^when A/Bing the Dentons and 225s, I would say vocals sounded a little bit nicer on the Dentons. But overall I think I’ve been enjoying the 225s more. I haven’t had the Dentons in the system for a few weeks, so I should switch back and see what I think
Don't forget punchy and fast. It's almost impossible to describe in words the sound of these speakers. They are supremely musical. The build-up to a crescendo in some music is scary.
Hi everyone. I registered on this forum because I wanted to say a big thank you for the reviews and extensive discussions on this thread. They gave me confidence to buy the Denton 80th anniversary two months ago, without auditioning them first. I am French (sorry for my English mistakes) but I live in Vienna, Austria, and had to take a chance to import them directly from the UK with no free return. I got them for a little above 400 euros, shipping included. I liked the vintage look (chose the walnut finish) and wanted the warm sound and unfatiguing treble that everyone was talking about. When I first heard them out of the box, I was totally unimpressed with the sound, but it did not make me too nervous as everyone had said they needed an extensive period of breaking. Indeed, they started to get a lot better after about 20 hours and continued to improve after. I am totally happy with them now. I really, really like their musicality and the fact that I can listen to them for extensive listening sessions. My ears have become quite sensitive and I had given up on listening to my main stereo system for more than 30 or 40 minutes at a time. I use them in my bedroom (about 30 m²) for music (mostly classical music, world music, blues and pop) and TV, connected to a modest integrated Onkyo A-9010. The Denton-Onkyo combination works very well for me, both for music and for TV (dialogues are perfectly clear and soundtracks well rendered). I also tested the Dentons with two other amplifiers that I have and like (Denon PMA800 NE and Cambridge Audio A640), but I preferred them with the cheaper and less powerful Onkyo A-9010 in the end. I am not going to describe the sound, because so many have already done it very eloquently and accurately on this thread. Suffice it to say that I have joined the ranks of the happy owners of these Dentons. They are excellent and very musical speakers for that price. I use them every day and I intend to enjoy them for many years!
I decided to upgrade my Denton 80ths for a pair Dynaudio Excite X18’s. After 4 months I sold the Dynaudios and re-instated the Wharfedales....have breathed a huge sigh of relief since.
Hey I am French too, that makes two on this forum... I have really enjoyed the Denton 80th too, which are now seating in a closet waiting for another amp and another room some day... I replaced them with the Linton, and the joy has more than tripled...welcome to the forum.
If anyone cares, I compared the Dentons to another similarly priced speaker, the KEF Q350s: 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. With the family out of the way for an hour, I fired up the Thorens TD309 and spun my US copy of Pink Floyd's The Wall. At a higher listening level: within their dynamic limitations, the KEFs do a bit better here too. The busy sound effects come across cleanly and have real depth too. Definition - inner detail and body - are certainly not the best I've heard. These are, after all, no electrostatic speaker or an Altec 604 driver with a time-aligned crossover, but given the price the KEFs are more than acceptable. The old "PRAT" factor is high with lots of toe tapping enjoyment. Bass with the 6.5" driver is good but if you want to go deeper and louder a sub (or a larger Q-series) would be needed. Further listening with a variety of records revealed a clean midrange with only some minor veiling - again, compared to the best I've heard. ie - there is an ever-so slight blurring of aggressive guitar work and the leading edges of high-hats. The treble is, however, extended with shimmer and shine but still not etched. I was expecting some overdone brightness from the aluminum tweeter but my (aged) ears weren't driven out of the room. Overall I would give the KEF Q350s a solid thumbs up. They do punch quite above their cost point but these days that's no big surprise given the available computer modeling and testing that would have been a dream for speaker designers in the past.. I'm curious how the R Series would perform. But that's a future hope. *Regarding the Wharfedale Denton speakers: these are equally good speakers but something I would recommend with a more aggressive digital front-end or amplification chain. In my case the smoothness of the Aleph J and the slight darkness of the Classe Five preamplifier was perhaps too much of a good thing. The Denton appears to have been voiced to have a vintage, smooth sound instead of the "hi-fi" approach of the KEFs.
Of course. I'm using the Arcam Solo. Both together are extremely synergistic - for my tastes, of course.
Lucky you. The Lintons are very appealing, though I noticed from a quick tour on another thread that there are a few dissenting views on their performance. Anyhow, I must resist the upgrade itch. It's just too soon for me! And, who knows, with a bit of luck their price may come down in a year or two?
I was eyeballing the Wharfs, but ended up buying the Q550, one model up from the Q350. Really happy with them, just an overall pleasing speaker to listen to.
Been testing the new Wharfedale Evo 4.4 speakers in the store the other day with my benchmark playlist. Have to say I was missing the amount of engagement with vocals I get with my Dentons. Also, I think Dentons sound more neutral and coherent. Instrument separation was more obvious on Evo's, though I don't think I liked it, it seemed unnatural. Evo's are much better with micro-dynamics, they're little more revealing and have more power, which worked great for classical music. They sounded ok for most genres, but I wouldn't buy them If I would mostly listen to rock - distortion guitars sound dull compared to Dentons. Soundstage was great as allways with Wharfedale speakers. Maybe a bit more forward compared to Dentons but this is also room dependant so don't take my word. All in all... I think they could work better in my room as I don't think they would reflect as much as Dentons, I have them positioned at the long wall which is not ideal. They should also be better for listening at lower volumes which is also a huge plus for me. Still interested to hear Evo 4.2 and Lintons.
