Anybody else own Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary speakers?

Paradigm is mostly manufactured in China now. I've owned 20 or more pairs of them.

 

I guess a lot can happen once you get out of the game... I just pinged an old pal of mine still in Paradigm retail and he says at least with the entry level Classic/Monitor series that the drivers are still manufactured and shipped from Canada to China but the finished product comes back from China. And as of a year ago when he last toured the factory here in Ontario, they still do QC on Classic before they are sent out to dealers. I can't comment on the higher end product.

 

Hal Holbrook's kneecaps!.... Someone from AK... Oh, thank God.



Was going through withdrawals there, seriously... I got so-used to it being there, so to have them offline for two days (on a weekend) kinda' pulled the rug out from under me. But it DID get me to re-register back here (Still can't figure out how to put up my avatar though).

 

I'd like to see more mentions of amplification with these. Trying to conjure up a list of amps/receivers that really make them sing. I like the sound of them with my 800C, but they put a much heavier strain on that receiver than my 8ohm W90's, so I'd rather leave that receiver for what it does best and try and find one that's much-better-suited to the 6ohm Dentons.

Anybody tried them on their sides?

 

For me, it was VERY-helpful, both in the forums and behind the scenes. 5 years over there really helped push me in the right. The SH forums taught me A TON about the music (the pressings, in other words), but AK really showed me the way as far as the GEAR was concerned. They're certainly not ALL vintage. I'd say it's half modern-day stuff and half "vintage", at least to my eyes. And at the same time, there isn't much focus over there on the music pressings, not the way it's always been here. The 3 or so years I spent here in the beginning were invaluable to me once I really started working on my system.

Well, THAT'S a good thing. The drivers are what really matter. How many companies back in the day used to make the drivers at the main factory (in the country of origin) and ship them and the crossover parts to their distributors in various parts of the world who would do the final assembly? Quite a few, I think.

 

Update. Well, with vintage the Marantz stuff amp and pre, the Denton's sounded a bit flat with treble not being very detailed. So I bought a Luxman M120A amp, a Lux preamp and tuner. The preamp is faulty but my stereo guys in MI had a Luxman C100 preamp. These things were high end in 1975 and very expensive. Just got it hooked up with a Schiit Modi 2 DAC. I'm very pleased with the sound (after putting the tweeter back together). They are nice little speakers.

 

Well. Ultimately the Dentons didn't work out for me; not a knock on them in any way (my ears, my room, my gear, etc. etc.) ... I just traded a pair of speakers that clearly didn't make the cut for me, long term, for a set of the new Diamond 220s. Similar driver complement to the Dentons, and only $349. They were very engaging in audition; will have to see how they do at home (where the reigning champs are Harbeth P3ESRs).

I love Wharfedale: quality speakers for the less well-heeled.

 

I will try mine with my vintage Marantz 2325 and see what I think. I had great sound with the Dentons connected to my Quicksilver Silver 60s and Full Function pre-amplifier. I am currently pairing the Marantz with my Klipsch LaScalas. I am down to a few components in my collection having sold quite a few to make tuition deposits but I still like to switch stuff around to keep the equipment side of the hobby interesting. I kept the Quickies along with a Jolida integrated using EL 84 tubes and a very inexpensive single-ended amp using one 2A3 tube per channel for 3.5 watts output per channel for my tube equipment.

 

Update-the Marantz is having right channel problems so I hooked up the Sansui 9090DB receiver to the Dentons. Excellent combination. I have played anything from the Pavarotti re-issues from the Pavarotti Edition to the King Crimson Live at the Orpheum and it is a good match. I have said and still believe that these speakers have a lot of juice to bring tone and life and color to music. Very entertaining.

 

Would anyone like to comment if these speakers might fit well with my Harman Kardon 730, i believe it's rated at 40wpc but can get much higher.

 

I love the look but can't find a place for them. My vintage system is well served by my Camebridge Audio sixes (Massachusetts) and my current system has Rega RS3 which are a great match for my amplification and room.

 

They seem to be pretty efficient. I'm sure they would be fine.

 

The Denton efficiency is listed as 86db/6-ohms.

I guess the question will be, how hard are you gonna drive that HK? Big room and loud levels may be like reading "The Little Engine that Could (or Not)".

 

I see what you're saying. Maybe not the best efficiency rating for my HK. I have an average size listening space and wouldn't plan on listening to them at too high of levels. I guess an audition would be best to help determine that.

 

I have a NAD 320bee that sounds fine with the Dentons. However, I don't play to ear splitting volume and they are in a small room.

 

My 20 watt or so Jolida puts out more volume than I need with these speakers.

 

Nice, and you find you enjoy the sound they produce?

 

Absolutely-very good match. Big juicy sound.

 

One thing I have to admit is they are very attractive. They really do sound good. I'm running them through a vintage Luxman system now.

 

I am definitely going to keep my eye on them, could be a good sound for me and yes they are very attractive.

 

Yes these speakers are very good looking and well made. Even the grille cloth is classy.

 

What kind of gear would work good with these speakers? Amp, DAC, cables? Is it enough to put around $1000 for each? I'm a headphone user and know nothing about speakers. I have a Audeze LCD-2.2 headphone system which cost over 4k and it sounds great IMO. It's paired with a Violectric HPA V200 amp and Rega DAC and gives a smooth, warm sound that is apparently reminiscent of vinyl (I've never heard a turntable myself). I don't like fatiguing treble at all; I like detail but there must be a limit for me.

I mostly listen to vintage rock music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I notice with headphones that I tend to listen to the production more than the actual music. It's more in-depth but less natural for me; older music on headphones noticeably sounds aged and lower in volume, which you don't notice on speakers. With speakers, I just sit back and relax and sometimes I miss that. Problem with speakers is I live in a small apartment and cannot have bass that is too heavy. It's a tricky setup but I've had thoughts lately of selling my system and going back to speakers.

This sounds like something to my tastes. What do you guys think, can I get a decent system setup with my budget? Thanks.

 

They are a nice looking speaker.I had these but replaced them with Spendor S3/5rs (and kef ls 50s). The vocals on the Dentons let them down for me. They're not as natural and free from the speaker as the Spendors or Kefs.
Coming from headphones I think you maybe disappointed. Maybe audition the Dentons and the Kef ls50s or Spendors before purchase .

 

Yes, probably the Dead was mixed on something more like the LaScalas. And the horns tend to have a kind of liveliness that other speakers generally don't quite have. Hmm, live Dead as in "wall of sound" era? (Which had horns, vaguely like your Klipsches)

 

What didn't you like about the Denton's, Bruce? I'm looking for something with a warmer sound than I currently have. The Dentons are a bit pricey for me but the warm sound appeals. Any thoughts on how they'd work close to a wall?