Wow ... the Polk LSiM703 as bettered in England by the Monitor Audio RX6 as Polk is American and needs different stuff. Far Eastern works well with Monitor Audio as its drivers were made there. Polk has a ring radiator tweeter so would work with the QUAD 405-2 custom engineered to work with Spendor SP1. We have to be careful to match speakers to the electronics. -Best amplifier for Ribbon Tweeters?
After listening to these basically non-stop for the past few days, here’s my thoughts. First, the Monitor Audio Silver 300 7g’s that I recently got will sadly be going back, because the Auras aren’t going anywhere. I certainly haven’t owned as many speakers as Steve, but I have owned or borrowed Magnepan LRS, Magnepan 1.7, LSiM703, Kef r7, MA Silver 300 7g, MA Silve 200 6g, Evo 4.2, Polk r600, and now Aura 2, so I have a few comparison points. I live in a townhome and mainly listen at low to medium volumes. I have had real trouble finding speakers that can deliver the full audio experience at low volumes…so many speakers don’t really come alive until they are cranked. The Aura’s do low volume listening amazingly well! Even at low volumes, they have a way of transferring energy that just feels very commanding and natural. The bass is very present but extremely clean and controlled which to me is important to not drown the treble and midrange at low volumes. I actually have them eq’d down a bit on the bottom end. The treble is detailed like my MA 300’s but even smoother. Really thrilled with them so far, which is not usually my response with new speakers. That huge AMT tweeter really is amazing. Also I wanted to mention that being in my living room, I get tired of having a tiny sweet spot where if you tilt your head one way it feels like the sound is unbalanced/out of phase. These do not seem to be anywhere near as directional as most of my other speakers which makes them a great fit for a more general purpose room that isn't strictly a listening room with a single center seat. Anyway, just my experience with my equipment, in my room, with my ears, and my music.
Mine (the walnut version) are somewhere between Crutchfield and home in a 105 lbs. box. Will be connected to marantz model 30 and pretty big upgrade from 6gen monitor audio silver series 100s. Can’t wait
@@markbayer1665 You mean the Aura 4 are coming from Crutchfield in a lorry on some US highway? Well we're happy for you but Marantz you know? The Model 30 you know? It's not a Wharfedale suited amplifier, in England it was use KEF, it Europe Dali, but in the US they use Fleetwood Deville but where are you?
Although the sub isn't strictly necessary, the walnut veneered Aura would look mighty fine with that REL Classic 98 sub and the Leak amp or maybe the NAD C 3050. That'd be a great looking system.
I sold Wharfedales way back in the '70's. Their claim to fame was sand lined cabinets. The cabinets had hollow walls filled with sand for deadening! Like the W70 or W90. Very heavy units!
@@narabdela I sold them on the retail floor when I started in '70. A good friend DYI'd speakers with a dual, hollow layer construction and fill them with sand. Had to empty the sand to move them.
The Evo 4.1's are still a very strong choice in 2 way, slightly smaller bookshelf. They are a bit cheaper, but have a very similar look and specs to the the Aura's and to my own ear, similar sound signature. Maybe what was said in the video is true, the Aura's may be more like the Elysian's had been, but the Evo's are still hard to beat for the price point. Worth a listen, especially if you can get them from a place with a good return policy
Glad to see an AMT tweeter that isn't bumblebee yellow. I bought the Diamond 12.2 for my den based on your review. Love those things paired with a Polk Audio sub.
The way Wharfedale implement the AMT tweeter is amazing compared to a lot of others. Not that others are bad, but Wharfedale seem to understand them better than most. It is good to see the colour toned down somewhat
@@AbsoluteFidelity I like a slightly more detailed top end, but that London / BBC Curve can be nice for some types of vinyl recordings. I ended up with a pair of Evo 4.2's instead of the Diamonds. They still have the Wharfedale warmth, but the top end is slightly more detailed with the AMT tweeters.
@@EsotericArctos I find speakers without the BBC Dip to play well with normal volumes but when you crank it up, it can get a quite harsh. Most generic songs these days have that 1-3khz region bumped up to present more 'presence' and our ears are particularly sensitive to that region so it can be a good thing. Ive had the Evos before (4.2 and 4.4) and they had too small of a sweet spot for me. When I was locked it, they sounded fantastic but when I even moved my head a few centimeters I would find myself out of that magical world. And yes, the Evo has better resolution than the Diamonds, AMTs are great when done right!
I received the Aua 2s two days ago in the Piano Walnut and they are beatiful, did not have the bass I expected but had my speakers set to small,. setting them to large did the trick, I love them !
Love Wharfedale. These do seem within between the Evo and Elysian line, but, as a VERY happy EVO 4.4 owner, not sure I would want to trade the soft-dome mid of the EVO's for the cone of the Aura. The dome and large AMT of the EVO is the secret sauce I think.
