker?
Wharfedale Dovedale has a Frequency response range of 36-20K HZ at ±3dB (25Hz at -6dB) and Power Range of 25-250 watts. At a minimum frequency of 36 Hz, Dovedale will provide a deep bass that will probably satisfy majority of listeners, especially for music. Movie lovers and music listeners who like to experience a full range response will still benefit from the use of a subwooofer though.
To focus on the subwoofers that are in a similar price range with Wharfedale Dovedale, check out the Powered Subwoofers under $5000. Alternatively, find the Full list of Powered Subwoofers regardless of the price.
Here we have a comparison of how Dovedale's Low and High frequency values compare with the average, max and min Low and High frequency values in its class.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
Wharfedale Dovedale's black woven Kevlar cone Woofer
Wharfedale Dovedale's soft dome Tweeter
What is the Crossover frequency of Wharfedale Dovedale?
Dovedale is a 3-way speaker and its crossover frequency between the woofer and the midrange set to 560Hz and the Crossover frequency between the midrange and the tweeter is set to 2900Hz.
What are the Impedance and Sensitivity of the Wharfedale Dovedale? Is it an easy-to-drive speaker?
Wharfedale Dovedale's nominal impedance level is
6.5 ohms but can go down to as low as
3.6 ohms, and has a sensitivity of
89 DB.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
Nominal Impedance of 6.5 Ohms makes the Wharfedale Dovedale a relatively difficult to drive speaker compared to more frequently found 8 ohms speakers from nominal Impedance perspective.
Sensitivity
89dB of Wharfedale Dovedale is an average sensitivity for stereo speaker so it is neither easy nor difficult to drive Sensitivity wise.
Minimum Impedance of Wharfedale Dovedale
Even though the nominal impedance of the Dovedale is 6.5 ohms, the minimum impedance level of this speaker according to Wharfedale is 3.6 ohms Wharfedale Dovedale so while choosing an amplifier, you should ideally check if the unit you are considering can provide this impedance level.
Check the amplifiers that are in a similar price range to the Wharfedale Dovedale:
Input Type
Dovedale features Post type connectors. Bi-amping and Bi-wiring are not possible.
Wharfedale Dovedale Back View
Wharfedale Dovedale External Dimensions and Weight
Wharfedale Dovedale has external dimensions of (Height x Width x Depth) 23.6 x 14.6 x 16.4 inch (660 x 370 x 417mm ).
Base Surface Area
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base area of Wharfedale Dovedale is approximately 1542.9cm2 / 239.1inch2.
To get a better perspective on the real life size of Wharfedale Dovedale, let's compare it with a standard size Compact Disc which has a diameter of 4.7inch (120mm).
Wharfedale Dovedale Speaker Size Compared to a Compact Disc
Here we place the Wharfedale Dovedale virtually next to a standard width amplifier and turntable on a BDI Octave Media Cabinet to get a better idea about the size.
Wharfedale Dovedale Speaker next to an amplifier and turntable
WeightThe Wharfedale Dovedale weighs 26.20kg / 57.6lbs per piece. Here is a comparison of how Dovedale's weight compares with the average, max and min weights in its class.
Weight
All Bookshelf Speakers
Weight
Bookshelf Speakers under $5000
Wharfedale Dovedale on a Stand
Cabinet type and Materials
Wharfedale Dovedale has a
Bass Reflex type cabinet and a MDF/Wood Veneer finish. Bass Reflex type loudspeakers (aka Ported, Vented or Reflex Port) have enclosures that uses a port, hole or vent cut into the cabinet. Ported designs are generally more efficient than the Sealed designs.
Port Position
Wharfedale Dovedale is a rear-firing port speaker so you have to make sure you leave enough space between the back of the speaker and wall or bookshelf so that it has room to breathe.
Available colors
Wharfedale Dovedale is available in Walnut.
Wall Mounting
Dovedale doesn't sport any built-in mounting bracket, so you need an external structure to mount it on walls.
Speaker Stands
Wharfedale sells a dedicated speaker stand for the Dovedale with a model name
Dovedale Stand. You can check the latest price and availability of these stands at
B&H PHOTO and
Amazon.
Dovedale Stand Speaker Stands for Wharfedale Dovedale
Does the Wharfedale Dovedale come with a Grille?
Dovedale comes with removable cloth grilles. The purpose of the grille is to protect the delicate driver elements from external impacts while still allowing the sound to pass as clearly as possible.
Wharfedale Dovedale with Grille
Official Product Page
Official manufacturer's product page for the Wharfedale Dovedale speaker can be found below:
Official Product Page for Wharfedale Dovedale
Warranty
5 Years of parts warranty and 5 Years of labor warranty is generally provided by the manufacturer.
Wharfedale Dovedale Lifestyle