Well...I read so many amazing reviews of these things that I bought some. Beware of reviews, that's what I've learned. Ok, from such inexpensive speakers I wasn't expecting mind blowing results, but I WAS expecting decent sound quality. I ran the speakers in for about 40 hours, then started listening, comparing them to my 30 year old Kef Cadenza's and some Technics M300M2's (a rare 3-way standmount design). The much hyped mid and top end of the 9.1's was totally inferior to either the Technics or the Kefs, portraying the details of vocals and acoustic guitars very poorly indeed. Yes, they are very focussed and cohesive sounding, and they have good bass response for their size (although the dynamics and details of a bass drum sound are totally absent from them, due to driver size, I guess), but....the reviews claim that these are amazing speakers, and they simply aren't. Switching between the 9.1's and the Kefs while listening to the newest Chilli Peppers CD, the ancient Kefs allowed me hear nuances in the vocal performance that were totally absent from the 9.1's , and to clearly hear the space in the mix between the guitars, bass and drums. Vastly superior in every way. I was so disappointed. Anyone considering buying 9'1's should do themselves a favour: buy some old Kefs, some B&W DM4's or maybe some Mission 737's, or check out other modern designs first.
Just remember that hifi magazines make their money from selling advertising space. So there may be a little skull-duggery going on. I dunno, it's just a thought.
Personally, I don't mind the 9.1's, I have listened to them absent mindedly in some hifi shops and thought they were okay!
Have you tried either bi-wiring the 9.1s or just simply replace the brass shorting plates, with some jumper leads made from respectable speaker cable. This should make some improvements to the sound. But sounds to me, that you just plain don't like them.
You can always sell the 9.1's on EBay. Wharfedale has a reasonable reputation for budget speakers, this should allow you to recover some money from your mistake.
Thanks for your advice Rav. Funnily enough, selling them on ebay is exactly what I'm doing!
I did bi-wire them. They do sound ok, but only ok. Very 'together', but not revealing the subtleties of a recording. I guess I was looking for some real mid-band magic, and I'll have to pay more to get the openness and clarity I'm seeking.
Also, are you located in the US? If yes, I would recommend at the Ascend Acoustics speakers for the midrange openness and detail you're looking at, and for unbelievable prices too.