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What vintage Wharfdale is this?

S

SPOautos

Active Member
Anyone know anything about them? Apparently any stickers or plates are gone. They have tuning knobs on the back for midrange and treble. If you know what they are...are they good?

While I have Wharfdale people here, are the modern Diamond 8 Centre speakers any good?

I'm looking for speakers for listening to vinyl jazz/classical and occasional classic rock. These Diamond 8 speakers look more like home theater speakers to me.
 

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I believe that's the elusive Wharfwood Nova SP60Z.

In all seriousness, it's likely a W60E or a Dovedale, per this thread. Personally I think they're gorgeous, but I've got a weakness for lattice grilles. I'd wager this is a "decorator" model, or something intended for the (Canadian?) export market.
 
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FluxT said:
I believe that's the elusive Wharfwood Nova SP60Z.

In all seriousness, it's likely a W60E or a Dovedale, per this thread. Personally I think they're gorgeous, but I've got a weakness for lattice grilles. I'd wager this is a "decorator" model, or something intended for the (Canadian?) export market.
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I think they are gorgeous too....they would actually look nice in the room like nice furniture. I'm just trying to figure out what they are because they are about 4hrs away....so I dont want to go look unless I'm 95% sure I'm coming home with them.
 
SPOautos said:
I think they are gorgeous too....they would actually look nice in the room like nice furniture. I'm just trying to figure out what they are because they are about 4hrs away....so I dont want to go look unless I'm 95% sure I'm coming home with them.
Click to expand...

Vintage Wharfedales are very well-regarded, but I'm not sure if I'd drive 4 hours for 'em unless the price was really good and you had other business there. Never heard a pair myself, but I have looked into picking up a cheap pair once or twice. Supposed to be very warm and laid-back, meant more for moderate volume jazz and classical than high-powered rock 'n roll. Seem to recall there was a consensus that these actually sound better on lower powered receivers than higher-powered ones, which is opposite of most speakers. Tweeters tend to be delicate (either from too much power, or because someone was trying to crank an underpowered amp), and caps will need changing out by this age. Bear in mind bad caps and dirty level controls can render good tweeters silent. Caps are cheap and easy to replace (even for a novice), and I suppose that you might be able to scare up some Wharfedale tweeters on eBay or from a site member. Not bad if you're itching for a project, but there's definitely equally good speakers closer to you.

If you're chasing vintage speakers that look and sound nice, keep your eyes peeled for:
  • Dynaco A-25
  • Sansui SP2500
  • KLH Models 5/6/17/20/23
  • Large/Small Advent
  • Realistic Nova Series
  • Wharfedale W60D/E
  • EPI 100
  • JBL L19/26
  • Acoustic Research AR-2AX
  • Pioneer HPM40
  • Klipsch KG2/3/4
  • Bose 301/II
Depending on your musical tastes, room, amp and budget, you can't really go wrong with any of the above. I've owned/heard a fair number of these (namely the KLH 6/17, Nova 8B, HPM40, 301/II, and Sansui), so I can feel confident recommending them. The KLH, Wharfedale, Nova's, etc. will all have a smooth "vintage" sound to them-rich deep bass, softer highs, not rock 'n rollers but will deliver the goods when asked. The Bose are ideal for tossing up on a shelf and filling the room with good music. The JBLs and Pioneers are punchy rock speakers, ready to deliver an ass-kicking. The Sansui and Klipsch speakers are very dynamic and dramatic, and play well with the right amp. Most of these have real walnut cabinets (although there's plenty of KLH's and Advents that came with vinyl cabs), and my Sansui SP2500's were arguably some of the nicest furniture I've ever owned. Don't discount modern speakers, either-Polk TSi100's, Fluance SX6's, Wharfedale Diamonds, and Klipsch R51M's are great speakers that look excellent, and better than anything vintage for their size.
 
FluxT said:
Vintage Wharfedales are very well-regarded, but I'm not sure if I'd drive 4 hours for 'em unless the price was really good and you had other business there. Never heard a pair myself, but I have looked into picking up a cheap pair once or twice. Supposed to be very warm and laid-back, meant more for moderate volume jazz and classical than high-powered rock 'n roll. Seem to recall there was a consensus that these actually sound better on lower powered receivers than higher-powered ones, which is opposite of most speakers. Tweeters tend to be delicate (either from too much power, or because someone was trying to crank an underpowered amp), and caps will need changing out by this age. Bear in mind bad caps and dirty level controls can render good tweeters silent. Caps are cheap and easy to replace (even for a novice), and I suppose that you might be able to scare up some Wharfedale tweeters on eBay or from a site member. Not bad if you're itching for a project, but there's definitely equally good speakers closer to you.

