tama av_phile. good egfineering has it's price- in many situations, diminishing returns.
i definitely does not have the capability to buy $15K speakers, but i will get the best my money can buy, even if that means twice as much but it will "get me there."
initially, i only wanted to have something that sounds "ok" and at the wharfe's price point it seems "what have i got to lose?" but when i heard it (the 9.5 specifically), it lacks the minimum qualities i'm looking for in a speaker, so even if it is cheap, will i live with it's imperfections? definitely not! if i buy it based on price alone, and everyday i listen to it i will just long for things i cannot hear or just sound not right for me, nagsayang lang ako ng pera. might as well look for something else, maybe in the same price range, or twice as much.
a week after i've auditioned both the 9.4 and 9.5 at spectra, i went to architectural audio and listened to the Dali Concept 2 (bookshelf). based on my preferences, it creamed both 9.4 and 9.5 in all areas except bass. but then again, the bass of the 9.5 was loose, wobbly and disoriented so even if it has "more" bass than the Concept 2, i still wouldn't want "more" but is "not passable" for me.
in fairness, the Concept 2 has enough break in period, the reason i was looking for a wharfe setup (broken in) as i would like to give it another go before i remove it from my shortlist.
i am not expecting over the top performance for my other setup. i just want the replacement to sound better than what i currently have- BOSE 301 Continental Special Edition (this is a 15 year-old speaker!). napakadali sanang talunin, di ba?