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Wharfedale Super 3's, Maybe?

AvSat44

AvSat44

Active Member
I recently came into possession of what appear to be 4 x Super 3's with ceramic magnets and 2 with Alnico magnets. They have LEAK stickers on them and no reference to Wharfedale. I understand that they were removed from Leak Sandwich systems. They look just like Wharfie Super 3's. See my pics. They measure the same outside diameter as a Super 3. I know they look a bit ratty but they all work perfectly. Can anybody enlighten me on what gives? Did LEAK buy these from Wharfedale for their systems?

Cheers.IMG_7201.JPG IMG_7202.JPG
 
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Hmm, well from personal experience I know that Leak and Wharfedale may have been holding hands in the 60's and definitely in the 70's. But how that was specifically laid out, I don't know. The baskets and magnets of your Super 3's are definitely what you would find in Wharfedales, but the cones are not. Which is what makes them a Leak driver. Those are pretty darned cool!

Biggles
 
I picked up one of these tweeters years ago and have been wondering about this Leak/Wharfedale thing ever since.
There's definitely a resemblance, isn't there?


Finjima said:
what material are the surrounds?
Click to expand...

They're fabric, assuming they're the same as mine.
 
As Biggles deduced correctly, a colleague informed me today that Leak was definitely using Whatfedale as a supplier of custom built drivers and therefore the resemblance of my drivers to Super 3's. Same basket and magnet but different cone treatment. Have coughed up $150.00 for the 6 so at $25.00 each they are not a bad buy I guess. Will most likely spend a month cleaning them. If anyone has any more info. or data, I would really appreciate it. Cheers,
Andre.
 
I've seen a bunch of Wharfedale stuff but haven't seen these before (as they're Leaks) but still, pretty cool, thanks for posting the pictures and info on them. :thumbsup:
 
Hay,

At 25 dollars a piece, you did really well. I've had both the ceramic and Alnico Super 3 drivers tested and the guy behind the equipment was very impressed with their performance. Sure, the different cones on the Leak drivers will change their characteristics. But I would be willing to bet you a batch of chocolate chip cookies, they perform pretty much the same as their Wharfedale counterparts. Probably just a different flavor is what your Ear will tell you. Here are the Free Air Parameters I received from the Wharfedales.

Biggles

W70032.jpg
W70033.jpg
 
The speakers are from the LEAK "Sandwich" speaker system and the alnico/alcomax magnets were used in the first series followed by the ceramic magnet in later versions. Entirely products of H.J.LEAK & Co.Ltd. before the Rank buyout.
 
Hi all,
Have been interstate with work for a while and therefore the lack of response.
First of all to Finjima's query. As Rusomon correctly pointed out, they are fabric and a relatively open weave at that.
Secondly, thanks to Biggles for the charts. They are now in my speaker files.
Cheers all.
 
Biggles, what gives with the Q(ms) and Q(ts) on the measurements you posted. They are wildly different. 3.085Q(ts) on the alnico?
 
CopperWizard said:
Biggles, what gives with the Q(ms) and Q(ts) on the measurements you posted. They are wildly different. 3.085Q(ts) on the alnico?
Click to expand...

I can't say. AK member @dc270 took those measurements for me. Maybe he's around and will pipe in. Other than that, I got no idea.

Biggles
 
Being a collector of early Wharfedale's, I've also got an interest in their history, including their association with other manufacturers. This past week, a colleague told me that he had just purchased a pair of Hartley msg220 drivers. Thought I would check them out on the web and blow me down if the the magnets look just like the AlNiCo's on some of my Wharfies. Does anyone know if there was a connection at some point?
Cheers.
 
Since my last post I have move on the 6 tweeters to someone more keen to clean them and use them. I let them go for the same as I paid. However, in the meantime I was lucky enough to get some items I considered to be much better. Firstly, a pair of Golden 10/RS/DD's in nice enclosures for $180.00 which I'm now about to refinish . Secondly, a pair of cabinet tops with vertically firing Super 3's and Super 8's for $200.00. The guy who owned them wouldn't sell me the bottom cabinets which had Wharfedale 12" woofers of some type. These were a take (albeit smaller) on a theme that Wharfedale used with considerable success in the late 1950's and early 1960's where they would have a large corner enclosure with a 12" or 15" woofer and then have a smaller open framed enclosure with a tweeter and mid range driver. Lastly, a pair of awful cabinets with Super 3's and Super 10's for $80.00. I thought this last lot were the bargain until I hooked up the Golden 10's to a Marantz CD80 CD player and Marantz 1030 amplifier. While the treble and bass was impressive, it was the mid range reproduction that was staggeringly good. Wish I hadn't promised the Golden 10's to my daughter! All of the drivers are in excellent condition and appear to work as they should. They should all keep me out of trouble for a while. IMG_7938.JPG IMG_7190.JPG IMG_7189.JPG IMG_7939.JPG IMG_7940.JPG
 
AvSat44 said:
Being a collector of early Wharfedale's, I've also got an interest in their history, including their association with other manufacturers. This past week, a colleague told me that he had just purchased a pair of Hartley msg220 drivers. Thought I would check them out on the web and blow me down if the the magnets look just like the AlNiCo's on some of my Wharfies. Does anyone know if there was a connection at some point?
Cheers.
Click to expand...
The magnet assemblies were manufactured by Swift Levick & Sons Ltd., in Sheffield, who supplied many of the speaker companies in England.
 
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