Secret sauce? wow. No Wharfedale always used a cone mid so marketing is watching. The dome mid is an Australian ATC thing, both use far eastern sounding amplifiers. The customer decides.
@@stonefree1911 Well Steve reckons the dome mid is not in the audiophile category and you know we see it in Home Theater Wharfedale tower speakers where wide dispersion of certain hissing effects used in movies is most appreciated but you know for music from records and stuff, Steve reckons the cone driver is best.
. The design difficulty with both both models is incorporating the Tweeter. It has such a high crossover point that, by necessity, the end product is really a 2 1/2-way loudspeaker in reverse. At 4.5kHz (and I'll bet a really sloped curve), the mid-range has to go way up there to meet the AMT/Ribbon. Thus it's taking both drivers to cover the HF range & consequently the mid can't cover the lower mid so the woofer has to get crossed way high for a 3-way. So it's a 3-way covering a 2 1/2-way range. Dome or cone? I'll argue a compression driver with horn would better cover the mid-range in this case & bring some life to a very mild "sauce". Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
Thanks Steve! - My first (and only) Warfdale experience was in early 1970. The reason I remember this, is that they had the most awesome smooth low end bass - which was basically unknown at that time. - Cheers!
@dilbyjones In your dream, might be, but “they” did not send any speakers to Danny. Mostly just his RUclips customers. All he does is just adjusting the frequency response which you can do easily with DSP any way.
I watched many videos about speakers last night because I am interested in Lintons. I guess that's why I spent last night dreaming about buying speakers (and got Elysian 2). Oh, that was a nice dream... How would those compare to Auras?
Re; System of the Week............ Congrats, it's only the second time I've seen a lay-out that didn't pile all their components on the ground between the speakers. Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
Whom started that ridiculous arrangement? (edit) In fact, the further away the gear from loudspeakers (given; balanced cables) the less vibrations & microphonics have effect. And, it always looks like a Yard Sale.
The Aura line look like they are borrowing from the Elsyian line again, and they look similar to the Evo line. What makes these different to the EVO line, that uses a similar shaped cabinet and similar driver compliment? The Evo's were down firing ports also, had the same finishes as the Aura and were bi-wired also. All the speds look similar to the Evo's also. I am asking as I have Evo 4.1's at the moment and I am looking at moving to something in a three way design and to move the Evo 4.1's to surround duties. :)
One of your best reviews (and shirts). The DWX with my REL 510 sounds like a yummy yearn. I like my Zen Adagios, super clear you are there vocals with the round ribbon tweeter. Plus they're made by a Zen Buddhist. Get a hold of that new MoFi turntable for $6k!!
Live and Rock and Roll Animal ( same concert) is a great rock record. Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner we’re an incredible guitar duo along with Pakashi John on bass.
The only Wharfedale speakers I own are the little Diamond 2.0 I bought on sale for $250 to play with before upgrading, and I love 'em. I was considering the Lintons until Steve's reviews talked me into the Zu DW6 and I'm not sorry. I wonder if the shorter warranty on the Aura is because of the tweeter? I have the original "Switched-On Bach" by Walter Carlos that I bought back in the day, and I remember being confused when I was hearing about Wendy Carlos, wondering if it was his wife or sister, lol. Anyway I'm going to dig out that one and give it a spin.
I love the Bob Clearmountain interview! If you haven’t watched it yet you should. Really interesting guy, and the two really click. You can tell he’s enjoying talking with Steve every bit as much as Steve enjoys talking with Bob.
I have the Elysian 4 floorstanders and absolutely love them. If the Aura comes a fair way to doing what the Elysian does at a lower price point then they will be good value indeed. I have just purchased a pair of Denton XP2 from the 70s and hope to revitalise them, so I will have bookended 50 years of Wharfedale in my system.
Yep. I have a bunch of modern (ish) amps from 12.5 Watts a side to 215 Watts, so we will see what works. However recently I picked up a couple of 1970s JVC receivers, which do about 25 Watts each, so I will see how they fare. Interestingly. I fixed up a 1970s Aiwa cassette recently. It sounded awful in my system, but great with those 1970s pieces. Must be synergy.
Great video Steve. With a budget of £3.500 ish I wondered if you could make some recommendations on speakers. I was looking at the JBL100 Classics. I'm listening to Zeppelin, Stones, Bowie type music generally. Can you help???
In 1981 bought my first system rega 3, creek 4040, Haybrook HB1, didn't want the Warfindales Haybrooks better, however, you're right I think they were that $150 adjusting for value that now = $495. the current diamonds don't cost that and there is a lot that's better for that price, maybe not so cheap
I bought my first cd system in 1987, with a pair of Heybrook HB1. I still have and use that pair of HB1, repaired/replaced the dried out foam surrounds of the woofers a couple of years ago. The Heybrooks were designed by Peter Comeau, who was also the founder/owner of Heybrook. Later Peter started to design/develop loudspeakers for all kinds of British brands - and still does - most of them currently owned by International Audio Group (IAG), like Wharfedale, Mission, Quad and Castle. It's a nice idea that more than 40 years after one's first HB1 you can still buy a pair of modern loudspeakers by the same, still active, designer.
@@patricaomas8750 Thanks for the info. Like I said, I still have and use my original HB1s. 1600 pound sterling for a pair of replicas? That's pretty steep..You can buy a new pair of Wharfedale Linton 85th with matching stands (or Evo 4.4) and nice cables for that.. 😅 Apples, oranges.
Think they use better materials, also have you seen that Top Gear episode with the Etype everything was made to modern specs and was individually made with no production line runs it was £300,000 you're totally correct so can't see them making large runs. However, it also highlights my original point about people looking back at the costs decades ago.
Many older speakers still kick ass even today, However all speakers are room dependant, some are better than others . For my needs sealed enclosure fits the bill . The Scm 11s are more than enough speaker for me, along with my Dali Menuet se . My journey stops in speakers now, and I have so many to part ways with, including the Evo 4.2s . What a time it is for anything audio right now . Thanks for the review Steve .
If memory servers it was W Carlos that did a show with one of the first really big lighting effects shows. Perhaps the Pablo Lightshow? Incredible performances!
Great review, and i cannot wait to hear these. But the tripods your using for this review, doesen´t compliment the speakers aesthetics/looks. B wtf. I´m sure they work. Cheers from Denmark.
Guaranteed that the Brystons will be twice as expensive. Bryston speakers are basically Axiom audio speakers taken to the next level. I think they are still overpriced. They apparently have new speakers coming out...but they are taking forever to roll them out.
@@savagemako17 Actually, the Bryston Mini T 3 ways are around $2500 and the Mini A 3 ways are $1665. Both at Moon Audio. So within the price range comparison 👍🏼
Hello Riccitone. The Bryston mini T 3 ways are $2500 FOR ONE. Depending on the finish, some are closer to $3000 for one. The mini A speaker is indeed $1665 for the pair, but again depending on the finish, that can go up as well. Moon audio says they carry the Mini A and it is in stock, but they are not. Most everything has to be ordered. Bryston supposedly has some new small bookshelf speakers coming out as of the end of the summer of 2023, but no one is carrying them yet and many of the pictures on their web site aren't even posted. It just says "coming soon". I'm not holding my breath for that. It has been coming soon for a long time.@@riccitone
@@savagemako17 Ah…my mistake! The ad said sold as a pair, but I’d missed the other info saying price per each. Hopefully the new one will come out some day soon. However, I’m not in anticipation either.
Given how good you say these sound, I'm really seriously disappointed that in the case of the AURA 1, they only offer a 5" bass driver. ??? Who doesn't offer at least a 6.5-inch bass driver on their 2-way bookshelf? Dynaudio gives you 7" and Monitor Audio 8". Just disappointed. If they'd put a 6.5-incher in there I'd probably buy it.
I have a 5" in my Quad S2, with a good sub you absolutely get enough bass in a small-mid sized room. I'm considering the Aura 1 for upgrade and I'm not worried about the bass, more curious about how it would sound with a bigger driver. Just wanted to through this out there.
Like to see a review of the Elac Solano which also has a ribbon tweeter and down firing woofer port, and it's in the price range of the Buchardt and Aura. Thanks.
@@abacar6134 Been curious about the Solano since it came out. Mystified why it doesn't get more attention in the US. Innovative tech, appealing design and form factor, and competitive price. Can only assume Elac doesn't promote it here. Seems odd, unless the sound isn't inspiring, but the EU reviews seem quite positive. Would like to see more about it.
In 1958 Wharfedale was sold by Gilbert Briggs to Rank and they made the 1980s Mk. 1, 2, 3 Diamonds that were just awesome with harman/kardon PM650 and the AR Revival turntable. Steve sold boat loads of Diamonds because they were just so impressive, the deep bass would blow you away with no subwoofer, the cones used to move a long way. But the PM650 wasn't a cheap amplifier, it was upmarket, it was middle-class.
SG, I have the axc 35 that I use as a transport. This "CD Player" gets no love from reviewers. I love mine. Could not see spending more, when my gear is so warm and clean. Best, D.
Sometimes but not always. For smaller to medium rooms the bass can sometimes just be too much with the floorstander’s extra bass woofer(s) and added cabinet volume. It can feel really unbalanced. I am already eq-ing out some bass in my larger bookshelf speakers. I don’t want to spend more money just to eq away the additional driver. The extra money I spend on stands can hopefully be reused for the next set of bookshelves. Of course and if you have a big room or have nulls where you need the extra bass then yeah I totally agree get the floorstander. I think people make the argument for bookshelf speakers as just some kind of space savers, which like you alluded to, doesn’t really make much sense.
