Wharfedale Owners Thread - Page 2

I don't know.....hard to say.

It may be a result of both things you mentioned.

The Diamond series certainly has it's limitations. You may want to try auditioning the Diamond 8.3 and Diamond 8.4 to see if they do a better job with rock. I can tell you the Evolution 30 and 40 have no problem with complicated Rock music, and the Opus 2 are superb.


I also tend to lean towards the the mindset that a Reciever such as the HK 335 can not and will not do full justice to a set of speakers and drive them to their full capabilities.

You can always try some seperate amp and see if you hear a difference.

I've never heard any of Ascend Acoustics speakers, so I have no idea.

Following my post here a while ago, I did buy an Wharfedale Evo setup, 40's center, and evo-8's for surrounds.

I have had it for a month or so and am really enjoying it!

Congratulations! Nice....real nice!

I love the Evo 30 and 40!

What are you driving them with (amp)?

What source?

Have you heard the Evo 30s? Do you notice any difference in the mid-range, between the 30 and 40?

I am driving them with a Yamaha RX-V1500 receiver, with a Panasonic S688 (Chinese S77/S97) and a Sanyo Z4. I also bought two Wharfedale SW250 subwoofers for base.

I did find that the Evo-30 had less base, but I did not notice much difference for the mid-range.

This thread takes me back............all the way back..........to '02.

That's when I bought my first pair of Emerald 97 towers from auction on Ubid, back when it was possible to snag deals like these. Took a 'Leap of Faith'...loved them so much I bought another pair a month later, both sets in the rarer Walnut. Embarrased to tell you how little I paid for these gems. Probably the best purchases I ever made in Audio.

Opened them up early on, stuffed the upper and lower chambers with more polyfill and the response got even better. Have been running 4 towers and the Emerald Center and have no desire to upgrade though the Center could be better. Both HT and Music are delicious and flow from them like liquid gold, especially music. I know there is better out there but jeez...I don't need it. Have been offered much more than I paid through the years but I will likely keep these till I'm old and gray.

ClarkeBar, please clear out your PM box. I can't respond or send any more PMs because you're all filled up. Delete...delete...some of them out

Sorry

Have a Birthday party to attend but I will take care of the situation later today.

Cheers

Edit: OK, made some space. Jeez I need to clean this stuff up!

mdmaclean,

Thank you for the pictures! Good god....they are beautiful speakers!

That is quite a set up you have.

How do you like the subs(SW250)?

Have you encountered any boominess or flabby, over-hung bass? Or are they really the huge improvement over the previous Wharfedale sub series (Powercube comes to mind)......as Wharfedale claims in their literature?

How do they sound with music?

Just wondering. I noticed that a company named Wharfedale in the UK makes televisions and electronics. Is this the same company that makes audio speakers?

I find that the SW250's sound nice, not flabby like the previous subs apparently are. They are sealed units, which I understand helps make the base more controlled.

I am still very much enjoying my setup!

Bumping up an old thread

I'm a Wharfedale addict! I love their non-fatiguing presentation, while still being very dynamic and detailed. My first set was a pair of Modus 8's I got cheap off Ubid.com. I absolutely loved them! Next I found a pair of Modus 1.6's and Modus center to complete my first HT setup. Driven with an Adcom GFA-7300 it was fantastic, especially considering that I spent less than $600 for everything.

My current setup is:

Pacific 40 Mains
Pacific Center
Pacific 30 Rears

Fronts are bi-amp'd off a Sherwood AM-9080 and the 5th channel running the center, while the rears are running off my Yamaha RX-V2500. I also have a Velodyne DPS-12 in this setup. It's startling what level of performance I'm getting, I've demo'd much much more expensive stuff like B&W 700 series and prefer my Wharfedales. I've made a ton of internal changes to the Pacific's though - lots of sound-deading and re-wired the internals. Also de-coupling the tweeters with a layer of sorbothane really improved tweeter detail.

Now I'm looking for a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 9.6's, but can't find them anywhere other than AudioAdvisor ... who sells them for $200 over MSRP. The one weakness I find with my Pacifics (that was improved with my mods, but still lacking) is detail and separation in the midrange at high volumes - the Pacific center lacks in this department too. I feel like the dome midrange of the Diamond 9.6's and Diamond 9.CM center would really excell in this area, and that's what the reviews I read say as well.

So does anybody know a place to find the 9.6's cheaper than Audioadvisor? I'm going to try a 7.1 setup. 2 9.6's for the mains, a 9.CM center, and 4 9.1's for surround and surround back speakers. That should rock my world for awhile

You have a PM, sir.

Make that two PMs, sir.

You guys rock, big time thanks! 7.1 Diamond setup coming soon

Get this, at the same time I'll own:

Pacific 40's, 30's, center
Evo 40's
Sapphire 89's
Diamond 9.6's and 9.1's

Now I just need to steal back those Modus 1.6's from the ex-wife and do a Wharfedale mega-comparison.

I'm totally stoked about those Diamond 9.6's and that killer 9.CM center. I just love dome midranges, and especially love big center speakers!

I used to own a Wharfedale diamond 8 cinema package. While I absolutely loved the diamond FS towers and the bookshelves, I always thought the center leaves much to be desired. I finally bought and audition a few speakers at home and the Wharfedale center weakness become even more obvious. I sold my Wharfedale package and moved on to a different brand. I would not hesitate to buy a Wharfedale again if they come out with a good center channel. I would love to hear your thought on the 9.6 and especially the 9CM.

