unkqty

Nice! Which ones are they? In other words, are they ported or sealed? Also, what do the tweeters look like? Are they cone-tweeters (like they used on the original W70 and W70C), or are they the later purple-dome type that were used on the W70D and W70E models?

Also, what is the driver-configuration? Is it a 3-way or 4-way, and how big is the bottom woofer (12" or 15")? The answers to these questions should help me pinpoint exactly which version you have (and roughly how much power they can handle).

For best results (sonically), I would stick with amps/receivers made no later than the early '70's. Tubes or tubelike early-solid-state. I'm a big fan of the Sansui stuff from '69-'72 as well as their earlier all-tube models. Basically, you want a warm, inviting, musical sound. That's what will open those things up (They sound dead when powered by neutral-voiced amps... Trust me on this).

I'm actually not sure how to test capacitors, but the ones on your W70D's are likely out of spec. I think the surrounds on that model should be cloth. Not very-difficult to replace because you can go in through the back. Should only be two of them.

I have a friend over at the moment, but if you need more help, feel free to let me know. - Derek

I have the W60E's and the earlier, alnico-loaded W60's (no letter - introduced in 1960), and my main speakers right now are a pair of first-generation W90's (If you listen to a lot of classic-rock/pop as well as old jazz and blues, you should check those out... The early W90 is quite the speaker).

If you find that all the drivers work, then you definitely got a good deal (Either way, the drivers alone are worth more than that). The issue with the mids may just be a case of corrosion on the mid-level pot on the back of each one, so clean those first (with Deoxit or similar cleaner). Also, I would rotate the drivers 180 degrees (Those heavy magnet-structures can get offset after a good 40 years). I would recap the crossovers if the caps are out of spec. Give them a few weeks to wake up again (and for the surrounds to loosen back up). Vintage Wharfedales tend to favor warm-sounding amps/receivers (Tube-era or tubelike early-solid-state). The W**D series was made from 1968 to 1970, if I have it right (The W**E series started in '71), and there were 2 versions of it, the earlier 4-way version with a 12" woofer and the later 3-way version with the 15" woofer. Old Wharfedales in general seem to benefit from being raised off the floor a bit (enough to get the tweeters at eye/ear-level).