Полочная акустика — Wharfedale ASTON

The Aston is a limited-edition standmount from Wharfedale, produced to mark the 90th anniversary of the company's founding in 1932. The run is restricted to 500 pairs worldwide, each carrying its own serial number, and the speakers are handcrafted in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. The acoustic design was led by Peter Comeau, who has headed acoustic design at Wharfedale for 16 years. Sales in Europe began in late February 2025. UK prices were GBP 1,999 per pair with the matching stands, GBP 1,699 without them and GBP 499 for the stands alone, and the US list price for the pair with stands is USD 2,695.

Key specs that matter

A 150 mm carbon fibre bass and midrange cone sits in a rigid die-cast chassis and is fitted with a phase plug, while treble comes from a 25 mm fabric dome tweeter driven by a ceramic magnet motor. The crossover point is 2.3 kHz. The response is rated at 55 Hz to 20 kHz within plus or minus 3 dB, with bass extension to 44 Hz at -6 dB. Sensitivity is 86 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, nominal impedance is 4 ohm with a minimum of 3.9 ohm, and peak SPL is given as 95 dB. Wharfedale recommends amplifier power of 25 to 100 W. Each speaker is 340 mm tall, 200 mm wide and 255 mm deep, and weighs 8 kg.

Engineering and use context

The Aston is a two-way vented-box model with an internal volume of 10.8 litres, tuned through two ports on the rear panel. The cabinet combines several wood materials in layers, with internal bracing and damping to control resonance, and the outer surface is real-wood veneer in walnut, mahogany or black oak. Behind the tweeter dome is a damped rear chamber. The crossover uses air-core inductors and high-spec polypropylene capacitors, and its values were refined through extensive listening tests. The matching stands are made of hardened high-carbon British steel with tempered-glass inserts, measure 560 mm high and 265 mm wide and match the speaker in depth, weigh 7 kg each, and come with stainless-steel spike seats and handcrafted gloves.

Pairing

The low nominal load and its slightly lower minimum call for an amplifier specified for low-impedance speakers within the recommended power window. Since the stands are available as part of the package or separately, the speaker can be bought as a complete set or added to existing supports. Wharfedale specifies bass extension below 50 Hz as the aim of the twin rear ports.

Alternatives

The Wharfedale Denton 85 is another Heritage Series standmount from the brand, built around a 165 mm Kevlar cone bass driver.