Wharfedale 9.5 towers vs 9.2 bookshelves

ma5yk

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In my search to setup a home theater I auditioned a 9.5 setup with 9CM center and DFS4 supplemented by a SW150 sub.

Alongwith the above I also auditioned the 9.1 bookshelves and was more impressed with them over the 9.5. The 9.1 sounded more precise while the 9.5 were more diffuse.

Since the 9.1 sounded good, I am wondering if I should substitute the 9.5 towers with the larger 9.2 bookshelves and add a second SW150 to the setup. The dealer tells me that in my 15x20 room the 9.5 are a must as they will handle the frontstage better than the 9.2.

I plan to do only movies and am a believer that only a sub should handle the low end.


My concerns are:

1. Will adding a second sub complicate things?
2. Will the 9.2 be able to handle the frontstage as well as the 9.5?

On a related note I'm considering the following receivers:

1. Yamaha 663
2. Marantz 4002
3. Harman 347
4. Denon 2308
 
yes very well u can have 9.1 as fronts on proper stands. i hav a similar setup with my pioneer speakers with epos els sub with polk dsw pro sub . there will be uniform bass from 2 subs , actually thx recommends 4 subs! i am plannin for 3 sub! my room 5m *6m


my vote denon2308
 
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1. Will adding a second sub complicate things?

I dont see how they will complicate issues. You just have to know how to connect them and how to place them. If you have a AVR that is either a 5.2 or a 7.2, then it is easy. The Point 2 refers to 2 x Point 1s, meaning you have connections in the AVR for two independent subs. Another way to solve the connection issue is to use a Bass Management System. The third is to use a Y connector.

2. Will the 9.2 be able to handle the frontstage as well as the 9.5?

Read the following link where there has been a detailed discussion on BS vs FS,

http://www.hifivision.com/av-enhancers-room-acoustics/1870-fs-bs-200-ft-room-size.html

The 9.2 has a tweeter and a bass driver, while the 9.5 has both these and a separate driver for mid range. You may have felt that the 9.1 sounded better, as it would have sounded 'louder' and 'brighter' for the same volume settings, and you may have heard some notes that you thought were missing in the 9.5. Many times a floor stander needs more power to reach the same volume as a bookshelf. If you switch rapidly between a BS amd a FS, the BS will sound 'brighter', while a FS will sound subdued. This does not necessarily mean the BS is better. In addition, most dealers keep a BS on top of a FS, and the sound from a BS reaches your ears directly. If kept at the same height, and listened to properly, the FS should provide a more immersive sound stage as it pushes a larger volumen of air. For mid and high frequencies, a BS may be better.

Many people in this forum feel that the Wharfedale 9.5 and 9.6 go very low and need no subs. Since the only difference between a 9.2 and the 9.5 is an additional mid range driver, a 9.2 with a sub should give you a good sound stage after a bit of tweaking with the frequency settings in your amp. For example, instead of keeping the 9.2 as SMALL, try keeping it as LARGE. Once you decide the amp, specific methods can be advised for tweaking.

ma5yk said:
On a related note I'm considering the following receivers:

1. Yamaha 663
2. Marantz 4002
3. Harman 347
4. Denon 2308

Since your interests are mainly moving, I would consider the following order:

Yamaha
Denon
Marantz
Harman

In Yamaha, check out the 863 also. It has better specs, and has received very favourable reviews in the industry. The 663 is also very good, mind you.

Cheers
 
Just a thought but you could consider getting 9.1s for your fronts and surrounds, and a SW-250 sub instead of the 150. The cost will be roughly the same as 9.5s for fronts with SW-150.

The SW-250 is a curved cabinet with sealed enclosure unlike the 150, for better sound and reduced resonance.

This should work well for movies and music. Try auditioning the combo to see how you like it.
 
Thanks for your replies.

Karthi1000 How do you perform bass management with two subs? Additionally how do you plan to expand this to include a third sub?

Particleman I think keeping the same size drivers all across the front-stage will provide better imaging and that keeps me from going to the SW250. FYI, I was quoted 42k for the SW250. I could also consider the Klipsch RW-12d for about the same then couldn't I?

Venkat Bass management is exactly what I'm worried about. The Yamaha 663 has a x.2 out but what I've read about it so far points to its similarity to a Y connector that is built-in, i.e. the receiver does not seem to do any bass management. In case I find one sub hitting more volume than needed, it seems that I would have to set sub-volume manually instead of letting the receiver handle it to balance out any uneven bass.

