Wharfedale E70, any good?

[Andris]

Sorry guys, i'm not really clued up on vintage speakers so was wondering if anyone would be able to shed some light on Wharfedale E70. Would appreciate some background on these speakers and also what would be a reasonable value of these now-a-days?

Thanks,
Andris

[icehockeyboy]

A quick Google will bring forth opinions, from " best in the world" to " a bit forward"

Your ears should tell you. (assuming you can have a listen first?)

[Andris]

A quick Google will bring forth opinions, from " best in the world" to " a bit forward"

Your ears should tell you. (assuming you can have a listen first?)

That's a negative!

[jostber]

A discussion on the speakers at diyaudio.com here:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi...-back-80s.html

[YNWaN]

I remember them - but not very fondly.

I've just had a look at the DIYaudio link - blimey, there is some rose tinted, romantic, bollocks being posted there. They didn't have cast chassis (but they did have a turned aluminium trim ring on the bass drivers, just for looks). The build quality was OK, but certainly not exceptional in any way. Basically, they were pretty efficient speakers that suffered from rather lightweight chipboard cabinets and leaned towards boom and tizz.

[StanleyB]

They were not designed for the classical music fans. But rock, pop, reggae, house, jungle, D&B won't sound disappointing. I love the look of them and have had a set or two on long term loan from one of my previous employers. Highly efficient drivers. Friendly and understanding neighbours preferred. Don't know about current prices, but I would quite happily pay up to £250 for a pair in good condition if I was offered a set and needed any more speakers.

I have a friend who has had a pair since the early 80's and after I fixed him up with a Sony V-FET amp he has not been willing to part with them for love nor money.

[The Grand Wazoo]

There is a thread on AoS that discusses this range - do a search.
You won't need much power - the E in the name is a clue to that!

[DSJR]

If you want bass from a given box and driver, you have to reduce sensitivity. if you want efficiency, you lose bass, if you want both, you need BIG boxes.. The "E" series were an attempt at efficiency-first, so you get not very much bass, a screaming mid and rather agressive treble. Suitably matched, these can be enormous fun, but get 'em wrongly matched or set up, and you'll get hearing damage

[StanleyB]

The treble and mid has adjustable gain so that you can match the bass output indirectly to your needs.

But talking about bass and efficiency; you can't beat the Cerwin Vega AT80, and I doubt anyone ever did. Still my favourite party animal speaker of all time, which I had to get rid of due to complaints from the wife and the neighbours. At about the size of a small fridge it was not easy to hide. But I digress..

[DSJR]

The treble and mid has adjustable gain so that you can match the bass output indirectly to your needs.

But talking about bass and efficiency; you can't beat the Cerwin Vega AT80, and I doubt anyone ever did. Still my favourite party animal speaker of all time, which I had to get rid of due to complaints from the wife and the neighbours. At about the size of a small fridge it was not easy to hide. But I digress..

HiFi Dave and I know exactly where you're coming from with these