Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary, a non-professional review

I have a fully restored Sony STR 7045 paired to them and they sound very good.

and thats only 30 wpc ... my fully restored Marantz 2245 tested out at over 60RMS per channel before clipping

... so im thinking the Wharfedales will sound pretty good with my 2245 .. any other thoughts?
 
and thats only 30 wpc ... my fully restored Marantz 2245 tested out at over 60RMS per channel before clipping

... so im thinking the Wharfedales will sound pretty good with my 2245 .. any other thoughts?

You won't know until you try. Power isn't everything as was the case when I put up my then NOT restored Realistic 2100D (120W) to them. My wife and I concluded quickly that the Sony sounded better with them.
I have that same receiver back now fully restored that's breaking in on the Klipsch Bells and they sound great. I'll eventually try them again on the Whafdale's next week. It'll be interesting to see if they sound better this time.
Power isn't be all end all. Marantz has a reputation for being much more musical than other receivers.
Go for it.
 
so a fully restored Marantz 2245 is not recommended to pair with these speakers?

I'm not sure about old Marantz model, I guess Marantz tend to add a little of sound tune to the amp, which I think is unneccessary, and with a power amp I still think that it need more power, lol, you can still hear good with low power amp, depend how dynamic and loud clean clear you want to hear
 
I'm not sure about old Marantz model, I guess Marantz tend to add a little of sound tune to the amp, which I think is unneccessary, and with a power amp I still think that it need more power, lol, you can still hear good with low power amp, depend how dynamic and loud clean clear you want to hear
Ironically I did put the Denton's to the test with my Marantz 2500 and Realistic 2100D(pre-capped) and found that it didn't pair well. My humble Sony STR 7045 & 7055 sounded best on it. Conversely the Marantz sounds excellent on the highly sensitive 104db Klipsch Bells but didn't with either Sony's.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
quick Denton 80th question, what would you consider the optimal spacing (left to right) for the speakers? I plan on sitting about 10 ft away from them. They will go on the left and right side of new sideboard cabinet we will purchase. The cabinet comes in 2 sizes, 5.5 ft ( so the speakers would be 6.5+ feet apart ) or 8.25 cabinet with speakers being 9.25+ apart. Just trying to dial it all in before purchasing. If I get my rear in gear today, I may finally unbox the Dentons I bought in Nov and stick them in the garage with an old amp to start the break in process. Thanks, ec
 
Hello all!

This is my first post but I just wanted to say thanks for this topic. I did not have opportunity to test listen these speakers so this topic helped me to have idea how these sounds like.

I got my walnut pair today and I'm simply loving these for the very first second. Lets see how much these change when the breaking in period has finished.

I'm running these currently with Denon pma 520ae (70W 4ohm)stereo amp with Gustard dac-x20pro DAC. Sounds pretty good, Denon seems to work better with these speakers than Elac Debut 6.2 wich I had earlier. Onkyo 9091 worked better with Elac. I'm going to return this amp to the store and planning to get littlebit more powerful amp Vincent SP – 331 MK to get the best out of these speakers.

I'm not good reviewer or anything but I'll try to give my opinion later when I know these speakers better.

But so far I think these are keepers definately for very affordable price!
 
All opinions welcomed! I am looking for owners of the Dentons and their experience. We are downsizing and I plan on placement to be direct firing away from the wall (not toed inward) , -going for a nice clean aesthetic look. So, with the speakers pointing straight off the wall, do we think they would sound better 7 feet apart or 9 feet apart? I listen at low to moderate levels and will be approximately 8-10 feet away from the speakers. If 9+ feet apart is ok, I would rather go with the larger cabinet, but I think that might be too far? Lmk what you think.
 
I am a huge fan of Wharfedale Speakers, have been for almost 50 years. I was looking at the spec's for these Denton 80's and I am impressed. The Sensitivity is very good, they do recommend at least 20 Watts. I am personally looking at purchasing a pair of Diamond 225's. Wharfedale has built great book shelf sized speakers since the early 1960's.

Description/Format: 2-way vented-box / Stand mount

Drive Units:
1 x 1" (25mm) High frequency textile dome
1 x 5" (125mm) Woven Kevlar bass cone
Frequency Response: (±3dB ) 44Hz - 24kHz
Sensitivity: (1W@1M) 86dB
A/V shielded: No
Crossover Frequency: 2.3kHz
Nominal Impedance: 6Ω
Recommended amplifier power: (RMS) 20-100 W
Accessories: Rubber Feet
Dimensions: 12.6" x 7.8" x 10.8"
Net weight: 17.4 lbs.
 
All opinions welcomed! I am looking for owners of the Dentons and their experience. We are downsizing and I plan on placement to be direct firing away from the wall (not toed inward) , -going for a nice clean aesthetic look. So, with the speakers pointing straight off the wall, do we think they would sound better 7 feet apart or 9 feet apart? I listen at low to moderate levels and will be approximately 8-10 feet away from the speakers. If 9+ feet apart is ok, I would rather go with the larger cabinet, but I think that might be too far? Lmk what you think.

