Wharfedale - Denton 80th (Red Mahogany)

Product Information

Also just to mention, I have removed solid links at the speaker terminals and biwired the speaker with Canare 4S11 cables. An amplifier's treble tone control generally works by boosting or reducing treble starting at a pre-set frequency. The pre-set frequency is determined by the amp manufacturer so there will be some variation between amps. Such tone controls add a peak (boost) or a trough (reduce) at set frequencies - the severity of the peak or trough is determined by the tone control "volume" setting. Adding a resistor in the way you plan reduces power fed to the tweeter so reduces output across the tweeters entire operating range and doesn't introduce significant peaks or troughs. The Dentons played okay on my 12 watt 6V6 tube amp, but started to give up when the volume crept up or during heavy bass passages. Switching to the 4 ohm tap improved things slightly, but you could still hear the amp straining and not quite waking up the speakers. Do anyone have any of the amplifiers or pre/power combinations mentioned above driving the Denton’s and if “yes” how is the synergy between them? It was time to try an album that I am very familiar with, one that I have heard across several systems - a British pressing of Supertramp, Crime of the Century. The lead in song, School, is bombastic with very deep bass and explosive dynamic contrasts. How does the Wharfedale hold up compared to my departed UREI 813A speakers, which could really deliver the goods? In a word (or three), not so well.

And read somewhere that a user found a little adjustment to it, for the ones who have a different taste Underneath the exterior, the Anniversary Edition is a perfect mixture of traditional and advanced technology. The bass unit features Wharfedale’s innovative woven Kevlar cone mounted on a rigid die-cast chassis. The drive units are combined with a highly researched crossover that blends the drivers perfectly. Both speakers are highly capable, with the Dentons leaning more towards a lush presentation and the LS50's offering a more detailed, transparent presentation.

was considering NAD C 326BEE or C 375BEE but since plenty of them have power module issues I have dropped those two) The Denton's look and feel are miles ahead of the white Bowers & Wilkins 606 stand-mount speakers I auditioned in 2018 at the CNET office. Both speakers hail from UK-based manufacturers, and they're close to the same price, but the Denton looks a lot more expensive. To mark Wharfedale’s 80th Anniversary, the brand is presenting an anniversary edition of one of its most popular loudspeakers, the Denton. The Denton 80th Anniversary is a classic, bookshelf two-way speaker. Beautifully crafted with hand veneered mahogany, an inset front baffle and traditional Tungsten cloth grille, the updated Denton is a classic update of the original speaker. The original Denton was known for its warm, rich sound and the 80th Anniversary Edition manages to retain the original character while giving a more detailed, seamless performance. Wharfedale successfully combines its strong history and modern technology in perfect fusion in this Denton 80th Anniversary Edition. Advanced Technology With the family out of the way for an hour, I fired up the Thorens TD309 and spun my US copy of Pink Floyd's The Wall. At a higher listening level: within their dynamic limitations, the KEFs do a bit better here too. The busy sound effects come across cleanly and have real depth too. Definition - inner detail and body - are certainly not the best I've heard. These are, after all, no electrostatic speaker or an Altec 604 driver with a time-aligned crossover, but given the price the KEFs are more than acceptable. The old "PRAT" factor is high with lots of toe tapping enjoyment. Bass with the 6.5" driver is good but if you want to go deeper and louder a sub (or a larger Q-series) would be needed.