Wharfedale had raised the price of theirs to $1400. I have my pair on two of my kitchen chairs, currently. Hoping for some used SS-5 or SS-6s to come up. The main problem for the user is finding stands that have a wide enough base to accept the Aura, and that can support 45 lbs. You might wonder wouldn't it be a better idea to just get the Aura 3s. I agree.
I find all to do with audio daunting and generally over hyped, I have a small room 3.5metres by 3.5 metres and an old musical fidelity electra E100 amplifier and I would love some speakers £1000 ish uk that breath clarity on a ghostly level but I wouldn’t have a clue what to look at.
Lou Reed was one of my first famous customers in my retail store in New York City back in 1991. I actually never met him but my staff told me that he was a regular customer. BTW Harry Pearson's definition of focus was called 'Image Specificity'. I believe he coined the term.I never forgot it but I think I like Focus better if I can relate to that definition.
That is an awful album, people wont admit it now because its new and possibly their last but in a few years youll see people realise just how forgettable it is.
I love Lou and have a bunch of his albums (even the Metallica collaboration) but he’s responsible for the worst show I’ve ever seen. Early 70s in Munich. If it weren’t for the mic stand he wouldn’t have been able to stand up. Really unprofessional and the audience let him know it.
The new Stones album is awful, the fact that so many people think its good says it all for people's taste in music and audio in general because not only is the music sub par but so is the audio quality
Hi Steve? So... What is High FIdelity for you?? Sound of classical instruments of a line of white lady?? High fidelity is about one man or a lady plays and sings in your room and you record that and your reproductional system should be a sclose as it gets.... So what did you really hear at Chesky recordings sessions?? What you are you telling is blabling bla bla bla... is mostly a crap full of something....
This seems like a massive up charge of the wharfdale 4.2 with improvements that shouldn’t equal the price. Exact same cosmetics excluding gloss. And maybe 20 cents more or less on crossover.
I just got the white Aura 2s delivered today. They are huge and the gloss white is absolutely beautiful! Makes my old Lsim703s look small.
Wow ... the Polk LSiM703 as bettered in England by the Monitor Audio RX6 as Polk is American and needs different stuff. Far Eastern works well with Monitor Audio as its drivers were made there. Polk has a ring radiator tweeter so would work with the QUAD 405-2 custom engineered to work with Spendor SP1. We have to be careful to match speakers to the electronics. -Best amplifier for Ribbon Tweeters?
After listening to these basically non-stop for the past few days, here’s my thoughts. First, the Monitor Audio Silver 300 7g’s that I recently got will sadly be going back, because the Auras aren’t going anywhere. I certainly haven’t owned as many speakers as Steve, but I have owned or borrowed Magnepan LRS, Magnepan 1.7, LSiM703, Kef r7, MA Silver 300 7g, MA Silve 200 6g, Evo 4.2, Polk r600, and now Aura 2, so I have a few comparison points.
I live in a townhome and mainly listen at low to medium volumes. I have had real trouble finding speakers that can deliver the full audio experience at low volumes…so many speakers don’t really come alive until they are cranked. The Aura’s do low volume listening amazingly well! Even at low volumes, they have a way of transferring energy that just feels very commanding and natural. The bass is very present but extremely clean and controlled which to me is important to not drown the treble and midrange at low volumes. I actually have them eq’d down a bit on the bottom end. The treble is detailed like my MA 300’s but even smoother. Really thrilled with them so far, which is not usually my response with new speakers. That huge AMT tweeter really is amazing.
Also I wanted to mention that being in my living room, I get tired of having a tiny sweet spot where if you tilt your head one way it feels like the sound is unbalanced/out of phase. These do not seem to be anywhere near as directional as most of my other speakers which makes them a great fit for a more general purpose room that isn't strictly a listening room with a single center seat.
Anyway, just my experience with my equipment, in my room, with my ears, and my music.
Mine (the walnut version) are somewhere between Crutchfield and home in a 105 lbs. box. Will be connected to marantz model 30 and pretty big upgrade from 6gen monitor audio silver series 100s. Can’t wait
@@markbayer1665 You mean the Aura 4 are coming from Crutchfield in a lorry on some US highway? Well we're happy for you but Marantz you know? The Model 30 you know? It's not a Wharfedale suited amplifier, in England it was use KEF, it Europe Dali, but in the US they use Fleetwood Deville but where are you?
@@keplermissionwhy do you assume it’s the Aura 4? The Aura 2 come together in a single box and at nearly 50lbs each, that makes it one heavy box.
Although the sub isn't strictly necessary, the walnut veneered Aura would look mighty fine with that REL Classic 98 sub and the Leak amp or maybe the NAD C 3050. That'd be a great looking system.
I sold Wharfedales way back in the '70's. Their claim to fame was sand lined cabinets. The cabinets had hollow walls filled with sand for deadening! Like the W70 or W90. Very heavy units!
No Gel-core but Sand-core 😄 That's wild, nice info! 👌
I thought the Wharfdale SFB (sand filled baffle) was a product of the late 50s, early 60s.
