Wharfedale - Denton 80th (Red Mahogany)

Product Information

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. And read somewhere that a user found a little adjustment to it, for the ones who have a different taste 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. 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 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.

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 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.It has the same warmth and same quirk in sound improvements, as in that it performs a bit better with the grilles on. This is caused by the tweeter and woofer that are placed slightly in depth behind the edges of the cabinet. With the grilles kind of functioning as a corrector. Same as with the Lintons which are basically the giant version. Last friday I made up my mind and might have set the bargain record for a brand new pair after a little negotiation. 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. As others have stated, the rosewood finish on these speakers is rather stunning, much more so in person that how they look on the web. The wood grain pops with wonderful vividness and depth. These speakers are lovely to look at and look "high end." 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.

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? I like the character and the aesthetic of the 80s, but the misnomer about the 'treble roll off' kills it for me. 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.In comes the Wharfedale Denton 85th Anniversary (of which 10 attemps to post different pictures of it here failed) The new Denton 85th Anniversary Edition will sound lighter and brighter than the 80th, due to raised tweeter output. It has smoother bass that runs deeper and will sound controlled when close to a wall. Sensitivity is very high too. Very good, but with overly strong treble. 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 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.

was considering NAD C 326BEE or C 375BEE but since plenty of them have power module issues I have dropped those two) 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. 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. Also just to mention, I have removed solid links at the speaker terminals and biwired the speaker with Canare 4S11 cables. Underneath the traditional exterior, however, the Denton 85th Anniversary is bang up to date and utilises a mixture of traditional and advanced technology. The bass unit features Wharfedale’s innovative woven Kevlar cone mounted on a rigid die-cast chassis, this combination delivers a rich, detailed bass/midrange output with superb dynamic performance. High frequencies are handled by a woven textile soft-dome treble unit with high flux ferrite magnet, engineered for smooth, detailed HF extension. Seamless musical outputDepending 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. 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? The treble isn't rolled off, so much as there are frequencies of the upper audio spectrum that are missing (imagine listening to a recording with a clear plastic cup over each ear - that's a more extreme example of what these speakers sound like. They're just missing a lot of top end and some dynamic width. However, what they DO do, they do well. They open up a little with more volume, and become slightly more dynamic due to this).

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. 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. Given my experience, I wouldn't hesitate to go with the NAD 375 bee. Save a few extra dollars each month, and leave the amp on 24/7. Mine has lasted 6 years so far with no signs of failure yet. (fingers crossed) Pros: great bass extension, full mids, perfect aesthetics (for my taste, with my gear, with my ear, etc). 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.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.