Wharfedale 10.5 Vs 9.5

[S.P.KRISHNA]

Yesterday I auditioned Diamond 10.5 and 9.5 at vectors . Both the speakers are New probably not more than 5 Hrs burning time.

Diamond 10.5 - A three way with Dedicated drivers for Low , Mid and High. 120W . Cost - 31.5K

Diamond 9.5 - A 2.5 way where the low and Mid"s are shared between two Subs. 150W .Cost - 26K

Source : Denon Integrated Amp- 2000AE- 140W/Channel , Marantz 5003CDP

The volume of the Amp in put at 12 O clock Position.

The mid and highs in 10.5 are very good with very high clarity but it has lost its position to 9.5 in terms of good base and thump. Though the 9.5 is 88db in comparison to 10.5 which is 86db , the 9.5 failed to produce the pitch as the 10.5 at same volume. Probably 9.5 requires greater power to drive them. Of course 9.5 specifications are near similar to 10.6 .

My observation is 10.5 is VERY VERY good floor stander for sterio Music at this price and if used in Home theater a Sub is required . 9.5 is good for movies and can be used even without a sub with full band adjustment in the AVR.

Regards.

 

[alpha1]

The reason in sound level difference is not just because of the dB sensitivity.
Its also because of speaker frequency response.

Check this out: Equal-loudness contour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[corElement]

Yesterday I auditioned Diamond 10.5 and 9.5 at vectors . Both the speakers are New probably not more than 5 Hrs burning time.

Diamond 10.5 - A three way with Dedicated drivers for Low , Mid and High. 120W . Cost - 31.5K

Diamond 9.5 - A 2.5 way where the low and Mid"s are shared between two Subs. 150W .Cost - 26K

Source : Denon Integrated Amp- 2000AE- 140W/Channel , Marantz 5003CDP

The volume of the Amp in put at 12 O clock Position.

The mid and highs in 10.5 are very good with very high clarity but it has lost its position to 9.5 in terms of good base and thump. Though the 9.5 is 88db in comparison to 10.5 which is 86db , the 9.5 failed to produce the pitch as the 10.5 at same volume. Probably 9.5 requires greater power to drive them. Of course 9.5 specifications are near similar to 10.6 .

My observation is 10.5 is VERY VERY good floor stander for sterio Music at this price and if used in Home theater a Sub is required . 9.5 is good for movies and can be used even without a sub with full band adjustment in the AVR.

Regards.

The Wharfedale 10.5 is a very unique floorstander for under 33k I mus say. It's midrange is crossover at 600hz which is rare for a speaker at this price bracket. This may seem like a dream speaker for those desperate for a midrange frequency performer but like all sweet things, it comes at a cost..

The midrange dome here appears to be quite large at almost 5 inches width.
Why the metal grill infront? I'll tell you why - the midrange driver is 1.9inches in diameter. 0.9inch tweeter 1.9inch mid and a 6.5inch low. The reason behind it's clarity is its 1.9inch med driver. They dont want people looking at a tiny midrange driver -better to cover it up with a dome and grill it so noone would see.

I dont know if others feel the same way but a speaker like this would not be as good with vocals and "full" sounding tracks as it would be with electronic and digital tracks.

Creative inspire speakers have 3inch drivers, logitechs have 2-4inch drivers. Isnt 1.9 very.. very.. small for a midrange where Majority of human hearing occurs? Like, literally majority of human hearing...

 

[rajivrao]

I tried out the 9.5 and the 10.5 and I must say that with pure vocals and mid range, the 9.5 sounded better. I then tried out the Missions M3i series and they completely floored me... much better than both the wharfdales..

 

[S.P.KRISHNA]

as I dont know if others feel the same way but peaker like this would not be as good with vocals and "full" sounding tracks as it would be with electronic and digital tracks.
[/QUOTE]
I might have been carried away with the 10.5 clarity in comparison to 9.5. Definitely these speakers have their own coloration . But I have also heard some Carnatic music on them . The clarity of Mridangam , Ghattam and vocals are quite astonishing. The cabinet width of 10.5 is restricted in comparison to 9.5 there by restricting the movement of air inside to give clear highs and Mids.
For a change I requested the guy to shift to B&W CM7 tower available with them . It sounded totally different - soft without any coloration which is not to my liking for sterio hearing though this speaker costs a bomb. Finally after my audition of these Diamonds ,though 10.5 is my choice, I asked the showroom in charge his opinion about the market movement. His immediate answer is that the market is for 9.5 and his reasoning is probably the cost and also the taste of the people of our country.

Regards