Floorstanding loudspeakers — Dynaudio Evoke 30

The Evoke 30 is the compact tower of the Danish company Dynaudio's Evoke series, a passive range whose MSP woofers resemble the ones Dynaudio fits to the entry-level Emit line. It is a slim 90 cm cabinet built around three drivers, and it borrows parts of its tweeter from two costlier Dynaudio products - the airflow system of the Esotar Forty and the precision coating used in the Contour range.

Key specs that matter

The layout is 2.5-way. A 28 mm Cerotar soft dome with the Hexis inner dome handles the top, a 14 cm MSP driver works as mid/bass and a second 14 cm MSP unit acts as a woofer only. Second-order filters divide the signal at 1,200 Hz and 2,300 Hz. Frequency response is quoted as 40 Hz to 23 kHz within plus or minus 3 dB, sensitivity as 88 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, and nominal impedance as 4 ohm. The IEC long-term rating is 200 W. The cabinet body is 180 mm wide, 900 mm high and 267 mm deep, or 268 x 920 x 342 mm with the supplied feet and the cloth cover in place, and each speaker weighs 15.5 kg. Four finishes are listed - black high gloss, white high gloss, walnut wood and blonde wood.

Engineering and use context

Both cones are pressed from a single piece of Magnesium Silicate Polymer, a material that keeps mass low while staying stiff and well damped. Their voice-coils are 52 mm in diameter and wound from aluminium, the spiders are made of aramid fibre and the surround shape comes from the Contour series. Ferrite+ ceramic magnets drive the woofers, and the tweeter motor uses strontium carbonate Ferrite+ magnets arranged with attention to airflow. Behind the tweeter's main dome, the Hexis acts as a second, inner dome whose job is to stop resonances reflecting back off the underside of the dome. Bass loading is by reflex, and the port opens on the back panel rather than the front baffle. Shipping cartons measure 1,074 x 418 x 317 mm and weigh 20.6 kg per unit.

Pairing

As a passive speaker with a low nominal load, the Evoke 30 needs an amplifier that is specified and stable into such loads. Its sensitivity means that integrated amplifiers of moderate output can drive a pair to ordinary domestic levels, while the higher power rating leaves margin for more capable stereo or AV amplifiers.

Alternatives

The Dynaudio Evoke 50 is the larger floorstanding model of the series, moving to a three-way design with a dedicated 15 cm midrange and two 18 cm woofers.