The LS50's, despite having metal drivers, are not really bright at all, but they definitely have more top-end clarity and extension than the Dentons, but still they capably reproduce whatever midrange lushness is in the source. Indeed, I find them perfectly smooth and 'musical' with tubes, and yet they were forward, crisp, and slightly strident with a (re-capped) '78 Yamaha CR-1020. Their presentation is very much source-dependent, whereas I would expect the Dentons to be more forgiving. (My plan is to eventually use the Dentons with a Pioneer SX-780 that is currently being serviced.) The original Denton was well known for its warm, rich and natural sounding character and the 85th Anniversary Edition retains that character but imbues it with an open, detailed performance that will entice you to explore your whole music collection. Save 30% in our exclusive deal on Wharfedale Denton speakers. Built to celebrate Wharfedale's 80th anniversary, these beautiful speakers are an updated version of the original Denton and combine a nod to traditional design with the latest in loudspeaker design. Original Model My 20 wpc 7189 Sherwood integrated had absolutely no trouble driving the Wharfedales as loud as I cared to listen, which was not too loud, but loud enough. The treble on this 12" cut was clean though perhaps a bit rolled-off. Very British polite, if I do say so myself. The brashness of the cymbals were muted, though to what degree would require further exploration. But the first impression was of a very listenable speaker that didn't sound forward or overly bright. That can be a difficult thing for many small speakers since the temptation for manufacturers is to make a speaker that has a lot of fake detail by having a tipped-up response.The LS3/5a's on their own as a small space monitor are great because they were developed with those small spaces in mind according to what I have read about this subject. Mentioned the TV vans already, it is where they did much better then anything else around those days and set a bar. It is also where the myth comes from that studio monitors are only for near field, because the Ls3/5a was dedicated to that. Anything large in a small van would not really do it and the stiff casing had to assure that not much of the surrounding space would be in the way of the ones dealing with the audio. I like the character and the aesthetic of the 80s, but the misnomer about the 'treble roll off' kills it for me. At moderate levels the difference between the old *Wharfedale Denton and the KEF Q350 speakers are subtle. The Q350s are a touch cleaner with a brighter tone. Detail - neither are what I would call overachievers here - is also a little better, perhaps the difference between aluminum and woven Kevlar drivers. The bass out of the 6.5" KEF woofers go down a touch deeper and with a bit more definition than the 5" unit on the Dentons. The midrange and treble, however, were still very pleasing but the muddiness of the bass did distract from the overall presentation. Depth was foreshortened compared to the best I've heard, but the left-to-right stereo spread was marvelous. Emphasised treble has made the new 85th Anniversary Edition more critical and less forgiving than the 80th Anniversary Edition. With Dire Straits Brothers In Arms LP (Mobile Fidelity, 180gm, 45rpm) repetitive cymbal strikes marking out the beat had very obvious presence, more so than I am used to from our reference Martin Logan X-Stat electrostatic panels. Alison Goldfrap’s Ride a White Horse (12in 45rpm single) pounded out strongly, the synth bass beat having a resonant strength characteristic of an old-style loudspeaker – and all the better for it I felt. Unfortunately, emphasis of sharp vocal sibilants wasn’t so good.

Upon my return last night night, I rewired them in phase and put them into listening position. Stands are heavy, sand-filled metal (Target?), with the tweeters raised to proper ear level. Last friday I made up my mind and might have set the bargain record for a brand new pair after a little negotiation. Unfortunately, what's true in life applies the same to recordings. Garbage in garbage out. I've thrown CDs away in frustration due the inability to listen to them as they re mastered it horribly. My friend's KE Engineering KE-50A KT-88 tube mono amplifiers drove the Wharfedales flawlessly and they sounded best with more power. One I had my ears immediately hurt so I turned the volume down as I thought the song was pretty decent jazz tune. I kept turning it down to no avail as it was at a near minimum and it STILL hurt. I thought wtf? Something was coming out of that jazz tune which was not normal. Weird experience.Depending on what it should qualify for. Hifi setups or monitors. The modern Dentons are indeed not allround in performance. They are not monitors and have a signature to them. When it comes to allround, Wharfedale's Diamond 12 series would probably more be there, but for mixing I might leave them for dedicated monitors. Further listening with a variety of records revealed a clean midrange with only some minor veiling - again, compared to the best I've heard. ie - there is an ever-so slight blurring of aggressive guitar work and the leading edges of high-hats. The treble is, however, extended with shimmer and shine but still not etched. I was expecting some overdone brightness from the aluminum tweeter but my (aged) ears weren't driven out of the room. My Dentons arrived yesterday, and I immediately set them up facing each other, out of phase, with a (bass-heavy) pop music station playing on the radio. I left it going for about 11 hours yesterday, while I was out of the house. They are nowhere near fully broken in yet, but that at least got them on their way. Amplification is from a recapped Yamaha CR-1020 receiver (75 wpc), which tends to be on the cool side of neutral IMO. Rogers was one of the original manufacturers and here are "new ones" I mentioned. This pair would probably not exist if they would have not a chance to cash in on the antique market and the cult status of the classic. They are as loyal to the original as possible including the unfriendly prehistoric way the grilles should be placed and ripped off and the shiny plastic front hidint behind. With the difference being that they chose an exclusive type of wood.

I do have for longer time the Denton’s 80th Anv. speakers safely stored in a original box and decided to get them out since I am reconfiguring my second HiFi system.These drive units are combined by a highly researched crossover that is near inaudible to the listener, resulting in a coherent, seamless musical output that is both thrilling and natural in its rendition of any source material. In comes the Wharfedale Denton 85th Anniversary (of which 10 attemps to post different pictures of it here failed) I am so far disappointed in their imaging, which so far sounds very flat and two-dimensional. Even my ancient AR4x's have a better realized soundstage. Again, this very well could change once the speakers burn in. I had anticipated finding the LS50's to be screaming bright after having been acclimated to the warm-voiced Dentons for the past couple of weeks. What I am finding is both speakers have comparably accurate mids and bass, and both speakers go approximately down to the same bass depth. Both speakers are approximately equal in their efficiency, and both are superb pairings for my 14wpc Fisher, in my 8' x 12' room. I have not been using my subwoofer, nor does one seem necessary with either set of speakers. Interested in hearing from anyone who wants to share their experiences with either/or, but preferably both sets of speakers. Maybe the 85s solve the top end problem?