@@narabdela I sold them on the retail floor when I started in '70. A good friend DYI'd speakers with a dual, hollow layer construction and fill them with sand. Had to empty the sand to move them.
My first speakers, had a plastic tweeter in purple color, spoiled my ears for the rest of my life. Sand filled cabinets
Love the gloss white finish. What a beautiful speaker. Way to expensive for me, but I can dream. 😁
These look amazing, wharfedale has been killing it lately, and these look like one hell of a value. I’m interested in the smaller 2 way actually
The Evo 4.1's are still a very strong choice in 2 way, slightly smaller bookshelf. They are a bit cheaper, but have a very similar look and specs to the the Aura's and to my own ear, similar sound signature. Maybe what was said in the video is true, the Aura's may be more like the Elysian's had been, but the Evo's are still hard to beat for the price point. Worth a listen, especially if you can get them from a place with a good return policy
Glad to see an AMT tweeter that isn't bumblebee yellow. I bought the Diamond 12.2 for my den based on your review. Love those things paired with a Polk Audio sub.
The way Wharfedale implement the AMT tweeter is amazing compared to a lot of others. Not that others are bad, but Wharfedale seem to understand them better than most.
It is good to see the colour toned down somewhat
The Diamond 12s are great speakers and loves a bit of current. They also measure good albeit with a BBC Dip that can be a good thing for some ears.
@@AbsoluteFidelity I like a slightly more detailed top end, but that London / BBC Curve can be nice for some types of vinyl recordings. I ended up with a pair of Evo 4.2's instead of the Diamonds. They still have the Wharfedale warmth, but the top end is slightly more detailed with the AMT tweeters.
@@EsotericArctos I find speakers without the BBC Dip to play well with normal volumes but when you crank it up, it can get a quite harsh. Most generic songs these days have that 1-3khz region bumped up to present more 'presence' and our ears are particularly sensitive to that region so it can be a good thing. Ive had the Evos before (4.2 and 4.4) and they had too small of a sweet spot for me. When I was locked it, they sounded fantastic but when I even moved my head a few centimeters I would find myself out of that magical world. And yes, the Evo has better resolution than the Diamonds, AMTs are great when done right!
Steve…how does it compare to the Wharfedale Elysian speaker?
I received the Aua 2s two days ago in the Piano Walnut and they are beatiful, did not have the bass I expected but had my speakers set to small,. setting them to large did the trick, I love them !
Love Wharfedale. These do seem within between the Evo and Elysian line, but, as a VERY happy EVO 4.4 owner, not sure I would want to trade the soft-dome mid of the EVO's for the cone of the Aura. The dome and large AMT of the EVO is the secret sauce I think.
Secret sauce? wow. No Wharfedale always used a cone mid so marketing is watching. The dome mid is an Australian ATC thing, both use far eastern sounding amplifiers. The customer decides.
@@keplermission Opinions are hard, aren't they..
@@stonefree1911 Well Steve reckons the dome mid is not in the audiophile category and you know we see it in Home Theater Wharfedale tower speakers where wide dispersion of certain hissing effects used in movies is most appreciated but you know for music from records and stuff, Steve reckons the cone driver is best.
. The design difficulty with both both models is incorporating the Tweeter. It has such a high crossover point that, by necessity, the end product is really a 2 1/2-way loudspeaker in reverse.
At 4.5kHz (and I'll bet a really sloped curve), the mid-range has to go way up there to meet the AMT/Ribbon. Thus it's taking both drivers to cover the HF range & consequently the mid can't cover the lower mid so the woofer has to get crossed way high for a 3-way. So it's a 3-way covering a 2 1/2-way range.
Dome or cone? I'll argue a compression driver with horn would better cover the mid-range in this case & bring some life to a very mild "sauce".
Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
You don’t have to “trade”, just buy both
Thanks Steve! - My first (and only) Warfdale experience was in early 1970.
The reason I remember this, is that they had the most awesome smooth low end bass - which was basically unknown at that time. - Cheers!
Looking forward to see Danny GR Research taking these apart and calling them landfill as always
😂😂 So true!
Lol
It is just your own opinion. If the manufacture is so bad, they would not sell any speakers and close their doors by now.
I know... and THEY ARE GREAT!!!
In his defense they SEND him the speakers. He doesn't choose em
@dilbyjones In your dream, might be, but “they” did not send any speakers to Danny. Mostly just his RUclips customers. All he does is just adjusting the frequency response which you can do easily with DSP any way.
I got the evo 4.2 and is thinking on getting the Elysians but might also give these a listen.
Let us know if you give it a demo vs the Elysians
I watched many videos about speakers last night because I am interested in Lintons. I guess that's why I spent last night dreaming about buying speakers (and got Elysian 2). Oh, that was a nice dream...
How would those compare to Auras?
Between the Lintons and the Aura 2 which would you consider to be the best? The Aura series is heavilydiscounted at the moment
Las Aura están a otro nivel. No hace falta ni sub. Tiene una extensión de graves de 33 hz.
Happy thanks giving everyone from tropical Scotland 😁
I bought the original wharfedale diamonds back in the 80's as a twenty something budding audiophile.
Where can I listen to this acoustics?
Re; System of the Week............
Congrats, it's only the second time I've seen a lay-out that didn't pile all their components on the ground between the speakers.
Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
Whom started that ridiculous arrangement?
(edit) In fact, the further away the gear from loudspeakers (given; balanced cables) the less vibrations & microphonics have effect. And, it always looks like a Yard Sale.
The Aura line look like they are borrowing from the Elsyian line again, and they look similar to the Evo line. What makes these different to the EVO line, that uses a similar shaped cabinet and similar driver compliment? The Evo's were down firing ports also, had the same finishes as the Aura and were bi-wired also. All the speds look similar to the Evo's also.
I am asking as I have Evo 4.1's at the moment and I am looking at moving to something in a three way design and to move the Evo 4.1's to surround duties. :)
compared to the ATC SCM 11's?
Gracias por este video, en todos los colores la aura 2 se ve hermosa bella wow 😍
Like the bamboo chopping board isolation plinth on your rack @ 5.38. 😉👍
One of your best reviews (and shirts). The DWX with my REL 510 sounds like a yummy yearn. I like my Zen Adagios, super clear you are there vocals with the round ribbon tweeter. Plus they're made by a Zen Buddhist. Get a hold of that new MoFi turntable for $6k!!
How does it compare to Kef R3 Meta?
would be interesting to know how they stack up against linton 85
Which solid steel stands do you have them on?
SS5 or 6
is my hegel H80 can drive that aura 2 in a convincing levels?
Live and Rock and Roll Animal ( same concert) is a great rock record. Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner we’re an incredible guitar duo along with Pakashi John on bass.
I collect the old Wharfedales, The best Wharfedales I have are my 1971 W45's they are fully restored and sound fantastic.
Nice I grew up in the sixties listening to my dads Decca system playing through Wharfedale W2s
used to have some active diamonds , they did sound good and boy they could go loud
Yes, ribbons rule! Care to venture a comparison against Golder Ear BRX? I know, it was a long time ago.
I own few pairs of speakers and I like to swap my speakers around the house, but now I am getting old ... and weight is a problem.
The only Wharfedale speakers I own are the little Diamond 2.0 I bought on sale for $250 to play with before upgrading, and I love 'em. I was considering the Lintons until Steve's reviews talked me into the Zu DW6 and I'm not sorry. I wonder if the shorter warranty on the Aura is because of the tweeter? I have the original "Switched-On Bach" by Walter Carlos that I bought back in the day, and I remember being confused when I was hearing about Wendy Carlos, wondering if it was his wife or sister, lol. Anyway I'm going to dig out that one and give it a spin.
A lot of the Hi Fi shops in the UK give you a 5 or 6 year warranty on speakers including this one.
reminds me of philharmonic BMR in white gloss
Yes!
I love the Bob Clearmountain interview! If you haven’t watched it yet you should. Really interesting guy, and the two really click. You can tell he’s enjoying talking with Steve every bit as much as Steve enjoys talking with Bob.
I have the Elysian 4 floorstanders and absolutely love them. If the Aura comes a fair way to doing what the Elysian does at a lower price point then they will be good value indeed.
I have just purchased a pair of Denton XP2 from the 70s and hope to revitalise them, so I will have bookended 50 years of Wharfedale in my system.
Yep. I have a bunch of modern (ish) amps from 12.5 Watts a side to 215 Watts, so we will see what works. However recently I picked up a couple of 1970s JVC receivers, which do about 25 Watts each, so I will see how they fare.
Interestingly. I fixed up a 1970s Aiwa cassette recently. It sounded awful in my system, but great with those 1970s pieces. Must be synergy.
Great video Steve. With a budget of £3.500 ish I wondered if you could make some recommendations on speakers. I was looking at the JBL100 Classics. I'm listening to Zeppelin, Stones, Bowie type music generally. Can you help???
In 1981 bought my first system rega 3, creek 4040, Haybrook HB1, didn't want the Warfindales Haybrooks better, however, you're right I think they were that $150 adjusting for value that now = $495. the current diamonds don't cost that and there is a lot that's better for that price, maybe not so cheap
I bought my first cd system in 1987, with a pair of Heybrook HB1. I still have and use that pair of HB1, repaired/replaced the dried out foam surrounds of the woofers a couple of years ago.
The Heybrooks were designed by Peter Comeau, who was also the founder/owner of Heybrook. Later Peter started to design/develop loudspeakers for all kinds of British brands - and still does - most of them currently owned by International Audio Group (IAG), like Wharfedale, Mission, Quad and Castle. It's a nice idea that more than 40 years after one's first HB1 you can still buy a pair of modern loudspeakers by the same, still active, designer.
