Author Topic: Speaker Comparisons (Read 203006 times)

AngryBird · « **on:** Jun 22, 2001 at 08:32 PM »

I'm looking to set up my home theater and was offered by a local store some decent prices on these two brands. I'd just like to know if anybody here has had any good or bad experiences with Yamaha and/or Wharfedale speakers.

electronics-depot · « **Reply #1 on:** Jun 23, 2001 at 01:27 AM »

May I invite you to Electronics depot to hear a yamaha and denon comparison.

While you are there.. check out our DVD sale Buy 2 take 1 Free.

thanks,

JepX · « **Reply #2 on:** Jun 23, 2001 at 01:54 AM »

Wala pa akong natry na Yamaha speakers.
Pero I do have wharfedale 7.2 speakers yung anniversary
edition nila dati. The build quality is just plain.
not too good unlike mga ibang mas branded speakers.
Pero matibay naman sya and the sound is just fine.
Ang only complain ko lang is medyo mahina sya compared
sa ibang speakers, yun lang siguro reason kung bat
mas mura sya sa other branded speakers. I think d ata
sya umaabot ng 100watts e.
Hope this info helped you.

Compaq · « **Reply #3 on:** Jun 23, 2001 at 07:44 AM »

AngryBird :

I have a Yamaha NS-55 Speaker (main) and NS-C120 (Center). Considering their price... this is what they call a "Bang for the Buck".

You may visit Listening in Style (Shangri-la) & Listening Room (Mega Mall) to check out Yamaha... then listen to Wharfedale speakers... Let your two precious ears be the judge...

AngryBird · « **Reply #4 on:** Jun 23, 2001 at 07:53 AM »

Yeah, I know I should listen first. Do these audio stores actually help you out in testing these speakers? I mean, I can actually have them set up all 5 or 6 speakers for me to try out?

And if they don't, do you guys know any techniques on how to roughly estimate or approximate the quality/performance of these speakers (or for any other loudspeaker brand for that matter)?

electronics-depot · « **Reply #5 on:** Jun 23, 2001 at 10:41 AM »

Dear Angrybird:

Our store would like to invite you to listen to different kinds of speakers that will suit your taste and budget. We have a Denon and Yamaha AVR combination and you can choose whatever speaker you want. We have low end speaker systems to high end.

Pls. visit us along Libis, (in front of FORD).

While you are there pls. check out our Region 3 sale.. Buy 2 Take 1 FREE!!!

thanks...

rtsy · « **Reply #6 on:** Jun 26, 2001 at 12:17 AM »

Hi Angrybird,

Which specific Yamaha receiver are you referring to? Ditto for the Wharfdale speakers. What's the budget so we could comment/suggest alternatives?

When I bought my system 9 months ago, I listened to all the brands that I could get my hands on. For receivers, I listened to Sony, Sony ES, Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, NAD, Sunfire/ATI, EAD. For speakers, I listened to B&W, Mission, Tannoy, Paradigm, Definitive Tech, PSB, etc.

Stereo performance was critical to me as I have quite a bit of CD's. On this criteria alone, I shortlisted Onkyo, Denon, and NAD as I found the Yamaha's sound to be quite unnatural/too processed and rather thin/lean. The Onkyo was sounded warm while the Denon's standout quality was the soudstage. In the end, I found the best compromise in the NAD T760.

As for speakers, I shortlisted the B&W 300 series (I found that I preferred this over the more expensive 600 series)Mission 73-series, PSB, and Dynaudio. In the end, I can't get the kind of pace and resolution of the Dynaudios anywhere else so I treated myself to the Audience line.

I've read that the Yamaha's have since significantly improved their stereo performance while maintaining excellent home theater clout but I haven't auditioned for myself to find out.

