Wharfdale & JBL questions (1 Viewer)

[larry mac]

1) Anyone have opinions on this speaker? I would either use for rear surrounds in big room or front mains in small room (both with subs). I want a medium/small speaker that looks good (not black, gray or metal/plastic). Not too expensive.

Wharfdale 70th Anniversary edition of the Diamond 8.1 bookshelf speaker with upgraded bi-wire / bi-amp binding post terminals and finished in genuine rosewood veneer
5.25" Self-damping, bidirectional woven-Kevlar woofer, drive units with ultra-smooth phase plugs, 1" dome tweeter. Double-wound, vented voice coils on bass/mid drivers; bi-wirable, gold-plated terminals
Wired internally with premium Monster Cable XP speaker cable.

Is this Kevlar woofer a gimmick or a good thing?

2) JBL E10

I don't need a speaker such as this at the moment, but was just wondering if it would make a good rear surround for wall mountable applications? First off, it is wall mountable (with keyhole hanger). It has that bi-polar look but has only front firing speakers. However, it has ports on each angled side. How much sound would come from those ports? Would it be enough for a diffuse effect similar to a typical wall mounted bi-polar speaker that has twin sets of speakers angled outwards?

 

[Chad A]

Larry,
IMO the 8.1s sound great but they don't have enough low end extension to be placed in the front soundstage. I would use them for surround duty in your situation. The 8.2s would fit the bill though.
As to the kevlar being a gimmick, the more expensive and very hailed line of B&W use them as well a few others out there.

 

[AaronJB]

I have Wharfedale WH-2 bipoles as surrounds, and have found them to be quite enjoyable speakers.

 

[larry mac]

Chad,

Is that because the woofers are simply too small at 5.25"? Could a sub make up for that?

The only reason I'm thinking of smaller speakers is the wife. She's always been super about everything, but she really would be happier with something smaller. Right now I've got big BIC Venturi Formula 4's (circa 1975) and JBL2800's in the living room, and JBL2600's and Wharfdale WH-2's in the bedroom. Sometimes I switch the JBL's out. Both rooms have JBL J centers. I'm happy with the sound I have now. Thru the years, every time I've substituted a smaller speaker I've thought the sound suffered.

AaronJB,

The WH-2's work great for rear wall mounted bedroom surround speakers. I am happy with them also, but just curious to know if those JBL E10's would have done as well. I generally prefer a ported speaker (the WH-2 are not, the JBL are). They are just a little more in cost, but I was wondering about their performance.

 

[larry mac]

Chad A,

Yeah, I think that would be a much better choice. You probably need at least a 6 1/2 woofer at the minimum for mains even with a sub.

Thanks

 

[Chad A]

Larry,
I think you'd agree once you hear the extension of 45hz with the 8.2s over 55hz with the 8.1s. Even though you have a sub you still need your mains to dip down low enough to intigrate well.
The only problem is the 8.2s I don't believe have been released in the anniversary woods if that's a must have astatic thing for the wife.
If you plan to use them more for movies than music the 8.1s might be fine for you.

 

[larry mac]

Actually, the better wood is for me, I just like nice wood. IMHO, a speaker shouldn't look like it snaps onto a plastic jambox. She doesn't care what they look like, and would really be happier if they weren't visible at all. That's probably why Bose sells so well. The wife's say "who care's how much it costs so long as it's nearly invisible".

Amazon.com say's they should be available 4-2-04. However, there is a user post warning amazon customers not to trust their Wharfdale delivery promises. In any case, I would try to beat their price of $379. That's a little more than I would like to pay, if possible.

I do use more for movies than music, but you gotta have that for when you need it.

 

[Chad A]

For that price range I'd look elsewhere.
Not three weeks ago ecost, I believe it was, had those 8.1 anniversary model for $100 which is a steal but for $380 forget it.

If you are gonna spend that much look at these for a better overall speaker:

Wharfedale EVO 10s or 8s
Swan Divas
Onix Rockets

All of these look 10 times better than even the anniversary Diamonds IMO.
Do yourself a favor and check them out at least before you buy.

 

[larry mac]

The Wharfedale 8.1 Diamond Anniversary in Rosewood is $130 at Amazon, the $380 is for the 8.2 Anniverary's when they come out. I think the regular 8.2's are $300.

But I'm going to check out the others that you mentioned. Thanks.

 

[Don__C]

Just took delivery of black 8.2's from Home Theater Plus for $218/pr plus shipping ($37 to Texas).

 

[larry mac]

What kind of center , sub, receiver etc? I would be curious to know what you think of them after you've tried them out for a little while.

 

[Don__C]

Larry,

Only have the mains hooked up at this point. Need to run wires for the WH2's and build a shelf for my Diamond 8 Center. Will get back to you when all of this is done. I'm not an audiophile, but have exceptionally good hearing and am very satisfied with the 8.2's. Some say there is no break-in period for speakers, but I swear they get better with time (about 20 hrs now). Very solid low end (about 45 hertz) with no breakup or fuzz.

Don

 

[Angelo.M]

Larry:

I have the E10s and like them very much. They are easy to mount and sound great.