Wharfedale Super Denton

[TheBatsEar]

Erin measured them (cheers mate, and thanks Mike!):

So it seems they are a good alternative to people that have either a smaller room, not much space to set them up or that have a subwoofer.

They seem to cost a bit less too, so maybe based on that alone they have better value?

Time for pics! They are available in Mohagony, European Walnut and Black veneer:

I prefer Mohagony, but sadly my Lintons are Walnut because that was what was cheap ;-). If anyone wants to trade, let me know.
With the grille on:

From behind:

If they are manufactured like the Linton 85 or the Denton 85, they are good value for the money. They cost 1200€ a pair in the EU initially, but as per usual their price will drop.
Mind you, regular prices for Linton 85 are around 900€ right now, so right now they are a better deal.

In terms of fidelity it seems the Super Denton are far better than what i expected. I really thought they would stink, but that doesn't seem to be the case. No data on spinorama.org yet, so we can't overlay the Linton 85 and Super Denton yet, but Erin has the regular data:

Wharfedale Super Denton Bookshelf Speaker Review

Wharfedale Super Denton Bookshelf Speaker

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Again, thanks Erin and thanks Mike.

 

[tsfreo]

So are you thinking about picking up a pair? I cannot decide. I love my Linton 85th editions in my living room - and I would be interested in a similar sound in my study (smaller room) in which I currently use Elac DBR62s. Thing is, these may sound a bit different, but are they worth dropping almost AU$2k on them as an upgrade? I am just not so sure. New kit is fun....but that is reasonable coin to spend.

 

[TheBatsEar]

Not yet, in Europe they are a bit pricey too.

 

[tsfreo]

Not yet, in Europe they are a bit pricey too.

I have taken the plunge. Probably not 'super' needed (ha) but I was just too curious about how I would find them. I like my Lintons so very much and would enjoy a similar sound in my much smaller study. One never really knows until they are in your own room.
I will find a use for my DBR62s elsewhere. They are too good to sell or give away.

 

[TheBatsEar]

I have taken the plunge.

Cool, i hope you'll entertain us with a few pics once you have them.

 

[tsfreo]

Cool, i hope you'll entertain us with a few pics once you have them.

I will. Just found out the walnut that I ordered is out of stock where I am, so I have to wait an extra 4 weeks. Sadly.

 

[tsfreo]

Cool, i hope you'll entertain us with a few pics once you have them.

They arrived last night.
Have only had a handful of hours to play with them.
Where I need to put them right now is not at all ideal (only about 24cm off back and side walls in a 4.6m x 3m room) - they are on the short 3m wall. So they get a chunk of boundary reinforcement from the walls, but I use them at moderate volumes and I haven't found that to be a problem. If anything it is likely that they are presenting a little more bass/lower mid than they otherwise might and that is ok with me. I use them with a modest sub anyway which I have dialed in pretty well for my listening position but not using any room correction.
I wasn't easily able to take any good quality pics - I just snapped some in position. I'm sharing because I said I would but again would stress that I appreciate their positioning is not ideal, just where they need to be for now (bit embarrassed to share the pics really). The various marketing pics will give you a better idea of what they look like, but I did think that an image with a DBR62 next to it might be of interest. These Dentons are a very wide front baffle for a bookshelf. They are not modest sized boxes. If you like that modern retro look and feel these will please you.
As others have said, they feel very solid and beautifully made in person. Particularly for the price point.
Just like a smaller Linton.
The magnetic grills are a delight if you have ever lived with the just about impossible to remove Linton grills. Of course this is a 'listen with the grill on' design though anyway (just like the Linton).
I tried them on axis initially and have been listening today with them just a little bit toed out from that (just a few degrees) so probably firing just past my shoulders rather than straight on. In my room I think that is giving me a better soundstage than right on axis without giving up any treble. That I can tell atm anyway. But it is all early days.
This is not the forum to get too much into listening impressions. All I will say is I do think they sound like they are broadly in the style of the Linton sound - but not a direct copy. They don't give the sound the scale and presence that I think the Lintons do - but you should not expect that from such smaller speakers. And Lintons would be far too much in my small room and sound like a mess anyway.
Anyone interested in these should definitely give them a listen. Because their main purpose is to work in smaller spaces then I would try to hear them in your own room, or in a suitable testing space....many hifi shops are not as well set up to replicate that (at least in my experience and where I am). I couldn't test them locally so I bought them on spec, and so far I am very happy.
I like trying out different speakers when I can and have been lucky enough to have a half dozen reasonable quality but also reasonably priced pairs (and everyone has different $ standards of course I know) through my different systems in recent years.
These are a welcome addition for me.
To give you an idea of my own modest references of late, some of the others speakers I've been running recently include the DBR62s (I also have Elac DB6.2 and DB5.2s), classic Krix Lyrix Gold floorstanders (and some other classic Krix bookshelf speakers including their smaller Equinox and classic KDXs), Wharfedale Linton 85th, Monitor Audio Bronze and Silver 100s, Cambridge Audio SX50s, Wharfedale Diamond 9.3s (in my garage) and some Canton and Magnat offerings that I can't recall the models of.
Are they a step up from my DBR62s in this particular space? For me, I think yes. Although it is more about them sounding different to the Elacs in a way that I happen to enjoy. Not a knock against the Elacs.
In this system using a Rotel RC-1572MkII preamp streaming Tidal via Wiim Pro through a SMSL DO200 DAC and an Audiophonics LPA-S500NC power amp supported by a SVS SB1000 sub.