Полочная акустика — Wharfedale Denton 85

The Denton 85 is the 85th Anniversary Edition of a Wharfedale name that goes back to the original Denton, a model devised by company founder Gilbert Briggs, who set up Wharfedale in 1932 and whose Denton reached buyers around the world. The anniversary version revives the styling of that model and combines traditional construction with modern Kevlar driver technology. It is a handcrafted two-way standmount, and its veneers are applied by hand by Wharfedale cabinet makers. It was launched in 2019 at a UK price of GBP 549, and the Australian price is AUD 1,649.99 per pair.

Key specs that matter

Wharfedale fits a 165 mm black woven Kevlar cone, along with a 25 mm soft dome tweeter driven by a high-flux ferrite magnet. The two units meet at 3.1 kHz. The bass cone is larger than the 125 mm unit of the earlier 80th Anniversary Edition, and a protective grille sits in front of the tweeter. The rated response is 45 Hz to 20 kHz within plus or minus 3 dB, and bass extension reaches 40 Hz at -6 dB. Sensitivity is 88 dB measured at 2.0 V and 1 m. Nominal impedance is 4 ohm with a minimum of 3.8 ohm, peak SPL is 95 dB and Wharfedale recommends 20 to 120 W of amplifier power. Height on the plinth is 340 mm and width is 240 mm. The cabinet is 275 mm deep, and the rear port adds a further 12 mm, giving 287 mm overall. Each speaker has a net weight of 9 kg, with a shipping weight of 21 kg.

Engineering and use context

Wharfedale built a vented box with a 13.5 litre internal volume, finished in real-wood veneer. The front baffle is inset in the traditional way, and a Tungsten-coloured cloth grille covers it, echoing the look of the original model. Three veneers are offered - Antique Walnut, Black Oak and Mahogany Red. Wharfedale states that the crossover was the subject of extensive research and was designed to avoid a dip in output where the two drive units hand over. Wharfedale rates its efficiency with a lower drive voltage than the 2.83 V the brand uses for several of its other models.

Pairing

The recommended power window leaves room for a modest integrated amplifier, and because the impedance dips below nominal, the chosen model should be comfortable with low loads. Heavy-duty gold-plated terminals accept bare wire, 4 mm banana plugs or spades, and removable links allow bi-wiring.

Alternatives

The Aston from Wharfedale is a limited-run standmount from the same brand made in Britain for the 90th anniversary, fitted with a 150 mm carbon fibre cone.