I had a pair of E90's myself and my mate as a pair of E70's still till this day. I got my E90's in the early 80's I paid £500 for them brand new, I'm pretty sure the original price of them in 1979 when they was released was £1,150. The E90's were superb speakers which were in fact 4 way speakers down to the 2 bass units running on different crossover frequencies. The good thing about them was the fact that you could set them further apart in distance over conventional speakers without breaking the making an hole in the stereo field. This was because the size of the cabinet pushed out 110 internal litres of sound. Another great addition to the speaker was the position of the 2 mid-range drivers, being placed on different sides of the both speakers, making a left and a right speaker. This very much added to a far better separation system in comparison to the E70's.
I sold my pair of E90's back in 2005 to a mate of mine, who had been after them for sometime. He actually gave me £800 for them, so I certainly got a good deal out of the speakers, and he still as them to this day, and quite often blasts the cobwebs out of them. The E range by Wharfedale were certainly one of there finest range of speakers at the time, and for stereo amplification they were fantastic without a doubt, though not in all areas of music. They certainly could not handle classical music in anyway, but were great for Prog and Rock music along with Drum & Bass, they were a kick *** speaker in them departments.
These days I'm very much into surround sound rather than conventional stereo, so the need for large speakers is not necessary needed to produce great sound from AV amplification, as its very much got its separation down to more channels added to it, such as 5.1 and 7.1. With this kind of system you would be surprised just how good a set of Wharfedale's Diamond Range Speakers are in comparison to the old E Range.
I replaced my E90's with a set of Wharfedale 9.1's and a Wharfedale SW250 Subwoofer. This may sound a bit bizarre going from a monster speaker with 5 drive units in it, down to a small speaker with 2 drive units, but I certainly do not miss my E90's at all. The Diamond 9.1's work a lot better for movies than the E90's that's for sure, the sound of some of the classical music in these films is quite breath taking, and something the E range certainly could not do any justice to, in comparison with the Diamonds. For such a small speaker they are a marvel I will say that, but perhaps only in the AV department rather than the stereo audiophile.
Today's speakers are made from a lot better cone construction in comparison to the old E Range. Which is perhaps the reason why the Diamonds work so good with AV systems over the E range. No doubt about it in there day the E Range was Wharfedale's finest speakers, and they certainly gave me years of pleasure.
I sold my pair of E90's back in 2005 to a mate of mine, who had been after them for sometime. He actually gave me £800 for them, so I certainly got a good deal out of the speakers, and he still as them to this day, and quite often blasts the cobwebs out of them. The E range by Wharfedale were certainly one of there finest range of speakers at the time, and for stereo amplification they were fantastic without a doubt, though not in all areas of music. They certainly could not handle classical music in anyway, but were great for Prog and Rock music along with Drum & Bass, they were a kick *** speaker in them departments.
These days I'm very much into surround sound rather than conventional stereo, so the need for large speakers is not necessary needed to produce great sound from AV amplification, as its very much got its separation down to more channels added to it, such as 5.1 and 7.1. With this kind of system you would be surprised just how good a set of Wharfedale's Diamond Range Speakers are in comparison to the old E Range.
I replaced my E90's with a set of Wharfedale 9.1's and a Wharfedale SW250 Subwoofer. This may sound a bit bizarre going from a monster speaker with 5 drive units in it, down to a small speaker with 2 drive units, but I certainly do not miss my E90's at all. The Diamond 9.1's work a lot better for movies than the E90's that's for sure, the sound of some of the classical music in these films is quite breath taking, and something the E range certainly could not do any justice to, in comparison with the Diamonds. For such a small speaker they are a marvel I will say that, but perhaps only in the AV department rather than the stereo audiophile.
Today's speakers are made from a lot better cone construction in comparison to the old E Range. Which is perhaps the reason why the Diamonds work so good with AV systems over the E range. No doubt about it in there day the E Range was Wharfedale's finest speakers, and they certainly gave me years of pleasure.
I would just like to update that it was in fact the E90 Pro Speakers I had and not the E90's. The difference between the 2 is 100 watts and the colour and size of the cabinets, plus the kick proof metal fish net grid plate which was held on by alum keys and the 2 cut out protectors on the back of the speakers, plus the 2 contour speaker controls were on the back of the E90 Pro's rather than on the E90's which were very much the same as the E70's with them on the front in the form of 2 aluminium knobs. This old video I posted on you tube shows the left one in the background just behind myself playing the piano, it can be found here: YouTube - Sinkin blues
Wharfedale E70's
Hi,
I have a pair of E70's which I have used almost every day for the last 30 years. I am still deeply in love with them. They have taken tons of abuse but still sound beautiful to me. I consider them to be the best purchase of my entire life. How is that for a heart felt testimonial ........