@@Wuppie62 Wilmslow Audio WA HB1 speakers.This company does a kit or fully builds replicas for the HB1 it's £1600.00 and repairs them.
@@patricaomas8750
Thanks for the info. Like I said, I still have and use my original HB1s.
1600 pound sterling for a pair of replicas? That's pretty steep..You can buy a new pair of Wharfedale Linton 85th with matching stands (or Evo 4.4) and nice cables for that.. 😅 Apples, oranges.
Think they use better materials, also have you seen that Top Gear episode with the Etype everything was made to modern specs and was individually made with no production line runs it was £300,000 you're totally correct so can't see them making large runs. However, it also highlights my original point about people looking back at the costs decades ago.
Many older speakers still kick ass even today, However all speakers are room dependant, some are better than others . For my needs sealed enclosure fits the bill . The Scm 11s are more than enough speaker for me, along with my Dali Menuet se . My journey stops in speakers now, and I have so many to part ways with, including the Evo 4.2s . What a time it is for anything audio right now .
Thanks for the review Steve .
Love me some wharfdales .. besides harbeth they are my favorites
Greatly appreciate this speaker review Steve Guttenberg ..yes the 3 way design is fading away for us old die hards..too bad.Kee up the great work !!!!
If memory servers it was W Carlos that did a show with one of the first really big lighting effects shows. Perhaps the Pablo Lightshow? Incredible performances!
Great review, and i cannot wait to hear these. But the tripods your using for this review, doesen´t compliment the speakers aesthetics/looks. B wtf. I´m sure they work. Cheers from Denmark.
Wharfedale à changer le hau parleurs médium car sur la evo4.2 c'était un médium à dôme
I think Bryston has a three way that would interesting to hear against the Wharfedale three way options.
Guaranteed that the Brystons will be twice as expensive. Bryston speakers are basically Axiom audio speakers taken to the next level. I think they are still overpriced. They apparently have new speakers coming out...but they are taking forever to roll them out.
@@savagemako17 Actually, the Bryston Mini T 3 ways are around $2500 and the Mini A 3 ways are $1665. Both at Moon Audio. So within the price range comparison 👍🏼
Hello Riccitone. The Bryston mini T 3 ways are $2500 FOR ONE. Depending on the finish, some are closer to $3000 for one. The mini A speaker is indeed $1665 for the pair, but again depending on the finish, that can go up as well. Moon audio says they carry the Mini A and it is in stock, but they are not. Most everything has to be ordered. Bryston supposedly has some new small bookshelf speakers coming out as of the end of the summer of 2023, but no one is carrying them yet and many of the pictures on their web site aren't even posted. It just says "coming soon". I'm not holding my breath for that. It has been coming soon for a long time.@@riccitone
@@savagemako17 Ah…my mistake! The ad said sold as a pair, but I’d missed the other info saying price per each. Hopefully the new one will come out some day soon. However, I’m not in anticipation either.
Given how good you say these sound, I'm really seriously disappointed that in the case of the AURA 1, they only offer a 5" bass driver. ??? Who doesn't offer at least a 6.5-inch bass driver on their 2-way bookshelf? Dynaudio gives you 7" and Monitor Audio 8". Just disappointed. If they'd put a 6.5-incher in there I'd probably buy it.
I have a 5" in my Quad S2, with a good sub you absolutely get enough bass in a small-mid sized room. I'm considering the Aura 1 for upgrade and I'm not worried about the bass, more curious about how it would sound with a bigger driver. Just wanted to through this out there.
@@filipviljamaasvensson Yeah, but what I want is a 2-way that doesn't need a sub. Trying to keep things simple.
@@williamdirks5805maybe try dynaudio if you don’t want to use a sub and like a ‘dark’ kinda sound
Is this a transmissionline?
No.
Like to see a review of the Elac Solano which also has a ribbon tweeter and down firing woofer port, and it's in the price range of the Buchardt and Aura. Thanks.
I have a pair of Solano’s and they’re really nice.
@@abacar6134 Been curious about the Solano since it came out. Mystified why it doesn't get more attention in the US. Innovative tech, appealing design and form factor, and competitive price. Can only assume Elac doesn't promote it here. Seems odd, unless the sound isn't inspiring, but the EU reviews seem quite positive. Would like to see more about it.
@@coachafella yeah for some reason they don’t get much attention. They are on sale right now at a killer price.
Hello, Steve!
I just wanted to say how much I really enjoy watching your videos... 😊
Thanks!
Good to see Warfedale is back in action and going for the upscale market.
In 1958 Wharfedale was sold by Gilbert Briggs to Rank and they made the 1980s Mk. 1, 2, 3 Diamonds that were just awesome with harman/kardon PM650 and the AR Revival turntable. Steve sold boat loads of Diamonds because they were just so impressive, the deep bass would blow you away with no subwoofer, the cones used to move a long way. But the PM650 wasn't a cheap amplifier, it was upmarket, it was middle-class.