The 9.1 that I auditioned were on their own stands and level withe 9.5. Yes, they did sound louder and but not too bright over the 9.5 and, to me, they also sounded a lot more cleaner. I felt that immediacy of the bookshelf is more important in a movie than the diffuseness of the floor-stander.

Going by the THX recommendation of the 80hz crossover for the sub why run a floor-standing as large and then add a sub to the mix? Will not the FS only increase the bass between the 80 crossover to the point it cannot handle it while at the same time the sub is also working?

That link you pointed actually show a couple of guys going from a FS to a BS and make me feel that I'm not far off from my expectation of a BS performance as compared to a FS.

Please correct me if I'm drawing any weird conclusions above.

This agonizing over details process in a HT selection does get interesting. :)
 
Please correct me if I'm drawing any weird conclusions above.

This agonizing over details process in a HT selection does get interesting. :)

May5K,

You are going in exactly the right direction, and not drawing any weird conclusions. Agonizing over details now, helps you being knowledgeable when the system arrives and gives you the knowledge to do the tweaking for optimum output.

If you like the sound of the 9.1, you should certainly go for it. The 9.2 will give you a larger sound stage, but will otherwise give you the same immediacy that is pleasing you.

THX recommendation is useful only if you have THX certified system. Even in that, you can set aside the THX recommendation and set the speakers the way you want. I was talking about setting the front speakers to LARGE when you use a 9.2, not a FS. When you use a receiver's internal bass management, if you set the front speakers to small, it will automatically cut off a lot of low frequency to the front speaker, irrespective of what you do. The better method is to keep all speakers as LARGE. That way all speakers get all the frequencies. Then using a SPL meter, you can set the frequency range of each speaker individually so that you get the best results. This is an old manual method that bypasses the auto features of the amp.

I am not sure how the 663 behaves, but you set the individual 'loudness' level of each speaker in the AVR relative to other speakers. Other than that, all speakers have a common volume control. If you have active subs, you may have volume controls in the subs. Some of these subs, I believe, also come with remote controls.

Cheers
 
hi i have a y connector which splits the .1 ch
i am plannig to connect another y connector to the existing y connector . i have one closed one open sub . right now. no problem so far:). i kept 25 hz in open sub . 40 hz in closed one. the bass is tight no distortion . i keep large for fronts. rigt now i am planning to add another sub propablyopen to keep that behind me
 
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Hello


I had auditioned both Wharfedale 9.5 and 9.2 before buying.

9.5 have greater authority, greater scale of sound and of course, better bass. I coupled my 9.5s with a just good sub 150. I dont feel the need to add a very powerrful sub.

9.2s were offered to me at 12.5k then and 9.5s for 24k.
I bought 9.5.


Still use your own descion..
 
9.5 have greater authority, greater scale of sound and of course, better bass. I coupled my 9.5s with a just good sub 150. I dont feel the need to add a very powerrful sub.

Can I ask how big your room is and how you are powering them? Hmm... it seems that most people are pointing me towards the 9.5. :)


9.2s were offered to me at 12.5k then and 9.5s for 24k.
I bought 9.5.

Thats a decent price. I now have some room to negotiate. Thanks!
 
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I, for one, felt that the 9.5s would get shortchanged by the SW150 sub. It is a fact that the floorstanders themselves go lower than the subwoofer:).

Of course, if everything were just a question of looking at numbers, life would have too easy. But still, I felt, after an extended audition of the speakers in question that a more powerful sub (if it is needed at all) is called for.

May5k - I had also auditioned the 9.2s when I was looking for a bookshelf speaker. They were a fine pair. I just felt that there was a lot of coloration - an artificial sweetness was put on. If you prefer that, please dont hesitate to select them. Curiously I did not notice any such great coloration in the 9.5s. Wonder why!
 
I, for one, felt that the 9.5s would get shortchanged by the SW150 sub. It is a fact that the floorstanders themselves go lower than the subwoofer:).

Of course, if everything were just a question of looking at numbers, life would have too easy. But still, I felt, after an extended audition of the speakers in question that a more powerful sub (if it is needed at all) is called for.

May5k - I had also auditioned the 9.2s when I was looking for a bookshelf speaker. They were a fine pair. I just felt that there was a lot of coloration - an artificial sweetness was put on. If you prefer that, please dont hesitate to select them. Curiously I did not notice any such great coloration in the 9.5s. Wonder why!

