For serious audiophiles, Wharfedale’s latest announcement is certain to cause a ripple of excitement. The Aston is a limited-edition, UK-made (at Wharfedale’s Huntingdon production facility) Hi-Fi speaker that represents the pinnacle of Peter Comeau’s four-decade-long career in acoustic design.
Combining retro aesthetics with cutting-edge technology, the Aston is a speaker crafted not for the masses (literally) but for the discerning few.
Since its founding in 1932 by Gilbert Briggs, Wharfedale has built a storied reputation in loudspeaker innovation. Over the past 16 years, Peter Comeau has spearheaded the company’s acoustic design, drawing on his extensive experience with brands such as Mission and QUAD.
With the Aston, Comeau set out to create something truly special, a speaker that embodies his signature sound philosophy while remaining faithful to classic British Hi-Fi traditions.
Combining retro aesthetics with cutting-edge technology, the Aston is a speaker crafted for the discerning few…
Engineering excellence: The Aston’s technical innovations
Part of Wharfedale’s acclaimed Heritage Series, the Aston follows in the footsteps of modern milestones like the Linton and Denton. However, unlike those models, reimaginings of past Wharfedale designs, the Aston is an entirely new creation, from the ground up.
The project, which took nearly four years to complete, was free from the usual commercial constraints, allowing Comeau and his team to refine every detail before finally unveiling the speaker in a strictly limited run of 500 pairs.
At its core, the Aston is a two-way standmount speaker. Unlike Wharfedale’s larger three-way Heritage models, such as the Dovedale, the Aston relies on specially developed mid/bass and treble drivers, designed and manufactured in-house.
The mid/bass driver features a 15cm carbon fibre cone housed in a rigid die-cast chassis, designed to produce articulate, extended bass with clarity down to well below 50Hz in-room. A distinctive gold-coloured phase plug sits at the cone’s center, indicative of a smooth and expressive midrange performance.
The treble driver, adapted from the high-end Dovedale model, incorporates a ceramic magnet motor system and a 25mm fabric dome, along with a damped rear chamber that eliminates unwanted resonance. The result is a detailed yet smooth high-frequency response, capable of transparency and balance across the entire spectrum. The crossover network utilises high-specification air-core inductor coils and polypropylene capacitors, chosen for their transparent and revealing sonic character.
The cabinet design is another testament to Wharfedale’s pedantic engineering. Embracing a classic bookshelf design, it boasts a sophisticated multi-layer construction technique that combines high-density particle board, MDF, and a special resonance-damping adhesive to minimise unwanted resonances.
The hand-finished, real-wood veneers are available in walnut, mahogany, and black oak,. Grilles are magnetically attached.
If your bookshelf isn’t up to it, Wharfedale also offers a dedicated stand for the Aston. Made from British steel, the open-frame stand incorporates furniture-grade glass inserts at the top and bottom, with damping-filled uprights to minimize unwanted vibrations. It also features a concealed cable management system, providing both functional and aesthetic benefits.
Says Comeau: “When I designed my first commercial Hi-Fi speakers in the late 1970s, my goal was to create a compact speaker that delivered a wide-bandwidth sound. That idea has remained a cornerstone of my designs ever since. The Aston embodies that vision… natural, detailed, and full-bodied beyond its size. Acoustic engineering of the highest order has made this possible.”
The Wharfedale Aston will be available from late February, priced at £1,999 per pair with stands or £1,699 without. Only 500 pairs will be produced.
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KEF has reimagined one of its most recognisable models for a new generation. The Coda W is an all-in-one active speaker system, inspired by the brand’s original Coda series, which made Hi-Fi audio more accessible when it launched decades ago. Designed to deliver both the tactile satisfaction of vinyl playback and the convenience of wireless…
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The Luxe Review 
For serious audiophiles, Wharfedale’s latest announcement is certain to cause a ripple of excitement. The Aston is a limited-edition, UK-made (at Wharfedale’s Huntingdon production facility) Hi-Fi speaker that represents the pinnacle of Peter Comeau’s four-decade-long career in acoustic design.
Combining retro aesthetics with cutting-edge technology, the Aston is a speaker crafted not for the masses (literally) but for the discerning few.
