Wharfedale Super Denton 3-way Bookshelf Speaker

Wharfedale’s new SUPER DENTON is part of Wharfedale’s Heritage series, based on classic designs from Wharfedale’s past but brought right up to date with modern drive unit, cabinet and crossover technology.

The Heritage series commenced, in 2014, with the Denton 80th anniversary model, followed by the Denton 85th and the trend-setting Linton model – which reignited a passion for the traditional, large stand mount loudspeaker. More recently complemented by the high-end Dovedale model, which signaled the return of UK manufacturing, the Heritage series emphasises why no loudspeaker manufacturer can claim a richer heritage than Wharfedale.

Following on from the aforementioned models, Wharfedale’s loudspeaker engineers, led by the revered Peter Comeau as Director of Acoustic Design, have sought to extend the series by taking another price-point-defying model from the archives and subjecting it to innovations and improvements learned over Wharfedale’s decades of loudspeaker development.

The result of this project is the all-new Wharfedale SUPER DENTON!

Taking inspiration from the Denton 3 – a loudspeaker that, in 1971, was acclaimed for surprising comparisons to the more regular large-format speakers of the time – DENTON has now evolved to the ‘SUPER’ status – a term originally applied to improved ‘Super’ and ‘Super Power’ Wharfedale models of the 1970s. The new SUPER DENTON follows suit in creating another modern classic with all the romance of heritage design matched by the latest in loudspeaker engineering.

DENTON, in all current iterations, holds its place as a standmount/bookshelf speaker that is easy to fall in love with — thanks in no small part to the proportions of its quality veneered cabinet. The new SUPER DENTON takes the ‘Super’ aspiration to a new level and brings back the classic 3-way design of the Denton 3, but rather than follow the LINTON model with another large-format cabinet design, the SUPER DENTON remarkably keeps to the compact standmount/bookshelf format and is a mere 20mm taller than the DENTON 85th model!

The industrial design and cabinet engineering required incredible effort to support such a complex array in a small volume, small footprint cabinet. The SUPER DENTON cabinet features critically placed bracing and internal acoustic damping using layers of long-hair fibre and the midrange and treble units have their own rear enclosures. As with all models in the Heritage series, the new SUPER DENTON cabinet is wrapped with hand-matched wood veneers for a furniture-grade finish befitting any living environment – classic or modern.

Endless development

The SUPER DENTON is formulated from three advanced drive units – a 6.5 inch woven Kevlar cone bass unit, a 2 inch dome midrange unit, and a 1 inch soft-dome treble unit. The bass unit and cabinet are tuned to achieve a remarkable bass extension down to 40Hz, providing realistic performance from instruments and vocals in the lower midrange. The midrange unit provides the ideal transition from the fundamental tones carried by the bass unit to the harmonic overtones higher in frequency, while the wide dispersion of the dome diaphragm is responsible for the clarity and finesse that brings the musical performance alive into your living room. The new 1 inch soft dome treble unit inherits the ceramic magnet motor system and rear chamber used in the Dovedale Heritage, to better match the detailed performance of its companion drivers.

The drivers are advanced on any previous model with the DENTON name. The premium, cast chassis 6.5” (165mm) bass unit is tuned to the cabinet for bass extension down to 40Hz – astonishing for a loudspeaker of this size – with the woven Kevlar diaphragm providing realistic performance from instruments and vocals in the lower midrange.

The midrange unit is based around a 2” (50mm) dome design – inspired by Wharfedale’s award-winning EVO4 project. This driver provides the ideal transition from the fundamental tones carried by the bass unit to the harmonic overtones higher in frequency. The wide dispersion of this dome diaphragm is responsible for the clarity and finesse that brings the musical performance alive.

Sonic detail and air at high frequencies comes via a new 1” (25mm) soft dome treble unit that inherits design traits from the revered Wharfedale DOVEDALE model, including the ceramic motor system and rear chamber. This chamber helps reduce the resonant frequency to below that of the crossover region for a more natural and seamless transition between the drive units.