Hmm... Unfortunately, my dealer does not have the 9.2 available for a demo. What you say makes me pause now.
 
Hello


I had auditioned both Wharfedale 9.5 and 9.2 before buying.

9.5 have greater authority, greater scale of sound and of course, better bass. I coupled my 9.5s with a just good sub 150. I dont feel the need to add a very powerrful sub.

9.2s were offered to me at 12.5k then and 9.5s for 24k.
I bought 9.5.


Still use your own descion..


Where to get the 9.5 floor standers for 24K?????
I am also looking at 9.1s for surround and 9.CS for center!
Thanks
 
9.5 @ 24k, seems like the market price that existed a few months back
Last heard from a friend who was looking was around ..28-29.

no idea on surround/center though.


brgs
 
Around 24K is the market price for 9.5 Diamond. It is a steal really.

Frankly I would ask this question to people. On a scale of speakers - leave alone the floorstander vs standmounter debate - where would people rate the 9.5 and 9.6 Diamonds? Are they on a par with some of the budget bookshelves (if combined with a sub) or are they better than some of the mid range bookshelves (again combined with a sub)?

Since the sub is there to kick in for deep bass in both cases, how would people rate these speakers. The 9.6 weighs down around the 35K mark as far as cost. My question is do these floorstanders compare favourably with bookshelves costing around that amount?
 
My question is do these floorstanders compare favourably with bookshelves costing around that amount?

Umm... I started this post with an even better question. Do the 9.2 stand up to the 9.5? :)

To your question, which BS are you thinking of?
 
Sorry for hijacking, But How do you compare MA BR2, WHARF 9.5 , WHARF 9.2and USHER S520? And any other Bookshelves in this range?
 
Umm... I started this post with an even better question. Do the 9.2 stand up to the 9.5? :)

To your question, which BS are you thinking of?

I would like to compare the Diamond 9.6 with bookshelves such as the Mezzo 2, PSB Image B25, EPOS M12.2, Usher S520, MA RS1 etc.

To your original question , as I mentioned, I found the 9.2's to be completely different beasts from the 9.5. The 9.2's were sweet - even overly so - especially with female voices whereas the 9.5 did not have any of those saccharine qualities. And of course there is a difference in sensitivity, scale and bass.
 
All, As I am getting most of the answer in this thread, I dont want to start a new thread on this.

I am looking for setting up 5.1 HT and with few people having positive opinion about Wharfedale 9.2 speakers, I want to know the pricing of the same.

Experts, can you please advice me what all Wharfedale 9.2 series speakers for 5.1 setup I need to buy and the indicative price for the same? I will come back on AVR for this setup later! In any case if there is good AVR which works really well with these speakers, pls do suggest. :)
 
Experts, can you please advice me what all Wharfedale 9.2 series speakers for 5.1 setup I need to buy and the indicative price for the same? I will come back on AVR for this setup later! In any case if there is good AVR which works really well with these speakers, pls do suggest. :)

Selective, Welcome to the forum.

The ideal set up of Diamonds would be as follows:

a. 2 x 9.6 or 9.5 for Front L&R
b. 2 x DFS for Surround Sound
d. 1 x 9CS for Centre Sound.
e. 1 x a sub woofer. (one from SW 150 to SW 380)

This will cost you around 70K to 80K.

There are other combination that you can work out. Some of the possible combination's are:

1. 9.1 based system.

a. 5 x 9.1 (One of the 9.1 will act as a Centre Channel)
b. 1 x a sub woofer

You can also replace one of the 9.1 with a 9DFS for better centre channel sound.

2. 9.2 based system


a. 2 x 9.2 for Front L&R
b. 2 x 9DFS or 2 x 9.1 for surround sound tasks
c. 1 x 9CS for center sound
d. 1 x a sub woofer.

What you can do is to get the individual prices of all the speakers, and then work out your budget. All these combination's will sound good in their own way, and of course, depending upon the power of your AVR.

Cheers
 
1. 9.1 based system.

a. 5 x 9.1 (One of the 9.1 will act as a Centre Channel)
b. 1 x a sub woofer

You can also replace one of the 9.1 with a 9DFS for better centre channel sound.

2. 9.2 based system


a. 2 x 9.2 for Front L&R
b. 2 x 9DFS or 2 x 9.1 for surround sound tasks
c. 1 x 9CS for center sound
d. 1 x a sub woofer.

Cheers

venkatcr, Thanks for quick reply on this. It would be of great help if you please provide me the indicative price for the above as well.
 
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