Wharfedale W60E replacement woofers

[GiantPanda]

Hi All,

Just picked up a set of these for $40 knowing the woofers were "blown". Turns out they arent, but have some odd replacements. One is a weird covered GE woofer hacked in (thankfully without cutting the cab) and the other looks like another model Wharf full range. Anyway, both have to go.

Can anyone confirm that these will work in the cabs I have? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-of-Wh...625882?hash=item1edf322b1a:g:x~0AAOSwo1pa3NGK

Thanks in advance and I'll post pics in a minute here.

 

[GiantPanda]

Here's my weirdo W60Es. Cabinets are in beautiful shape, but obviously those woofers have to go. Mids and highs are in tact and it looks like the XO is in tact as well. Did these come with fiberfill from the factory? Mine are stuffed...

 

[GiantPanda]

Can anyone give me an indication if those woofers in the first post will work?

 

[gdmoore28]

Hi Panda,
They will fit, and will likely work in your W60s just fine. I'm not a Wharfedale devotee, but in my limited research on them, it seems that by the time your W60Es were made, Wharfedale had gone thru at least three versions of that woofer with magnet and surround changes. But according to one devotee's posts, his tests reveal little change to the woofer's T/S parameters, so you should be fine.

The big question is whether there will be a return on your investment. A quick search of ebay "sold" listings show that very few W60s sell for more than $200/pr.

GeeDeeEmm

 

[GiantPanda]

Hi Panda,
They will fit, and will likely work in your W60s just fine. I'm not a Wharfedale devotee, but in my limited research on them, it seems that by the time your W60Es were made, Wharfedale had gone thru at least three versions of that woofer with magnet and surround changes. But according to one devotee's posts, his tests reveal little change to the woofer's T/S parameters, so you should be fine.

The big question is whether there will be a return on your investment. A quick search of ebay "sold" listings show that very few W60s sell for more than $200/pr.

GeeDeeEmm

Hi GDM,

Thanks for the info! Not necessarily looking for resale, if I get out what I put in I'll call it a win. The question is will these replace my Hereseys, and if so, I'll make my money on those

 

[gdmoore28]

Well, that will be an interesting comparison, for sure. Would love to hear your opinions.

Recently I was graciously given a lone W70 (first series). I've yet to listen to it, but I have a mono tube amp set aside for it. I've been looking in vain for another W70 to complete the pair, but no luck so far. Eventually I'll be able to finally hear what Wharfedale is all about.

GeeDeeEmm

 

[markkb]

Those woofers are from the earlier ported W60’s, (and W70’s). They’re Alnico (red) magnets. I can check the bolt pattern for you later tonight.
You’d be better off getting the ceramic magnet woofers, they’re cheaper, and by all accounts sound the same. The original W60e’s have a solid rubber surround, so are somewhat different than the W60/70’s you typically see for sale.

 

[GiantPanda]

Those woofers are from the earlier ported W60’s, (and W70’s). They’re Alnico (red) magnets. I can check the bolt pattern for you later tonight.
You’d be better off getting the ceramic magnet woofers, they’re cheaper, and by all accounts sound the same. The original W60e’s have a solid rubber surround, so are somewhat different than the W60/70’s you typically see for sale.

Thanks Mark! That is a great help. I was under the impression that the Alnico magnets were better, but if its marginal and I can save money then all the better.

Well, that will be an interesting comparison, for sure. Would love to hear your opinions.

Recently I was graciously given a lone W70 (first series). I've yet to listen to it, but I have a mono tube amp set aside for it. I've been looking in vain for another W70 to complete the pair, but no luck so far. Eventually I'll be able to finally hear what Wharfedale is all about.

GeeDeeEmm

Not sure if I will, but I'm not afraid to kick anything out. So far not loving the bass balance for the majority of my listening. However, I'm currently running SS, I have a Scott Lk-72 that is about to go into rotation so we will see. And there is the OLA Econowaves I'm putting together right now...so there will be a mighty hard challenge coming.

