Wharfedale Denton 80th or ELAC B6?

I am contemplating adding a power amp and passive bookshelf speakers to my setup to expand my listening area beyond what the near field studio monitors I use now provides. Thinking of either the Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary (half off at Musicdirect right now) or ELAC B6 (lots of anticipation for these and a lot cheaper than the Wharfedales).

My studio area is maybe 15x10, and the speakers will be sitting on top of the Kallax shelves I use to store my vinyl, and so very close to the wall.

Has anyone heard both of these speakers and compared? Given my room constraints, are either of these a decent choice? Opinions, please!

Thanks!

 

I can't comment on the ELAC but I auditioned and bought the Denton's yesterday. They are awesome but I haven't tried them in my home yet. There's a huge 40+ page thread here and it's full of glowing reviews.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/in...anniversary-a-non-professional-review.623013/

 

A fellow forum member ArdenHiFi, has provided a review and is selling the speakers in the [For Sale] hardware and accessories forum. A very well written review and a steal of a deal to purchase the speakers he reviewed. If these were available 6 months ago they would be mine.
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...th-anniversary-speakers.472821/#post-13180011

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/wharfedale-denton-80th-anniversary-speakers-mint.472824/

 

How well would these do placed on a shelf against a wall, I wonder?

 

Rear ported speakers close to or against the rear wall tend not to sound very good.

 

I'd have 'em at least a foot out from the wall.

Enjoy! (I see you bought ArdenHiFis' set.)

 

I have the Dentons and they're sitting on, well, bookshelves...and they sound incredible. Due to the setup of my room they're only placed about 8" out from the wall behind them and sound great to my ears, no excessive boominess.

 

Can I mitigate this effect with acoustic foam baffles?

 

To a degree I would say yes, but to what degree remains for you to discover.

 

I shall have fun finding out.

 

Have you looked around for speakers with a front firing port or a sealed design? Either would make it easier to work with your given constraints. Another option, Polk Audio has a port design called a Power Port, which allows one to place the speaker right up against the back wall with little issue.

 

What amplifier will you use to drive them?

 

I don't have an amp yet. I'm considering getting one of those cheap $149 Monoprice hybrid amps to play with until I find a real amp (I'm keeping an eye out for a NAD C 245 or equivalent to pair up with my NAD C 165 preamp). If the speakers arrive before I get an amp (which is likely) I will probably drag my Pioneer SX-850 out of the closet and use the amp section on that in the interim.

 

I have a NAD 320bee hooked up to the Dentons. Plenty of power to drive them. Was an eBay deal. $200/$250? I forget.

 

Cool...although I'm looking for just a power amp - I'm super happy with the NAD 165 pre I just got, which has exactly the right i/o that I need (including two tape loops and two pre outs)...

 

Has anyone done a head to head comparison of the ELAC B6 vs the Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary?

 

Thought I'd bump this thread, to try and find the answer to this question.

 

I had been searching several months for warm, musically involving bookshelf speakers: The Harbeth P3ESR and Sonus Faber Venere 1.5 were my bench marks.
Based on numerous reviews,my short list included the Elac B6 's and Wharfedale diamond 225's. Could reasonably priced speakers actually provide the magical sound I was craving?

During an internet search, I found a wonderful little audio shop in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, called, Quest for Sound. They are distributors for several highly regarded audio companies. A check of their web site www.questforsound.com confirmed they had both the Elacs and Wharfedales available for comparative demo.

A few days later I went to Quest for Sound and listened to the Elac B6's and Wharfedale Diamond 225's. Both speakers were very good. Warm midrange, strong solid base and mellow but detailed highs. The Wharfedale speakers in my opinion were just a tad more refined. I often get listening fatigue if a speaker is the least bit harsh. I found the Wharfedale's to be detailed yet smooth and involving not the least bit fatiguing.

Now come the Denton's 80th Anniversary ... These beautiful speakers were sitting to the side of the demo room not hooked up to any system. Since they were also made by Wharfedale I asked to compare them to the Diamond 225's. Wow >>> another step up in detail and refinement yet they never lost the warmth I had been seeking. I purchase the Dentons !

Having them in my home system I find myself listening to favorite CD's more often and enjoying music again. I have older McIntosh equipment and these speakers shine with clean power. The retro looks of the Dentons is a big plus, as they complement my vintage system.

.

 

Well actually, I have heard both now. Hawthorne Stereo allowed me to demo the B6's here for a week. A big-sounding speaker, loads of bass ... in fact, a bit too much for my room! My own tastes (I'm a BBC, LS3/5A-type monitor fan) would have me choosing the Denton 80th's ... but I thought the B6's were amazing. Non-fatiguing, transparent, a bit dark in character (hard to explain, but I like that.) Were it not for the slight bass bloat in my little room, I might have bought 'em! $279 ... wow. For someone with (say) a modest Yamaha or Onkyo amp, and a desire to rock out (Led Zeppelin sounded great!), these are amazing.

 

elac ub5. by a good margin.

 

The UB5s get great reviews, but they often warn that a powerful amp is needed. What does one need in an amp to get maximum performance from these speakers?

 

I heard them with a 100 WPC solid state amplifier in a medium size room. I would not use less than a solid 80 watts/channel solid state of 20 WPC tube amp.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

I'm not sure if the Marantz 7005 would be a powerful enough until to properly drive the UB5s. It seems to teeter on the edge of your personal qualifications.