Since its founding in 1932 by Gilbert Briggs, Wharfedale has built a storied reputation in loudspeaker innovation. Over the past 16 years, Peter Comeau has spearheaded the company’s acoustic design, drawing on his extensive experience with brands such as Mission and QUAD.
With the Aston, Comeau set out to create something truly special, a speaker that embodies his signature sound philosophy while remaining faithful to classic British Hi-Fi traditions.
Engineering excellence: The Aston’s technical innovations
Part of Wharfedale’s acclaimed Heritage Series, the Aston follows in the footsteps of modern milestones like the Linton and Denton. However, unlike those models, reimaginings of past Wharfedale designs, the Aston is an entirely new creation, from the ground up.
The project, which took nearly four years to complete, was free from the usual commercial constraints, allowing Comeau and his team to refine every detail before finally unveiling the speaker in a strictly limited run of 500 pairs.
At its core, the Aston is a two-way standmount speaker. Unlike Wharfedale’s larger three-way Heritage models, such as the Dovedale, the Aston relies on specially developed mid/bass and treble drivers, designed and manufactured in-house.
The mid/bass driver features a 15cm carbon fibre cone housed in a rigid die-cast chassis, designed to produce articulate, extended bass with clarity down to well below 50Hz in-room. A distinctive gold-coloured phase plug sits at the cone’s center, indicative of a smooth and expressive midrange performance.
The treble driver, adapted from the high-end Dovedale model, incorporates a ceramic magnet motor system and a 25mm fabric dome, along with a damped rear chamber that eliminates unwanted resonance. The result is a detailed yet smooth high-frequency response, capable of transparency and balance across the entire spectrum. The crossover network utilises high-specification air-core inductor coils and polypropylene capacitors, chosen for their transparent and revealing sonic character.
The cabinet design is another testament to Wharfedale’s pedantic engineering. Embracing a classic bookshelf design, it boasts a sophisticated multi-layer construction technique that combines high-density particle board, MDF, and a special resonance-damping adhesive to minimise unwanted resonances.
The hand-finished, real-wood veneers are available in walnut, mahogany, and black oak,. Grilles are magnetically attached.
If your bookshelf isn’t up to it, Wharfedale also offers a dedicated stand for the Aston. Made from British steel, the open-frame stand incorporates furniture-grade glass inserts at the top and bottom, with damping-filled uprights to minimize unwanted vibrations. It also features a concealed cable management system, providing both functional and aesthetic benefits.
Says Comeau: “When I designed my first commercial Hi-Fi speakers in the late 1970s, my goal was to create a compact speaker that delivered a wide-bandwidth sound. That idea has remained a cornerstone of my designs ever since. The Aston embodies that vision… natural, detailed, and full-bodied beyond its size. Acoustic engineering of the highest order has made this possible.”
The Wharfedale Aston will be available from late February, priced at £1,999 per pair with stands or £1,699 without. Only 500 pairs will be produced.
BAFTA and Samsung team for YouTube series showcasing Hollywood’s biggest stars
BAFTA has launched a new streaming series, BAFTA Playback, sponsored by Samsung, that brings some of Hollywood’s biggest names face-to-face with the moments that defined their craft. The six-part series, available on BAFTA’s YouTube channel, offers viewers a rare opportunity to see celebrated actors revisit scenes from their careers, discussing the creative choices, influences and…
Stylish KEF Coda W all-in-one speaker system unites vinyl, streaming and TV audio
KEF has reimagined one of its most recognisable models for a new generation. The Coda W is an all-in-one active speaker system, inspired by the brand’s original Coda series, which made Hi-Fi audio more accessible when it launched decades ago. Designed to deliver both the tactile satisfaction of vinyl playback and the convenience of wireless…
High design meets Hi-Fi sound at KEF Muo Bluetooth wireless speaker launch party
KEF is looking to change the image of Bluetooth speakers with Muo, a stylish portable with a design DNA that can be tracked directly to the brand’s flagship Hi-Fi speakers. Available in seven finishes, and crafted from aluminium, the Muo draws clear inspiration from Ross Lovegrove’s two-metre-tall sculptural Muon enclosures. Launched with a swing, at…
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