EVO 5: Wharfedale’s Next-Gen Speakers Aim to Redefine Mid-Tier Audio

Wharfedale has launched its new EVO 5 Series loudspeakers, succeeding the popular EVO 4 range (which we loved on the site). The new series features upgrades to drive units, cabinets, and crossovers, aiming to deliver enhanced sound performance. According to the company, the EVO 5 Series maintains accessible price points while incorporating design and engineering advancements.

The EVO 5 range consists of five models: the EVO 5.1 and EVO 5.2 standmount speakers, the EVO 5.3 and EVO 5.4 floorstanding speakers, and the EVO 5.C home cinema center speaker. These new speakers feature a refreshed design for a more contemporary aesthetic, with internal revisions focused on performance improvement. The models have slightly larger cabinet volumes than their predecessors, accommodating upgraded drivers and new crossovers.

A key technical advancement in the Wharfedale EVO 5 Series is the integration of an improved Air Motion Transformer (AMT) high-frequency unit across all five models. These AMT drivers are engineered to deliver lower distortion and improved speed and accuracy compared to conventional dome tweeters. The pleated diaphragm of the AMT driver, made from a thin, lightweight polymer, moves air efficiently by contracting and expanding, allowing it to move four times more air than a traditional dome tweeter of the same surface area. This design is also said to contribute to a wider frequency range and excellent horizontal dispersion. The EVO 5’s AMT unit is larger than the EVO 4’s, measuring 35x70mm, which further enhances efficiency and dispersion.

Additionally, a new sound-absorbing material called SilentWeave™, a cotton/felt hybrid, has been added behind the diaphragm to reduce internal soundwave reflections.

For the midrange, the EVO 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 models utilize an enhanced 50mm fabric dome driver, a development from the EVO 4 series. This dome is designed for a responsive, wide-bandwidth performance that integrates with the treble and bass drivers. Its aperiodically vented rear chamber scatters and absorbs rear energy, contributing to a linear response from 800Hz to 5kHz. The midrange driver also benefits from the ResoFrame™ acoustic damping frame and SilentWeave™ material, which reduce resonances and improve clarity.

The bass drivers in the EVO 5 Series incorporate a low-distortion motor system adapted from Wharfedale’s Elysian models. These drivers feature woven Kevlar cones, available in 130mm or 150mm sizes depending on the model, paired with a low-loss rubber surround. This combination aims to deliver powerful bass and a natural lower midrange. The bass drivers, or bass/mid drivers in the two-way EVO 5.1 and 5.C, also feature the ResoFrame™ acoustic damping frame and a new ResoSeal™ elastomer damping ring, which further optimizes the lower midrange for improved vocal quality.

The integration of these drivers is managed by a redesigned crossover network, developed through extensive modeling and listening tests. The circuit board layout has been revised to shorten signal paths. In the three-way speakers, the crossover circuit is split onto separate PCBs for mid/treble and bass to minimize electromagnetic interference. High-grade polypropylene capacitors and air core inductors are used in the mid/treble section, while laminated silicon-iron inductors are present in the bass section, contributing to phase consistency and driver integration.

The EVO 5 Series continues to employ Wharfedale’s Slot Loaded Profiled Port (SLPP) bass reflex design. This system, which vents from a specially designed slot at the base of the speaker, equalizes pressure to the room, reducing port turbulence and improving bass reflex efficiency. The EVO 5 Series features a revised three-directional SLPP system that vents left, right, and to the rear, optimizing airflow and contributing to deeper, more articulate bass. This design also makes the speakers less sensitive to placement within a room.

The cabinets of the EVO 5 Series are built with a sandwich construction of different-density woods to reduce panel resonance and inhibit internal sound energy leakage. Radiused baffle edges smooth the flow of sonic energy, assisting in driver output integration with room acoustics. A hybrid metal/wood plinth at the base of each speaker contains the SLPP vents, enhances rigidity, and helps isolate the speakers from external resonance. The cabinet finishes have been updated, offering a walnut wood veneer option and new super-smooth, high-quality matt finishes in black, white, and a new Lunar Grey.

The Wharfedale EVO 5 Series is available in June. Pricing begins at £549 per pair for the EVO 5.1, £749 per pair for the EVO 5.2, £1099 per pair for the EVO 5.3, and £1399 per pair for the EVO 5.4. The EVO 5.C center speaker is priced at £549. Matching stands are available for the EVO 5.1 and 5.2 at £399 and £449 respectively.

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