About Wharfdale, I think this is one company that has seen better days. Although they're trying a revival of sorts with thir latest offerings.

levi · « **Reply #7 on:** Aug 08, 2001 at 08:42 AM »

I got the Wharfedale 8.1 for my speaker B of my AVR to be use as pipe in music in another room. I only have a small budget that's why I chose it. It sound great in the store but I was not really able to listen to it very well.They use Yam 596. I got since its very cheap and I know nothing could go wrong. When I tested it, the midrange was okay but the tweeter, you can hardly hear it. I tried everything but still the same.It can be bi wired so I tried connecting to the tweeter only and it was really weak. I want to know if anyone have tried Wharf 8.1 and what is your experience? Im bringing it back tom to have it check. Im using Yam 496.

muscleboy · « **Reply #8 on:** Aug 08, 2001 at 07:14 PM »

Quote

I got the Wharfedale 8.1 for my speaker B of my AVR to be use as pipe in music in another room. I only have a small budget that's why I chose it. It sound great in the store but I was not really able to listen to it very well.They use Yam 596. I got since its very cheap and I know nothing could go wrong. When I tested it, the midrange was okay but the tweeter, you can hardly hear it. I tried everything but still the same.It can be bi wired so I tried connecting to the tweeter only and it was really weak. I want to know if anyone have tried Wharf 8.1 and what is your experience? Im bringing it back tom to have it check. Im using Yam 496.

I used to use my Wharfedale 7.2 as front speakers and I agree that the tweeter is a bit lacking in detail. You can't pump the volume up on these babies too. The price is ok though (4.5k a pair) for the sound, nice midrange and sufficient bass for a small room. It is used as surrounds as I'm now using my Dynaudio Audience 40 for my fronts. I tell you these Dynaudios can really play clean and loud (150W long-term power handling). You need a decent recvr/amp to push them though.
On the yamahas, I find the stereo sound a bit dry and unnatural (just my opinion), I agree on rtsy's preference on the NAD T760 recvr. Stereo sound on it is very good. I'm using a Harman/Kardon AVR 4000 DD/DTS recvr, btw.

manila · « **Reply #9 on:** Aug 09, 2001 at 05:03 AM »

Hello,
First thing is the receiver, Yamaha's sounds too shrill for my taste and a bit thin in the mids thought they have good bottom end bass. But I would suggest you to audition Denon, Marantz and Musical Fidelity! I personally purchased the now discontinued Sony N9000ES and E9000ES range so I can't recommend you something that is not available anymore

Wharfedales is okay but they are fairly ordinary sounding, check out Dynaudio, Sonus Faber, Energy or Mission. These are a set of musical speakers that you can't go wrong with!

levi · « **Reply #10 on:** Aug 09, 2001 at 08:51 AM »

I returned the Wharfedale 8.1 this morning and replaced it with B&W 303. It sound a lot better but more expensive . With my limited budget I think the Yamaha is okay for me for now. Anyway how much are the NAD and Harman? Have you tried Genelec speakers? Its being used by my office before and I think its one of the best. A lot of Top studios use Genelec like Sony Main Studio in New York. Try also peerless its from Denmark same as Dynaudio. They make mission speakers and there is a distributor here. They sell it as raw, meaning just the drivers and tweeters and no box but he can make a box if you want. Its very affordable.

Thames · « **Reply #11 on:** Aug 09, 2001 at 08:59 AM »

San ba meron NAD receivers sa Metro Manila, and how much is NAD T760? Do have any feedbacks abt Yamaha RXV-620? Sony STR DB930?

Thanks in advance.

rtsy · « **Reply #12 on:** Aug 10, 2001 at 03:19 AM »

--> San ba meron NAD receivers sa Metro Manila,

Audio Visual Driver over at Shangri-la Mall.

--> and how much is NAD T760?

PhP45-50k.

--> Sony STR DB930?

Heard this when buying a receiver for my bro-in-law. Much preferred the Onkyo TX-DS575 or the Yamaha 595 with better effects steering.

rtsy · « **Reply #13 on:** Aug 10, 2001 at 03:22 AM »

--> But I would suggest you to
--> audition Denon, Marantz and
--> Musical Fidelity!

Where can I hear Marantz in Manila? Does MF now make a receiver?

--> I personally purchased the now
--> discontinued Sony N9000ES and
--> E9000ES

Have you tried upgrading the firmware? What version are you using. What's the latest on Sony's plans to enable this unit with DVD-A/multichannel SACD? I heard beofre that Sony was going to sell a third box to do the upgrade. Magnificent units. I helped my boss choose this one.

--> Dynaudio, Sonus Faber

If your budget is for Wharfdale or B&W 300 series, these would be way out of the league sadle as these are great speakers.

allenars · « **Reply #14 on:** Oct 18, 2001 at 04:57 AM »

Hi,

As i've read your recommendation i would like to know kung saan ba talaga yan warehouse sa libis? and what number?

by the way, i'm planning to buy yamaha RX-V1000 is it a good choice?

do you have some advise?

Allen

Quote

Dear Angrybird:

Our store would like to invite you to listen to different kinds of speakers that will suit your taste and budget. We have a Denon and Yamaha AVR combination and you can choose whatever speaker you want. We have low end speaker systems to high end.

Pls. visit us along Libis, (in front of FORD).

While you are there pls. check out our Region 3 sale.. Buy 2 Take 1 FREE!!!

thanks...

aln · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 10, 2002 at 11:58 PM »

i have a yamaha cntr & sur spkrs(forgot the model na eh), which i bought from listening room 7 months ago. the price is 3,500 for the whole set. ok naman yung sound pero parang flat yung sound ng sur spkrs. i hav an onkyo tx-sv444 n avr, b&w na front and a subs na bundled sa tv. im planning to buy a new subs pag me pera n siguro....

levi · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 11, 2002 at 12:11 AM »

Hello Aln welcome to PinoyDVD,

If your planning to get a sub start checking this. What's Your Subwoofer & Specs? Part 2 It might help.

@tomicZen · « **Reply #17 on:** Nov 25, 2002 at 02:10 PM »

Which of the following has a good quality sound output?
Fenton, Targa, Dai-chi, Konzert?

rtsy · « **Reply #18 on:** Nov 25, 2002 at 04:56 PM »

What are the prices on these stuff?

You might want to consider enty level models from specialist brands like B&W, Mission, PSB, Acoustic Energy, Paradigm. Likely to sound better for the money and has better resale value when you upgrade later on.

Many pre-owned models are floating around. 'Tis the time of year for upgrades.

Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pinoydiophiles for more quality audio discussions.

gbernardo · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 28, 2004 at 05:29 PM »

Guys, I'm looking for new speakers in the same class as Yamaha. Yamaha and Gale are in the same price range, any feedback as to what is better? Also, Gale rear speakers feature the bi-polar design, supposed to give a "sound dispersion associated with movie theaters". Is this design really better than the classic design? Thanks for any advice.

av_phile1 · « **Reply #20 on:** Dec 28, 2004 at 05:34 PM »

Bi-polar and di-polar speakers provide a wide dispersion of sounds that can't be localized - a desireable trait for movie surrounds. They are better placed on the sides rather than directly at the back. Excellent for HT, not always for multichannel music.

gbernardo · « **Reply #21 on:** Dec 29, 2004 at 12:12 PM »

I see... So if I want to use my system for both movies and music, then I should stick to the conventional speaker designs?

Also, any feedback on Polk Audio speakers?

Thanks very much!!!!

av_phile1 · « **Reply #22 on:** Dec 29, 2004 at 01:33 PM »

Quote from: gbernardo on Dec 29, 2004 at 12:12 PM

I see... So if I want to use my system for both movies and music, then I should stick to the conventional speaker designs?

Also, any feedback on Polk Audio speakers?

Thanks very much!!!!

Some audiophiles have both, switching to one or the other depending on the source material used. Many classical SACDs have ambiance on the surrounds so a dipole or bipole is preferred. OTH, some jazz and pop DVD-As have drums or percussion at the back so a direct firing coventional speaker is preferred. You'd be in luck if your receiver has selectable A and B speaker set for the rear.

