Wharfedale Modus One.Six (1 Viewer)

[Angelo_Petralba]

just wanted some input on these speakers. Im on a budget and they have these at Ubid for $70 each..(sooo cheap i think there must be something wrong with them)

Thanks for the inputs.

Angelo

 

[Paul Clarke]

I have the Emerald 97's from Wharfedale but have auditioned most of their tower speaker models. The Modus 1.6 is a superbly accurate, open speaker but is more placement sensitive due to the front and rear porting and the exposed tweeter. I assure you the quality of these speakers is a thing to behold. DO NOT be led astray by these promotional prices. These Wharfedales are an absolute steal!!! Definitely bi-wire them for optimum output. If you can't get the 1.6's get the Emerald 97's. They weigh less for S/H (you know Ubid) and have exactly the same drivers except the silk dome tweeter is 25mm instead of the swiveling 19mm.

Just so you know---the Valdus is for Rocking the night away, the 1.6 when positioned well certainly comes close to the Emeralds with just a hint of coloration. Good Luck.

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Paul-

Thanks for the great input. It is unfortunate that I cannot find a place near me that I can go to audition these speakers. BUt from the reviews I read, they seem to be highly regarded for their price point.

Thanks

Angelo

 

[Geoff L]

Paul,
Are you Bi-wiring or Bi-Amping your 97's???
I just recently fell into a deal with the Newer MKII Emeralds (Oak) 95's, 93's, and the matching Center. At the price paid, I couldn't resist... I never had a chance to demo any of the Emeralds and was floored with their sound once I got them up and running!
Very smooth and off axis is unreal. Imaging is astounding at the price paid. Even at Amazons price's I would have been happy. These are set up in a large bedroom system. The 95's & 93's are Bi-wired.
I feel so bad for the gentelman that fell on hard times and was forced to sell for reasons im not sure of. They where 2-weeks old and the new Emerald MKII's.
They do open up a little Bi-wired though the gains will have more to do with the quailty of ones amplifiction and of course *use quailty wire* and connections.
I couldn't be happier with them and of course they are a good looking speaker to boot. When my current female friend came over and saw them for the first time she made mention, ~{oh those are pretty}~
She generaly has little if anything to say about any of my audio video stuff.
They are a little bright out of the box but as hours of play time increase they seem to be getting better and better. I think their strongest quailty is their mid-range. So good for a 2 way at this price point, shockingly good.
Would you agree???
I played some SADE (her voice is a midrange killer) And just sat their with a big fat smile. Just couldn't belive what I was hearing. This is with the Bi-wired 95's....
I guess if theirs a bitch, and it's a minior one, after about 100 to 150-watts they start to loose it, break up. I've got plenty of clean power doing stereo, so the amp is not the problem. SAE A-502 and matching Pre-Amp.
Have a DIY~Sealed Shiva, self-powered 12" doing the bottom end.
In short, if buy them right dollar wise, (U-bid and watch that *Shipping*) a pretty decent speaker... Oak is much rarer at Ubid, and have not seen the ~{MKII}~ in the 93 95 or 97. This is not to say that this is not the model their currently selling, but it's just not mentioned in the model discription. The OAK may be their now and then as I have not checked every day. I just stop buy now and then to see what their going for!
Basicly I paid nothing for all them!
$425.00----> for all speaks delivered, with 5 hours play time on them. All original boxes, warrenty, and paper work. He also double boxed all of them. They arrived absoulty mint! I now can really enjoy DD & DTS movies, along with my love *STEREO* in the BEDROOM and for chump change...
Im still amazed at thier sound even after nearly 3 weeks. They keep getting better and better as they burn in... And at what I paid for them,,,Unbelivable!!
Regards
Geoff

 

[Paul Clarke]

Hello Geoff,

Great to hear of your good fortune. My personal opinion is there is simply no better buy out there if you like real furniture quality speakers with outstanding sonic performance. There are certainly better speakers but nothing comes close to the value received at this price point...(which varies greatly due to source.)

First---some details.

I have the Mark IV's in Walnut. You see these currently on Ubid almost daily---usually going for $129 a pop, less for the Black, + the infamous Ubid S/H. ($70 in my case-I had zero problems with them-1 week delivery-no surprises).

The IV's differ from the previous gen.'s in a few ways. The frequency response is now 30-20000Hz instead of 40-20000Hz. The impedance is now 6 Ohm instead of 8 and the sensitivity is now down 1dB to 88. They like juice as I'm sure you have already discovered but are really 125 watt'rs at heart.

Yes, I currently bi-wire only. Bi-amping seemed a little overkill for my smallish living room.

My break-in (perhaps still on-going) also included Sade, her greatist hits CD which I consider perfect for this. It helped me find the right blending point with my PB10 sub and my neighbor's (townhouse) walls. Light jazz from Sade to Metheny is what I like to use. Once AVIA and EAR calibrated, the Emeralds really sing.

As you know, these speakers have a tremendous mid-range and the tweeters are extremely accurate. I too found them a little bright at first but they are fairly neutral now. It may have been that I was simply not used to such open, accurate and un-colored sound. One thing of note: the 97's woofer tested out of the box down to 25Hz with decent Spl's. The run-up in output occurs between 40-25Hz and caught me completely by surprise. Of course, there is no substitute for a decent sub.

Some have found the tweeter in the 3-way a little 'anemic' but I do not agree. It is simply that the mid-range is so outstanding by comparison. Violin Concertos are superbly rendered with full accurate detail. Piano transients have remarkable presence.

You are right about the vocals, especially females. These speakers love female voices. Also alternative music like any Patrick O'Hearn CD just fills the ears with previously unheard detail.

Gee, let's count the things these speakers do well---imaging, accuracy, detail, etc. plus good looks to boot.

I can't wipe the smile from my face. The wife is HAPPY even though the purchase was spur of the moment. (You know---the UNDISCUSSED kind.)

I think we should count our lucky stars and sit back and enjoy.

Good Listening,

Paul

P.S. I am considering the 93's for my surrounds but may want the 95's instead. I'll check back with you later when purchasing to get your input.

 

[Geoff L]

Gosh hope where giving Angelo something to chew on with all this talk...
Yes Paul feel free to e-mail me if you want to discuss the 93's or 95's.
I can tell you the 93's are no slouch. The bottom end isn't as deep though this is to be expected. Good spl and tight into the mid 40's where they roll off fast due to thier porting. And a hugh flared port at that. The Midrange and highs are just as sweet as the 5's and 7's. Im going to do some measureing this weekend on them now that they got about 100 hours on them. Power and freq measurements. And yes they are just as power hungry as the 5's and 7's!!!
I agree at their price point (U-bid) extremly tough to beat. But like all speakers, it's a subjective thing. No question their are better speaks, but for the dollar im dumb-founded. I read all the reviews on could get my grimmy little hands on and looked at ever pic I could find but just always thought, their to good to be true. The lower end lines of Warfs don't hold a candel to the Emeralds IMO. Seems in the past 5-8 years Wharf has been produceing more lower quailty stuff along with the higher end speaks. Buy the way the Real oak is beautiful and the pic's don't do them justice.
Nice to see your taste in music nearly mimicing mine to the T as they might say. I listen to all kinds of stuff but Jazz is prevey to major play time. If you haven't already, do a little S.Ray Vaunn and Buddy Guy threw em once. Scary in a good way, if you know what I mean.
And the best of Sade, thats exactlly what I was playing for hours while breaking them in...!
Hummmmm kinda weird....
Paul
=========
1)- What are you useing for your power head, as im curious???
2)- Also what wire???
My wire:
Double 12-gauge sliver core twisted Stryke Audio, AR pro Bananas
3 times as expensive as the top of the line Monster Bi. And I honestly
*CAN'T* say, ~{though I wish I could}~ hear any differance. No speaker wire flames please.
Maybe my equipment is not of high enough quailty. Speakers, Pre Amp and Amp.
It still wouldn't matter as I never would have spent the money for this kind of wire had it not been that a good friend was up-gradeing (ghezshhh like this stuff wasn't good enough) and I got a steal on the pair! $75.00
Yes I like the Emeralds MKII's and would have never even thought of buying them had this deal not presented itself. And boy would I have been missing the boat on that one... Certainly glad on got on board.
Regards
Geoff

 

[Paul Clarke]

Hello Geoff,
Seems we've got a Wharfedale Emerald lovefest going on. I'm sure we're boring the hell out of those others who've viewed but not posted. I agree---I hope Angelo gets something useful out of this.
Personally, I would have preferred the Oak or the Rosewood but as you said they rarely, if ever, come up on Ubid anymore. Even the Amazon supply is limited. But now that I have the Walnut I have no regrets. In fact I haven't had any real walnut in my house for many years. It's kind of Retro.
Each of your speaker sets should be matching serial #'s and even the wood should match panel for panel. I can't imagine how they can promo these speakers at these prices and make any money. The quality is outrageous for so little 'ka-ching'.
Question---is the bottom plinth on yours matching oak with an acoustic pad in between? I know they tweaked the cabinet through the years so I am curious. The IV's come with matching wood even on the bottom of the plinth. Also, with the 95 and 93 being rear ported, how do you have yours situated? Were they placement sensitive?
As to power, I use receivers exclusively now as the wife has trouble enough running things as it is. Any more componentry and I'm sure she would file.
My last receiver was the JVC 884BK. Wonderful for stereo but left a lot to be desired in multi-channel. I broke the 97's in with that but now have the H/K 510. The sound is just like night and day. There is no substitute for quality, as you know.
I'm not running anything special in the way of wire but a fellow Emerald owner posted a review and said the change to IXOS 6003 13g Gamma paid off big time from the plain jane AR 16g. I think I will try it out.
This is fun. I hope Angelo has a good experience should he go this route.
Later,
Paul

 

[Geoff L]

Hello Paul & Angelo
Yes the 93's & 5's came with same run serial numbers, but the bases on the 95's are black! :frowning: But after really looking at them im not really sure if the Oak would look better or not. As you know the grill on the 95's and 93's do not run the full length as the 97. The contrast of the black delicate grill on top to mid way down with oak showing to the bottom and finaly the base in matching black.... I think I really would have to have an oak base and install it to see which I might prefer...
~{Going to call Warf today and see if I can get one sent to me for comparision}~
Yes, 4 t-nuts with large screws countersunk in the base and a damper pad is included. Also a set of height adjustable spikes.
As far as the rear porting and placment, yes they are somewhat bothered when close to a wall. But much more forgiveing than many rear ported towers. If you have the room, I found that 3 feet min from side walls or boundries, and 3-4 feet from rear wall seems to make them sound the best, with a good sub. You can push them back and the bass will become better to a point from the natural gain but soon deminishing returns sart to show by way of muddied midrage and boomy bass raising it's ugly head.
They image so well that even people with less than perfect rooms, meaning haveing to put them where you would rather not, they still preform atsoudingly well. Rear wall distance is the biggest factor I've noticed.
Mine are aprox 11 feet apart with a *slight* toe in.
2.5 feet from the rear wall. Both the R & L are aprox 3 feet from a side wall and the inside of each is open all the way across to it's partner speak. What blows me away is you can shove these things back in a foot so they are now behind the racks and tv by a good 8" and they still image like crazy.
The sweet spot as they say, is huge with these things.
Even when moveing completly to the right or left side of the room you still are getting spread.
Oh I can't belive it's not butter. LOL
The sitting postion is around 9-11 feet when listening. I guess what I've noticed is they are much more forgiveing of placement than typical rear ported designs, only speaking of the 95's. The biggest factor is enough room behind them. (2 ft)- min or it really starts to mess with the bass and midrange at least on the 95's.
The 93's have NO mounting base. These are located in the corners of the rear of the room, pulled out aprox 1 1/2ft. Found this to be the best trade off for more room in my bedroom and cheating the speak for natural room gain in the lower freqs. No boom or messing with the mids at this distance. Any closer and they begin to color. These are pretty big for a bookie. Same width and depth as the 95's and just short of 20" tall. Weight is 20-lb's a piece. Driver make up is identical to the 95's including port size though tuneing is a little higher.
Now that they have got around 100+ hours on them is why I want to do some measureing and power handeling tests. Just to see what they are actually doing compared to their paper spec's. Of course the room will *play a big part* in this also.
Their is no question in my mind at least, that 4 of the 93's ~ 20" tall bookies and the matchig Center with a good sub would have most in HT bliss. Of course Im talking (us, the average folk) not the lucky few mega dollar guys/gals.
The only complaints I can see with speaks are:
========
1)- The grill PINS on the Center and 93's & 95's could be a little thicker. For the normal carefull person no problem, but if you have kids or you like to pull them on and off, their pin thickness wont allow you to be aggresive. You must be carefull as they will break easily, the pins that is.
2)- The big Port, along with the large flair on the outside, also should be flaired on the inside. This is on the 93's & 95's, as the 97's may have already addressed this now that they drop so low in the bass freq to help with port chuffing or noise???
Aside from these small complaints, the fit, finish, and sound at their price point is something else. The real wood finish is beautiful, the fit and finish is excellent, and build quailty at this price is amazing. Of course I tore one apart to take look inside for design and cabnit reinfocement. The driver is made of some funky composites and they use a neodyne type magnet that, though small, must contain an extremly strong draw and motor as I just dont know how they can take the juice they do. When I first got them I wasnt expecting much and thats the truth. Over all a great speaker with accuracy and a *very* good midrange that many search long for at any price point.
For those of you laying back and just reading, if you get the chance to listen to any of the ~{Emerald, Emerald-MKII, or Emerald-IV}~ line, do yourself a favor and give them a chance. Though not for all certainly, I think many will be very very suprised. I certainly was. And the kicker is the PRICE, (U-bid), for many of us a major factor when looking at anything audio.
Regards
Geoff

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

My my my.....This is VERY VERY interesting and informative!..Im really happy I asked and now I know more about these speakers than most people. Anyway..thank you very much for the feedback and My speakers are ON THE WAY per UBID..not bad for 70 bucks a piece plus the OUTRAGEOUS Ubid shipping!
Thanks again Paul/Geoff
Angelo

 

[Paul Clarke]

Angelo---
Someone else on this forum has the Modus 1.6's. Got them fairly recently, as I recall. Might be worth an SOS post later on to get some specific input if needed. Or do a search on the older posts. I think he also got an H/K 510 if not mistaken. Sound familiar to anyone?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the 1.6's as much as Geoff and I obviously enjoy the Emeralds. Good luck and happy listening.
Geoff---
I agree with your nitpicks. Seems the grills get the most criticism but I have always been careful about that no matter the speaker. Some of the reviewers have received broken grills (meaning mounting pins) but this is quickly resolved by contacting IAG. Apparently their customer service is excellent and like all good speaker companies they sell their own replacement drivers and parts.
Also, the port is not inner flared on the 97 either. The drivers are plasticized polymers, the mids and bass each with their own composition. But it's the silk dome tweeters that most everyone comments on when they come over. I have always preferred a tower design with a high mounted tweeter---ear level. I know there are good reasons for other designs but nothing else seems to open up the sound quite so easily. No matter what room I may move through, the sound does not change except in volume punch. I also like the fact that these play so transparently even with the grills on.
I also agree about the black bottom plinth on the II's. I think it looks balanced with the shorter grill of the 95. That is what I was expecting until the IV's arrived and I saw the changes that have been made.
Is life sweet or what?
Best regards,
Paul

 

[Geoff L]

Angelo
Yes as Paul said let us know what ya think. Don't make a quick call till you play with them a bit. Experiment with placement and get some play time on them. I bet you will be very pleased but time will tell.
Outa the box they might seem be a little bright, don't worry they will sweeten

with time for lack of a better term.
Happy listening
Regards
Geoff
Oh, definitly Bi-wire those babies...

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Well folks..I got my Modus Music Center in Monday and have been listening to it for 1 week now. WOW, If my Modus 1.6 sound as accurate and full as this center channel, I WILL BE ONE HAPPY CAMPER.

The movies I watched before sounded Ok but now, they sound GREAT!

Let me give you an example of the movie I just purchased, "Oh Brother where art thou", when the Soggy Bottom Boys sang their song, they sounded so clear and clean that Ithought i was in the recording studio..What a nice set of speakers!!

I cant wait till my MODUS 1.6 arrives TODAY per UPS Web Site.

Thanks for all the input.

Angelo

 

[Paul Clarke]

I tell ya, there's no such thing as yesterday's speakers when it comes to quality.

Glad to hear of your happiness. I for one hope Wharfedale continually remodels it's lineups so we can continue reaping the fruits.

I have several Grafitti Audio/Video stores in my area which carry the current line. Now they sell only the Pacific, the Diamond and the Atlantic series. I auditioned the Pi 40's that are getting rave reviews in the mags. As much as I liked them, I wouldn't part with the Emeralds. Maybe when I can pick up a set for the same cost, I might think differently. Let's see...about a year and a half from now....hmmmm.

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Paul-

Well, the sad thing is that the Modus 1.6 isn't scheduled to arrive today and I have to wait till tomorrow per UPS web site! (Sucks). I would also like to let you know that the Diamond Anniversary (bookshelfs) will be the rear surrounds and I hope they sound just as good. Quite frankly, I am very satisfied with Warfedale and it will be quite some time before I will upgrade or get new ones..These should do me in for quite some time....but you never know when it comes to MUSIC thats for sure!

Thanks again for the great inputs you folks provided and I will keep posting my experiences as they come.

Angelo

 

[ShaunT]

I think I may be the guy who posted about the 1.6's earlier, but I do not have them anymore due to a screw up on Ubid's part. (surprise, surprise) Ubid decided that they would just send me one of the two speakers I ordered to begin with, so I thought I would wait to see if they would send the other one. Well more than a month later I call them and ask them what the hell is going on and they say there was a mix up in the warehouse and that they don't have anymore in stock. I was like "what the hell! I see them up for auction now!" Of course they didn't have anything to say about the fact that they were up for auction yet they didn't have any in the warehouse. Anyway, it seems like Ubid likes to sell stuff that they don't actually have. In any case what happened with me is that they gave me a $75 coupon and hooked me up with some of the shipping costs on my next winning auction. So off I went and bid on the Emerald 97's. I got them for $109 a piece and will end up paying around $180 total after shipping and the discounts I received. Hopefully this time they don't screw up again, otherwise they'll get even more hell out of me. So now I have a Modus Music Center, Emerald 97's for the fronts, and Diamond Anniversary's for the rears.

My Question for you guys is if you think it will matter much that my speakers are not specifically mathed? Remember that before the Ubid fiasco I had Modus Music 1.6's.

P.S. - I am running everything through a Denon 1602.

(Anyone else have problems like I had with Ubid?)

 

[rodney wiley]

Wow I read somwhere thats the wharfdales on ubid were just cheap plastic junk. By this thread I guess you cant allways believe what you read. I too had a shipping problem with them. The item was also out of stock and at the same time a current auction was going on for the same item. They offered me a 29.00 coupon which I will most likley NOT use. Back to my post I now am very curious about the Wharfdales!

 

[Paul Clarke]

Shaun,

I think you will be fine. The major consideration for me with that speaker mix is the Silk dome tweeter. I'm not sure about the Diamond Anniversary. I believe it is in the same tweeter family.

I think you will love the Emeralds. Let us know what version you get (see above posts) and how you like them.

Maybe if Rodney sees another WOW! post he won't be reluctant to dip his toe in the waters.

With Ubid everything seems to be hit or miss. I have not had a single problem with anything I've sourced through them but I read the complaints out there. Seems a shame.

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Well they finally arrived! I plugged them in (not bi-wired yet till tonight) on my lunch break and to my surprise only the RIGHT SPEAKER is working properly. The other speaker only played the tweets. A quick call to AIG (1-877-440-0888) and I was back to normal again (turns out that one of the ground connectors is not there and they are shipping me one. So I improvise and put my own ground connector and it sounds good now.

Im in the process of breaking them in as we speak but I can assure you that this speaker REALLY DOES SOUND GOOD. The highs are a little bright but it will probably smooth out after break-in.

Now for the aestetics. I ordered the Rosewood, and I think that you CANNOT ASK FOR A BETTER FINISH at this price, The grills are flimsy and cheaply made but if you leave them alone, it wont break. They came well packaged and they also came with spikes (mini legs).

I can honestly say that these are EXCELLENT BARGAIN speakers and I think that I will be very satisfied for quite some time.

BTW- the Modus Music Center is still sounding better and better as it breaks in..I watched Crouching Tiger last night and found that they really produced realistic sounds like the sword fight scenes, ti really sounds like the swords are about to cut your CC to half!

All these speakers are running off an HK AVR110 (45 watts X 5), I can just imagine what it would sound like with 100-150 watts each.

I NEED A NEW AVR..ant suggestions?

Thanks for reading

Angelo

 

[Geoff L]

Angelo and the possible curious others,
I can speak only of the Emerald line as these speaks are all that I've actually listened to, and own. Emerald 93's-MK, 95's-MKII's, and matching Emerald Center. IN OAK..
They do need time to break in the tweeter, stretch the surrounds, and heat the coils. I found that after about 100 hours they finally seem to have gotten as good as their probley going to get. They are a little bright (though not harsh and ear drum pokeing) out of the box. Your receiver or pre & amp also will add or subtract to this brightness.
With as little as 5-10 hours you will hear a difference already! And this will continue to improve with play time.
**Paul** may be able to speak more on the Modus line, as I havent heard them and can only go by reviews, 1-pro and many personal. Seems as far as what people think of the Modus 1.6 is all over the place. The one thing that almost all agree on is the midrange. Everyone likes it. The highs or tweeter seems hit or miss. Why this is, is almost as confuseing as the reviews themselves. Being all over the place, from junk to the best they ever heard..
Hard to draw a clear conclusion from what I've read other than the extremly good midrange. One reviewer even said, they imaged WORSE than anything he had ever listened to. Found this crazy as this is the ONLY other point that most agreed upon, ~{how GOOD they imaged}~.
Combine the personal reviews with the all over the place praise and scolding of the Modas and it's no wonder many are put off to audition or purchase them unseen! Then of course the unfortunant experiences of the others above with **Ubid**. Really a sad situation.
If the Modus sounds anything like the Emeralds, most will be happy. This assumeing your buying them at Amazons price or {preferable much much cheaper} threw Ubid.
As to the Emeralds grill ~{can't speak for the Modus}~ yes it's thin and many would call it weak and cheap, but aside from kids playing with them or you being agressive with them, they will be fine. The bonas, if there is one about the grill, it is that it's the only speaker I've ever owned that I prefer to leave the grill on while listening, I hear absolutly no differance with it on or off. Plus they are extremly attractive on! Speaking of the 95 Emerald MKII's. On this model the grill dose not run the length of the cabinet. It runs only between a little over a 1/3 to 1/2 way down the front of the speaker cabinet. The contrast of the exposed real wood light oak cabinet with 1" thick beveled black base and half front grill, make them very attractive. IMO
Also IMO, the Emerald and the Pacific lines are speakers that people should look into. All speaks are subjective to the shoping listener. Many will not like, many will, but listen for yourself and you make the call. Wharfedale seems to get a bad undeserved rap and little mention on this forum. My opinion is the Emeralds are a sleeper if their every was one. At their price point your cutting yourself one speaker company short when auditioning speakers and not giveing these a listen if available in your area.
Specificaly the *Emerald MK and Pacific* lines!!!!!
Im sorry I can't speak to the voice matching and tweeter combo of your mix of Wharfs Angelo.
Maybe Paul can chime in, he has listened to most of the Wharf line and might be able to help you here! If the Modas use the same drivers & silk tweet as the Emeralds, you will be very happy in the end. Give thenm the hours they need and you will be smileing im sure.
Regards
Geoff

 

[Lance Dahl]

Thanks for the posts-- I to have been looking at these for my first HT speakers. As a newby what is and how do you bi-wire a speaker? Thanks for the info.