Wharfedale's latest standmount speakers see the brand celebrate its illustrious British heritage

Wharfedale Super Denton standmount shot without grilles

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

The Bristol Hi-Fi Show is always a great chance to get a glimpse of some brand-new hardware, and this year has been no different. Wharfedale had already teased the announcement of a new model at this year's show, and it's delivered on that count with the launch of its new Super Denton bookshelf speakers.

The Wharfedale Super Denton speakers will join the company's Heritage Series and build on the legacy of the original Wharfedale Denton, the retro-looking standmounter model that we praised for its smooth, rich and expressive presentation. The Heritage range is designed to celebrate Wharfedale's illustrious British roots, although the IAG-owned brand promises plenty of modern internal tech to keep up with the times.

The new Super Denton incorporates a three-way design, with each driver offset in a manner that puts us slightly in mind of a Picasso portrait. If you don't like that particular look, there are a pair of detachable grilles to give a smoother, sleeker aspect to the duo. Those three drivers compromise a 25mm treble, 5cm midrange and a 16.5cm bass driver, the latter of which is made using woven Kevlar for a bass extension down to 40Hz.

The Super Denton’s crossover components include air-core inductor coils and polypropylene capacitors, chosen specifically for their transparent nature, while the cabinet incorporates a blend of woods to scatter panel resonances for a broad, deep soundstage.

Wharfedale Super Denton standmount shot with grille — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Peter Comeau, Wharfedale’s Director of Acoustic Design, said: “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". We were treated to a short listening session with the standmounters, and found them to be impressively broad and weighty in terms of the sound they produced in a crowded demo room.

The current range of Heritage speakers (the Super Denton notwithstanding) currently consists of the Denton 80, the Denton 85th Aniversary Edition, the Linton and the Dovedale.

The Wharfedale Super Denton speakers will hit the market in mid-March at a retail price of £999 / $1299 / AU$2220 per pair, available in a choice of walnut, mahogany and black wood veneer.

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Harry McKerrell is a senior staff writer at What Hi-Fi?. During his time at the publication, he has written countless news stories alongside features, advice and reviews of products ranging from floorstanding speakers and music streamers to over-ear headphones, wireless earbuds and portable DACs. He has covered launches from hi-fi and consumer tech brands, and major industry events including IFA, High End Munich and, of course, the Bristol Hi-Fi Show. When not at work he can be found playing hockey, practising the piano or trying to pet strangers' dogs.

3 Comments Comment from the forums

bristollinnet

Its a crying shame that whoever owns the naming rights to Wharfedale have zero respect for the brand. The Wharfedale Denton was a 2-way design and never a 3-way. I bought the Denton 2XPs in the mid 1970s and whilst I swapped them out with Linton 3XPs a few years later, for their size, budget, and my then student ears, they sounded absolutely great. Being faithful to their heritage? I think not.
Reply
AudioFreak72

bristollinnet said:
Its a crying shame that whoever owns the naming rights to Wharfedale have zero respect for the brand. The Wharfedale Denton was a 2-way design and never a 3-way. I bought the Denton 2XPs in the mid 1970s and whilst I swapped them out with Linton 3XPs a few years later, for their size, budget, and my then student ears, they sounded absolutely great. Being faithful to their heritage? I think not.
Is this not an improvement on a historic model? If Jaguar were to bring out a new e-Type, would you complain it has power steering and Bluetooth? I think its great that brands such as Wharfedale and the like are re-visiting these legendary products and adding some new, up-to-date technology and pushing the boundaries - progress!
Reply
tim_hashstar

bristollinnet said:
Its a crying shame that whoever owns the naming rights to Wharfedale have zero respect for the brand. The Wharfedale Denton was a 2-way design and never a 3-way. I bought the Denton 2XPs in the mid 1970s and whilst I swapped them out with Linton 3XPs a few years later, for their size, budget, and my then student ears, they sounded absolutely great. Being faithful to their heritage? I think not.
The new Super Denton's three-way design was inspired by the Denton 3 – a similarly compact three-way speaker that launched in 1971. Two-way Denton models already exist in Wharfedale's current Heritage Series.
Reply

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