Wharfedale Evo 4.4 VS Fyne Audio F501

Can the Award-winning F501 floorstanders survive a challenge from Wharfedale’s daring newcomers? Prepare to be surprised

The F501s were some of the first speakers we’d tested from Fyne Audio – a new name in the world of stereo loudspeakers in 2018. To say we were impressed is something of an understatement. That a company so new on the scene could produce a range of speakers so accomplished was little short of remarkable, and we had no qualms in presenting Fyne and the F501s our Award for Best floorstanding speaker. And there the 501s have stood, for around 18 months now, proudly on top of a distinguished pile. Now, though, a new challenger for the title has come along.

We’re used to Wharfedale impressing us at the more entry-level end of the market; its Diamond ranges rarely fail to excite, and have won Awards in their own right over the years. But Wharfedale is no simple budget specialist. Every now and then there appears a terrific example of the breed a fair way higher up the price range. Enter the Evo 4.4 floorstanders, ₹1,79,000 worth of musical magic at least the equal of the Fyne Audios – but different.

NATURAL RIVALS

It made sense, then, to see how these two fine pairs of speakers stand up to each other – how their differences and similarities compare, and which one might be the right choice for a prospective buyer.

On a technical level, the F501s are an intriguing combination of the familiar and the unusual.

The broad strokes are pretty predictable: this is a two-and-a-half-way design using a 25mm tweeter, 15cm mid/ bass driver and 15cm bass driver.

But Fyne Audio has brought some interesting thinking to bear. The tweeter, a highly rigid titanium dome, sits in the throat of the mid-bass driver in an arrangement Fyne is calling IsoFlare.