Wharfedale W70D spec sheet

rallycat

Active Member
Here's a spec sheet for the W70D; I got it with my speakers from the original owner's family. I meant to post this some time ago, but it disappeared - just found it behind the stereo case where the cats tossed it.

Tom
 

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These were my first Wharfedales and loved them. Notice the power capacity on them. I mated a Marantz 19 to them and it was heavenly. Other than I had so much back then available for cheap, I could have made this my final system for decades.
 
Thanks rallycat for the info,I recently aquired a pair of these, although just found my tweeters are fried ,but this looks to be a common failure of the purple tweets.
 
Are they fried or are the caps bad? Most of the W series with these fried egg tweeters I've seen, the tweeters were not functioning b/c caps and/or the tweeter level controls. No, they do not appreciate goobs of power and will cook if abused. Sad, as they are really a nice sounding tweeter.
 
I can pick up nice pair of Wharfedale W 70 Speakers for $75.00

Are these really good sounding speakers. How do they compare with the Dynaco A25's and KLH model 6's?

Thanks,
Sal Brisindi
 
I have the W70s and for the dollars you'll have a real bargain. No surround issues. Probably caps and cleaning the l-pad that is wore wound. There is a good probably the tweeters may be silent but, more likely it is the cap and not the tweeter. However try to determine the amp used on these and the sound levels played. The drivers were developed in the days when 10 watts was the norm so if they've been played at concert hall levels with a MC2600 probably will have damage. The woofer and mid may have some vc rub but provided not damaged it may only need to have the driver turned 180 degrees. The drivers have a very narrow gap and settling is more prevelent that with other drivers. If that ST70 is yours then, you've got a good little amp for them with its 35 watts.

The speakers do not have the bass slam of either the Dyna or KLH that are AS designs and tend to emphasize the bass more. They are more comparable with Bozaks, especially the 302a that is also a 3-way. The midrange in these will show the limitations of most 2-ways such as the A-25 and 6s.
 
Hi Brian,
I have been reading about the W70's for the last 90 minutes on the web. Seems like they are not rock and roll speakers but great for Jazz and classical music like my Bozak 301's Tempo's.

Yes, my avatar is my ST-70 before I restored it, I now have 2 Dynaco ST-70's fully restored and that is what the Warfedales W70 would be connected to. I will call the seller tomorrow and hopefully they are still available. Here is a photo of them. Maybe they are not mint but will clean up really good.

Thanks for the info.

Sal
 

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I have read many times about the lack of bass in the w-70's. I have a set and they have very strong clean crisp bass. They sound as good as my AR-3's or other large speakers. I replaced my tweeters with one inch domes for cleaner high end. I have had several amps on them and the best sounding one is a Pioneer SX-950. The Pioneer and the 70's seem to work well with each other. I ran two big Carvers and the smaller Pioneer sounds much better. Also I run a stack, A W-60 on top of the W-70
Ed
 
It is not that the bass is lacking but the bass is not over intrusive. It is delicate and well detailed unlike many later designs around the AS concept. Part of this I suspect is the lack of the typical hump in the 60-75 hz region. The woofer is not happered by the crossover and allowed to naturally roll off.
 
A coworker scored a pair at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago and loves them. He is mostly a jazz guy if I understand correctly.
 
I have decided not to purchase the w70 speakers as I am in the process of buying another 2 Dynaco ST-70's at a good price so my funds are diverted there.

Regards,
Sal Brisindi
 
All parts from a pair of Wharfedale W70D Mk II speakers are in eBay this week (including a pair of purple tweeters).
 
So I found this site through google and I been looking for more information about this loudspeaker. Anyone have anything they can offer?
 
While we're here, does any one have schematics of the W70 crossovers? Someone did a hack job on mine and I don't know how to wire them. They each have a 4uf and a 7uf cap but they were wired differently from one another. The 4uf, which look original, weren't connected so I wonder if someone stuck the 7s in there to replace the 4s. Or do they use two caps? I have the 7s going thru the frequency control to the tweeters and they sound quite nice with my Fisher 400c but would like to make sure they are correct.

Thanks,
John
 
I'd like to know too. What's the difference between the W70D and W70D MKII? I tend to think it could be a switch from the "fried egg"-style tweeter to a dome tweeter like on the W70E. Or is it a woofer variation? Isn't there a W70 4-way AND a 3-way? One with a 15" and 1 with a 12"? I could be thinking of a different model than the D, but it's all so confusing trying to decipher the history of this company - especially with the fire destroying the possibility of a real-deal Wharfedale historical site. Now it's up to the fans and collectors.

And thanks to the OP (if he's still a member - This is a kind of an old thread) for putting up the spec sheet files. Good stuff to hang on to. I have W60's (the slightly-later W60E's with a 12.5" woofer, 5" midwoofer, and a dome tweeter that I believe was used for most or all of the "E" models). I'm pretty sure the "MKII" D models are very-similar to the E models. Even though the D's are rear-loaded (E's are front-loaded), both versions are a sealed, acoustic-suspension design with a more-American-style speaker sound than previous Wharfedale models. I've had my W60E's for about 10 and a half months now, and I'm happier then I've ever been with them. They seem to have gotten better over time. Receiver/amp choice is key with these things. You really want a low-powered, early-mid '70's, SS receiver or amp powering a set of W60 E or W70E's. Great sounding speakers for all kinds of music.

For the W70, there were several different versions throughout the years. There were the early W70's (and I believe W70B's and W70C's), which I believe had alnico-magnet drivers and a sound that had much in common with early Bozak speakers (more-suited for classical and jazz music - A very-warm and glorious sound, but with rolled-off highs). And the introduction of the W70D saw a dramatic shift to a more-American-style acoustic-suspension design. But I think there was a tweeter change AND possibly a woofer or midwoofer change on the W70D. It's a strange and hard-to-categorize speaker.
 
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My W70D MK II's still have the fired egg purple tweeters. Sorry I don't have a picture right now.

Also - I don't think these are truly acoustic suspension - though maybe you were talking about later models. The wool woofer surrounds let air pass.

I have wondered what some stuffin inside the cab would do for the bass output :scratch2:
 
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