My review: KEF LS50 vs. Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary

I am on the ELAC UniFi UB5 now - they just have a couple hours of play... They are the opposite of Dentons, more so than the LS50.
They image, detail and present a sound stage just like the LS50s, but boy that tweeter hurts... I found the LS50s not aggressive in comparison - Kef managed to bring a high level of definition without sounding HARD. Both achieve the same goals, but the ELAC SHOUT. I'll wait and see if they mellow down a bit. I sure will appreciate the dentons after this audition.

 

Speakers need to be broken in for them to sound their best. Many times, they'll initially sound harsh and mellow out over time... like most of us.

Having said that, I've seen a number of people state they experienced ear fatigue with the LS50 so again, it's all about system-matching.

 

LS50s can be plenty warm when placed off-axis. This doesn't sacrifice their imaging. Of course, the natural inclination with speakers of such appearance is to point them straight at the listener.

 

Also, (and off of another axis..) don't put them tweeter>ear level.. shorter stands, like 24" are perfect for these, and tame them a touch.

 

Wow. That R0 looks like Clapton's guitar from the Fresh Cream period. Gorgeous. I'm a Strat-wrangler myself, but I'd love an LP like that one.

 

I found the LS50s very smooth, a class act, but the Elac are HARD and metallic sounding... they ve been playing for about 10 hours now - no change in sound.

 

I'm curious as to why you'd bother with UB5s when you already own LS50s and Totems. Do you have multiple systems?

 

Very good question Helom! just plain curiosity about speakers that have been talked about and that made people go wow.
I am just an audio enthusiast!
I love to swap speakers just to hear a different presentation. I usually buy one pair a year, resell them and get something else.
I have always wanted a a pair totem, but was not willing to pay for the exorbitant price on models that are nearly 20 years old. But this pair came out of the blue for a trade I could not resist. So here they are.
The LS50s were the buzz 4 years ago, and I had to hear them. Kept them for 4 months before asking myself.. but what about the UB5, designed 2 years ago to undercut the KEFs?
So I play them now. I am very impressed by what they do out of the box. They have plenty of good qualities for the money, play clean, equal to KEF, but a lot more forward... It is not the treble actually, it's the midrange that's hitting your ears hard. So I'll see if running them for a few days change them for the better.
Next, I am curious what KEF did with the new Q150... how close are they to the LS50s? Before getting the LS50s, I had the q100.
Just a hobby! I used to build my own 2-way too.

 

Got a pair! Impressions forthcoming.

 

Just wanted to chime in and say I've been giving my Wharfedale 10.1's a turn as my mains and they are intoxicating. They make my Elac B6's sound muddy in comparison. I've tried to put the Elac's back in a couple of times but I've gone back to the 10.1's each time.

 

I have to say I am extremely impressed with the Wharfedale Denton 80th speakers. I have had LS50's for the last couple years. While the Kef's are superb speakers in some regards, and extremely revealing, I tend to agree, for my purposes a tad to revealing. I also just felt a disconnect between the musical truth vs the 'document truth'. After reading this thread, and others, I decided to give the wharfedales a go. I am so glad I did. First off, their level of fit and finish is impressive. The wood veneering is really nice, as others have stated, and must be seen to be appreciated. But even more impressive is the balance these speakers strike, between insight into the recording, and conveying the emotional and musical intent of the artist. I find the bass to be more rhymthic, defined, and dynamic than the LS50s. The midrange is sweet, and has correct timbre. By comparison, the LS50 seems to have a slight metallic overtone (particularly in the upper midrange), and an almost hollow tonality.

I think both speakers are pretty killer. A lot of it comes down to preference, as always. For me the Denton's are exactly what I have been searching for, and have completed a long journey to finding that sound. Thanks to the OP for all the helpful insight, I pretty much think everything you noted about these speakers were spot on. And also noticed you recently acquired some Spendors, so have fun with those!

 

Back up to $499 again. In truth, I don’t think these ever actually sold for $1000. When they first hit the market, they were listed as “on sale” at $499, discounted from $1000, and since then they have never sold for over $499. It was a marketing gimmick that apparently worked!

 

Nothing gimmicky about these speakers. They are the real deal

 

I remember them at $1k in 2012... I thought they were too high at the time for me to place an order, and then, when they dropped the price by 50%, I thought that they were probably the least popular speaker on earth...so i did not buy... Until 2016.
I wasn't impressed the first two weeks, re-packed them, i was ready to ship them back, and, i can't recall why, unpacked and gave them another listen a week later... I am glad i did... They are keepers.

 

How do the Wharfedale Dentons compare to the Focal 706Vs?