The three drivers are neatly arranged for smooth integration into this 3-way design, managed by a highly researched crossover network that features air-core coils and polypropylene capacitors in the midrange and treble circuits for distortion-free performance. As with all Wharfedale models, the design is accelerated by critical measurements allied to advanced computer modelling, but final tuning is achieved throughout 1000s of hours of listening tests – just as Wharfedale founder Gilbert Briggs would emphasise: “Response curves alone can hide a multitude of sins!”

The development of SUPER DENTON involved intricacies and attention to detail comparable to a model pitched at twice its humble price tag, as the lead designer says; “even the grille incorporates internal shaping to maximise the power performance of the drive units and avoid interference from reflections from the edges of the cabinet”.

The result is a musical output that suits all genres of music and sources, whether analogue or digital. You can rest assured that SUPER DENTON will delight and satisfy listeners with musical entertainment for years to come.

The Super Denton crossover matches the acoustic performance of the drive units to achieve a seamless transition between them. Utilizing air core coils and high specification polypropylene capacitors for midrange and treble circuits, the crossover enhances the clear and realistic detailing that emerges effortlessly from this advanced bookshelf loudspeaker.

Even the grille incorporates internal shaping to maximize the power performance of the drive units and avoid interference from reflections from the edges of the cabinet. The result is a musical output that suits all genres of music and sources, whether analogue or digital

MORE THAN A REINTRODUCTION

• Fashions come and go. Class lasts a lifetime. The Wharfedale SUPER DENTON portrays the timeless beauty of a stunning loudspeaker cabinet with an authentic legacy. Traditional, simple, beautiful yet highly evolved and a thoroughly modern design.
• Bang up to date – utilising a mixture of traditional and advanced technology, for optimum performance whilst staying true to the legacy.
• SUPER DENTON is a three-way speaker in the classic Wharfedale tradition – beautifully hand veneered with an inset front baffle and traditional cloth grille.

A THREE-WAY DESIGN WITH FAMILY HISTORY AND PRECEDENT

• The bass unit uses Wharfedale’s woven Kevlar® cone technology as featured in DENTON and LINTON models.
• The dome midrange is evolved from the award-winning EVO4 series for incredible dispersion.
• The treble unit is derived from the high-end DOVEDALE model, taking design hints such as a ceramic magnet motor system and custom-engineered engineered rear-chamber for resonant frequency extension.

GOOD THINGS, SMALL PACKAGES

The Wharfedale SUPER DENTON astonishingly fits a 6.5”, 3-way design into a cabinet that measures a mere 360 (H) x 246 (W) x 275 (D)

ENDLESS DEVELOPMENT

A highly researched crossover – developed from 1000s of hours of listening tests to perfect the coherent, seamless musical output that is both thrilling and natural in its rendition of any source material.

Model    Super Denton
General description    3-way vented-box/standmount
Design philosophy and core technology    bass reflex
Enclosure type    3-way
Bass driver    6.5″(165mm) Black Woven Kevlar Cone
Midrange driver    2′(50mm) Soft Dome
Treble driver    1″(25mm) Soft Dome
AV shield    No
Sensitivity (2 .83V @ 1m)    87dB
Recommended amplifier power    25-120W
Peak SPL    103dB
Nominal impedance    6Ω (Compatible 8Ω)
Minimum impedance    3.4Ω
Frequency response(+ (-3dB)    52Hz – 20kHz
Bass extension(-6dB)    40Hz
Crossover frequency    940Hz,4.6kHz
Cabinet Volume (in litres)    14.7L
Dimensions (mm)    
Height (on plinth)    360mm
Width    246mm
Depth (with terminals)    (275+20)mm
Carton size    660’390’475mm
Net weight    9.2kg/pcs
Gross weight    21.0kg/ctn
Finish    Real Wood Veneer Walnut or Traditional
Mahogany Finish
Standard accessories    rubber feet