Wharfedale - Denton 80th (Walnut) Walnut

Product Information

That bullet was making me crazy... Ended up buying a pair within two weeks of this post if I'm not mistaken] Yeah, I've been thinking hard about it. I need to find a way to scrounge up enough money for those. Any idea how long they'll be on sale at that price? The 220 is probably made for the new hifi user with budget equipment in mind ie. it is probably more sensitive and easier to drive (I haven't actually looked up the spec so may be wrong). 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.

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 The Q Acoustics 3020i bookshelf speakers offer excellent sound quality, versatility, and a modern design, making them a great option for audiophiles who prioritize accuracy and transparency in their sound system. To mark Wharfedale’s 80th Anniversary, this special edition of the Denton 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. Mrs. said, have we still got the big'uns? by the big'uns she meant Monitor Audio RS6s. I replied, "up in the loft". After being covered in cobwebs I placed the MAs and switched on and... OMG, I'd forgotten how good they sound. They were everything I expected the Dentons to be: Cohesive, balanced and just downright musical. 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.

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. Veritably a modern classic! This 85th edition showcases latest advancements and further upgrades the already hugely impressive 80th Anniversary speaker. Available in the same finishes, the main difference is in the Denton 85 swapping out the 5" woven kevlar cone for a 6.5" variation of the same material and replacing the 1" textile tweeter for a soft dome design. The result is higher sensitivity to facilitate more demanding hifi components, better crossover and wider frequency spectrum. Based on Original Denton Provided that you spend time properly toeing-in the speaker to the best angle for your listening position – and it can be quite a fine balance – you’ll doubtless be impressed by the stereo imaging. It doesn’t quite have the pinpoint precision of some rivals with coaxial tweeter/midrange drivers, but it’s still pretty good and gives the lie to the claim that wide baffle speakers don’t image well. Every recording I play sounds surprisingly large and expansive. Haitink’s superb reading of Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No.2 sounds wonderfully atmospheric with a great sense of the recorded acoustic, for example. Depth perspective is a real standout strength for this speaker, too. As for the Ushers, they have a slight reported treble lift but I personally haven't noticed it much. However, my high frequency hearing is plateaing out at around 13khz .

The Denton is presumably more for the mid market customer requiring a small but more refined speaker. It will likely have better drivers, a better cabinet and better Xover components (again that's an assumption but Wharfedale have been in the game for a long time). In regards of Rotel I like them better than NAD in regards of reliability but you are right in your assessment that they are bright. Plenty of their amps are bright and need carefully speaker match and also this differentiate from model to model. Wharfedale Denton 85 Anniversary Speakers (Pair) in Walnut is a classic bookshelf dual-way design with elegantly hand-veneered cabinets in walnut with an inset front baffle and classic Tungsten cloth grille. It showcases the principles of founder Gilbert Briggs who made Wharfedale one of the most famous loudspeaker brands in the world by concentrating on quality and value for money. Cutting-edge Performance 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. 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.The cabinet is reflex-loaded via twin rear-mounted ports, unlike the original’s infinite baffle design, and this confers dramatically better sensitivity (90dB up from 86dB) and bass extension (35Hz down from 60Hz). “It uses a sandwich of high-density chipboard with MDF skins that scatters panel resonance more effectively than the almost ubiquitous modern use of MDF alone”, he adds. “Finally the crossover has been designed using computer software together with hundreds of hours of listening tests and refinement”. They are also fairly forgiving on positioning and power levels. Positioned close to walls the small port size means there’s minimal boomy bass. But yes, they do sound better with a little free space around them. 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. 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. It’s a very careful balance. The Dentons never give the impression they are emphasising one part of the music to the detriment of another yet still manage to avoid sounding overly dry and clinical. Instead they just make music sound fun – whether you want to delve deep into a mix or simply let it flow over you.