Power needed
38–600 W
per channel, into 4 ohms
To hit 95 dB peaks at 3 m from a pair of Wharfedale ASTON, you need at least 38 W a channel. Anything from about 75 W to 600 W a channel is comfortable; past that, more watts stop buying you anything.
Show the working
- 95 dB target at the seat
- +4.8 dB for 3.0 m of distance
- -3 dB for a stereo pair
- -81.0 dB effective sensitivity
- 3.0 dB taken off to convert the 4 ohm 2.83V rating to dB per watt
- 2 dB allowed for optimistic published sensitivity
- Published sensitivity 86 dB, used as 81.0 dB per watt.
184 integrated amplifiers suit the Wharfedale ASTON
Also show the 63 we do not recommend
1
Excellent match
12 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (300 W to 580 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
2
Excellent match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (150 W to 300 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
3
Good match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (300 W to 450 W).
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
4
Excellent match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (125 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
5
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (200 W to 350 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
6
Excellent match
12 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (300 W to 550 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
7
Excellent match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (135 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
8
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (200 W to 400 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
9
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 260 W).
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
10
Excellent match
7 dB of headroom - enough, but at the modest end for this speaker, which takes up to 600 W.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
11
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 250 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
12
Excellent match
7 dB of headroom - enough, but at the modest end for this speaker, which takes up to 600 W.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
13
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 250 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
14
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (160 W to 240 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
15
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (200 W to 380 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
16
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (200 W to 350 W).
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
17
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 250 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
18
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (140 W to 220 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
19
Good match
7 dB of headroom - enough, but at the modest end for this speaker, which takes up to 600 W.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (120 W to 200 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
20
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (220 W to 340 W).
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
Showing the best 20 of 184. Narrow it with the price range below, or a different budget split.
46 power amplifiers that would also drive them
Listed separately because they are not a complete system: a power amplifier has no volume control and no inputs to speak of, so you need a preamplifier or a streaming preamp as well. Worth it if you already own one, or if you want to buy the two halves separately.
1
Good match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (200 W to 320 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
2
Excellent match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 1 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (250 W to 450 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
3
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (160 W to 240 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
4
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (250 W to 390 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
5
Excellent match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (125 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
6
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (210 W to 420 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
7
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (175 W to 345 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Far more expensive than the speakers. Spend it on speakers first.
8
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 4 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 225 W).
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
Were these amplifier recommendations useful?
It helps us tune the matching, and we read every comment.
Thanks. Anything you would add?
Optional, and it goes straight to the person who maintains this page.
Thanks - noted.
Sensitivity and impedance figures are the manufacturer's own. We read sensitivity as dB at 2.83 V/1 m and take 2 dB off it, because published figures run high. Treat the result as a well-founded starting point, not a measurement. Full Wharfedale ASTON specs.
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