 

First, let me say this is an awesome and informative thread. Devoid of pretense while remaining inclusive and open to everyone's ideas. Thanks to the OP and all the participants thus far.

Second, I've been planning a modest two channel system that includes a U-Turn Orbit with Ortofon Blue (which I already own), a PS Audio Sprout100 50w@8ohm/100w@4ohm (which is in the mail), a Teac 360 cassette deck (which I already own), my laptop, and a pair of Sennheiser HD 6XX headphones (which I already own). My issue is speakers. I have winnowed it down to four pair. The Dentons, the LS50s, the Focal 706Vs, and the Zu Dirty Weekends. In spite of loving everything I've read about the Zu's, I think I want a pair of bookshelf speakers so the Zus are likely out of the running. Without nearby dealers, I will be auditioning these by purchasing them from online shops, like MD, with generous return policies. That said, I wouldn't mind getting it right in one if possible. It seems to me that the LS50s are very revealing for better and worse depending on a number of factors and that the Focal 706Vs are largely similar but not quite as good (though at roughly half the price they are a great value). The Dentons seem warm yet revealing and the consensus here appears to be that they engage the listener and encourage long listening sessions. These are the reported qualities that I valued so highly in the Zu Dirty Weekends (save perhaps their aggressiveness). Now that I've bored you all to tears with my pedantry and novice logic, my ultimate query is this: do all of you fine Denton owners (or any Zu DW, 706V, LS50, or Sprout100 owners that happen to be in here) think the PSAudio Sprout100 (Sprout100 Integrated Amplifier ) can properly drive the Dentons to the level needed to achieve that combination of warmth and clarity they are purported to have when truly broken in? Also, the one real criticism I've read of the Dentons in a couple of reviews is that they aren't very precise rhythmically and/or that they falter when the rhythm really picks up. Do you find that to be a fair or unfair claim?

Thanks all for just taking the time to read this. Doubly so to anyone who responds. Cheers!

EDIT - Apparently one can set up the Sprout100 to bi-wire. Has anyone here tried bi-wiring the Dentons? If so, how'd it go?

 

I've come to like both very much. I would choose the 706Vs for near field listening, and the Dentons for far field (not sure if that's a proper term), louder listening. Good luck.

 

I'm going to come from left field and suggest none of the above. The Sprout will sound more engaging and dynamic with more sensitive speakers than the Dentons, Focals or LS50s. Good thing you ruled out the Zus because they would yield very poor synergy with the Class D amplification of the Sprout.
My suggestion is the new Definitive Technology D11. 90db sensitive, very engaging and warm even with class D amplification. I heard these at AXPONA this year in one of the Music Direct rooms being driven by a PS Audio amplifier and they sounded really nice. Smooth, dynamic and punchy with a clear uncolored midrange. Horns and vocals sounded exceptional on that system.

Definitive Technology - Demand D11 Bookshelf Speakers (Pair)

PS:
I have owned the Focal 706 as well as the LS50s. The LS50s have an awesome sound but would not be a good match with your amplifier. As for the Focals- lets just say I owned them very briefly.

 

I bought them the INSTANT they were available, from Music Direct, for the full grand. "If you're in a card game, and can't figure out who the patsy is ..."

 

Thanks, @bluemooze. I may need it.

I appreciate the response. Thanks @avanti1960. I'll read up on the DT D11s today. What's interesting is that the Sprout100's class D seems to be quite good at amplifying a wide range of speakers (according to reviews I've read). The Zus were suggested in a couple of reviews (though neither tried them in the review) and the LS50s (which I was already interested in) and the Focal 706s (which I'd never even heard of) were both suggested to me via email by one of the designers at PS Audio who worked on the Sprout. If that doesn't illustrate how subjective speakers/sound is, I don't know what does.

PS - I almost forgot to ask, why do you feel the Sprout100 specifically (as opposed to any amp in general) would benefit from a more sensitive speaker? Cheers!

 

Because it is only rated at 50 watts / channel @ 8 ohms. It is 4-ohm capable which helps, but 50 watts is still not very much.
The Definitive Technology speakers are rated at 90db efficiency which will make the amp sound more powerful- it will sound like a 100 watt/channel amplifier compared to the Wharfdales at 50 watts / channel and the LS50s at 25 watts / channel comparatively.

 

Does the fact that the Dentons are 6ohms make any difference? Or that the Sprout100 outputs 100w/channel @ 8ohms?

 

No- that just means that they will draw more current from the amp than an 8-ohm speaker would. Sensitivity is still 86db @ 1-watt - meter. The Sprout is rated at 100 watts per channel at 4-ohms.

 

Whoops! I didn't mean to flip that.

 

I am not saying the speakers are gimmicky, I'm saying the perpetual sale price is gimmick.