From those who have reviewed the Diamond surround package with the 9.CM, the center is now one of their strengths. With dual 6.5"s and a dome midrange, it should be able to keep up for sure.

I attached a review I found, check it out.

 

REVIEW_1781.pdf 116.7236328125k . file

Whats the difference between the Diamond 9 and Diamond 9.1 or 2 ?
Looking at purchassing small speakers for shop.

Here you go, check 'em out

http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/range.php?range_id=3

I think the 9.0's are too bass limited, the 9.1's or 9.2's would be the way to go.

I have been recommended listening to the Focal JMLab Sib CUb series, which I quite liked when listening to it in 2.1 format. What Hifi magazine rate the Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 and 9.1's. I have heard the 9.1's which sounded only ok but they did not have them hooked up to a sub, so the comparsion is not fair. I will see if I can hook the 9.0 up to a sub.

Would the 9.0 diamonds front and rear, with the matched centre and sub give better sound than the Sib / cub set up ?

Any opinions ?

I will likely be pairing either of these set ups with a Yamaha 559 or 659 AV receiver in a room size 4m x 4.4m (13 x 15ft)

Well, I would comment but know nothing about the Sib Cub setup.

I'm a big fan of the Diamond 9.1's ... but the 9.0 has the same tweeter, just a smaller mid/bass unit and smaller enclosure. One big draw of the Wharfedale Diamond line is the killer 9.CM center (dual 6.5" drivers and a 2" dome midrange).

I'm thinking of a 5.1 HT set-up using the Diamond CM and Diamond 9.1's as the L/R with in-ceiling speakers (maybe Speakercraft AIM7 Three ?) as the surrounds. My room (still under construction) is 15' wide by 14' deep with 8' ceiling height. The TV (46" LCD ?) will be centered on one of the 15' walls. The subwoofer would be next to the sofa on the opposite wall (maybe under a corner table). Looking for suggestions for a compact sub. Given that placement, should I avoid a front-firing sub like the SW150? For that sized room, is the Diamond CM too much speaker? (...but I've read such great things about it.) We'll be customizing cabinets and wall shelving for all of this and need to make decisions well ahead of time. The WAF is not too happy with a 9"+ center speaker and having to create a large shelf space above the TV for it. She'd be much happier with something like the DefTech Mythos line.

Also, I don't understand how to use the bi-wiring feature on the Wharfedales. The AVR (Denon 2807 or HK 645 ?) only has 1 speaker terminal for those speakers. How do I run speaker wires to both sets of terminals on the Diamonds? Is there a real benefit?

Love these forums, I've learned a lot. All comments and suggestions are appreciated.

I'm in the same boat - how can AudioAdvisor be charging so much? I don't mind paying MSRP if I have to... but I'm having trouble even finding an authorized dealer where I can audition the 9.6's around Boston! Does anyone have any bright ideas on where to purchase these bad boys?

Thanks,
J

I am in the same boat as well. If anyone has info on where these can be purchase it would be much appreciated.

Slip

Amazon.com has great prices for the diamond series.

those look like the last last gen of diamonds....

Call IAG America and ask for a local dealer.

rick.m650: Don't bother biwiring anything. It just gives you the equivalent of 3AWG lower gauge. Additionally, it can induce some phasing problems between the treble and bass. I tried biwire for a while (2 x 16AWG Monster = 13 AWG), then yanked it out and single wired with 10AWG OFC copper, with much improved results.

FYI, I have EVO30, EVO center and EVO8 rears. Powercube DX12+ sub, but got it for a steal, and it is the best of the Powercube series. I think they're superb, and chose this setup over B&W 6 and 7 series, Tannoy, Def Tech and Paradigm.

I do agree that the center is weaker than the fronts. However, it's not glaringly bad or anything. The EVO center IMO is rather good for a center. Now Opus, well, that's transcendent! When I get the cash...

One question on the 9.6's. Their "power" stat shows 40-200W. Obviously I know what 40watts to 200watts means (somewhere between 40 and 200 watts, .......right?) :- ) , but what does it MEAN? What makes a speaker have a "top out" point in regards to power, and what determines the "minimum wattage" that should be used. I'm not trying to pull this off topic. I'm trying to figure out why the Wharffies 9.6 have a 40 watt min. I thought it was related to sensitivity, but I think the swan 6.2 have the same sensitivity and are 10-200w. Maybe it has something to do with the moninal impedance.

Can someone school me on this?

Thx

Slip

I have some EVO 30s, so far I'm happy but not stunned with them. I need a center and was leaning towards blowing the $700 for an Opus but now a few folks have mentioned tibre matching - is the Opus really that much different sounding (and better)? Will the EVO center do alright - the majority of my usage is TV so the center is critical.

Setup is HK635->2xEVO30s.

Do these breakin at all? I've read a lot of other threads suggesting bi-wiring the Wharfs is useful... no?

The Evos are warm speakers so pairing them with a warm HK receiver was probably not the best idea, unless you like a very warm sound. I'd try something more analytical, like Denons, Yamahas, or Panasonic digitals, to get a more balanced sound. Generally, people enjoy an analytical, or brighter sound for TV and HT, and a warmer, more involving sound for music. This is probably why you're not thrilled about the Evo 30s (since you're mostly TV/HT) - sound effects and dialog sound unnaturally warm or thick and not as detailed as you'd like. Am I right?

A common solution is to buy neutral or bright speakers for TV/HT and pair them with a warm tube amp for 2-channel.