Hi,
I have a pair of E70's which I have used almost every day for the last 30 years. I am still deeply in love with them. They have taken tons of abuse but still sound beautiful to me. I consider them to be the best purchase of my entire life. How is that for a heart felt testimonial ........
I don't know about the E90's, but I run my E70's with a Nakamichi 620 power amp. I have two sets of E70's, each set run with a Nakamichi 620. I would love to get a third pair of E70's, but I haven't seen any up for sell. I run my speakers behind a Rane SM26B 6 out mixer, so I have the space for an additional pair.
The E70's are the best I'm ever heard. I have a pair each behind a dbx 2231 and an old Soundcraftman EQ's, respectively, so I get all the bass I need. In fact, I have to dial the bass back a bit.
The speakers were ahead of their time. They have always been crystal clear (I got my first pair in the mid 70's), but digital recording technology really fulfill their potential; they really reproduce any and every thing, and do so extraordinarily clearly.
If someone has a good/well kept pair they want to sell, I might be interested in seeing if we can make a deal.
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Update on my E50's.
Now driving these from a Glow Audio One SET amp which I have spend a year and a half tube rolling to finally settle on a pair of 1950's Western Electric JW 396a preamp tubes and old British (blackburn) Mullard EL84 power tubes.
Although it only produces 5 watts total output power it's more than enough to drive the Wharfedales and the improvement is quite noticeable. Beautifully warm and detailed with a far bigger sound-stage than I've ever achieved previously.
Currently revisiting my entire music collection again
Now driving these from a Glow Audio One SET amp which I have spend a year and a half tube rolling to finally settle on a pair of 1950's Western Electric JW 396a preamp tubes and old British (blackburn) Mullard EL84 power tubes.
Although it only produces 5 watts total output power it's more than enough to drive the Wharfedales and the improvement is quite noticeable. Beautifully warm and detailed with a far bigger sound-stage than I've ever achieved previously.
Currently revisiting my entire music collection again
Hi all, been following this thread for a while!
A friend of mine in the early 90's had a pair of E30's and I thought they were great then.
Ever since I have kept an eye out for some and recently the E50 and E70's caught my attention.
Yesterday I bought some E50's in pretty good condition and they're excellent! Far better than the E30's ever were!
I'm sat listening to them now and they just make me smile!
The bass in one of them had a loose dust cover which I have glued back down but it has a rattle at certain low frequencies, any idea what it could be or how to stop it?
I would love to listen to these through a tube amp and the guy I bought them off has the E70's powered by a luxman tube amp which he said come for a listen but I do t want to depress myself!
Great retro speakers that were massively overlooked in their day!
A friend of mine in the early 90's had a pair of E30's and I thought they were great then.
Ever since I have kept an eye out for some and recently the E50 and E70's caught my attention.
Yesterday I bought some E50's in pretty good condition and they're excellent! Far better than the E30's ever were!
I'm sat listening to them now and they just make me smile!
The bass in one of them had a loose dust cover which I have glued back down but it has a rattle at certain low frequencies, any idea what it could be or how to stop it?
I would love to listen to these through a tube amp and the guy I bought them off has the E70's powered by a luxman tube amp which he said come for a listen but I do t want to depress myself!
Great retro speakers that were massively overlooked in their day!
E70's for sale
I own a pair of e70's if anyone is interested in buying them.
I live in New Zealand but I am moving to Melbourne mid February (3 weeks away) - I am undecided whether I will put them in storage or take them with me.
I had them checked and serviced by Axent Audio (the go to techs in Auck NZ) 12 months ago - they are in excellent condition – and yes they are underrated.
I am on the move over the next few years - so if there is a good home for them to go to - I'd be more than happy to part with them if they go to an enthusiast.
Cheers!
I own a pair of e70's if anyone is interested in buying them.
I live in New Zealand but I am moving to Melbourne mid February (3 weeks away) - I am undecided whether I will put them in storage or take them with me.
I had them checked and serviced by Axent Audio (the go to techs in Auck NZ) 12 months ago - they are in excellent condition – and yes they are underrated.
I am on the move over the next few years - so if there is a good home for them to go to - I'd be more than happy to part with them if they go to an enthusiast.
Cheers!
What good is a thread without a picture here?
I always thought the Wharfedale E70 was a terrific speaker. The E stood for efficiency and it was much better than the old BBC style bextrene designs that defined the seventies up till then.
I would compare it to the 15" Tannoy, which had similar slam and detail. The twin mids is a good trick too. That became more familiar in later D'Appolito designs. Doubled drivers project better, to give a PA type sound.
I can't say what the filter was exactly, but BW3 I'd expect. I think if I ever build a three way, it will be like this.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I always thought the Wharfedale E70 was a terrific speaker. The E stood for efficiency and it was much better than the old BBC style bextrene designs that defined the seventies up till then.
