Wharfedale Aston Bookshelf Loudspeakers with Stands (pair)

A two-way with 6" woofer, 25 mm tweeter, and 86 dB sensitivity

Founded in 1932 by Gilbert Briggs, Wharfedale's mission was to bring music into the home by designing loudspeakers that conveyed the impact, thrill, and emotion of performance in an entirely natural and realistic way.

Thus, he created the first true hi-fi experience in the home and continued to introduce technology that would enhance the listening experience. These include the first commercial crossover, foam surrounds, and the slot port system.

Today Wharfedale engineers follow the same dictum, using technology where it truly matters to develop loudspeakers that reveal the passion and excitement behind the musical performance.

The Aston has been built with the music connoisseur in mind. Manufactured by loudspeaker experts at the headquarters of Wharfedale, in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire – ASTON is built in the home of British hi-fi.

The Look

The wood-veneered cabinet has a vintage look, yet the standard of finish is distinctly contemporary–a tribute to the skilled craftsmanship required for the production of such a loudspeaker. Fusing established methodology with modern technology, Aston may be classic in style but it is truly up to date in terms of performance and technology. Every part of the speaker, from the cabinet to the grille, has been designed and chosen to exemplify the standards that help make Wharfedale Britain’s most famous loudspeakers.

The Drivers

The Aston sees the implementation of a brand-new carbon-fiber bass/midrange cone, a first in the Wharfedale Heritage series. Developed from the basis of a long history of award-winning transducer designs, the Aston bass/midrange driver is mounted in a rigid, cast chassis, The high-performance motor system minimises energy losses in the cone transfer mechanism and the cone itself is complemented by a new profiled phase plug, for super smooth and natural-sounding upper mid-range.

The high frequency performance is handled by a new soft dome tweeter, designed in synergy with the bass/midrange driver. Via advanced computer modelling and thousands of ears of listening tests, the Aston crossover ties the tweeter and carbon-fiber bass/midrange driver together for a superlative level of music reproduction.

The Stand

The matching Aston stand is also made in England, from hardened high-carbon British steel. The stand is custom engineered for the optimum listening experience. Matching the furniture-grade cabinets, it is finished with a luxurious glass insert, for arguably the most attractive loudspeaker and plinth combination.

Specifications

Enclosure: Bass reflex

Drivers
HF: 1" (25 mm) soft dome
LF: 6" black carbon-fiber cone

Sensitivity: 86 dB

Impedance (Nom., Max.): 3.9 Ω, 4 Ω

Frequency Response (+/-3 dB): 55 Hz-20 kHz

Bass Extension (-6 dB): 44 Hz

Crossover Frequency: 2.3 kHz

Dimensions (HWD)
Speaker: 13.38" x 7.87" x 10"  (340 x 200 x 255 mm)
Stand: 22" x 10.4" x 10" (560 x 265 x 255 mm)

Weight
Speaker: 17.6 lb. (8 kg)
Stand: 15.4 lb. (7 kg)