Drawing on Peter Comeau's 40+ years of acoustic design experience, this floor-standing model, like many of Comeau's most lauded creations, offers an absorbing large-scale sound that belies the compact dimensions of the cabinet.
As an exclusive model, Comeau was able to take his time with the Aston, free from the commercial deadlines of the main product lines. ASTON is not only designed and manufactured in the UK, it is also made here, as a limited edition, made not for the masses but for a passionate and knowledgeable few. Just 500 pairs have been made.
Its wood veneered cabinet has a vintage look, but the standard of finish is distinctly contemporary: a tribute to the craftsmanship required to produce a loudspeaker of this type. Fusing established methodology with modern technology, ASTON may have a classic 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 ASTON sees the implementation of a new carbon fibre bass/midrange cone, the first in the Wharfedale Heritage series. Developed from a long history of award-winning transducer designs, the ASTON bass/midrange driver is mounted in a rigid die-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 connector, for a super-smooth, natural-sounding upper midrange.
The electrical crossover between speaker units is vitally important in a loudspeaker, as it not only divides the frequencies between bass/midrange and treble, but also combines the speaker outputs into a seamless musical presentation. The Aston's crossover components, including air-core inductor coils and high-specification polypropylene capacitors, have been chosen for their revealing and transparent character, perfectly combining all three drivers.
The crossover slopes and shape of the Aston's power response have been refined through extensive listening tests with a wide variety of music to ensure that the speaker is simply a conduit between the performers and the listener. As a result, this sophisticated floorstanding speaker reveals an engaging and transparent reproduction quality suitable for all styles of music.
High frequency performance is handled by a new soft dome tweeter, designed in synergy with the bass/midrange driver. Through advanced computer modelling and thousands of in-ear listening tests, the ASTON crossover unites the tweeter and carbon fibre bass/midrange driver to achieve a superlative level of musical reproduction.
Furniture quality in finish and construction, the ASTON cabinet is made up of layers of different woods. Through a series of complex testing, analysis and computer modelling, the multi-layer cabinet design complements the real-world performance of the featured transducers. With this resonance control and air pressure management, via two rear ports, the Wharfedale ASTON is able to achieve high sound pressure levels and clean bass extension down to below 50 Hz, in the room.
Surprising for a speaker of this size, Wharfedale ASTON delivers a wide, even dispersion without colouration and presents an almost holographic representation of the recording that leaves no doubt that you are in the presence of a truly fantastic loudspeaker system.
Designed like a legendary loudspeaker of yesteryear, the Wharfedale ASTON is finished in a rich, handcrafted real wood veneer with gold-plated detailing and Wharfedale Heritage trim.
The matching ASTON floor stand is also manufactured in England from hardened British high-carbon steel. The stand, which presents the ASTON loudspeaker with elegance and finesse, is custom-designed to provide an optimal listening experience. Matching the furniture-quality cabinets, the ASTON stand is finished with an elegant touch in the form of a luxurious glass insert, for possibly the most attractive combination of speaker and plinth.
Features:
- 2-way/2-speaker system with rear bass reflex port.
- 6" woofer made of carbon fibre.
- 1" soft dome tweeter.
- Frequency response: 55 Hz to 20 kHz.
- Impedance: 4 ohms.
- Sensitivity: 86 dB.
- Peak SPL: 95 dB.
- Recommended amplifier power: 25 to 100 W.
- Dimensions: 34 cm high x 20 cm wide x 25.5 cm deep.
- Weight with stand: 15 kilos per unit.
- Includes specific floor stands.
Price per pair.