I would compare it to the 15" Tannoy, which had similar slam and detail. The twin mids is a good trick too. That became more familiar in later D'Appolito designs. Doubled drivers project better, to give a PA type sound.
I can't say what the filter was exactly, but BW3 I'd expect. I think if I ever build a three way, it will be like this.
Long lived thread, like most of these speakers.
I've got second hand experience with these (E70) through my uncle. He bought them new in '78 and has been using them since then. Had a Luxman L-85V amplifier to drive them, which seemed like a lot even when I didn't really understand efficiency and sensitivity.
To give an idea of how sensitive these are, I had the L85 for a general cleaning / overhaul (pots scratching and switches losing contact) and tried it with a pair of KEF R105. The amplifier ran out of juice almost when the speakers would wake up. Almost made me consider that it couldn't really bring out 80W. Well, the same amp rocks the E70s and the room before volume control reaches 11 o'clock.
Even though the E70s were not abused (played classical music at moderate levels) both woofers surrounds started flapping about 3 years ago. They are a combination of rubber faced flange combined with paper underneath - not really high quality imho - and it just took some diluted wood glue and several clothes pins to fix them. Only have the circumference needed fixing and the fault hasn't expanded since then.
These are excellent speakers to drive with a tube amp or a gainclone (you can even drive them from the headphones output of the amp to adequate levels) but the low frequency extension, although there, isn't just close to what this enclosure volume could achieve. Even my R104ab kick bass better than these.
I've got second hand experience with these (E70) through my uncle. He bought them new in '78 and has been using them since then. Had a Luxman L-85V amplifier to drive them, which seemed like a lot even when I didn't really understand efficiency and sensitivity.
To give an idea of how sensitive these are, I had the L85 for a general cleaning / overhaul (pots scratching and switches losing contact) and tried it with a pair of KEF R105. The amplifier ran out of juice almost when the speakers would wake up. Almost made me consider that it couldn't really bring out 80W. Well, the same amp rocks the E70s and the room before volume control reaches 11 o'clock.
Even though the E70s were not abused (played classical music at moderate levels) both woofers surrounds started flapping about 3 years ago. They are a combination of rubber faced flange combined with paper underneath - not really high quality imho - and it just took some diluted wood glue and several clothes pins to fix them. Only have the circumference needed fixing and the fault hasn't expanded since then.
These are excellent speakers to drive with a tube amp or a gainclone (you can even drive them from the headphones output of the amp to adequate levels) but the low frequency extension, although there, isn't just close to what this enclosure volume could achieve. Even my R104ab kick bass better than these.
Hi, Wharfedale E70 fans!
I dug up a really good thread today on this speaker:
Wharfedale E70 thread - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums
I scratched my head over the tone controls a bit, but once you set them to zero, we can now see the filter!
I'll spare you the modelling, but it works and is familiar territory. I always wanted to know how it worked.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I dug up a really good thread today on this speaker:
Wharfedale E70 thread - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums
I scratched my head over the tone controls a bit, but once you set them to zero, we can now see the filter!
I'll spare you the modelling, but it works and is familiar territory. I always wanted to know how it worked.
Attachments
Hi, I found this thread when looking up details on these speakers. Having done so, I see they are not for me, but someone else may be interested to know they're on sale for £35 if you can collect from Brighouse:
https://www.gumtree.com/p/speakers/wharfdale-e70/1177073377
https://www.gumtree.com/p/speakers/wharfdale-e70/1177073377
wharfedale e70s for sale
Hi there I have a pair of Wharfedale e70s that I might be willing to sell.
They are great speakers and the best speaker one could by in the late 70s I used them to play dances but then I moved to Aussie for several years.
I actually had these with me when I moved every thing to Perth W.A.
I had a rotel amp that powered these wonderful speakers but I recently sold it and thought maybe I will now sell my speakers.
If anyone is interested drop me a note.
P.s. they have both been re coned professionally a number of years ago.
cheers
James
Hi there I have a pair of Wharfedale e70s that I might be willing to sell.
They are great speakers and the best speaker one could by in the late 70s I used them to play dances but then I moved to Aussie for several years.
I actually had these with me when I moved every thing to Perth W.A.
I had a rotel amp that powered these wonderful speakers but I recently sold it and thought maybe I will now sell my speakers.
If anyone is interested drop me a note.
P.s. they have both been re coned professionally a number of years ago.
cheers
James
I bought a pair of these in the 80s and loved them. I thought I would never replace them because they did the job for me and my Sony amp playing mostly rock music. Then in the late 90s I got the mad idea to move on to a boat and sail off to warmer climes. That meant I had to say goodbye to the Wharfedales. Both ideas turned out to be bad. Ever since I swallowed the anchor and moved back onto land I have lusted after another pair of E70s. Even E90s (a boy can dream, yeah?). Now considered collector's items and priced way out of my range for a working pair. There is/was a bloke on ebay selling new drivers that were supposed to improve the existing ones when they finally failed. I managed to find out what the units were and got a set at an affordable price. I even managed to get hold of crossovers that were supposed to be equivalent to the originals but when I put them all together in a custom made copy of the box it didn't work at all like I expected. The woofer was totally lifeless and the mids and tweets barely made a sound. Total waste of money.
