Полочная акустика — Wharfedale D310

The D310 is the entry model and most compact bookshelf speaker in the Wharfedale D300 Series, a range the company positioned around high specifications at low prices and has since discontinued. Wharfedale intended this two-way standmount for small rooms, desktops and surround duty. The Australian price was AUD 449.99 per pair. The model appeared in 2017, with the series reaching shops in late September, and its UK price was GBP 159 per pair. The range comprised the D310, D320, the D330 floorstander and the D300C centre speaker. Finishes are black, rosewood, walnut and white.

Key specs that matter

Bass and midrange are reproduced by a 100 mm cone of black woven Kevlar, while a 25 mm soft dome tweeter covers the top end, with the crossover set at 2.2 kHz. Wharfedale quotes a frequency response of 65 Hz to 20 kHz within plus or minus 3 dB and bass extension to 60 Hz at -6 dB. Sensitivity is 86 dB measured at 2.83 V and 1 m. The nominal impedance is 4 ohm, the minimum is 3.6 ohm, and the maker describes the model as compatible with 8 ohm amplifiers. Recommended amplifier power runs from 20 to 60 W.

Engineering and use context

This small box works on the bass reflex principle and has an internal volume of just 4.3 litres. Wharfedale uses slot-loading technology for the reflex port, which the maker says allows positioning close to a wall. Height on the plinth is 265 mm and width is 155 mm, while depth is 228 mm, made up of a 200 mm cabinet plus 28 mm for the terminals, The net weight is 3.0 kg per speaker, and a carton holding the pair weighs 7.4 kg and measures 430 x 290 x 380 mm. The Kevlar cone is bonded to a very light surround of foamed polyether and is driven by a super-long-throw voice coil motor with an oversized ceramic magnet, a technology Wharfedale pioneered in the 1960s. The woven Kevlar is the same material Wharfedale specifies for the Denton 85, so the D310 shares its cone technology with a more expensive model.

Pairing

The modest power recommendation and the low impedance minimum point to a small integrated amplifier or AV receiver rated for low-impedance operation, while the maker's compatibility statement also covers amplifiers specified only for higher-impedance loads.

Alternatives

The Wharfedale D320 is the next bookshelf model in the D300 Series, with a 130 mm woven Kevlar cone, 87 dB sensitivity and a 2.4 kHz crossover.