Don't lie Steve you were there when they founded Wharfedale!!!
Looks almost identical as the EVO 4.2
Your cloth mask link to your store is broken.
True, Steve, detail is for beginners. You and I are way past that stage.
Beautiful speakers for the money. Very nice!
Yo RooTan those 5a s looking pretty close to that backwall !
Ty
Add in the cost of stands & go w new Vandersteen 2 which have real bass
SG, I have the axc 35 that I use as a transport. This "CD Player" gets no love from reviewers. I love mine. Could not see spending more, when my gear is so warm and clean. Best, D.
Whole Lotta Love................
I thought I was going to hear some Zeppelin.
I can see the appeal of bookshelfs, but not with a large 3 way bookshelf like this. Just buy a floor stander, its going to sound so much better.
Sometimes but not always. For smaller to medium rooms the bass can sometimes just be too much with the floorstander’s extra bass woofer(s) and added cabinet volume. It can feel really unbalanced. I am already eq-ing out some bass in my larger bookshelf speakers. I don’t want to spend more money just to eq away the additional driver. The extra money I spend on stands can hopefully be reused for the next set of bookshelves.
Of course and if you have a big room or have nulls where you need the extra bass then yeah I totally agree get the floorstander. I think people make the argument for bookshelf speakers as just some kind of space savers, which like you alluded to, doesn’t really make much sense.
You won me over right from the word 'shirt'👕
How cool 😎👍👍
Those have to be the most expensive stands ever.
Wharfedale had raised the price of theirs to $1400. I have my pair on two of my kitchen chairs, currently. Hoping for some used SS-5 or SS-6s to come up. The main problem for the user is finding stands that have a wide enough base to accept the Aura, and that can support 45 lbs. You might wonder wouldn't it be a better idea to just get the Aura 3s. I agree.
@@dan-qe1tbThe speakers are now 1399 Euro in the EU (some kind of sale). The stands: 999 Euro. Total: 2399 Euro. Aura 3: 2199 Euro (also on sale).
@@cremersalex sure would like to hear how the Aura 2s compare to the 3s. Single 6.5" base driver vs two 5" ones,
I find all to do with audio daunting and generally over hyped, I have a small room 3.5metres by 3.5 metres and an old musical fidelity electra E100 amplifier and I would love some speakers £1000 ish uk that breath clarity on a ghostly level but I wouldn’t have a clue what to look at.
Best speaker for the money klipsch rp600
They still have some first edition on Amazon half price!!
FYI on Steve’s best 10 speakers of all time list
@@davidlepoidevin4239 Thanks for your reply i will look into them.
Wireless works 😮
Lou Reed was one of my first famous customers in my retail store in New York City back in 1991. I actually never met him but my staff told me that he was a regular customer.
BTW Harry Pearson's definition of focus was called 'Image Specificity'. I believe he coined the term.I never forgot it but I think I like Focus better if I can relate to that definition.
Very Cali Viewer System of the Day, congrats.
Je pense que c'est la remplaçante de la evo
still viewing the video and waiting to listen to Whole lotta love 😅
Cool, keep watching, it'll get there eventually.
I was disappointed with Hackney Diamonds because the drummer’s snare was not Charlie Watts. They should have hung it up when he passed.
That is an awful album, people wont admit it now because its new and possibly their last but in a few years youll see people realise just how forgettable it is.
3 year warranty is sus.
Pity they lost the dome midrange, also the center is pretty small compared to the evo
All that doesnt make it one bit inferior to the evos.
@@AbsoluteFidelity If you're building a decent home cinema you want a big center.
Kef Meta R3's are right around that price point and are three ways :)
I would like to know how they compare...
I love Lou and have a bunch of his albums (even the Metallica collaboration) but he’s responsible for the worst show I’ve ever seen. Early 70s in Munich. If it weren’t for the mic stand he wouldn’t have been able to stand up. Really unprofessional and the audience let him know it.
The new Stones album is awful, the fact that so many people think its good says it all for people's taste in music and audio in general because not only is the music sub par but so is the audio quality
Lol. Buy a decent audio system and come back.
@@stijnvanderlooy5311
Lol I've got a better than decent audio system that's why I can hear how awful the production is.
Hi Steve? So... What is High FIdelity for you?? Sound of classical instruments of a line of white lady??
High fidelity is about one man or a lady plays and sings in your room and you record that and your reproductional system should be a sclose as it gets....
So what did you really hear at Chesky recordings sessions??
What you are you telling is blabling bla bla bla... is mostly a crap full of something....
This seems like a massive up charge of the wharfdale 4.2 with improvements that shouldn’t equal the price. Exact same cosmetics excluding gloss. And maybe 20 cents more or less on crossover.
Sounds like these speakers are just ok at best. Nothing special here. Pass for me.
6 in woofer ! Come on it’s a joke Bro …