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Goodmans and Wharfedale

rabidlistener said:
Ah Wharfedale Option 1's I thought I had dreamed these speakers actually existed! I remember them being demonstrated at one of the Heathrow shows in the Eighties. Wharfedale had them set up in the ballroom (?) of the hotel with the aisles between the rows of seats in line with the Option 1's. Walking along the aisles there was no stereo image at all but as soon as you sat down in the seats all was revealed. I thought they sounded superb for a hifi show demo. I used to have a very expensive brochure for them that was sadly lost when I lent it to a mate. There used to be a smaller version called Option 2's as well. I have the brochure for them but it is only a single sheet.

The scaffolding speaker stands for the original Diamonds were made by the Cornflake Shop. Again, at a hifi show they demonstrated a system that consisted of the original Roksan Xerxes TT, cheap Mission arm/AT cartridge, Naim Nait 1 and the Diamonds mounted in these stands. Santana's Abraxas never sounded so good. It was one of the few times I have ever considered buying a show system. Had an in-shop demo but it never reached those heights so I gave it a miss. They also made the scaffolding frames to wall mount Linn Kans. A Flat-earther mate had 2 pairs mounted on top of each other which he reckoned sounded superior to Bricks. I was never that enthralled by Kans and found original Pro-ac Tablettes to be much more musical.

Mike
Click to expand...

I wonder if those 'scaffolding stands' ever come up for sale.
I'd love to try them out with original Diamonds.

Excellent little speakers, Diamonds.
I had a pair for years in my University Lab.

Martyn..
 
rontoolsie said:
I started to pen a reply, but then an overwhelming sense of deja vu came over me. So I shuttled over to another forum and saw I had written about my experience with a (probably one-off Wharfedale flagship model some 30 years ago). So, here is what I wrote

Back circa 1985 or so, Wharfedale came out with its flagship product...I can't be certain of the name, but I think it was called the Option 1 or something (a quick google search didn't result in any mentions)....they were very big, very expensive ($8000??) and active. I think there may have been only one pair ever built, but somehow my then dealer along the Floridian space coast manage to get that very pair, along with one CD that the distributor said you HAD to use with those speakers-the HFNRR demo disk with the dreaded garage door thumping track.

I must say the garage door sounded very impressive on those Wharefdales, but for actual music, a pair of Accoustat Model 2+2 driven with the best amplification Audio Research ever had or will make-the SP10mk2/D250mk2 that was in an adjoining demo room was by far better and tonally more truthful. No, they were not the *worst* flag ship speaker I have heard-those would be Les Queltiques...

The same dealer also had a very early pair of the original Diamonds that were clamped into space time ordinances by a scaffolding of experimental wrought iron with spikes on the top, bottom and both sides. Now THOSE were impressive, although how much had to do with the novel 'stands' I do not know. At the time he estimated the stands would cost $500 to embrace speakers worth maybe $80-the original Diamonds were VERY cheap.... He later went on to found a very successful stand company-Sound Anchor, that still does healthy business.

Still you had to admire the chutzpah of Wharfedale to produce these very unexpected speakers that were against pretty much all of their then philosophies.

A uni friend of mine had a pair of Lintons I think. Dull and boxy even when driven with my Michell Focus One/A60. My only other experience with Wharfedale was when they rolled out their E-series speakers at the Heathrow show (of was it the Olympia one?). Literally they made my head hurt, which it continued to do for at least an hour after I left. Still, I did get to meet and chat with JV later on that day, so all was not lost.
Click to expand...

Amazing forum find! I have that very pair of Wharfedale Option Ones. I worked at Wharfedale in 1985 and Richard Lee (Chief Designer) demonstrated the Option Two to me with a Dr Thomas pre & power amplifier combo playing Andreas Vollenwieder White Winds. My life changed! I had to have a pair of Options one day.

A few years ago came across THE pair of Option Ones on eBay and had to buy them. I even have the (simple) operating manual too. They are HUGE. 2 people required to handle one unit. They are monoliths. Think 2001: A Space Odyssey. I had to hire a van just to collect them!

Would be great to get hold of the sales brochure for these speakers.
I'd love to get a pair of Option Twos if anyone knows of any for sale. I also seek the single page sales brochure for them.
 
At the time I heard the Option One, I also owned a very early example of the Musical Fidelity MVT preamp....to this day the worst preamp I have ever owned. I took it over to the same dealer that had the Option Ones and it was slaughtered by a conrad johnson PV5 preamp and atomized by the Audio Research SP10mk2 preamp. It also proved to be worse than a PS Audio 4.0 preamp for about one third of its price.

All I can remember about the Option Ones is that they slapped me across the room....huuuuuuge sound when fronted with that very same Audio Research SP10 preamp.

How do they perform by todays standards? It after all has been 30 years since I heard your very pair.
 
Yes I recall the Option 1 speaker system and the Dem at the Penta HiFi Show

So little on them and only a couple of sketchy pics on the web

rabidlistener said:
Ah Wharfedale Option 1's I thought I had dreamed these speakers actually existed! I remember them being demonstrated at one of the Heathrow shows in the Eighties. Wharfedale had them set up in the ballroom (?) of the hotel with the aisles between the rows of seats in line with the Option 1's. Walking along the aisles there was no stereo image at all but as soon as you sat down in the seats all was revealed. I thought they sounded superb for a hifi show demo. I used to have a very expensive brochure for them that was sadly lost when I lent it to a mate. There used to be a smaller version called Option 2's as well. I have the brochure for them but it is only a single sheet.

The scaffolding speaker stands for the original Diamonds were made by the Cornflake Shop. Again, at a hifi show they demonstrated a system that consisted of the original Roksan Xerxes TT, cheap Mission arm/AT cartridge, Naim Nait 1 and the Diamonds mounted in these stands. Santana's Abraxas never sounded so good. It was one of the few times I have ever considered buying a show system. Had an in-shop demo but it never reached those heights so I gave it a miss. They also made the scaffolding frames to wall mount Linn Kans. A Flat-earther mate had 2 pairs mounted on top of each other which he reckoned sounded superior to Bricks. I was never that enthralled by Kans and found original Pro-ac Tablettes to be much more musical.

Mike
Click to expand...
 
What can tip the choice balance in peoples' attitude towards various past- manufactured speaker systems, is that there are a lot of music lovers that found their 'happy Hi Fi combination medium' for year in -year -out enjoyment ( that suits them - perfectly!) and do not go around being sonic hypochondriacs, To paraphrase the title of a My Fair lady song....." They have indeed become accustomed to their Hi Fi". Unlike those, desperate to hear the latest released hardware models in search of some highly debatable 'improvement' Resulting in a lot of cases to unbalancing what they had previous in the sound chain, followed by self induced foolery to convince themselves on recent or new financial outlay.

Wise people laugh off the latest advertising guff that appears ....preferring to spend the greater amounts of their spare cash on actual music software. .
Oh! what was the purpose in the first place for obtaining basic hardware???!!'

I always see an funny analogy of Hi Fi equipment "malcontent freakies" with what one expects out of Youth.
The supped -up car syndrome......with enthusiasts ,tarting up their vehicles with chrome maggies , special chrome stripes, superchargers, and hideous dash broad interiors etc
Yet if they go to sell their 'heaps', some used car salesman is likely to disregard the cosmetics. So it is, with Hi Fi equipment. Instead, if (I had) or have spare equipment I hand it on to other music lovers or / if "it finally conks it"...out in the dust bin it goes. No regrets - and it is somewhat 'therapeutic'. Out of mind...out of worry.

If one has enough equipment gathered over the years to make all sorts of changes throughout their system(s) ,by inserting some of the said various pieces into the Hi Fi chain, the results can be extremely surprising. creating 2+2 equals 5 or 6 factors.
 
Wharfedale also has made many different speaker systems for different markets across the World continent.People overlook the fact that some manufacturers '-sound balance' their equipment to suit particular differing musical tastes in many foreign countries.
If one just read English mags and pink fish.............one has never seen mention of some of them. If one lives in the Asia -Pacific region , it is possible to pick up quite a few new Hi Fi pieces "so balanced" that are very well durably built / finished .....without the final landed puffed prices of a English -direct export.
P.S I am not trying to be impolite, but reading constantly of the obsession of 95% mention of a small number of English brands, make any non English person stand back and readjust their perspective focus.
 
Well the thread is about just two English brands...

If you want to educate us as to the plethora of great kit available elsewhere why not start a Thread?
 
The Goodmans Axiom 80's are probably the pick of the bunch. I had a pair recently and they were really very nice indeed particularly with classical. They are rocketing in price right now though as the Asian market hoover up what are rather rare speakers

 
964RS said:
Amazing forum find! I have that very pair of Wharfedale Option Ones. I worked at Wharfedale in 1985 and Richard Lee (Chief Designer) demonstrated the Option Two to me with a Dr Thomas pre & power amplifier combo playing Andreas Vollenwieder White Winds. My life changed! I had to have a pair of Options one day.

A few years ago came across THE pair of Option Ones on eBay and had to buy them. I even have the (simple) operating manual too. They are HUGE. 2 people required to handle one unit. They are monoliths. Think 2001: A Space Odyssey. I had to hire a van just to collect them!

Would be great to get hold of the sales brochure for these speakers.
I'd love to get a pair of Option Twos if anyone knows of any for sale. I also seek the single page sales brochure for them.
Click to expand...

Hi, I happen to have an option two brochure and can let you have a photo copy. I was the visual designer employed by Grahame Bank and responsible for the visual appearance of both option one and option two. I also did the Mach and 7series.
Ron
 
Hi Ron.

Another amazing response! The positive power of the internet.

I've sent you a PM.

My recent acquisitions are 2 Marantz PM4 amplifiers in great condition. I can't get enough of vintage separates!

Cheers!
 
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