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Thread: Repair, leave as is or replace Valdus centre speaker?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jun 2018

    Location: Dublin, Ireland

    Posts: 36
    I'm Joe.

    Question Repair, leave as is or replace Valdus centre speaker?

    As part of my home theatre setup I have a Wharfedale Valdus Centre speaker. (back in the day they didn't look pretty but what was saved on looks was spent on sound as it was a pretty good centre for the money.) It has served me well for over 20 years now. I moved house last year and in the move the rubber surround on one of the speakers got damaged. Basically it has become sticky and in the move the grille got pressed against it. So when I removed the grille to see what the sticky stuff was, it pulled a hole in the rubber surround.

    I've still be using it for the last 10 months or so and it doesn't seem to have affected the sound. But the anal part of me knows that there is a "non-perfect" driver behind the grille..... To get a new driver from Wharfedale would be about 60 quid to me. Equivalent shielded ones on eBay/ Amazon work out to be about the same cost. And the speaker cost me about 130 over 20 years ago. So then I said for that money I may as well upgrade it...….and I was about to buy a Dali Zensor centre to match my main stereo speakers, but with my room I can't really fit a bigger (deeper) centre speaker...

    So leave it alone?
    Replace the driver?
    Or are there better small centres out there?

    (I know that the front 3 should be the same make/ model for tonal balance, but to be honest, I've never really found an issue for movies with them not matching)

    Any opinions? Suggestions?

  2. #2
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,773
    I'm Martin.

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    Have you tried doing without the centre speaker? De-select it on your amplifier and it will split the centre channel signal between the two main front speakers. I prefer this to using a separate centre as do a number of people.


    If your not keen on that I'd agree replacing the driver is not cost effective. Trouble is decent centre speakers tend to be pricey for no real reason. Even used ones. But if you can find another Valdus centre on eBay or somewhere it shouldn't cost more than fifty quid.


    Agree that there's no need to have matching speakers all round unless you are using the system for multi channel music as well as films. Even then the benefit is slight unless the mis-match is extreme.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Jul 2009

    Location: Hampshire, UK

    Posts: 3,662
    I'm Adam.

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    Why don’t you replace the surround? Most places that sell foam surrounds also sell rubber ones.
    Engineers: fixing problems you didn't know you had in ways you don't understand.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Aug 2010

    Location: East Midlands

    Posts: 426
    I'm Hugh.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    Have you tried doing without the centre speaker? De-select it on your amplifier and it will split the centre channel signal between the two main front speakers. I prefer this to using a separate centre as do a number of people.

    This /\

  5. #5
    Join Date: Jun 2018

    Location: Dublin, Ireland

    Posts: 36
    I'm Joe.

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    Good suggestions on both points. I never thought of replacing the surround or just looking for a complete second hand Valdus..
    I'll also try the system set to just 4 speakers and see how it sounds. Cheers.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    I'm still in the camp of QUALITY centre-speakers making a significant difference. Unfortunately Joe, a Valdus doesn't really qualify as such. I had one once. It's ok. but very much at the budget end of things.

    Therefore, if you can't afford to spend more, I'd stick to the advice you've been given. However, what front speakers are you using? I've got vintage Celestion 15XRs, as fronts, and simply a single one of those performing the role of a centre speaker, which I've also re-capped along with the fronts.

    It works a treat (really adding depth and clarity to vocals and explosive effects), and only cost £30! Good vintage speakers can be the way to go in a home-cinema system, as if you shop around they can be much cheaper than modern options. Plus, the less 'in yer face' voicing/sonic presentation is arguably more suited to today's movie soundtracks

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  7. #7
    Join Date: Jun 2018

    Location: Dublin, Ireland

    Posts: 36
    I'm Joe.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    I'm still in the camp of QUALITY centre-speakers making a significant difference. Unfortunately Joe, a Valdus doesn't really qualify as such. I had one once. It's ok. but very much at the budget end of things.

    Therefore, if you can't afford to spend more, I'd stick to the advice you've been given. However, what front speakers are you using? I've got vintage Celestion 15XRs, as fronts, and simply a single one of those performing the role of a centre speaker, which I've also re-capped along with the fronts.

    It works a treat (really adding depth and clarity to vocals and explosive effects), and only cost £30! Good vintage speakers can be the way to go in a home-cinema system, as if you shop around they can be much cheaper than modern options. Plus, the less 'in yer face' voicing/sonic presentation is arguably more suited to today's movie soundtracks

    Marco.
    Oh yes I know it is definitely budget even when new. But it was best of the crop at that price range. And it has served me well. My mains are Dali Zensor 5s. I was about to buy a Dali Zensor Vokal to replace the Valdus, but when I measured up, I simply don't have the room to fit a centre that deep. So the Valdus was kept. I can go wider and higher, but just not deeper.....


    I have fairly new Wharfedale Diamond 9s in a box in the attic, I could use one of them. But is the issue of shielding around amps and telly no longer an issue?

    Or else I will look for some better class of older speaker but that fits.

  8. #8
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

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    Magnet shielding is not an issue with modern televisions. It was with old CRT screens, where the internal mask could be affected.

    As for centre speakers, some might say they just add information for image placement and all that is required for this is the directional information in higher frequencies, not full range audio. Many years ago, there was a Hafler circuit enabling a tweeter only to be used centrally between two stereo speakers to 'fill the gap' as it were. This worked, I tried it. Unfortunately, it also adulterated the true stereo image separation, as does any centre speaker.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Regardless, as movie soundtracks are artificially created, good ones in my experience can definitely add something beneficial to the overall experience, plus add an extra dimension to the reproduction of 5.1 music Blurays/DVDs.

    I wouldn't be without my centre speaker

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  10. #10
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    I suppose there is another way of looking at this. You could have one huge central speaker covering the full audio bandwidth and two small speakers, one each side. Bass is said by some to provide little directional information (not sure I agree mind you), so it could emanate from the middle, whilst the directional cues could come from each small side speaker.

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