warfedale vs canton vs cambridge

J

jsf0656

Audioholic
I have been doing another comparison between these 4 speakers...

elac debut 2.0 b5.2 vs warfedale 10.1
elac debut 2.0 b6.2 vs warfedale 10.2

can anyone give me some reccomendations on these matchups?
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
I have been doing another comparison between these 4 speakers...

elac debut 2.0 b5.2 vs warfedale 10.1
elac debut 2.0 b6.2 vs warfedale 10.2

can anyone give me some reccomendations on these matchups?
Ultimately it's up to your ears. Best solution is to make sure you can return them and demo in your room
 
J

jsf0656

Audioholic
maybe I need to put it another way. between the mids and highs which of these choices would shine the most. I have a sub so I am not to concerned about the bass.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
maybe I need to put it another way. between the mids and highs which of these choices would shine the most. I have a sub so I am not to concerned about the bass.
Of all the speakers you mentioned, as bookshelves, nothing is going to produce astounding bass on its own, but I would urge caution in seeking something that focuses too much on the top end because your sub isn't really designed to do as much work above 100Hz. At that point, you also get the effect of localization, where you can start to hear the sub as a distinct source, instead of it being "invisible."

For all the questions and speakers, have you read reviews for them? Not that the reviews are the best source of answers, but when you can't physically go to that speaker, they can help put the sound in perspective for you. If ELAC is compared to KEF, say, you might be able to audition the KEF and judge the sound of that and compare back to the description the writer gave of the ELAC. Dig?
Its all good and well to ask us our thoughts, but everybody is going to experience things differently. A friend here asked me about my subs, which I've been super happy with... He decided to buy them and is having a different experience! Hence a saying that gets dropped here a lot: Your Mileage May Vary. :)

Wharfedale, Canton, Cambridge, and ELAC... I think I've heard the strongest pros voiced for Canton and Wharfedale over time. When I was researching my speakers, I recall a lot of solid praise for the ELAC debuts, too.

Cross reference those three spekaers, and if possible, since they will be your mains, I would urge that you consider looking at the larger of the bookshelf offerings if in your budget, so the Canton 436 over the 426, ELAC 6.2 over 5.2, Wharfdale 10.2 over 10.1... you will get, IMO, a better overall SQ from the larger boxes. Not always the case... again YMMV ;)
 
J

jsf0656

Audioholic
Of all the speakers you mentioned, as bookshelves, nothing is going to produce astounding bass on its own, but I would urge caution in seeking something that focuses too much on the top end because your sub isn't really designed to do as much work above 100Hz. At that point, you also get the effect of localization, where you can start to hear the sub as a distinct source, instead of it being "invisible."

For all the questions and speakers, have you read reviews for them? Not that the reviews are the best source of answers, but when you can't physically go to that speaker, they can help put the sound in perspective for you. If ELAC is compared to KEF, say, you might be able to audition the KEF and judge the sound of that and compare back to the description the writer gave of the ELAC. Dig?
Its all good and well to ask us our thoughts, but everybody is going to experience things differently. A friend here asked me about my subs, which I've been super happy with... He decided to buy them and is having a different experience! Hence a saying that gets dropped here a lot: Your Mileage May Vary. :)

Wharfedale, Canton, Cambridge, and ELAC... I think I've heard the strongest pros voiced for Canton and Wharfedale over time. When I was researching my speakers, I recall a lot of solid praise for the ELAC debuts, too.

Cross reference those three spekaers, and if possible, since they will be your mains, I would urge that you consider looking at the larger of the bookshelf offerings if in your budget, so the Canton 436 over the 426, ELAC 6.2 over 5.2, Wharfdale 10.2 over 10.1... you will get, IMO, a better overall SQ from the larger boxes. Not always the case... again YMMV ;)
I know sound is a subjective thing and deep down I feel like I would be happy with any of them but there are so many speakers in the 300 dollar range that it gets quite confusing trying to sort everything out. I believe that I have narrowed it down to the elacs and the warfedales. as I said earlier my living room is 15x15 and since the polks I have now are 6.5 and it fills my room well for some reason I cant help but wonder if the smaller 5.25 would give me a better mid-high experience coming from the polks to a better overall speaker:confused:
 
Kvn_Walker

Kvn_Walker

Audioholic Field Marshall
sorry if I'm asking a second time, but what are your primary music preferences? Some speaker brands voice better with certain genres.

And the plus side of you being overwhelmed by choices is the knowledge that there are a lot of great speakers out there in your price range. :)
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
I can't help but chuckle as I spent months reading reviews and going back and forth before I started auditioning speakers. My experience with towers of different sizes (MA Silver 500 and 300 as an example) were that if close enough, you might not catch a difference. I could have been content with either of those. A little different with a different brand I auditioned and the Motion 40s were noticeably lacking compared to the 60xts. I know, that's a different cup'o'tea... towers vs standmounts. in the end though, the other part of the equation is blending the sound between your standmounts and the sub.
Regardless, after some more quick perusal, its sounding like your preference might go towards the ELAC. At least for the B6.2, what I saw indicates possible less "bass weight" for more clarity. *shrugs That was one persons description. The front port will make placement easier than the rear port of the Wharfedale.
Just something I noted. :)
Happy hunting!
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
maybe I need to put it another way. between the mids and highs which of these choices would shine the most. I have a sub so I am not to concerned about the bass.
Still subjective

I tend to recommend speakers that measure flat so you can eq to your liking
 
J

jsf0656

Audioholic
sorry if I'm asking a second time, but what are your primary music preferences? Some speaker brands voice better with certain genres.

