• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Wharfedale Owners Thread

Thank you for posting all this great information! I used to have W70s, Dovedale 3s, and Dentons. I also have one SFB that drivers need work on. Not sure I will ever get to it. But this is all great information. I only sold my 70s and Dovedale 3s because they couldn't go loud enough for my needs. Beautiful sounding speakers though!
 
BilboBaggins said:
Thank you for posting all this great information! I used to have W70s, Dovedale 3s, and Dentons. I also have one SFB that drivers need work on. Not sure I will ever get to it. But this is all great information. I only sold my 70s and Dovedale 3s because they couldn't go loud enough for my needs. Beautiful sounding speakers though!
Click to expand...
No problem, happy to share.

If only Gang-twanger was here, I'd love a conversation with him.
I enjoy re reading his posts.
 
Last edited:
The next wharfedale I'd like to own is the original linton.

I'd replace the full range driver with a Super 8 rs dd.

The original linton had an early version of the Super 8 rs dd, I believe its the same driver used in the wharfedale chevin.

Matched with the super 3 tweeter along with a pontimetre to adjust the treble.

I'm sure this would go nice with a Pioneer SA-6200 (15watts)

I'm currently fixing up a pair of denton 2's for my daughter.
 
Here's the card that came with the Unit 3 speaker kit I picked up a few years ago.

20230910_163452.jpgI used the kit with Super linton cabinets I had bought with damaged drivers.
 
Last edited:
In honour of GangTwanger, who loved his pair of W90 , here is your chance to own a pair. Seen today Nov 20 2023 on ebay, and titled, for your search;

"VINTAGE SPEAKERS. WHARFEDALE W90 W/SAND FILLED BAFFLES LOCAL PICKUP"

They are in Grindstone PA., start bid $400 , and must be picked up. The seller knows he could part them out, but is doing the right thing and selling them intact.

Gangtwanger would say run, don't walk, and grab these if you want to know why GT would never sell his.
I found it easy to bring mine up to full glory, as the parts are out there and this forum has the know how.

No affiliation to myself. Gotta say, a run from Toronto for a second pair is tempting.

Brent Old Boy
Here is a picture of mine that shows the individual elements under the non removable grill.
 

Attachments

  • w90 front with internal elements showing.png
    w90 front with internal elements showing.png
    274.6 KB · Views: 25
Scarberian said:
In honour of GangTwanger, who loved his pair of W90 , here is your chance to own a pair. Seen today Nov 20 2023 on ebay, and titled, for your search;

"VINTAGE SPEAKERS. WHARFEDALE W90 W/SAND FILLED BAFFLES LOCAL PICKUP"

They are in Grindstone PA., start bid $400 , and must be picked up. The seller knows he could part them out, but is doing the right thing and selling them intact.

Gangtwanger would say run, don't walk, and grab these if you want to know why GT would never sell his.
I found it easy to bring mine up to full glory, as the parts are out there and this forum has the know how.

No affiliation to myself. Gotta say, a run from Toronto for a second pair is tempting.

Brent Old Boy
Here is a picture of mine that shows the individual elements under the non removable grill.
Click to expand...
PA is a bit far away from me, but if I ever see a pair of these in good condition near me I’d definitely consider adding to my collection
 
Gents -

First off, I’d like to say “thanks” for the treasure trove of info in this thread and on this forum. I’m new here and to the hobby, and your collective knowledge has been a tremendous help in my learning to this point.

Next, I’m hoping I can pick your brains on a vintage Wharfedale-specific parts question. I have searched around myriad other threads and forums, but have yet to come across definitive answers.

Short story: I need to replace a woofer on a W60D Mark II, and the driver is of the square plate/ ceramic magnet flavor.

My questions are:
  • From a sonic perspective, and all else being equal (similar measured resistance, cloth surrounds, etc.), are there any differences between the round-magnet and square-magnet woofers of that era?
    • I’ve come across a few matched pairs pulled out of C- and E-series speakers that appear to be of the same construction and spec, with the only difference being the shape of the magnets/ plates.
  • If I swap-in a round-magnet woofer on one of the speakers, should I do the same for the other speaker as well?
    • Both speakers appear to have bene fiddled with/ serviced at some point previously (non-factory hardware, different plate fastening methods, etc.), so I’m not averse to changing out both. Also, I’m unsure if it will have any bearing on the thinking here, but one woofer’s resistance measures 4.1 Ω and the other measures 4.5 Ω across the terminals.
Any firm guidance would be greatly appreciated—even if it’s just a “you’re overthinking it.”

Cheers!
 
When Wharfedale was making their own woofers they were made with both round and square magnets. You can find both types. With my W45's the early models c.1970 had round speakers and a 3 capacitor crossover. The later version had square magnets and a 2 capacitor crossover. I would replace them in pairs. I would also acquire and extra set of crossovers. Note the type you have, and if you see one with a different capacitor buy it. The sad thing about these Achromatic Wharfedales is there is so little documentation on them.

