Michael J
pfm Member
Old Wharfedales can be great fun. I have a pair of KEF Reference 103 stored in the garage. They like a watt or few up 'em and can do imaging.A big ask?
Old Wharfedales can be great fun. I have a pair of KEF Reference 103 stored in the garage. They like a watt or few up 'em and can do imaging.A big ask?
They're 505.2s which were highly rated by Hifi Choice thirty years ago. Lean and fast sound but with no pain. Nice detail with md tweeter. Nice dynamic bass from 8" woofer and sealed cabinets.I'm trying to get my head around your list of 'likes' for the new speaker sound, and your also liking old wharfedales, who's sound is almost exactly opposite to your list
Think I’ve mentioned before they were my first speakers some 20 years ago.Loved them.They're 505.2s which were highly rated by Hifi Choice thirty years ago. Lean and fast sound but with no pain. Nice detail with md tweeter. Nice dynamic bass from 8" woofer and sealed cabinets.
Speakers I haven't got on with, previously, include: KEF LS50s, Neat Momentums and Dynaudio Emit 20. For personal and synergistic reasons.
Yes there must be plenty of other sorts of old Wharfedales that sound pretty orrible. I've heard a few. I was quite surprised to discover these.
Being a bit of a nerdy audiophile I'm always on the lookout for improvement though.
Funny how the facelifted models often have the top end toned down. In response to criticism, maybe.If you can find 'em, let me evangelize the ProAc Studio 140 Mk. 2. I previously had speakers from the ProAc Response series, but needed something brighter to compensate for a large room and carpet. These fit the bill perfectly. Efficient, full-range, super dynamic, and sufficient for the 5.2m x 5.2m room I initially used them in. They don't quite image like stand-mounted speakers from the Response range, but they're plenty good in that regard in absolute terms. They're also a solid deal second-hand. Their successor, the Studio 148, are less bright, which it sounds like may not be what you're going for. It looks like the current closest equivalent model (I've not had a chance to audition them) are the Response DT8, which are priced similarly to where the Studio 140 Mk. 2s were when new.
Anything but Kans. The worst speaker ever made... probably. I'd also avoid Naim...
Keep the PT Anniversary, sell the rest and start again
That should stir a few PFM members up, as there are many Naim and Kan lovers on this Forum.
Personally, I don’t like Kans.
As for Naim, their amplifiers are overpriced I feel. Even secondhand.
Look at the original Nait.
This could well be the reason why an old pair of budget Wharfedales come into their own. They actually compliment the overpriced and overblown character (some might say) of Naim amps. Just as some say that Naim speakers or Kans are a little astringent.@Minio So much of it is about system matching and rooms, etc. It's impossible to come up with a general solution that's going to please everyone. I had the same system in a long / narrow room with hardwood floors for a few months. I had to lay down an area rug in front of the speakers to make them sound right. And just as they sing with my Naim gear, I'm sure they'd be unbearably zingy if hooked up to Krell, Classé, or the like.
.I like a drier faster sound with tight bass and good imaging for jazz and rock.
It does get a bit repetitive but I'm just the same going on about Linn speakersHaters gonna hate...
Funnily enough, they (LS4a) are my other pair of speakers and are remarkably similar in size, looks, driver compliment and cabinet design to the Wharfedale 505.2s..
OK, I'm sitting down listening to jazz and rock on my Rogers LS4a vintage speakers, pushed hard against the back wall.
I'm hearing a fast sound with tight bass....marvelous! Ridiculously cheap on the used market. My other speakers are uber high end monitors. It's the Rogers I would grab if I was running from a burning house....
That should stir a few PFM members up, as there are many Naim and Kan lovers on this Forum.
Personally, I don’t like Kans.
As for Naim, their amplifiers are overpriced I feel. Even secondhand.
Look at the original Nait.
Haters gonna hate...