Hiya all.
Purchased the Dentons cheaply, as I vaguely remember the XP2s from the early 1980s. I was licking my lips with anticipation. Most of the reviews state these Anniversary versions are a throwback to a more retro sound. So I thought it would be a laugh in the lockdown.
Once they arrived I hadn't factor in the appropriate stands: My PMCs TB2s are relatively low. Someone said I could borrow a 610mm stands which was better for the little Dentons. While waiting for the stands to turn up, placed them on the PMC stands - my excitement quickly evaporated. The bass sounded quite boxy compared to my PMCs. Decided to place them on top of the PMCs, which they now sat too high. Still no better.
Meantime Mrs. P immediately disliked them from the off. Once the proper height stands turned up there was a difference in terms of the boxy bass. Problem was they didn't sound retro to me: Sounding more modern than my PMCs, the midrange is quite prominent. The wife said they sounded "shrill" to her ears. Although not shrill to my ears they were brighter than I expected.
Mrs. said, have we still got the big'uns? by the big'uns she meant Monitor Audio RS6s. I replied, "up in the loft". After being covered in cobwebs I placed the MAs and switched on and... OMG, I'd forgotten how good they sound. They were everything I expected the Dentons to be: Cohesive, balanced and just downright musical.
My daughter said she preferred the Dentons when it came to female voices, otherwise she sat on the fence. This is the first time a hi-fi component had split the family: Mrs. P hates them, my daughter undecided and I was gradually warming to them, albeit very slowly.
Strangely I found the Dentons to major in the opposite to WHFI review: Against: They said, lack rhythmic precision and the bass could be tighter. We thought they were really good in those areas. Perhaps because the Leema, Exposure CDP and Pro-ject Classic all major in that area.
But the RS6s, with it's metal dome tweeter, sounded less forward and sweeter than a soft tweeter really baffled me (excuse the pun). All-in-all a very disappointing experience.
It was a bit of fun but both PMCs and RS6s showed the Dentons a clean pair of heels. And the cat didn't like them either.
Wharfedale Denton
For: Good build quality; deep bass for such tiny boxes; good sense of rhythm; prefers more upbeat music
Against: Midrange and high frequencies sound too brittle; lack of cohesion; relatively poor dynamic expression; fussy when it comes to placement
Purchased the Dentons cheaply, as I vaguely remember the XP2s from the early 1980s. I was licking my lips with anticipation. Most of the reviews state these Anniversary versions are a throwback to a more retro sound. So I thought it would be a laugh in the lockdown.
Once they arrived I hadn't factor in the appropriate stands: My PMCs TB2s are relatively low. Someone said I could borrow a 610mm stands which was better for the little Dentons. While waiting for the stands to turn up, placed them on the PMC stands - my excitement quickly evaporated. The bass sounded quite boxy compared to my PMCs. Decided to place them on top of the PMCs, which they now sat too high. Still no better.
Meantime Mrs. P immediately disliked them from the off. Once the proper height stands turned up there was a difference in terms of the boxy bass. Problem was they didn't sound retro to me: Sounding more modern than my PMCs, the midrange is quite prominent. The wife said they sounded "shrill" to her ears. Although not shrill to my ears they were brighter than I expected.
Mrs. said, have we still got the big'uns? by the big'uns she meant Monitor Audio RS6s. I replied, "up in the loft". After being covered in cobwebs I placed the MAs and switched on and... OMG, I'd forgotten how good they sound. They were everything I expected the Dentons to be: Cohesive, balanced and just downright musical.
My daughter said she preferred the Dentons when it came to female voices, otherwise she sat on the fence. This is the first time a hi-fi component had split the family: Mrs. P hates them, my daughter undecided and I was gradually warming to them, albeit very slowly.
Strangely I found the Dentons to major in the opposite to WHFI review: Against: They said, lack rhythmic precision and the bass could be tighter. We thought they were really good in those areas. Perhaps because the Leema, Exposure CDP and Pro-ject Classic all major in that area.
But the RS6s, with it's metal dome tweeter, sounded less forward and sweeter than a soft tweeter really baffled me (excuse the pun). All-in-all a very disappointing experience.
It was a bit of fun but both PMCs and RS6s showed the Dentons a clean pair of heels. And the cat didn't like them either.
Wharfedale Denton
For: Good build quality; deep bass for such tiny boxes; good sense of rhythm; prefers more upbeat music
Against: Midrange and high frequencies sound too brittle; lack of cohesion; relatively poor dynamic expression; fussy when it comes to placement
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