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.
How do I spend more than 50 quid on speakers!?
- Thread starter Minio
- Start date
Minio
Kind of Sort of Not really...
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
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.
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.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
Think I’ve mentioned before they were my first speakers some 20 years ago.Loved them.
Minio
Kind of Sort of Not really...
Funny how the facelifted models often have the top end toned down. In response to criticism, maybe.
I like a lively treble to compliment a refined front end.
I liked Proac Studios (100?) a while ago. I wonder if the old Celefs could contend. Or not?
Martyn Miles
pfm Member
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.
SteveG
pfm Member
Haters gonna hate...
@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.
Minio
Kind of Sort of Not really...
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.
You just have to put stuff into the right context.
ampedup
Lost in audio
.
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....
It does get a bit repetitive but I'm just the same going on about Linn speakers
Hey, at least it's not as boring as the old Linn forum where 95% of us said the same thing all the time.
It's definitely healthy to have different views voiced openly and OPs read a full range of opinions. After all, people can be very different in what they need from HiFi.
The only time it annoys me is when the OP has already stated a preference for Linn or Naim XXX and then people join in and say its cr@p etc.
Minio
Kind of Sort of Not really...
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.
Yes, and similar (almost) in sound. The Wharfs are a bit leaner in the lower mid though. Horses for courses, as it were.
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
The truth will out... and I don't care who doesn't like it, which should not be much of a surprise for many! The truth comes WAY before profit, business goodwill, relationships, family... everything!
As I've said before I would take speakers from a music centre in preference to Kans....
Naim? Some of their gear is OK if over priced, such as the CD players and a few more recent integrated's maybe, and the Aro arm was pretty good... but most of their amps are Krell type money for not quite up to Quad type sound...
Tony L
Administrator
I’ve heard Kans sound truly dreadful, but that is always due to the wrong system, room or setup. In certain situations they can sound excellent.
Back in the days I lived in rented flats etc they were a very good solution for me as they work very well in small rooms and don’t kick huge amounts of bass energy out to disturb neighbours. I ran them for a long time and never suffered the thin screechy sound their detractors always cite. Large scale classical catches them out (far more so than say LS3/5As or 149s), but aside from that if ones taste is primarily rock, jazz, electronica etc then they can be a very enjoyable speaker.
To put it another way, if you have a very small room, have to put the speaker hard against a wall and can’t play loud due to neighbours they are one of the few options that really work well! Fast, agile, open, clear and fun!
PS These days I’d pick LS3/5As or JR149s and a nice valve amp, but my taste is far more classical & jazz centric than it was back then.
Back in the days I lived in rented flats etc they were a very good solution for me as they work very well in small rooms and don’t kick huge amounts of bass energy out to disturb neighbours. I ran them for a long time and never suffered the thin screechy sound their detractors always cite. Large scale classical catches them out (far more so than say LS3/5As or 149s), but aside from that if ones taste is primarily rock, jazz, electronica etc then they can be a very enjoyable speaker.
To put it another way, if you have a very small room, have to put the speaker hard against a wall and can’t play loud due to neighbours they are one of the few options that really work well! Fast, agile, open, clear and fun!
PS These days I’d pick LS3/5As or JR149s and a nice valve amp, but my taste is far more classical & jazz centric than it was back then.
ampedup
Lost in audio
I owned Kans Mk 1 in the past and I found that they were an 'effect' speaker. I spent all my time messing with stands, positioning, amps, and running back and forth to my listening chair whilst I had them. A good audiophile time was had by all, but I don't remember listening to much music on them!
Martyn Miles
pfm Member
I don’t hate Kans or Naim.
I just don’t like the sound of Kan speakers and feel Naim amplifiers ( especially old Naits ) are overpriced.
If you don’t agree, I respect that.