Wharfedale Super Denton Joins Heritage Series
Wharfedale announces its latest slice of retro-fi with the Super Denton three-way loudspeaker.
The Wharfedale Super Denton standmounter aims to build on the legacy of the original Wharfedale Denton launched in 1967 by harnessing the latest techniques and technologies to enhance this classic design's build quality, finish, and performance. The new three-way design takes its cues from 1971's Denton 3, which features an offset driver array that can be covered by the supplied detachable grilles if it is not to your aesthetic liking.
Measuring 360x246x275mm (HxWxD), the Super Denton's size is similar to the Denton 3, making it one of the world's smallest three-way hi-fi speakers, according to the manufacturer.
The trio of drivers consists of a 25mm treble, a 5cm midrange, and a 16.5cm bass driver featuring a woven Kevlar cone for bass extension down to 40Hz, so we are told by the IAG brand. Additionally, the new treble unit is said to inherit much of its design from the one used in the £5,000-per-pair Dovedale. Here, a ceramic magnet motor system is paired with a 25mm fabric dome and a damped rear chamber.
The Super Denton's crossover components include air-core inductor coils and polypropylene capacitors, which were explicitly chosen for their transparency. The handoffs happen at 940Hz and 4.6kHz.
The resulting loudspeaker design has a quoted sensitivity of 87dB (2.8V @ 1m), 6Ω (8Ω compatible) nominal impedance and 52Hz-20kHz frequency range.
Meanwhile, the cabinet uses a combination of woods to scatter panel resonances rather than having a single, audibly apparent resonant frequency. An inner layer of high-density particle board is bonded to an outer layer of MDF by an inter-layer of special glue with resonance-damping properties.
Peter Comeau, Wharfedale's Director of Acoustic Design, told StereoNET:
We wanted the Super Denton to pay homage to its innovation as a compact three-way speaker whilst elevating it in every way. The room-filling scale, energy and detail the Super Denton delivers are highly impressive for a speaker of its size.
The Super Denton joins the Denton 80, the Denton 85th Aniversary Edition, the Applause Award-winning Linton and the Dovedale in the Heritage Series.
The Wharfedale Super Denton speakers cost £999 per pair (RRP) and are available in walnut, mahogany and black wood veneer. International pricing has not been shared by the company.
Visit Wharfedale for more information
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in: Hi-Fi
JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION
Want to share your opinion or get advice from other enthusiasts? Then head into the Message
Forums where thousands of other enthusiasts are communicating on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP
Trending
applause awards
Each time StereoNET reviews a product, it is considered for an Applause Award. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both.
Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.
The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.
We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award, it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.