So based on this thread (and the recommendation of a few dealers who might have been slightly biased , I ordered Wharfedale Denton 80 for my near-field listening environment. That is, on the desk of my 9' x 9.5' home office. I'm still a bit nervous about using rear-ported speakers for this setup where the back edge is 3" from the wall and the front-edge tweeter is 36" from my ears; but I have a very different question... How do I tell if I have genuine Wharfedale Denton 80 speakers? The reasons why I ask are that the speakers I received did not match the quality I would have expected (but, this is my first time ordering Wharfedale, and maybe that is the nature of British/Chinese speakers; similar to build engineering for NAD integrated amps in the 1980s)? Here are the details that seemed odd to me, and cause me to wonder if I received a counterfeit product rather than genuine Wharfedale Denton 80s: 1) The box says "This product has a manufacture serial number and guarantee card. If missing, the manufacture's warranty is invalid and the product should be returned to your retailer...". I didn't see anything in the box that resembled a "guarantee card", but I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. Can anyone share what the "guarantee card" would look like? 2) The large gold "Wharfedale sticker" that surrounds the speaker binding posts (on both speakers) does not lay flat. Both speakers had a noticeable gap (i.e. bump) close to the middle of top edge of the sticker. 3) On one of the speakers, the edge seam between the bottom wood section and the side panel was not flush. There is a very slight but noticeable edge (~1/64 inch sort of deal) where the bottom wood veneer extends a bit past the side panel. Am I being too meticulous? Or is this something I should be concerned about? Thanks.
Possible to compare the Dentons/Lintons? I'm currently sheltering in place with too much time to read up on speakers and contemplate an upgrade. I've had a pair of Dentons for a few years and the only things I might be missing are a mid-range speaker for vocals and deep bass.Would be using in a relatively small apartment, room is 12' by 18', also curious if the Lintons require significant placement away from rear walls? Thanks
Lintons compared to Dentons: bigger in every way... bigger soundstage, sharper image, more definition in all registers, more extension, more dynamics, more clarity/transparency, but also laid back, and as easy to listen to as the dentonseven with the greater dynamic range. In terms of placements, I have mine 9.5 in from back wall to speaker back, and bass is linear, no boominess whatsoever. If the distance between the back wall and the speaker is not sufficient, you can put a abosrption panel in between. I hear them at their best when you form an equilateral triangle and when they are pointing at you or slightly behind. Honestly, they sound great, especially at the price. They are an excellent proposition. I can't see how one could be disappointed after the dentons. I think they would be perfect in a 12x18 room
A late thank you to all that contributed up to January 2018, it helped me decide to buy these Denton 80th Anniversary. Having build speakers and owned the LS3/5A and noticed the advantage of less reflection from the baffle I decide to add a set of LS3/5A felt squares around thee tweeter. Had to do some cosmetic surgery to the felt squares and had to modify the grills somewhat. They've now found a place in the living as the bass is a tad too much when used on my desk in my small office.
That’s going to be the most common pricing you find. I lucked out getting a pair of B stock Dentons from Music Direct for $399 back in January. They were open box but I didn’t find any flaws or problems when they arrived.
Hi everyone, I have just registered on this forum bcoz of this thread. Where I live, there is a 2nd hand hifi shop selling a used pair. My problem is I have a rather low powered tube amp (6W @8 ohms & 12W @4 ohms). Is it good enough to power the Dentons ? Thanks.
Thoughts on these vs. the SVS Ultra Bookshelves? I've got the SVS's, and while I don't dislike them, I feel the mids are just missing something for me. Also, the SVS's build quality is top notch, but the Denton's will fit my MCM aesthetic much better.
Thanks all for the replies re pricing. After pursuing this old thread I saw a few mentions of both bi-wiring and jumper plates. I have a pair of Dentons coming in and was curious in the three years since this the OP, whether anyone had any opinions or experiences in trying out bi wring or swapping out the supplied jumper plate for some OFC wire...or "audiophile" jumpers..thanks
I have tried them with both 4s11 and 4s8 in bi-wire configuration. I ended up single-wire them with belden 5t00up ("bjc-10") and replaced the jumpers with audioquest 16awg silver bars. I hear or I feel that the sound is more coherent, and that the belden is the best performing cable.
I thought I'd post a little update now that I've had these for 18 mos. Overall, they still sound fantastic to me, in my system/room. I run them full range with a 65wpc Hafler amp, but I do also use a small 8" Paradigm powered sub, with in line 50hz low pass filters. I find if the recording has a lot of bass, I don't need the sub. It really is amazing how much quality bass these Denton's make with just a 5.25" woofer. But...I have found the limit of that bass. Example; Listening to Sade, "Bullet Proof Soul", at high volume, produces a buzzing from the ports. Not chuffing, although a bit of that was present too, but a buzzing from inside. The fact that the buzzing was the same from both speakers implies a limitation, rather than a defect, or damage. But again, this is an extreme case. If I just turn down the volume one click, the buzzing stops. In addition, if this buzzing was present on a tracks that also had much more mid/high frequency energy (e.g., almost any kind of rock), you wouldn't notice it (and apparently I haven't!). Not a big deal. Great speakers, especially for the price.