If you're chasing vintage speakers that look and sound nice, keep your eyes peeled for:
  • Dynaco A-25
  • Sansui SP2500
  • KLH Models 5/6/17/20/23
  • Large/Small Advent
  • Realistic Nova Series
  • Wharfedale W60D/E
  • EPI 100
  • JBL L19/26
  • Acoustic Research AR-2AX
  • Pioneer HPM40
  • Klipsch KG2/3/4
  • Bose 301/II
Depending on your musical tastes, room, amp and budget, you can't really go wrong with any of the above. I've owned/heard a fair number of these (namely the KLH 6/17, Nova 8B, HPM40, 301/II, and Sansui), so I can feel confident recommending them. The KLH, Wharfedale, Nova's, etc. will all have a smooth "vintage" sound to them-rich deep bass, softer highs, not rock 'n rollers but will deliver the goods when asked. The Bose are ideal for tossing up on a shelf and filling the room with good music. The JBLs and Pioneers are punchy rock speakers, ready to deliver an ass-kicking. The Sansui and Klipsch speakers are very dynamic and dramatic, and play well with the right amp. Most of these have real walnut cabinets (although there's plenty of KLH's and Advents that came with vinyl cabs), and my Sansui SP2500's were arguably some of the nicest furniture I've ever owned. Don't discount modern speakers, either-Polk TSi100's, Fluance SX6's, Wharfedale Diamonds, and Klipsch R51M's are great speakers that look excellent, and better than anything vintage for their size.
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Thanks for the great reply! I'm looking into several of those speakers you listed! Some are over my price range but I may could scrape it together if it was way better than the others.

I really want a full range speaker that sounds great and sounds powerful but can also be fast and delicate....and clear/smooth....I like old school jazz, classical, and classic rock here and there.

Heres what I'm finding so far.....

Nova 8B $100 and 8 without the "b" $100
Vandersteen Model 1 $325
Wharfedale M-138 $175
Wharfedale vintage this thread is about $300
Advent Prodigy Tower $100
AR 4x $140
Paradigm Mini mk3 $85
DCM Timeframe TF700 $175 (not good wife factor)
McIntosh ML1C $300
ElectroVoice Wolverine ST12 $85
Tannoy Mercury MC2 with stands $250
Sansui SP-2000 $125

Any suggestions of what to scratch off the list? Or maybe what's the top 4 or 5 to peruse? (Or just keep looking)

Budget is like $200 but I could go over some for a super deal that's an amazing speaker, much better than others within the budget.
 
SPOautos said:
Nova 8B $100 and 8 without the "b" $100
Vandersteen Model 1 $325
Wharfedale M-138 $175
Wharfedale vintage this thread is about $300
Advent Prodigy Tower $100
AR 4x $140
Paradigm Mini mk3 $85
DCM Timeframe TF700 $175 (not good wife factor)
McIntosh ML1C $300
ElectroVoice Wolverine ST12 $85
Tannoy Mercury MC2 with stands $250
Sansui SP-2000 $125
Click to expand...

Not a bum speaker in the lot, I say. I'd probably scratch these Wharfedales for sure, and the McIntosh and Sansui's would be the bottom of my list after that, Nova's too, although that's not to say they're bad. These Wharfs are too much and too far away given their unknown condition, and Sansui and McIntosh are far more well-known for their amplifiers than their speakers. The Nova 8B's sound quite nice in stock form, but are really taken to the next level with a popular crossover modification, but you can also get better performance from an inherently better speaker. The rest of 'em? There's plenty of information online about all of those, but it all boils down to your ears. I'd ask to hear any of them before buying, especially if the same seller is selling multiple speakers. They should be amenable to flipping back and forth between two or more sets, so you can get a good idea of what each speaker sounds like and what makes them good/bad. What might sound "smooth, polite, and pleasant" to one person might sound dead as a doornail to you, and what someone else finds "harsh, loud, and forward" might sound engaging and exciting to you. Bring your wife, too. She might hear differently from you or notice things you don't, and you can reach a better decision about what you're gonna bring into your home. Who knows, she might well change her tune about the DCM's once she hears them. They're supposed to be excellent speakers!

Again, keep in mind that these are old speakers, with the usual old speaker issues. Old caps can render an amazing speaker muddy and lifeless after decades of use, and foam surrounds can rot out and make the speakers unplayable. I think most of those are foam-free, except for the Advents and maybe the AR4X. Recapping a speaker is very simple-you simply buy new caps of the same values on PartsExpress (ie: replace a 4uF cap with a new 4uF cap), and solder them in. Capacitors are cheap, and there's usually not any more than 2-3 per speaker. Soldering irons are also cheap and surprisingly easy to use, but if you don't feel up to it, I'm sure you have a friend/relative/neighbor/mailman who tinkers with electronics on the side and could give it a whirl. Refoaming is also a pretty simple task, although kinda messy. You just pop the speaker out, remove as much old foam as you can, and glue on a new foam ring to the woofer. Sellers will usually note if they've done either, and if they haven't, feel free to use that as a bargaining point.
 
Just ran across a pair of Advent large that were recently refoamed and supposedly are in perfect working order. $150

I'm kind of leaning toward these Advents OR the Nova 8b after reading some of the mod post and rework the crossovers.
 
The Nova 8B's still stay under the radar. I love the quality that was put into their cabs both external and very nice internal bracing as well. They stand toe to toe with their contemporaries of the day. I have refinished a couple of sets as well as recapping and they stood up well to my KLH Model 5's. Enjoy the hunt!
 
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