Hey guys, I am seriously confused. I owna NAD C320BEE, and I've saved up some money to get a set of budget speakers. I love listening to smooth stuffs, more like: Norah jones, Michael Buble, Ray charles, Faith Hill and sometimes Coldplay, Travis, Maroon 5 etc. I'm confused over wharfedale and infinity. I have these 2 in mind:
1. Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 2. Infinity Primus 250
I see, infinity has a much much higher SNR (92 vs 86)! Is this a important factor? Infinity also is a floorstanding, making it have better frequency response (up to 50hz). But at aroound the same price, which one should I go for? infinity looks so good on pen and paper, wharfedale has this huge reputation: How come Infinity seems better? What should I look for... and what to get?? Is there really any BIG difference between these two speakers? Please help me!
Here's an option you haven't considered. Tim's Alegria Audio Emmas. I set up a friend with a C320BEE and these speakers and she's in audio heaven. The Emmas are full range to 30H or lower depending on the room and for the music styles you like, you'll like what you hear.
And, if you don't like them, Tim takes them back for the mere price of shipping, about $20. Good luck, Dave.
Saquib, remember one big difference. Those floor models support themselves. The stander need, well, stands. Those stands can make or break your listening pleasure.
For Smooth Listening i would say Wharfedale 9.1 are good, only 9.1 s from the wharfedals though, good for money, they have nice mids, better than you would expect for the money.
Yes Nuck is right , stands are very important - but 9.1 are not very choosy for placement or stands. A good pair of stands will help nonetheless.
what about SNR? Does that really make much of any difference?
I really want some "quality" audio, and something that makes you feel that you are listening to rich detail (as much possible for the buck) and right now only focused between these two. But I have a feeling that Wharfedale has a lot of Quality, and Infinity Primus is nothing like that. Please point me out something that really proves Wharfedale's capability. So far specs are taking side of Infinity....
SH, can you go and listen to these speakers? That would be step one, I think. The SNR(?) 86/92 (response) is significant. That 320 is a nice unit and quite suitable for your likes, I bet, but it is a bit modest in the power dept. A higher response rating will yield more volume, if that matters to you. Do get out and listen to all that you can.
The Wharfedales may not extend low, but the frequencies they play, they play well. I've listened to Infinity only at the local chain stores, so may not know them well. I would suggest getting the Wharfedales and adding a subwoofer later. Vocals sound real good on Wharfedale. The definitive test would be to take some CDs to the store and listen for a while.
That's the original issue I have. I'm having to import these, and need some really dependable solution. These speakers are unfortunately not here. Although I dont care about the shipping cost, but brandwise I'm confused. Are they more like Honda and Mercedes (H=Infinity & M=Wharfedale)? or more like BMW & Merc? What about Imaging, and that warm/smooth sound? Wharfedale's brouchere have all these info on stuffs they use to make these, Infinity doesnt have much. None of you ever experienced both? I mean even Pioneer have more point in specs than NAD, but in reality, its just not the real thing.... could it be true with Infinity? I mean Infinity is tower, more drivers, bigger and equal in price with those Wharfedale... doesn't that sound fishy?
Take one for the team, Timmer. Who knows? Product distribution in an underserviced area might be a leg up. Course'n I tried that with y'all here in the GWN, and, well...
No, I would not choose a speaker on specs alone and certainly not a receiver on specs alone. Infinity to me is not a BAD speaker, just nothing special for the price.
i have a few other Infinity & Wharfedale models here, I could check them out. But I still need opinn from people who are using them.
Dear Edster, Infinity is truely nothing special, but would "Wharfedale" be?
Also, I could wait a few moths more and try for the B&W 601 S3: But Would my NAD C320BEE be enough? And neither am I interested in spending so much. I really want to stick around 350$ at most. PeopleI know are going to singapore, and I'll be getting the speakers from there, I need Brands that are popular and widely available.
If you have other Infinity and Wharfedale models close by, it would still help to listen to them. Most speaker companies would have a 'signature' sound which will not vary from speaker to speaker. Extension, yes, will vary. So, even if you listen to a couple of models of Infinity and a couple of Wharfedale, it will be a fruitful exercise. Since good sound is subjective, it is difficult to classify speakers based on specifications and price. I listened to several chain store brands such as JBL, Klipsch, Yamaha and Athena technologies, some of them more expensive than Wharfedale. I still would not trade my speakers for any of them. Of them all, I liked Athena technologies the most. What struck me initially about the Wharfedale sound is that the vocals were beautiful but high frequencies seemed dull. However, I attribute that to me being used to more mainstream mass market speakers that emphasize high frequencies. I am now used to the treble and actually prefer it this way. Considering its a two way design, bass extension is surprisingly good. Resolution is alright too. You will need a good subwoofer to complete the frequency range though (~50 Hz and below). They image well, but occasionally sound slightly 'boxy'. Your NAD should be enough for either speaker. All my observations are for the Diamond 8.3s. So they are pointers to, but not absolute descriptions of 9.1 characteristics. Again, I've not listened to B&W at all, so cannot comment on whether they're worth the extra money. I think several on this forum consider them to be on a higher plane than Wharfedale or Infinity. It might be difficult to find people who have used Infinity and Whafedale in the same setting over a prolonged period of time. If you are only counting votes, mine goes to Wharfedale.
I like warmer, cleaner sound. I just have a feeling that Infinity might sound "clinical" than the Wharfedale of Athena. I am also weak towards the Athena (The AS-B2.2 exactly). Not sure if I can manage to get them. Those bookshelves cost around 250$ pair, but also for 400$ pair I could get the pretty similar floorstand model. If I can manage the Athena, I might leave the Wharfedales as well. What I was thinking, would I consider the AS-F1.2 over AS-B2.2 for the extra money? I'm very tight on budget. besides, I use a Pioneer CD player, and would wanna change that to the NAD C521BEE. So either B2.2 + C521BEE or just the F1.2. What do you guys suggest?
> Dear Edster, Infinity is truely nothing special, but would "Wharfedale" be?
Well you have to understand that I'm coming from the US perspective of the Diamond 8.2 once being available for as little as $160/pair online. I have no idea how much they'd cost you in Bangladesh or Singapore, nor do I know what else is available to you there within your budget.
But generally speaking, yeah I did find the Wharfedale to be a much more involving speaker esp. for the music that I listen to---a lot of jazz, classical, and vocal-dominated music. The Infinity speakers that I've heard did not sound BAD, they just didn't do much for me.
Okay, I just recently discovered that Wharfedales are all 6 ohm speakers. Yes, NAD can support up to 2 ohms, but it creates more THD in lower impedence. Damn, wish i could get it in 8 ohms. Even Quads are 6 ohms. What surprized me was Quad saying: "Impedence is 6 ohms (Suitable for 8 ohms amp)" - err what does dat mean? 8 ohms amo needs 8 ohms speakers yeah? :S
I found Mission has 8 ohms rating. So does B&W, Athena, Monitor Audio, Acoustic Energy, and Axiom. Here's a list of choices:
1. Mission (M32i) 2. B&W DM 303 (Should be crap right?) 3. B&W 600 (Actually made for surround sound) 4. Monitor B2
Cant find dealers for Axiom, Athena. Damn... and Acoustic Energy sounds like thin and crappy!
I would not worry about the 6 ohm rating with the Wharfedales, NAD can support it with ease and the only time you MIGHT here a fraction more noise is if you were cranking to really high volumes...something I would not recommend with the 320BEE in any scenario.
Of the 4 others you listed, I would eliminate #4, these are very poor-sounding, IMO.
1. Mission m33i or m32i (90dB & 8 ohms) 2. Wharfedale Diamond 9.2 or 9.1 (86 dB & 6 ohms)
* NAD C320BEE has lowest THD in 8 ohms, and has only 50 watts.
>> Misson clealry has much better SNR, and better Bass response. Wharfedale is more clean for vocals but are 6ohm and less in SNR. I dont wanna put volume up to loud to get full details, and neither do I want too much laid back sound. Besides, NAD itself is very neutral amp, and Mission could add spice!
I dont listen to classical audio, rather into slow / smooth but a bit new aged stuffs; like: Norah jones, Michael Buble, Ray Charles, Faith Hill and sometimes Coldplay, Travis, Maroon 5, John Mayer, Eric Crapton, Kenny, Dave Mathews Band, David Gray etc. Wouldn't Mission be enough for that content, regarding the fact it's more responsive, and not boring to listen to compared to the Wharfedales (esp when paired with NAD)?
Okay, a question like this might spark a fire, or people might actually try to kick me out .. but i was just wondering: What about BOSE 301 series?
If I want to compare those with the mission m32i.... Would anyone ever take side of BOSE? I was listening to one on the showroom, it aint that bad as people claim - some people reviewed them to be like Sony speakers... for 290$ im getting those directly here with 5 years warranty. Looks awesome, and sounds pretty good. I know the satellites SUCKS! But this 301 is rather different. I havent heard that particular brand of mission (m32i), but please let me know your opinions! How would it be: BOSE 301 with NAD C320BEE ....
Honestly, would I be having that "jaw breaking" difference between Mission m32i and BOSE 301 - as people said, its so different, that would literaly make you cry regreting your BOSE buying! - REALLY???
Don't worry about using 6 ohm speakers with the 320BEE. I use 6 ohm PSB's and don't have any problems at all.
I don't know what is available to you, but of the speakers you mentioned, the Missions, Wharfedales, and B&W's should all pair up very well with the 320BEE. Which sounds best is subjective and only you can answer that one.
If they're available, I'd also look into PSB and Paradigm. Thes synergize very well with NAD. I have a pair of PSB Image T55's that I think are a great match.
Not to start a flame war, but I think you can do far better than Bose for the money. If you like them and you feel like you're getting your money's worth, then they could be the way to go.
that's it.. im getting the Wharfedales.. just made up ma mind! Either 9.1s or 9.2s - no further looking into. I hope that the 86dB doesnt cause probs...
what stands shud i get for wharfedale 9.1/9.2 ? im looking for a known/popular brnad available worldwide - and ofcourse has to be as cheap as possible!
