Wharfedale Rosedale Speakers

[Harvey/ Ga]

Anyone have any info on Rosedale Speakers??

I'm a Wharfedale freak, and there's a pair in the Bay for $300...not GW cheap, but are they worth it?? Or is the beauty just skin deep...15 in. woofer and all??

 

[lukiedog]

I have a pair and I can say with the most absolute certainty that they are not worth that price. Then again, a bullnose Advent just sold for $700, so maybe my valuations are just way off.

 

[Lastplace]

Harvey, aren't they for local pick up? Are you going to drive to IL to pick them up?

 

[Harvey/ Ga]

I have a pair and I can say with the most absolute certainty that they are not worth that price. Then again, a bullnose Advent just sold for $700, so maybe my valuations are just way off.

Hi Lukidog

I've seen those Advents on E-bay. They were almost NIB, IIRC. What price was on the Rosedales?? The one's that I saw were $800 for four, and $195 for two.

I bought my W-60E's and Smaller Advents from GordonW and Audiopeasant, here in Atlanta. They let me play with a pair of Large Advents and 5002's before I decided on the W-60's, mainly because they were my first real pair of good speakers years ago, and not that they were sonically better then the LA or 5002's. In fact, I was going to keep the 5002's until the W-60's came along.

My son in law has a pair of W-70's that his father just gave him. They sound at least as good as my W-60's, but they haven't really been set in a room yet.
The Rosedales seem to be the same sized cabinet, but with a larger woofer. I would think that they would produce a little deeper bass then my 60's or S-I-L's 70's. A pity that i can't verify that.:tears:

How do yours compare to some of the others that you have?? I play mostly Classical music, and my 60's and SA's reproduce the drum beat of Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" quite nicely.

 

[Harvey/ Ga]

Harvey, aren't they for local pick up? Are you going to drive to IL to pick them up?

Hi Lastplace..

There was 3 sellers of Rosedales on E-bay recently. A lady (in Mi?) had 4 for $800, but offered a pair to me for $350, and a "power seller" in Texas had two for $195. I was considering those, but trying to figure a way to get them past the Mistress of the House who sez that 3 pair is enough :tears: (she doesn't know about the little Mission 700'sara: )

Those in Il sure look nice...but alas...a tad far to drive to audition and pick up....even if free.:tears:

 

[lukiedog]

The ones I believe you were referring to were these for $300+shipping:

http://cgi.ebay.com/outstanding-Wha...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

There are also these for $200+shipping

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-WHARFED...1740862QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

I could not find the 3rd pair you mention.

The upper pair are in very nice condition, probably as good as you will find and they are Made in England. The lower pair don't look bad at all either, though the tweeters are not original (mine have a pink plastic dome and I know they are original). These also appear to be the "Radio People" model from Hong Kong. Apparently built there from Wharfedale parts. Mine were in this condition--a bit tired looking, but relatively intact--and looked fantastic after Restore a Finish and Feed and Wax.

Back to the top pair, I have to believe that the grille is removable, despite what he says, because all the drivers are mounted from the front, you can see this on the second pair. The front grille has to be removable.

I say they are not worth that much based on sales I have seen and previous pairs on eBay that have gone unsold (like these probably will). Now, there is a lot to be said about being able to snag a pair that represent sentimental value and in such nice shape, but emotion aside, I just don't think $300-$400 is reasonable for these. Their sonic performance is not all that impressive either.

I got mine for "garage sale" pricing from the original owner who brought them back at the end of the Vietnam war. He purchased them in HK. We talked a bit on how stereo equipment and cameras (he mentioned Pentax) were things everyone brought back from the war. I thought they might be a good match for some tube amps I need to restore one day.

I hooked them up to two amps I had on the bench at the time, a t-amp and the accurian from radio shack. The imaging is nonexistent and the sound is a bit muddy, not much detail. They sound very much like an old time stereo console. Now, if what you want are two end tables to fill a room with background music--no critical listening--then they would suit that purpose. And I say background music because if you turn these up beyond moderate levels, they quickly go into distortion and sound very poor. The woofer very easily bottoms out.

I did some sine sweeps and found one of the midranges was not right. I had checked each driver prior to purchase by a quick "ear to the driver" method, did not work out this time. Upon disassembly, the voice coil was warped, it could not take the applied power at some point. It was still making noise, so I don't think there was an intent to deceive.

I have since found out that the midrange is the weak point and I would not doubt if at least one midrange isn't gone on those sets for sale. I purchased some woofers that are practically drop-in from MCM. I did have to drill new holes and insert t-nuts (the particle board is dry and brittle) a bit closer to the center, but they are otherwise drop-in. I haven't installed both of them yet, so I can't say for sure they will work well, but on paper they appear pretty good, the resonance is far below the lower crossover point and the usable range of the drive extends far out from the upper crossover point, so should work. Look like the originals too.

I also replaced the caps in the crossover with new films and electrolytics. I moved on to other things halfway through, this work is unfinished. Haven't gotten to those tube amps either.

Anyway, for $300-$400 you can pickup some REALLY nice vintage speakers. Some I can think of include the JBL 4313B (a pair just sold on eBay for $400 as a matter of fact), Spica TC-50s (seen em go for $200), even the small Paradigm Titans ($150), list goes on and on.

I've got dozens of vintage speakers I've picked up over the years for just a few bucks, they are great to fool around with and restore, but I wouldn't go through too much trouble or cost acquiring them, there really have been immense improvements in sound quality and isn't that what its all about?

Hi Lukidog

I've seen those Advents on E-bay. They were almost NIB, IIRC. What price was on the Rosedales?? The one's that I saw were $800 for four, and $195 for two.

I bought my W-60E's and Smaller Advents from GordonW and Audiopeasant, here in Atlanta. They let me play with a pair of Large Advents and 5002's before I decided on the W-60's, mainly because they were my first real pair of good speakers years ago, and not that they were sonically better then the LA or 5002's. In fact, I was going to keep the 5002's until the W-60's came along.

My son in law has a pair of W-70's that his father just gave him. They sound at least as good as my W-60's, but they haven't really been set in a room yet.
The Rosedales seem to be the same sized cabinet, but with a larger woofer. I would think that they would produce a little deeper bass then my 60's or S-I-L's 70's. A pity that i can't verify that.:tears:

How do yours compare to some of the others that you have?? I play mostly Classical music, and my 60's and SA's reproduce the drum beat of Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" quite nicely.

 

[Harvey/ Ga]

The ones I believe you were referring to were these for $300+shipping:

>>I could not find the 3rd pair you mention.<<

The 3rd pair, actually 4 speakers, ended a 2nd time, and it hasn't been relisted yet. No bids either time, as they wanted $800 with shipping of $82 each. Here's the E-bay number 220281618748

Many thanks for the eval on the Rosedales. Deep down, I wanted them, but I'd like to get something better then my W-60's. And the Rosedales, like the Polk 10A's that I loaned to my daughter, are a tad larger then I really like to have. Perhaps something from ADS or one that you mentioned should be the next in my sights :scratch2:

 

[lukiedog]

You can't go wrong with just about any ADS speaker out there.

The ones I believe you were referring to were these for $300+shipping:

>>I could not find the 3rd pair you mention.<<

The 3rd pair, actually 4 speakers, ended a 2nd time, and it hasn't been relisted yet. No bids either time, as they wanted $800 with shipping of $82 each. Here's the E-bay number 220281618748

Many thanks for the eval on the Rosedales. Deep down, I wanted them, but I'd like to get something better then my W-60's. And the Rosedales, like the Polk 10A's that I loaned to my daughter, are a tad larger then I really like to have. Perhaps something from ADS or one that you mentioned should be the next in my sights :scratch2:

 

[Nexusmusic]

Good morning folks!

I guess I'm going to resurrect this thread about the Rosedale Wharfedale speakers. I love Wharfedale speakers as I own the amazing original Linton 3. But never heard the Rosedale or the W70d in the same cabinet size form. Was wondering for those of you here who'v had the chance to hear Rosedale etc.. are they really worth? I have the opportunity to buy a very very nice mint pair, all originals with grills etc.. for 100$ Canadian.

Any feedback would be very much appreciated as I still would have to drive a good hour before going to grab them. Hhahaha

Thank you ever so much in advance

Best,

 

[vince_pgh]

A lot of information about is at British Audio section of the AK. However, as an Wharfedale w70d owner I can say that they have comfortable and involving presentation, especially with the tube amplifiers of same era. Actually, the speakers don't play too deep in bass or so high in treble like the modern speaker system, but they are so musical.

 

[btomjvc]

I had the Rosedales, really nice sounding speaker. Only paid 20.00 for them, asked 100.00 when I wanted to sell them. I never got a bite and ended up giving them away after about 2 months.. That was a few years ago and still miss them and wish I hadn't gotten rid of them.

 

[Nexusmusic]

A lot of information about is at British Audio section of the AK. However, as an Wharfedale w70d owner I can say that they have comfortable and involving presentation, especially with the tube amplifiers of same era. Actually, the speakers don't play too deep in bass or so high in treble like the modern speaker system, but they are so musical.

Thanks @vince_pgh for your reply and details. Really appreciate. Your input make me re-think to maybe re-contact the seller and go and get them this week-end as the way you describe them is how I know as well my Linton or any wharfedale of those era

Thanks

 

[Nexusmusic]

I had the Rosedales, really nice sounding speaker. Only paid 20.00 for them, asked 100.00 when I wanted to sell them. I never got a bite and ended up giving them away after about 2 months.. That was a few years ago and still miss them and wish I hadn't gotten rid of them.

Much thanks @btomjvc
You just confirm once more that I might consider go and grab these babies. The seller is selling them to me at 100$ CAN. And as I have at least 1h30 drive to go grab them, I told him i'll bring a receiver to test them and if I notice anything wrong, he'll have to bring down his price a little and he agrees. So I think its a good deal at 100$ for the pair in today's market??

And they seem to physically in a very very good condition in terms of drivers and the wood. Will just need to repolish them to give them that lushy fresh glosssy wood sparkling feeling but they are in mint from what I saw through pics. Now gotta see them in real to make final judgment.

If any here has any input as for what to look to make sure I get the best deal, please share any pointers ;-)

You guys rock

Love this forum always

 

[strengthguy]

well did you get the Rosedales? i’ve got a pair i’m going to sell as i have WAY too many sets I would agree with an earlier eval that they sounds muddy however mine are all original. i think with new caps abs elecs some balance would return. the meaty thick bass is definitely a testament to those woofers though

 

[Nexusmusic]

well did you get the Rosedales? i’ve got a pair i’m going to sell as i have WAY too many sets I would agree with an earlier eval that they sounds muddy however mine are all original. i think with new caps abs elecs some balance would return. the meaty thick bass is definitely a testament to those woofers though

Definteley I got them and love them indeed. Where are you located?

 

[mitchalee]

I paid $200 for my Rosedale. Than another $125 for delivery just because I was lazy. Mine are a bit scuffed up, but all drivers, caps, etc are original and working fine. No sagging cones. No buzzes from drivers or cabinet.

Just to be clear mine are about 2 feet square and 13 inches deep. They are not that heavy, probably less than 50 Lbs. each. The grill and carving are nice if you like that sort of mid century thing. I do. They do clean and polish up nicely and drink all the wax and oil you can add. Old dry wood, but nice. I put mine on casters, so they roll.

Acoustic suspension, 3-way, banana jack binding posts, no pots at all for tone control which I really like. Pots are such a mess with the signal path. The sound is full, warm bass. No drop off till you get to about 50 Hz. Still quite solid at 35 Hz. Clear, clean mids and highs with a degree of airy atmospheric spaciousness. I am supposing the tweets go up past 20K. People rips on the midrange driver. No idea why? It is excellent woven tarred cloth of some sort, I think. Stiff and powerful like a mid should be.

As an aside, I have not bothered to measure the drivers, but the tweet looks to be about an inch, the mid maybe 5 or 6 inches and the woofer about 13. They say it's 15. I assume that means the extreme outer edge of the basket, not the cone which is closer to a foot. I mean, 12 or 13 inch cone. Add 1 to 1.5 more for the basket. Cut a 13 inch hole and back mount . . . I can believe 15 inches on tiptoe!

All-in-all, these are great speakers to drive with an old tube amp like a Stereo 70 or something sweet, modern, and neutral like the Sabaj A5 thru A20 class D. A Kenwood 9600 receiver or any other rock monster would be wasted on these. They don't need or want that kind of forward brutal power. And they do fine with rock but are not really rock speakers like the Pioneers of JBLs. More refined like the Polk Monitor 7 or AR or KLH or Bozak 302.

On the other hand, they are no super detailed. They do not etch like a ribbon tweeter. They are more like a comfortable old tweed coat, a warm bath in Mozart, or perhaps a well matched marriage!

Cheers!
Mitch