The new Wharfedale Dovedale is a three-way design entirely made in the UK at Wharfedale's headquarters in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, inspired by its original namesake, which was first launched in 1965. Although, this latest loudspeaker to bare the Dovedale moniker more closely resembles the 1971 Dovedale 3.
That said, the new Dovedales are taller, a little wider and much deeper than the original Dovedale 3 at 660 x 370 x 417mm (HxWxD), as well as being larger than the Wharfedale Lintons. However, we are told that the extra space has been carefully utilised.
These speakers certainly make a statement. The retro-styled cabinet is constructed using a mix of woods and a two-layer sandwich of MDF and high-density particle board to scatter panel resonances even further, says Wharfedale. This is then wrapped in a real wood veneer, hand-polished and lacquered to a satin finish. They are quite lovely to look at in real life.
The 25mm fabric-dome tweeter is the same unit used across the Heritage Series. It benefits from a ceramic magnet and, in the Dovedale, its own rear chamber, which is damped to absorb unwanted output from the back of the unit and reduce resonances affecting the high-frequency performance.
The 13.5cm midrange and 25cm bass drivers feature woven Kevlar cones. The midrange unit is housed in a separate enclosure to ensure the mid frequencies aren't affected by vibrations from the bass driver. Both mid and bass units are damped using acoustic foam and long hair fibre. The stated frequency response is 36Hz-20kHz (+/- 3dB) with bass extension capable of 25Hz (-6 dB).
Additionally, the Dovedale has a quoted 89dB/w sensitivity, which should prove easy to drive by a wide range of amplifiers.
Wharfedale tells us that the crossover components were carefully chosen for "their revealing and transparent character". These are laid out on twin PCBs, spaced in such a way as to "avoid electromagnetic interference".
Furthermore, the crossover slopes were refined through "extensive listening tests" and a wide variety of music resulting in a sound that "reveals a lively and transparent level of reproduction that suits all styles of music at whatever power level you choose".
As we found with the Linton, Wharfedale recommends you keep the grilles on when listening, as removing them "will result in a sound that is brighter but less smooth."
The optional dedicated stands are constructed from carbon steel with glass inserts and boast hidden cable management.
The Wharfedale Dovedale speakers will be available from March, costing £5,500 per pair with the stands included. Alternatively, you can buy just the speakers for £5,000, but the stands will cost you £800 per pair if you decide to buy them later.
Visit Wharfedale in The Old Vic at The Bristol Hi-Fi Show
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