Polk Audio is an American brand with models in the mid-price range that are excellent. Though I heard they compete with Bose speakers head-on. Personally, I prefer the more neutral sounding British speakers.

greg · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 01, 2005 at 11:57 AM »

hi im new here as well, but i would just like to give my opinion on your inquiry. Both yamaha and gale are good entry level systems. And yes their pricing is very favorable and competitive. I myself had to choose 2mos ago which to get. I auditioned both, and to tell you frankly, my amateur ears we're impressed by both brands. I however took Gale speakers, and im very happy with it's performance and movie/music flexibility. goodluck and happy new year!@!!

[r0n1n] · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 05, 2005 at 07:58 AM »

Quote from: greg on Jan 01, 2005 at 11:57 AM

hi im new here as well, but i would just like to give my opinion on your inquiry. Both yamaha and gale are good entry level systems. And yes their pricing is very favorable and competitive. I myself had to choose 2mos ago which to get. I auditioned both, and to tell you frankly, my amateur ears we're impressed by both brands. I however took Gale speakers, and im very happy with it's performance and movie/music flexibility. goodluck and happy new year!@!!

sir bookshelf or floorstander yung i-audition mo? how much? 8 ohms din ba ang gale? kasi ang yamaha ata 6 ohms

thanks

arthurallanj · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 05, 2005 at 12:58 PM »

I personally prefer direct firing speakers for my surrounds. My main reason is I've always thought of dipolar and bipolar speakers as speakers created for the prologic days when the surround signals were not discrete and a wider and indirect dispersion was more ideal. These days, I'd like to think that direct radiating speakers are better since signals fed into all channels are discrete and sound exactly the way they were meant to. But we all know it's still best to direct the speaker sound a bit above the listener's ear and not directly to so as to have that enveloping result. But that's just me.

greg · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 08, 2005 at 11:46 AM »

Quote from: r0n1n on Jan 05, 2005 at 07:58 AM

sir bookshelf or floorstander yung i-audition mo? how much? 8 ohms din ba ang gale? kasi ang yamaha ata 6 ohms

thanks

hi sir! i tested the floorstanders of both brands!!! parehong ok except 8ohms yung sa gale, but nevertheless they haven't failed to satisfy my listening requirements which could possibly be different from others...

honestly..... i really found the aesthetics of gale to be a notch higher..

rgadingan · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 11, 2005 at 12:08 PM »

Hi all!

I asked a store owner regarding these two speakers and she seemed to
favor on Crystal 10. I want to know your thoughts on these two speakers.

Regards

bumblebee · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 11, 2005 at 01:12 PM »

Quote from: rgadingan on Jan 11, 2005 at 12:08 PM

Hi all!

I asked a store owner regarding these two speakers and she seemed to
favor on Crystal 10. I want to know your thoughts on these two speakers.

Regards

why not get the new diamonds? very reasonably priced too.

anyway, you can check out the reviews here by fellow members. i think i'll get the 8.1

gbernardo · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 20, 2005 at 07:33 AM »

Quote from: arthurallanj on Jan 05, 2005 at 12:58 PM

I personally prefer direct firing speakers for my surrounds. My main reason is I've always thought of dipolar and bipolar speakers as speakers created for the prologic days when the surround signals were not discrete and a wider and indirect dispersion was more ideal. These days, I'd like to think that direct radiating speakers are better since signals fed into all channels are discrete and sound exactly the way they were meant to. But we all know it's still best to direct the speaker sound a bit above the listener's ear and not directly to so as to have that enveloping result. But that's just me.

Have you tried listening to both? There are some great speakers that do not offer biploar speakers as surrounds, but since I read from the internet that bipoles give "better surround experience" I am becoming biased towards them. I'm still planning to audition both types, though, when I have the time. Thanks!