Hi Old bones!
Ouch!
Interesting that you did not buy the drivers from the respected ebay refurbisher, but sourced them yourself. Details would be of interest to E70 owners.
Given your back story, I reckon you'd be driving your clones with something other than your old Sony amp and would be listening in a different acoustic environment.
There's a number of variables here, so it's difficult to explain your disappointment.
Ouch!
Interesting that you did not buy the drivers from the respected ebay refurbisher, but sourced them yourself. Details would be of interest to E70 owners.
Given your back story, I reckon you'd be driving your clones with something other than your old Sony amp and would be listening in a different acoustic environment.
There's a number of variables here, so it's difficult to explain your disappointment.
Hi Galu,
My decision to scratch build a set of E70s was driven by a lack of cash. I am now living on a basic UK state pension which is widely accepted as one of the lowest in Europe. The actual drivers used in the original speakers are no longer available so replacements have been identified and assessed by a small number of specialists. These replacements are pictured, often showing the part numbers, etc. clearly enough to be used for searching a better price. It has been a two year investigation but I managed to source the exact same parts at less than half the price asked by the specialists. The one component that could be key to the poor performance is the crossover. A specialist illustrated them for sale as a straight replacement. The manufacturer's part number was clearly shown on the item. It took a while to find but a seller in Australia had a pair at a sensible price. My doubts about it now centre on the fact that they are much more complex than the Wharfedale ones shown on an old circuit sheet I discovered. I don't have the electronic savvy to go any further so I may well be selling off the drivers.
I am still using the same Sony amp that I had back "in the day" a Sony 450ESD. The listening room is now larger but the extreme lack of volume from the mids and tweeter smacks of something much more serious than room accoustics.
Totally befuddled by it all.
My decision to scratch build a set of E70s was driven by a lack of cash. I am now living on a basic UK state pension which is widely accepted as one of the lowest in Europe. The actual drivers used in the original speakers are no longer available so replacements have been identified and assessed by a small number of specialists. These replacements are pictured, often showing the part numbers, etc. clearly enough to be used for searching a better price. It has been a two year investigation but I managed to source the exact same parts at less than half the price asked by the specialists. The one component that could be key to the poor performance is the crossover. A specialist illustrated them for sale as a straight replacement. The manufacturer's part number was clearly shown on the item. It took a while to find but a seller in Australia had a pair at a sensible price. My doubts about it now centre on the fact that they are much more complex than the Wharfedale ones shown on an old circuit sheet I discovered. I don't have the electronic savvy to go any further so I may well be selling off the drivers.
I am still using the same Sony amp that I had back "in the day" a Sony 450ESD. The listening room is now larger but the extreme lack of volume from the mids and tweeter smacks of something much more serious than room accoustics.
Totally befuddled by it all.
There is nothing particularly complex with regard to the original E70 crossovers. They do have selector switches which insert attenuating resistors into the mid and treble driver circuits and I wonder if that is where at least part of your problem lies.
I may dig out the simplified crossover circuit, minus the switches, which accompanied the kit version of the E70, to let you see how it compares with the circuits that you have mentioned.
If you could post a photograph of your crossover board and, indeed, of your drivers and enclosure, we may be able to relieve you of your befuddlement.
P.S. I see Steve has shown his version of the crossover in post #32.
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I have compared the Wharfedale Speakercraft kit version of the E70 crossover with the one Steve showed in post #32.
The differences are minimal. Wharfedale shows the tweeter resistor to be 2.2ohm and the woofer inductor to be 2.0mH.
Just for reference, the parts numbers for the Speakercraft drivers were:
Tweeter: ET/02/1
Mid (x2): EM/10/1
Woofer: EB/25/1
The differences are minimal. Wharfedale shows the tweeter resistor to be 2.2ohm and the woofer inductor to be 2.0mH.
Just for reference, the parts numbers for the Speakercraft drivers were:
Tweeter: ET/02/1
Mid (x2): EM/10/1
Woofer: EB/25/1
Ah, yes. In my file I have an old magazine article about the Speakercraft E70 kits but it doesn't show the crossover circuit. Oddly the diagram Steve shows above has three coils and the one shown on the Wharfedale E70 service sheet shows 5 coils. Sadly the new crossovers I purchased have 4 coils. Something is a bit wrong somewhere. At the moment I don't know how to post an image but I'll give it some time and get back later.
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