 

[markkb]

I’ve confirmed the bolt pattern is the same for the earlier woofers. For these W60/70 woofers (which Wharfedale calls WNA/12, many of the cloth surrounds are not sealed. The W60e has no port so likely needs to be sealed for acoustic suspension. Therefore if you get these type, you should seal the surrounds with the stuff vintage AR sells. As I mentioned earlier the W60e have rubber surrounds. See pics, first picture is the original W60e, with the rubber surround. next is the earlier W60/70 (WNA/12), bolt pattern is the same. Last picture you can see the cloth surround is see through. If using for the W60e, then I suggest you should seal this surround with the AR/KLH sealant that AR Vintage sells on ebay.

 

[Nat]

That's a coaxial University driver in the first two pictures. If it works, it has some value. The other one is new to me - I assume that the flat front is placed in front of the actual woofer. But weird can mean rare and valuable. You might be able to fund your restoration by selling those oddballs.

 

[GiantPanda]

That's a coaxial University driver in the first two pictures. If it works, it has some value. The other one is new to me - I assume that the flat front is placed in front of the actual woofer. But weird can mean rare and valuable. You might be able to fund your restoration by selling those oddballs.

Hey Nat,

I was thinking and hoping the same thing. Here is a picture of that GE speaker...

I have another quandary though, it looks like someone replaced some caps on the crossover on one of the speakers, so now I'm not sure what the proper values are. Does anyone have a picture of the stock crossover?

 

[gdmoore28]

There seems to be a market for the GE speaker. I did a brief search of sold auctions and found them selling between $80 - 200 each.

GeeDeeEmm

 

[Nat]

Have you looked for the manual on HiFi Engine? A lot of Wharfedales were offered as kits as well as fully finished systems, so there may be schematics for the crossovers. Certainly a picture can be very helpful also, if anyone can help out.

 

[swamppirate]

Here's my weirdo W60Es. Cabinets are in beautiful shape, but obviously those woofers have to go. Mids and highs are in tact and it looks like the XO is in tact as well. Did these come with fiberfill from the factory? Mine are stuffed...

When I recently recapped my W60 D’s, there was no fiber fill to say. The cabs were lined with a type of acoustic blanket though. Good luck with your project.

 

[PastTechFan]

Hey Nat,

I was thinking and hoping the same thing. Here is a picture of that GE speaker...

I have another quandary though, it looks like someone replaced some caps on the crossover on one of the speakers, so now I'm not sure what the proper values are. Does anyone have a picture of the stock crossover?

That GE isn't actually a woofer (but a co-axial full range). General Electric A1-400. I grew up listening to one in a corner cab.
Some discussion of the speaker design and quality here: https://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=39602.165

Similar post on AK: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/mid-50s-ge-a1-400-speakers-ge-a1-406-cabinets.475237/

 

[Nat]

It's a woofer and a coaxially mounted tweeter. Generally, full range means one driver with no electronic crossover - whizzer cones and biflexes are considered full range, though they do have a sort of mechanical crossover. However, my description of it as a woofer was not meant as a technical description - as noted, I've never seen a driver like it, so wasn't sure what it was, other than it was 12 or 15 inches in diameter, so woofer seemed appropriate.
Looking at it again, I realize I've seen several similar coaxials with the perforated tweeter cover and should have recognized it despite the surrounding fitting.

 

[transmaster]

There happens to be a good selection of W60 woofers on eBay right now. There are also the mid-range, as well as the purple tweeters found on some of them.

 

[GiantPanda]

I’ve confirmed the bolt pattern is the same for the earlier woofers. For these W60/70 woofers (which Wharfedale calls WNA/12, many of the cloth surrounds are not sealed. The W60e has no port so likely needs to be sealed for acoustic suspension. Therefore if you get these type, you should seal the surrounds with the stuff vintage AR sells. As I mentioned earlier the W60e have rubber surrounds. See pics, original W60e, bolt pattern with WNA/12 and cloth surround see through

Hi Mark,

Not familiar with "vintage ar", is this an online store, eBay, user on here? If you can point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

 

[markkb]

Correct Vintage AR on eBay. Also you could contact RoyC here on AK for info on it. Its a sealant that is used for AR and KLH restorations to seal the surrounds.
I have the cap info and pictures I’ll dig up for the W60e. I need a little time though....
Also I sent a PM.

 

[markkb]

Here is the Crossover for the W60e. The two caps next to each other are 4 uf and the remaining cap alone is 18uf. The resistor is 20 ohm.