Laboratory test report
Newport Test Labs measured the Dynaudio Evoke 50 loudspeakers using its standard test procedures. Graph 1 shows a frequency response that was obtained using two different techniques. The section of the trace below 900Hz is the averaged result of nine individual frequency sweeps measured at a distance of three metres, with the central grid point of the microphone on-axis with the tweeter, so one measurement is made with the mic aimed directly at the tweeter, another with the mic higher, another with it lower, another with it off to one side, another with it off to the other, and so on, until nine traces have been acquired, after which they’re averaged via post-processing. The section of the trace above 900Hz is the gated high-frequency response of the speaker, without the grille fitted. As you can see, each of the major horizontal divisions on the graph represents a 5dB change in level, so the graph shows the response of the Dynaudio Evoke 50 as extending from 35Hz to 22kHz ±3dB, which is an outstandingly good result, particularly in terms of bass extension, for a design that uses relatively small-diameter bass drivers and a relatively small-volume cabinet. Pedants with sharp eyes might point out that the trace is actually a little below the –3dB envelope between 42Hz and 52Hz, but the magnitude of the variation and the measurement variabilities at these frequencies mean that we can safely ignore this to arrive at the ‘overall’ response stated. So 35Hz to 22kHz ±3dB it is. That said, the response is not super-flat within these dB limits, with definite lifts to above the ‘reference’ SPL (85dB) at around 1kHz (only minor) and around 3–6kHz (also minor). Nonetheless I would thus expect the sound to have a very slight forward character at these frequencies. Given that the higher of the two crossover frequencies is at 3.5kHz, I expect that the 3–6kHz lift is the result of some summing of the midrange and tweeter outputs, and as such might not be as apparent when listening slightly off-axis. The high-frequency response of the Dynaudio Evoke 50 is shown in greater detail in Graph 2, but you should note that the different measurement technique that’s used in order to provide this detail means that only high-frequencies can be measured (in this case, those above 900Hz). The graph shows the high-frequency response with the speaker grille off (black trace) and on (red trace). You can see for yourself that the response is marginally smoother and more linear without the grille, though the differences are barely significant. You can see that for this trace, taking 95dBSPL as the 0dB reference point, the response extends from 900Hz to 22kHz ±2.5dB. The low-frequency response of the Dynaudio Evoke 50 that Newport Test Labs has shown in Graph 3 shows the output from the bass-reflex port without any bung at all (red trace) and with the half-bung fitted. You can see that without the bung, peak output is a bit above 40Hz, itself just a bit above the bass drivers’ minima at 38Hz. With the half-bung fitted, the output from the port drops by 5dB, as you’d expect, and the peak output also drops in frequency down to 32Hz. The black trace shows the response of one bass driver (for clarity) without any bungs, and you can see that the response rolls off quite steeply from around 60Hz. The blue trace shows one bass driver’s response when the port is fully blocked, resulting in a sealed (infinite baffle) enclosure and you can see that at 60Hz, instead of rolling off, the response extends linearly downwards at around 12dB/octave, as theory would predict. Impedance vs. frequency is shown across three graphs, rather than just the usual single graph, due to the number of permutations permitted by the provision of, effectively, three completely different cabinet alignments, each one of which will affect the impedance (as you can see). There are several important take-aways from these graphs. The first is that the impedance of the Dynaudio Evoke 50 remains at or significantly below 4Ω from around 75Hz right up to 700Hz, so this speaker will require your amplifier to deliver some fairly serious current, as well as voltage. Secondly although Dynaudio specifies minimum impedance as being 3Ω at 100Hz, Newport Test Labs shows that minimum impedance of its test sample was a little lower again, at 2.8Ω (at 100Hz). Lastly, the impedance is fairly high at very low frequencies, and above 700Hz essentially continues to rise, so the Dynaudio Evoke 50 should be compatible with all modern Class-D amplifier designs, as well as conventional Class-AB designs.
Graph 7 shows the performance of both bass drivers and the midrange driver. You can see that although the bass drivers are identical, their different positions on the front baffle mean their performance is not identical. It’s almost the same up to 400Hz after which the response of the upper-most driver rolls off quite dramatically to trough at 550Hz before rising. I expect this is most likely a result of a standing wave inside the cabinet. It’s interesting, but at this frequency the midrange driver has well and truly taken over delivering the sound, as you can see from the green trace. This driver has a flat response, and its response rolls off nicely above and below its passband. Excellent design.
Newport Test Labs measured the sensitivity of the Dynaudio Evoke 50 as being 87dBSPL at one metre, for a 2.83Veq input under its standard test conditions, a result that is in exact agreement with Dynaudio’s own specification.
Dynaudio’s Evoke 50 loudspeakers returned an excellent set of results in Newport Test Labs’ acoustic test laboratory, and is notable for having a particularly-well-extended bass response. Steven Holding
Dynaudio’s Evoke 50 loudspeakers returned an excellent set of test results in Newport Test Labs’ acoustic test laboratory