And the plus side of you being overwhelmed by choices is the knowledge that there are a lot of great speakers out there in your price range. :)
I listen 70-80s rock. I was a teen then and my early 20's later so I identify with that era when my wife and I met and married in 1976. we are celebrating our 43 year this year:)
 
Kvn_Walker

Kvn_Walker

Audioholic Field Marshall
I listen 70-80s rock. I was a teen then and my early 20's later so I identify with that era when my wife and I met and married in 1976. we are celebrating our 43 year this year:)
First off, congrats! You've been married almost as long as I've been breathing. :)

Have you considered Klipsch, specifically the Reference or Reference Premier series? Forum member KEW I believe has the newest models and he has said they've done a lot to ease up the harshness in the high range. Klipsch has the upper-mid and high range presence that makes a lot of folks like them for rock music.

Another advantage is you can get 'em from Best Buy so they're easy to buy and try and return if you aren't happy.
 
J

jsf0656

Audioholic
always been curious about klipsch but was scared off by all the negative reviews about the harshness and fatigue associated with listening to them overtime!
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
always been curious about klipsch but was scared off by all the negative reviews about the harshness and fatigue associated with listening to them overtime!
For HT they are great. For critical listening its subjective.
 
J

jsf0656

Audioholic
the elacs measure 44-35 and warfedales 40-24. they are close in measurement.
 
psbfan9

psbfan9

Audioholic Samurai
Hi @jsf0656, Welcome to the forum!

Apologies if I missed it, but what size room do you have? Is it a large open area? Carpeted floors or hard surface? Will the speakers be placed on stands or in a bookshelf/cubby?
Are you only considering bookshelf speakers?
 
J

jsf0656

Audioholic
Hi @jsf0656, Welcome to the forum!

Apologies if I missed it, but what size room do you have? Is it a large open area? Carpeted floors or hard surface? Will the speakers be placed on stands or in a bookshelf/cubby?
Are you only considering bookshelf speakers?
room is 15x15 opening into a dining area. hardwood floors and speakers will be on 24'' stands. bookshelfs only. cathedral ceiling in the 15x15 area.
 
psbfan9

psbfan9

Audioholic Samurai
room is 15x15 opening into a dining area. hardwood floors and speakers will be on 24'' stands. bookshelfs only. cathedral ceiling in the 15x15 area.
You've had some great suggestions already, but here are a couple more.

With the room being open and having a cathedral ceiling, I'm going to suggest a couple of wild card options.

Klipsch RP 150M and the Q Acoustics 3020 or 3020i. Also, something from Hsu should be considered as well. It seems that a 'horn' loaded speaker would suit you best based on the room and music. They're efficient and can play loud.

Q Acoustics reviews:

https://www.whathifi.com/q-acoustics/3020/review

https://www.whathifi.com/q-acoustics/3020i/review

https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-RP-150M-Bookshelf-Speaker-Ebony/dp/B00RXHEIHE
 
J

jsf0656

Audioholic
You've had some great suggestions already, but here are a couple more.

With the room being open and having a cathedral ceiling, I'm going to suggest a couple of wild card options.

Klipsch RP 150M and the Q Acoustics 3020 or 3020i. Also, something from Hsu should be considered as well. It seems that a 'horn' loaded speaker would suit you best based on the room and music. They're efficient and can play loud.

Q Acoustics reviews:

https://www.whathifi.com/q-acoustics/3020/review

https://www.whathifi.com/q-acoustics/3020i/review

https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-RP-150M-Bookshelf-Speaker-Ebony/dp/B00RXHEIHE
2nd person to suggest klipsch. as I have read about the klipsch harshness being somewhat tamed, are they more a neutral sounding soundstage compared to previous versions?
 
psbfan9

psbfan9

Audioholic Samurai
2nd person to suggest klipsch. as I have read about the klipsch harshness being somewhat tamed, are they more a neutral sounding soundstage compared to previous versions?
The harshness in new lines has been tamed. To my ears anyway. Another option is use the tone control in your AVR's settings.
If the treble is too tamed, turn it up, if too harsh, turn it down.

Crutchfield, RSL, and Amazon both have fairly liberal return policies. I would make a list of speakers you want to try, and order them. Then post back here with your questions or comments.
Unfortunately, as you know, it's all subjective. What I or other members hear may be different from what you hear.

I'm going to throw out one more speaker that should be considered, the RSL CG3. Don't let its small size fool you. They have a big, spacious sound.

$270.00 a pair.

https://rslspeakers.com/products/cg3-bookshelf-speaker/
 
J

jsf0656

Audioholic
The harshness in new lines has been tamed. To my ears anyway. Another option is use the tone control in your AVR's settings.
If the treble is too tamed, turn it up, if too harsh, turn it down.

Crutchfield, RSL, and Amazon both have fairly liberal return policies. I would make a list of speakers you want to try, and order them. Then post back here with your questions or comments.
Unfortunately, as you know, it's all subjective. What I or other members hear may be different from what you hear.

I'm going to throw out one more speaker that should be considered, the RSL CG3. Don't let its small size fool you. They have a big, spacious sound.

$270.00 a pair.

https://rslspeakers.com/products/cg3-bookshelf-speaker/
I will check them out! thanks
 
newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top