Vintage Wharfedale identification

BeerBaron

New Member
I picked up these old Wharfedales a couple of months ago for $40 dollars. At the moment they are the main speakers for my set up, although a change might be needed sometime soon.

I have tried to identify them, and the most that I could some up with is that they apart of the Achromatic series or possibly Tweedehands.

Here are pictures of the inside and out. Any indentification and possible value would be great. More identification though.

Thanks
Daniel

:music:
 

Attachments

  • Wharfedale.jpg
    Wharfedale.jpg
    104.5 KB · Views: 132
  • Wharfedale 1.jpg
    Wharfedale 1.jpg
    71.4 KB · Views: 111
  • 10885433_10154947511000510_302690369552667329_n.jpg
    10885433_10154947511000510_302690369552667329_n.jpg
    53 KB · Views: 99
  • 10888747_10154947510730510_7607295041831430975_n.jpg
    10888747_10154947510730510_7607295041831430975_n.jpg
    61.6 KB · Views: 116
  • 10178075_10154947510665510_6900614084475169847_n.jpg
    10178075_10154947510665510_6900614084475169847_n.jpg
    61.6 KB · Views: 143
Check the cap, it might need changing. If so, glad with an oil. Not familiar with the smaller models. W60 or W40. If the 60, there is a lot of happy owners of them, it seems.
 
Looks like it was a 2-way and the tweeter hole was covered over??

That could be one of the full range drivers in there; what are the dimensions?
 
Check the cap, it might need changing. If so, glad with an oil. Not familiar with the smaller models. W60 or W40. If the 60, there is a lot of happy owners of them, it seems.

Yeah, I THINK those are W60's, but they could be W40's or even the extremely-rare W50, which was a very-short-lived early '60's model. I have yet to see a pair myself. How big is that woofer? Is it a 12" or an 8"?

They should have all alnico drivers (The red banded magnet structure is a dead giveaway for these). Back in their day, these alnico Wharfedale models competed with speakers from AR, Altec, Jensen, University, and others. They were very-well-respected and sold in large numbers. They don't have the heavy bass of the AR3, but it's a more-natural sound. Rich midrange and non-strident highs. I would avoid using a modern polypropylene cap on that tweeter. For whatever reason, these alnico Wharfies do not agree with poly caps from the likes of Dayton or Solen. They add a glare to the sound that should not be there. If you have a n.o.s. oil cap from the '50's to early '60's (from say Sprague, Sangamo, G.E., and other US brands), that should do the trick. If no oil caps, then I would try a cheap, modern-day electrolytic cap (rather than a polypropylene).

Whatever the case, you want to get some tubes powering them. That or a tube-like solid-state model like the Sansui 1000x, 2000, 2000a. That's how to make them shine. They are only rated for like 30wpc, so easy on the power. They can be used vertically OR horizontally. Just make sure the tweeters are at eye/ear-level and also make sure both speakers are equal distance and pointing directly at you (Pitch/axis included... If they need to be angled up or down at you, do it). And be exact. Use a tape-measure and get those distances perfect. Those speakers will reward you for it.
 
Last edited:
Hmmm
Maybe the cap is installed on a box that houses the tweeter; a bit hard to tell from the photo but makes more sense
 
Looks like it was a 2-way and the tweeter hole was covered over??

That could be one of the full range drivers in there; what are the dimensions?

The tweeter is in the box. The cap is in one of the photos and hence, easy to get to. I totally agree with the sonic assessment. I have been running my recapped W70s against a set of recapped KLH Fives that have been sealers, etc and as much as I love the Fives, the W70s are getting far more playtime meaning I prefer them, a tough fight, though.

Get the Wharfedales up and running with a very good amp before deciding whether to keep. The voicing may not be to your liking as that is personal but, they are really a great vintage speaker.

And yes, the woofer is Alnico, one of those sought after components for many. If you are unfamiliar, there are threads discussing the magnet types.
 
Yeah, I THINK those are W60's, but they could be W40's or even the extremely-rare W50, which was a very-short-lived early '60's model. I have yet to see a pair myself. How big is that woofer? Is it a 12" or an 8"?

They should have all alnico drivers (The red banded magnet structure is a dead giveaway for these). Back in their day, these alnico Wharfedale models competed with speakers from AR, Altec, Jensen, University, and others. They were very-well-respected and sold in large numbers. They don't have the heavy bass of the AR3, but it's a more-natural sound. Rich midrange and non-strident highs. I would avoid using a modern polypropylene cap on that tweeter. For whatever reason, these alnico Wharfies do not agree with poly caps from the likes of Dayton or Solen. They add a glare to the sound that should not be there. If you have a n.o.s. oil cap from the '50's to early '60's (from say Sprague, Sangamo, G.E., and other US brands), that should do the trick. If no oil caps, then I would try a cheap, modern-day electrolytic cap (rather than a polypropylene).

Whatever the case, you want to get some tubes powering them. That or a tube-like solid-state model like the Sansui 1000x, 2000, 2000a. That's how to make them shine. They are only rated for like 30wpc, so easy on the power. They can be used vertically OR horizontally. Just make sure the tweeters are at eye/ear-level and also make sure both speakers are equal distance and pointing directly at you (Pitch/axis included... If they need to be angled up or down at you, do it). And be exact. Use a tape-measure and get those distances perfect. Those speakers will reward you for it.




Hey GangTwanger. Thanks for your reply. The woofers are 12". Currently I am using them with an NAD3045 amplifier. I don't push them hard whatsoever, so now real vhasnce in wearing them until the brink of wrecking them.

From some research I've done, they may be Achromatics or possibly Tweedehands? Every W40 or W60 speakers I've seen do not really resemble the speakers boxes. At the moment it still is a mystery to me.

Any idea on possible value at all for the pair? I like these speakers but yet I feel they don't really fit in with my set up at the moment. No tube set up here at all, just my NAD3045, Philips CD101, Kenwood KD2000 and Pioneer RT1020L.

I'll keep em for a bit longer and maybe they will start to fit in haha.

Thanks again.
 
The W60 was sold in various forms (Maybe even a kit? Can't remember), including an unfinished version, where the person would do the finish treatment themselves, and that could be the case with yours. You could get them without the front trim, as yours are, or you could even get a really-nice, ornate Provincial version. I think yours are just the utility version without the trim. Still a W60 inside. Go on YouTube and search for "Wharfedale W60 LAJazzAudio" and click on some of the videos that come up, and you'll see them in various enclosures like that.

But yes, they really need something warmish and tubey-sounding in my opinion. Neutral-sounding is really not their thing. But throw them some tubes and get the placement just right, and they will surprise you. They're a classic-rock/pop/Motown/Beatles/early funk & R&B type of speaker. Also perfect for Sinatra as well as '60's psychedelic rock and Grateful Dead stuff. And they like classic jazz too. I have a pair from the same era. The only reason I don't use them at home is because I have the much larger W90's from the same era and don't have room for another system (I will if I get this place I looked at two days ago, although that's reserved for the Denton reissues I got recently).

Check out this video of mine in a makeshift setup with my Fisher (from when I was housesitting): http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=qxPljs82Xgw
 
Last edited:
Hey guys I was wondering if anyone has seen this wharfedale badge before? The speakers look like the older WS2 but I can't find the badge with the lion on it anywhere. Little help if you can. The steSte was from the late 50s. ThanksIMG_20180522_072044854_LL.jpg IMG_20180522_072055154_LL.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom