Faulty speakers?

[ruskiru]

A few months ago I bought a pair of new Wharfedale 9.1 speakers and NAD C316BEE amp to connect to my laptop. The sound has never been great, but I put that down to a cheap DAC. I recently upgraded the DAC to a Kingrex UD-01 Pro and there’s not much improvement. When I turn up the volume, the sound remains unfocussed, thin, doesn’t fill the speakers and has a strident/harsh upper midrange that gives me a headache after 30 mins. There’s no detail in the midrange and horrible sibilance on vocals. Bass response is not great and the sound in general has little power behind it. These are small speakers in a big room, but nevertheless, I’d expect something at least passable. In general, it’s impossible to listen to.

I think there’s something wrong with the speakers. I connected them to a cheap music centre, and while they sound a little less harsh, most of the other qualities remain. Flat, uninvolving and don’t fill the speaker when the volume’s increased. The cheap speakers from the music centre sound great when connected to the NAD J Also, the Kingrex sounds good when I connect a pair of cheap headphones to the NAD.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I probably just have to buy a new set of 9.1s and hope for the best. I’m just afraid to waste money and end up with exactly the same problem as I can’t rule out the amp being part of the problem. Any ideas how to troubleshoot this would be much appreciated.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Mate, the speakers you bought sound crap, so contact your dealer or Wharfedale directly first. You'd be crazy to buy another set until you find out what's wrong with the first set.

 

[Blackdawn]

Give Dali a try instead. Either the Lektors or Zensor 1

 

[steven123]

Hey have to be faulty, because the Wharfedale 9.1 speakers are warm and full sounding. I now have the Wharfedale 10.1 and they are amazing, but a lot more transparent, detailed and neutral sounding. The 9.1 are an easier listening!

 

[ruskiru]

Thanks for all the replies. The 9.1s were replaced and now the sound is exactly where it should be!

 

[Dougal1331]

Glad you got it sorted.

Sounds to me like an out-of-phase connection inside one speaker, i.e one bass driver wired incorrectly. This would account for the symptoms... Definitely a manufacturing fault!