Sir ask ko lang kung ano yung pinag kaiba ng Polk Audio sa Wharfedale? I am planning to buy TSI300
Check out a review done by a fellow pinoy dvd member on several speakers:
It was a boring afternoon at the office. Tumakas ako to go to parksquare and gb1 to audition the speakers. Luckily, trimmed down na ang choices ko.
During the audition, I chose one of my favorite concert cd’s. Because I used to play in a band, I am very familiar with the sound of the musical instruments when played live. Anyway the sound that I was looking for is the overall quality of the reverb, full-bodied toms and snare, tight bass drums, airy female vocals, crisp sibilance, detailed hi hats, loud crash cymbals, and defined based notes. Anyway these are my amateur observations based on my preference:
1. Diamond 9.5 matched with HK 245
Low – 9 (great bass notes tight bass drums)
Mid – 8 (smooth)
High – 8 (subdued)
The overall sound of the wharfedale’s are good. The base notes sound detailed and raw (in a jazzy way). It stands out without really affecting the overall music. The mids and highs really created a perfect combination that resulted in crisp and smooth vocals without being hissy. Nice reverbs as well. However, I would categorize the highs as subdued. Because of this, the low-mid-high balance that I was looking for wasn’t really there. The snare and toms sounded great but the hi hats (although smooth), was left behind by in the music.
2. Aurum Cantus F6600 matched with HK245
Low – 7
Mid – 7
High – 6 (harsh)
I wasn’t able to appreciate the tonal characteristics of this speaker probably because it wasn’t fully broken in yet. However, I would consider the bass notes as “compressed” and not as deep as the wharfes. The hi’s were too harsh for my taste. The combination of the mids and hi’s was not as great as the wharfes. There was something lacking in the mid-high that resulted in a dark and hollow female voice compared to the crisp vocals that I head in the wharfes.
3. MS Carnical 6 matched with Yamaharxv 563
Low – 8
Mid – 6 (distorted)
Hi – 6 (harsh)
The carnival 6 was too harsh for my taste.
4. MS 904i matched with Azur 540i
Low – 6
Mid – 8 (forward)
Hi – 10 (detailed)
I actually appreciated the smoothness of the hi’s in this speaker. It wasn’t subdued like the wharfes’. It wasn’t harsh like the carnival 6 but rather detailed and controlled. The mid sounds “forward” and the female vocals sounded “airy” compared to the crisp vocals from the wharfes. The lows were nevermind. I’ll need a subwoofer for this floorstander. Overall, the 904i is more biased in the hi frequencies and did not meet my balanced requirement.
5. Mission 33i matched with Onkyo sr506
Low – 7
Mid – 9
Hi – 9 (smooth)
This speaker is balanced and sounded dry. There weren’t so much reverb. I was honestly expecting something like the wharfes combined with the 904i because I read from the forums that the missions were detailed in their highs at the same time musical. Probably it had something to do with the Onkyo. I have yet to hear the m33i matched with a Harman kardon. Review to follow…
6. Polk Audio TSI300 matched with Harman Kardon
Low – 8
Mid – 10 (airy vocals, excellent reverb)
Hi – 9 (smooth)
This speaker is in a league of its own. Great reverbs – it feels like you’re in the actual concert hall. The female vocals were “airy” and crisp at the same time. The lows were good and the bass notes were defined without being boomy. The snare/toms had the punch that I was expecting from a floor stander. The hi hats and cymbals were defined yet controlled. It is not as “forward sounding” as the ms 904i but the overall balance was great. If it wasn’t for the missions, I would have immediately chosen this. But I wouldn’t give up on the missions just yet.
So after everything, here are my revised options:
1. Polk Audio TSI300 paired w/ Harman Kardon
2. Mission 33i paired with Harman kardon (I have yet to hear this)
3. Wharfedale 9.1 enhanced by A-Audio (w/ SW150 Sub) paired with Harman Kardon
