Speakers: Bang for the buck (Wharfedale 10.1 vs £1,000 plus)

[Hi Fly]

Friday greetings

I recently upgraded my Marantz PM6003 and CD6003 to Roksan Caspian M1 amplifier and M2 CD player.

I'm running the Caspians with the Wharfdale 10.1 speakers I had originally bought to match the Marantz system.

I'm trying to get a budget of around £1,500 together to upgrade the Wharfdales – I'm thinking Harbeth or Spendor.

I listen to all kinds of music; hip hop/rap, electronic, rock and indie.

If I was to fork out the extra cash on Harbeth or Spenor would I notice a big difference?

Are the Wharfdale 10.1s good enough to hooked up to the Caspians?

Thank you

 

[CnoEvil]

"Big difference" is subjective, but I personally would say Yes.

I would also add Kef R300s / LS50s to your list.

 

[matthewpiano]

The sound will certainly be very different and the Harbeths or Spendors will get more out of the Roksans than your Wharfedale. Ultimately it all comes down to hearing them though. Personally, making that kind of jump, I'd strongly advise organising a home demo so that you can try them with your system and (most importantly) in your room. This would also enable you to make proper comparisons between the more expensive speakers and your Wharfedales.

 

[ISAC69]

If you can strech your budget consider also the PMC TWENTY 22 and the Proac Response D2 .

 

[davedotco]

Try something completely off the wall.

Richer have the JBL Studio 580 for just £700.

Give them a go, try not to frighten the horses......... :twisted:

 

[Hi Fly]

Thanks for your opinions guys.

I'll look into some home demos and give those crazy looking KEFs some consideration.

I'm definitely looking for a fuller sound that the Wharfdales.

 

[Hi Fly]

Hay

I have thought about the Proac Responce D2's. I haven't got to the listening stage but was focussing on the Harbeths and teh Spendors because I read that they sounded good when played at low volumes. I love the look of Proac are they PK at lower volumes?

Thanks for the PMC Twenty 22 tip – I'm going to look into those and the JBL Studio 580 this evening.

Thanks for the thought food everone.

 

[davedotco]

Hay

I have thought about the Proac Responce D2's. I haven't got to the listening stage but was focussing on the Harbeths and teh Spendors because I read that they sounded good when played at low volumes. I love the look of Proac are they PK at lower volumes?

Thanks for the PMC Twenty 22 tip – I'm going to look into those and the JBL Studio 580 this evening.

Thanks for the thought food everone.

The JBL's really are something else, incredibly dynamic and punchy about as far removed from the Spendor/Harbeth style as it is possible to get and still be considered more or less Hifi.

Please accept my apologies if I am wrong, but your musical preferences seem to require some speakers with a bit of 'presence', you can get that from modern Spendors and Harbeths but I would want a lot more power than you have available.

Same goes for Proac and PMC too, mind you I can be a bit of a 'lout' with certain kinds of music.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Which Spendors are you looking into - the A5 and A6 are about that price point and are good speakers and the difference will be very notable up from those budget speakers - they don't get mentioned much these days but are worth hunting down.

 

[damodollard]

Great little speaker the wharfedales 10.1. Try to give them a proper listen with you new gear to hear what likes and dislikes the 10.1 are giving you.

What I mean is do you prefer the soft dome tweeter of the 10.1 vs metal domes, the bass response and the overall presentation of the wharfedales.

I'm 100% sure there's improvements to be had with more expensive speakers out there but finding them !!!!!!!!! Is another story. Also remember after about 6 months after getting new speakers to replace the 10.1 for a comparison to see if you made a good upgrade choice.