You are in luck however the woofers and Crossovers for the W60D frequently show up on eBay. They would have had the purple "fried egg" tweeter which were not good at the time and almost alway have failed with age. There are numerous replacements that will not clean your wallet out. Consult with Simply Speakers they can fix you up with good replacements. Assuming the crossover has been vandalized see if you can get one that is unmolested on eBay, they don't sell for much. Replace the cap's with Mundorf ECap non-polarized electrolytics. The ECap preserves the Wharfedale "English" sound and they are cheap. I get mine from Soni-Craft

The D series apparently was a top seller and a lot of them are being parted out. The. W "E" series was the last and the very best of the Achromatic Wharfedales, The D series is just as good minus the purple tweeter. The W series Achromatic's are a hidden treasure I have done direct A-B comparisons between My W series Wharfedales and my Brothers AR's My W45's blow his AR 2AX's out of the water.
 
transmaster said:
When Wharfedale was making their own woofers they were made with both round and square magnets. You can find both types. With my W45's the early models c.1970 had round speakers and a 3 capacitor crossover. The later version had square magnets and a 2 capacitor crossover. I would replace them in pairs. I would also acquire and extra set of crossovers. Note the type you have, and if you see one with a different capacitor buy it. The sad thing about these Achromatic Wharfedales is there is so little documentation on them.

You are in luck however the woofers and Crossovers for the W60D frequently show up on eBay. They would have had the purple "fried egg" tweeter which were not good at the time and almost alway have failed with age. There are numerous replacements that will not clean your wallet out. Consult with Simply Speakers they can fix you up with good replacements. Assuming the crossover has been vandalized see if you can get one that is unmolested on eBay, they don't sell for much. Replace the cap's with Mundorf ECap non-polarized electrolytics. The ECap preserves the Wharfedale "English" sound and they are cheap. I get mine from Soni-Craft

The D series apparently was a top seller and a lot of them are being parted out. The. W "E" series was the last and the very best of the Achromatic Wharfedales, The D series is just as good minus the purple tweeter. The W series Achromatic's are a hidden treasure I have done direct A-B comparisons between My W series Wharfedales and my Brothers AR's My W45's blow his AR 2AX's out of the water.
Click to expand...
Thanks, transmaster, appreciate the reply and the detail/ links.

The crossovers in mine are of the 2-capacitor variety (I've overhauled them--re-capped, cleaned pots) and both "fried egg" tweeters are functional.

For clarity's sake, is the takeaway here that if I were to replace the woofers on my 2-capacitor crossover W60Ds, I would be safe with parts from another 2-cap "WX0C" or "WX0E" set regardless of the magnet shape?

As I understand it, the only crossover component affecting the woofer in the W60Ds is an inductor, and it seems to be the same story for the WX0C/Es as well. Based on my reading, the "WX0" - i.e., without a letter-based suffix - were the 3-capacitor systems and used an Alnico vs. ceramic magnets/ a vastly different design.
 
nankerphelge said:
Thanks, transmaster, appreciate the reply and the detail/ links.

The crossovers in mine are of the 2-capacitor variety (I've overhauled them--re-capped, cleaned pots) and both "fried egg" tweeters are functional.

For clarity's sake, is the takeaway here that if I were to replace the woofers on my 2-capacitor crossover W60Ds, I would be safe with parts from another 2-cap "WX0C" or "WX0E" set regardless of the magnet shape?

As I understand it, the only crossover component affecting the woofer in the W60Ds is an inductor, and it seems to be the same story for the WX0C/Es as well. Based on my reading, the "WX0" - i.e., without a letter-based suffix - were the 3-capacitor systems and used an Alnico vs. ceramic magnets/ a vastly different design.
Click to expand...
In the W45, models with the round woofers, have the 3 cap crossovers, the later ones with the square magnets has the 2 capacitor crossovers.
 
Just checked on eBay there are 2 sets of W60 woofers available the suffix is not ID's but they could either be the "D" or the "E" version they both have the good cloth surrounds. One has the round magnet the other is not visible. The cones on both are in good condition.
 
transmaster said:
Just checked on eBay there are 2 sets of W60 woofers available the suffix is not ID's but they could either be the "D" or the "E" version they both have the good cloth surrounds. One has the round magnet the other is not visible. The cones on both are in good condition.
Click to expand...
Appreciate it, transmaster. From everything I’ve seen, the round/ square drivers seem to be interchangeable and used across a few generations. Just want to sense-check the potential effects on sound before pulling the trigger.
 
Saw a set of w90s on marketplace and picked them up. They are a bit beat and I’ll need to replace the fabric but having refinished a few console stereos that is in my wheelhouse.

They sound fantastic as is but I’ll be pulling the backs off and making sure everything is up to par for the extended use. These will be paired with a fisher x100 and a yet to be found record changer.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2975.jpeg
    IMG_2975.jpeg
    128.3 KB · Views: 14
Congrats! Heavy mommas are they not? Sand filled panels. Mine sound fantastic .. they compete with my Klipsch Cornwall s, at a fraction of the cost. They have been fully recapped w the oil caps, quite a project. The front grill fabric you will find to be an even bigger project. It can’t be removed from the rear and apparently was installed without any thought of replacement. There is a post on AK somewhere of a guy pulling all the trim boards and replacing cloth from the front, but I was too scared to attempt, as it looks like lots of potential damage. I ended up masking everything and used an automotive carpet dye spray to hide my imperfections. If to do over, I would pull trim and replace. Mine look spray painted. Uggh.
Read all posts on the w90 before proceeding. If you decide to pull cloth from the front, please document and post your experience. Maybe I will get brave and follow through.
 
Thanks! They are very heavy. I have a hand truck that assisted greatly in getting them downstairs. Otherwise I would have been bothering my neighbors again.

I planned on doing a lot of reading. Obviously first up is the caps.

Good info on the fabric. I'm hoping the front panels aren't glued on. Messing with old wood vs glue is not a fun time. If/when I get after it I will definitely make a post.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom