View Full Version : wharfedale e30?
The Vinyl Adventure
02-06-2010, 17:53
A mate of mine has a pair of these given to him by a mate of his fathers years back, he is very happy with them in his system but wants to know a bit more about them... Can any body help me enlighten him
Hi Hamish,
They're high-quality speakers from the 70s when Wharfedale were Wharfedale, so to speak. Somewhat ugly, yes, but extremely musical sounding with the right kit :)
They're superb with valves, but less good with transistor amps, as their openness and 'take no prisoners' presentation shows up the graininess of most solid-state designs.
It was one of the reasons why they were considered as crap by those who used them in the 70s, quite simply because, rather ironically, the transistor amps of the day didn't really suit them. Also, they're rather music dependent - great with rock and pop, but less so with classical, as they're somewhat 'unsubtle', but in a rather fun way!
What system is your mate using them in?
Although the E30s use multiple drivers, the sound they produce is remarkably integrated and coherent, due to their overall high quality design and intuitive voicing.
All-in-all, they're a quality pair of speakers which would reward even further with some judicious crossover component upgrades, enabling them to embarrass many modern designs with their excellent qualities in terms of musical communication.
Tell your friend to hold onto them if he's got a nice valve amp to use them with! :cool:
Marco.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
That's all you need to know - there is absolutely no correction to the severely rising mid response, so you have next to no bass, a screaming mid and a rather rough and jangly treble, which is adjustable as I remember. Having said that, they can be huge fun, rather like baby Tannoy LGM's :)
P.S. Wharfedale was Rank owned in the late seventies IIRC
LOL! We're going to have to disagree again, Dave :lol: :lol:
*That* is fundamentally NOT how I heard them on the end of Duncan (Tubehunter's) valve-based computer audio system only a couple of months ago.
Ask Steve W (who heard the same system) what he thinks, too :)
One of the main reasons why you remember them sounding that way would've been because of the kind of screechy, soulless tranny amps they were usually paired with in the 70s!
As I said, it was rather ironic that Wharfedale designed the E series of loudspeakers, which unintentionally were a great match with valves, at a time when most of the world had fallen out of love with glowing bottles................!
Marco.
I do remember having a chat with the Wharfedale reps when these things were introduced, and they were specifically for young rock-heads with low powered amps - efficiency was the prime raison d'etre, although the crossovers were more complex than they needed to be because of the "contour" controls on the front. Why do you think they have those large trim-rings around the drivers, ports and controls???
Ah well, you've got to have the last word and put Uncle Dave in his place, so I'll shut up on this one as well :lol:
P.S. I didn't say they were bad speakers, but they do measure the way they sound, and vice versa....
Dave Hewitt
02-06-2010, 21:36
Hi,I think the e30 is a different beast to the e50 Marco heard and probably not as good.The e70 and e90 are the ones to go for these sound very good imo on single ended valve amps and will surprise with their sound.
Regards Dave.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
That's all you need to know - there is absolutely no correction to the severely rising mid response, so you have next to no bass, a screaming mid and a rather rough and jangly treble, which is adjustable as I remember. Having said that, they can be huge fun, rather like baby Tannoy LGM's :)
P.S. Wharfedale was Rank owned in the late seventies IIRC
I had a Rank stereo in the mid-70s; re-badged Rotel amp; re-badged Wharfedale speakers and BSR turntable. It wasn't very good, even when it was working (it often wasn't).
Hi,I think the e30 is a different beast to the e50 Marco heard and probably not as good.
Did Dunc have E50s then, Dave? Fair enough, however one would imagine that the E30s inherent 'house sound' would be similar, albeit a little diluted......... :)
Dave,
Ah well, you've got to have the last word and put Uncle Dave in his place, so I'll shut up on this one as well.
No not at all.
Your opinion of them is equally as valid - I was merely suggesting one of the reasons why they would've 'screamed'. How they measured explains some of it, but a significant part was also due to the unsuitable amps they were usually partnered with.
Like t'other Dave says, they really sing on the end of an SE amp (something they'd never have been used with in the 70s)! :cool:
Marco.
The Vinyl Adventure
02-06-2010, 22:38
I'm not sure what he has up stream from them... Well apart from the techie I sold him today ... He likes them though - described them as "sharp". Going round there at some point soon for a vinyl evening so il let you know my thoughts...
The Grand Wazoo
02-06-2010, 22:49
The Wharfedale E Series
E = MC squared
Where E = efficiency
M = (for real) men - with hairy chests, medallions (just like the drive units), white flairs, Capri Ghias and Timex digital watches with really wide leather straps
C = chrome-alike rings around all the drive units
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/264/wharfedaleeseries.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/i/wharfedaleeseries.jpg/)
They don't arf chuck it at yer
:lolsign:
Don't forget the free bottle of 'Blue Stratos' (or 'Denim', if you had an exceptionally big c*ck) with every pair sold!
Marco.
Dave Hewitt
03-06-2010, 08:08
dont you mean high karati?
Dave.
As you use 'em all, Dave, I bow to your superior knowledge! :eyebrows:
Marco.
Rare Bird
03-06-2010, 10:03
A mate of mine has a pair of these given to him by a mate of his fathers years back, he is very happy with them in his system but wants to know a bit more about them... Can any body help me enlighten him
:nocomment:
No Regrets
03-06-2010, 15:57
I've got a pair of vintage Wharfedale W25's that I use in my bedroom system. They date back to the sixties and have real walnut veneer. They are a true book shelf speaker, two way sealed design with an 8" woofer. Utterly fantastic sounding with low powered tubes. They excel with vocals, small jazz and classical works, anything acoustic. They can be picked up very inexpensively, but very rewarding sound wise.
I've never heard the E series Wharfedales, but if you come across a pair of these W25's......I'd highly recommend them.
Best regards,
Don (No Regrets)
The "E" series was a breed apart, a definite breed apart (:lol:), but there was something about them that promised much..
The "E" series was a breed apart, a definite breed apart (:lol:), but there was something about them that promised much..
... and delivered?
Regards
No, they behaved like a frigid tease, just like, ahem........... :eyebrows: :lol:
Marco.
The Grand Wazoo
03-06-2010, 22:42
Here's a little of what Wharfedale were telling about them at the time:
Wharfedale E30
Max. Power 75 watts
Recommended amplifier power 15-75 wpc
Sensitivity 94 dB
Freq. Range 63Hz - 18kHz
5 position contour control
............I think.
The Wharfedale E Series
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/264/wharfedaleeseries.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/i/wharfedaleeseries.jpg/)
It would have to be the E90 for me, I couldn't live with a pair of unsymmetrical speakers, I would end up beating them to death like Basil Fawlty did his car in the video Marco posted in another thread...
Agree with the 70s comments - they do look like the sort of speakers a Spanish Fly user would have... :lol:
Sorry.. I keep having to go away for work, and missing a few posts. This one included.
I'm fairly certain Duncan(Tubehunter) is using E30's.
When I went over to pick up both an amp he made then later my DAc, I listened to his system a fair bit. The second time was with a World Design amp he had just got.
I was shocked by how transparent, cohesive , detailed and musical these speakers sounded.
Even more so because way back when Brut, Denim and Hai Karate were the smells of choice I had owned and given up a pair of E70's.
If only I'd known.
Personally not sure I could live with the look today... damned sure the missus wouldn't, but I'd be tempted to fit a different grill.
However...with the right valve amp, they were sublime.
Imaging and dispersion were a no-no with the E70, as there were two mid drivers with an offset tweeter between them. Probably doesn't matter in the scheme of things, but efficiency was the key with this range.
Wakefield Turntables
24-07-2012, 11:25
How much would a pair of these go for nowadays. I'm on the look out for a pair of speakers for my mate who wants to replace his current setup.
The Vinyl Adventure
25-09-2012, 20:54
Oi Oi!
My mate has just asked me what valve amp he could get for these?
Integrated would be best, vintage would be fine I'd guess ...
c.£200
Any thoughts people??
The Vinyl Adventure
26-09-2012, 20:22
Aaaaannnnnyyyyyyoooooonnnnneeeee oooooouuuuutttttt ttttthhheeeerrrrreee?
The Grand Wazoo
26-09-2012, 21:50
£200 is tough to do for a valve amp that you can trust to be reliable Hamish.
The Vinyl Adventure
26-09-2012, 22:52
Yer I know ...
He is watching this thread so any advice for him will be great ...
Where would you start cost wise to get a safe good bet do you think?
My old chap still uses a minty pair off E70s powered by Rega Brio and that's quite a good match but any amp of 20 watts or more is man enough tbh. A good used Quad 33/303 works well with them and any SET works well. They sound bloody good IMHO, and way better than some of todays budget or even one or two so called "high-end" (LoL) marques.
90 can be a little pedestrian and takes up mucho room...it's a speaker with presence, a little like a hairy chested 70's disco fiend wearing a massive gold chain and medallion entering the room in flares and a flowery shirt. E30 and 50 lack a little bass but the 70's where its at for me. Good bass, great dynamics and far better balanced to my ears than some of the over priced boxes out there today.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.