Wharfedale Evo 4.2 (Couple) Black Speakers Pair

Product Information

As I often do, I placed the speakers about four feet from the front wall, taking the room out of the equation as much as possible. This also served to level out the bass a bit in my space.

There is also impressively little sense of constraint or colouration from the cabinets. Provided that a modicum of care has been taken when it comes to placing and positioning in the listening room, it manages to disappear from my perception and is impressively difficult to pinpoint inside a big and very consistent soundstage. It benefits from being used with decent partnering equipment, but this is more a reflection of its ability to show the benefits of whatever its attached to is capable of – thanks to its admirable transparency – rather than being a difficult design to drive. The other thing to think about with this speaker is the soundstage. It’s not super wide. I found the presentation mostly between the speakers, which to me was not an issue since the imaging and depth had such good separation. Straight Out The Box: My first reaction as I undressed them from their protective white gowns was that the walnut appeared duller than it looked in the pictures but that they still look beautiful and seem very well made. Their shape and design look very at home in my living room. The first test that had to pass was the wife test, I was nervous. They are larger and have a more imposing presence than the HB1’s but thankfully she liked them and said they look expensive (phew).The Wharfedale EVO4.2 bookshelf speaker is the largest bookshelf model in their EVO 4 line, which is the latest incarnation of their Evolution range. The original Evolution speakers (released in the mid-2000s) were known for engineering beyond expectation at their price, and EVO 4 continues that trend with design elements usually seen in more expensive speakers. The EVO4 series from Wharfedale uses materials and technologies from our flagship speakers, which means that we deliver high-quality achievements without a price tag.

This symbiosis is immediately evident from the inclusion of Air Motion Transformer tweeters across all the models in the Evo series, a technology usually found in pricier products.

What We Dig

It's striking that when we start playing Dune in 5.1 on the Evo 4.4 surround system, it immediately prompts us to question whether there is any need for Dolby Atmos. Of course, there is, but it’s a great reminder that if you have quality speakers capable of detailed precision and fluid transparency, you don’t need to go all-in on rears and height channels to have a seriously immersive home system. The tonal balance was also excellent. No matter how loud the volume, the treble never became hard, and the bass remained controlled. Plus, the mids, normally the strength of a Wharfedale speaker, were extraordinarily refined.

What a difference a day makes, 24 golden hours. The bass is less boomy, in fact its not boomy at all! Its full-bodied and is working in harmony with the mids and trebles. These speakers are beginning to sound very good indeed. I began to experience what ‘separation’ of instruments was, and I like it. The more time you spend with it, the more you become aware of the fabulous detail retrieval it offers.” ’Hi-Fi Choice’ – Recommended.

Wharfedale Evo4.2

Featuring a Kevlar woofer cone, the EVO 4.2 delivers class-leading bass precision. With its high rigidity and low distortion movement, the EVO 4.2 follows bass lines intensely, producing a foot-tapping beat. Downwards firing bass ports integrate better with your room and also make the speakers easier to position as they can be placed closer to a rear wall. What was surprising was the mobility and emotion from the lead vocal and the lead electric guitar. Bass never dragged upon these two contrasting sounds. They were both lively and light on their feet. Again, cymbal taps provided finesse but the bass added weight to this instrument. You got the feeling that a heavy piece of metal was being hit here. CONCLUSION The combination of the AMT tweeter and dome midrange delivers much in the way of resolution and transparency. These speakers sound impressively articulate through these frequencies and deliver vocal-led music such as Mount The Air from The Unthanks brilliantly. There’s nuance and texture in voices that helps to communicate emotions really well. That said, this is not a party speaker. The bass has a nice punch that allows it to play relatively fast, but the low end is not as deep as a sub. So don’t expect it to have a lot of rumble. According to Wharefedale, this system offers an improved and finer sense of control. Much more accurate, says the company, than a bog-standard dome tweeter: larger bandwidth, higher speed, lower distortion…all that good stuff.