Wharfedale - Denton 80th (Walnut)

Awesome and compact speakers. They look great and sound great.

I don't normally review things, because I figure people will buy what they want to buy, regardless of my humble opinion. After all, as Ferris Bueller so eloquently inquired, "who am I?" However, in this case, I had to make an exception. These speakers surpassed my expectation and then some. I've been wanting to put together a 2-channel budget audiophile system for some time now, but I wanted speakers that had a nice aesthetic, not the typical black/faux black veneer you see on most speakers. Vintage was the preferred look, but most vintage speakers on the used market are well worn and may need a bit of work before they're ready. Then I came across these. I liked the look, but the price was a bit steep for me, or at least what I wanted to pay. But, I liked the look. So, I started doing some research. I will tell you now that you won't find much, if anything that looks this nice for this price point, that has the impedance, frequency range, or response. You might find a bit of this, or that, or pay a lot more, but there isn't anything that I could find that matched these specs. Long story short, the speakers arrived yesterday. The speaker wire arrived today. I hooked them up to a NAD 316BEE 2-Channel 40W Amp, and these things are amazing. The clarity is outstanding and there's even a fair amount of bass. Angle them to your seat, chair, or couch, and you'll be enveloped by the sound. It's incredible. Listening to your library, is like hearing most of the songs for the first time. And, you'll definitely be able to tell which bands/labels spent some extra time in the studio. Keep in mind these aren't 12" subs, so you won't be shattering any glass or winning any competitions at your block party, but for a small room these round out a budget audiophile system quite nicely. If you're an audiophile, or better yet, just starting out, I think you'll be hard pressed to beat these.

This is my first decent pair of speakers. So I have little reference, but I enjoy the sound very much. It has a very full sound signature with decent bass for the size. I use them in a flat in room about 20mm2. In this setup even with a low power vintage akai amplifier they get quite loud. I can recommend them, but again if you can test them beforehand as your experience may vary.

I purchased a pair of Dentons back in 2017. After taking a hiatus from audio after adopting 4 kids, I needed a small speaker for my new listening room and these fit the bill. The price was also reasonable. I paired them with my mid-70s Yamaha CA-800 integrated amp and they sounded great! Excellent midrange (especially given the price) and adequate bass for my listening taste- classical and jazz. I later was able to snag a pair of vintage Dynaudio Focus 110 which were a bit more $$$. In comparing the two they were pretty close with the nod going to the Dynaudio's more defined and extended hi-end as it should considering the 110's new cost was about 3x the Denton. I gave the Yamaha/Denton to my son who still listens to them. The Yammie was replaced by a vintage Accuphase E202. WOW!!! At 70, my hearing ain't so great anymore, but I still appreciate the Dentons in my sons system. For the bucks, they are hard to beat.

I liked the sound of these speakers at $399 but don’t think they’re worth $1000 . Also I think they are better at low to mid volumes rather than cranked up as my room is rather large. The finish had a few flaws but I really like the binding posts . Quite a unique speaker and great buy for $399