You might consider mounting you speakers on swivel wall mounts. They make a bunch of them in all different styles. I like the mounts that clamp the speaker in place rather then screw on the back. You can then mount them at the correct height and position for the best sound and does not take up any floor space.

here is one example:

71bSswSPNcL._SY606_.jpg
 
You might consider mounting you speakers on swivel wall mounts. They make a bunch of them in all different styles. I like the mounts that clamp the speaker in place rather then screw on the back. You can then mount them at the correct height and position for the best sound and does not take up any floor space.

here is one example:

71bSswSPNcL._SY606_.jpg


This is excellent, I was thinking about building and welding (some sort of contraption)(i still might) to the metal cabinet we will purchase, to keep it clean and off the floor. That way when the wife changes her mind, and wants the cabinet moved a foot or so to the left or right, the speakers will just go with it. This helps though, thank you!
 
You might consider mounting you speakers on swivel wall mounts. They make a bunch of them in all different styles. I like the mounts that clamp the speaker in place rather then screw on the back. You can then mount them at the correct height and position for the best sound and does not take up any floor space.

here is one example:

71bSswSPNcL._SY606_.jpg

Those brackets are great. I've got my Polk Tsi200's mounted using those type of brackets.

https://www.amazon.com/Mount-Univer...way&sprefix=wall+mount+speaker,aps,136&sr=8-6
 
Can someone post what the footprint of the Denton Anniversary is? Frontal width and depth?

Never mind, its just a few posts above :oops:
 
All opinions welcomed! I am looking for owners of the Dentons and their experience. We are downsizing and I plan on placement to be direct firing away from the wall (not toed inward) , -going for a nice clean aesthetic look. So, with the speakers pointing straight off the wall, do we think they would sound better 7 feet apart or 9 feet apart? I listen at low to moderate levels and will be approximately 8-10 feet away from the speakers. If 9+ feet apart is ok, I would rather go with the larger cabinet, but I think that might be too far? Lmk what you think.

I would suggest that you go by the guides linked above, but as a general rule you're going to want the speakers to be separated by the approximate distance that you are sitting from the speakers. So, in your case 9 feet apart will be preferable to 7. I would suggest you toe them in so they're on-axis as well. Off-axis the treble will roll off, and the Dentons are already rolled off in the upper frequencies.

You might consider mounting you speakers on swivel wall mounts

Due to being rear ported, it is best to get the Dentons out away from the rear wall. Bass will be boomy if they are too close. Mine are about 16" away from the wall, and I would go no closer. I don't think the wall mounts would be a good idea unless they were extended out considerably from the wall.

Some others mentioned that the Dentons aren't their best at low volume levels. I've found that they require clean power and damping to be dynamic at all volume levels. They aren't the easiest speakers to drive with 86dB efficiency and low impedance. I moved from an EL34 PP amp to 50-80 WPC SS amps, and wasn't satisfied until I moved up from there to an NAD C 370 (120 WPC) power section. Now they are dynamic at all volume levels. IMO, since these speakers are voiced for warmth, it is best to pair them with an amp that has neutral tone.

This is just my $.02 based on my use of the Dentons of course. In the end, you should do what sounds best to you.
 
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I would suggest that you go by the guides linked above, but as a general rule you're going to want the speakers to be separated by the approximate distance that you are sitting from the speakers. So, in your case 9 feet apart will be preferable to 7. I would suggest you toe them in so they're on-axis as well. Off-axis the treble will roll off, and the Dentons are already rolled off in the upper frequencies.



Due to being rear ported, it is best to get the Dentons out away from the rear wall. Bass will be boomy if they are too close. Mine are about 16" away from the wall, and I would go no closer. I don't think the wall mounts would be a good idea unless they were extended out considerably from the wall.

Some others mentioned that the Dentons aren't their best at low volume levels. I've found that they require clean power and damping to be dynamic at all volume levels. They aren't the easiest speakers to drive with 86dB efficiency and low impedance. I moved from an EL34 PP amp to 50-80 WPC SS amps, and wasn't satisfied until I moved up from there to an NAD C 370 (120 WPC) power section. Now they are dynamic at all volume levels. IMO, since these speakers are voiced for warmth, it is best to pair them with an amp that has neutral tone.

This is just my $.02 based on my use of the Dentons of course. In the end, you should do what sounds best to you.


Thank you tbone298. Sounds like I should be building/buying stands for the speakers so I can pull them off the wall (and toe in) if I want a better listening experience. The more prep the better..... decisions, decisions.
 
DC3E4035-A1FC-494C-B09E-DF79F5D672BC.jpeg So the remodel is slowly coming along, tried the wharfedales right on the new cabinet and I have been really impressed (no break in, straight out of the box). Had a friend over today and I threw a record on... his exact words: “ wow, that sounds great! Where is the sub? -I said you are looking at them! Wife happy with placement, I’m happy with sound! Done deal!!!
 
View attachment 1490262 So the remodel is slowly coming along, tried the wharfedales right on the new cabinet and I have been really impressed (no break in, straight out of the box). Had a friend over today and I threw a record on... his exact words: “ wow, that sounds great! Where is the sub? -I said you are looking at them! Wife happy with placement, I’m happy with sound! Done deal!!!
Looking good there. Wait till it breaks in!
 
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