Wharfedale W60D what do you think?

I am looking at a pair of Wharfedale W60D speakers and from the one posted picture with the grill removed I think I have too many questions.

1.While this has the pink tweeter, the black plastic tweeter protection cover is missing (you can see the screw holes from where it once was).

2. The mid-woofer appears to be right, but again it is missing the metal frame that screwed into the front of the speaker baffle board, again the screws holes are there, but no frame (which makes me wonder if this is the right mid-woofers as isn't the metal frame that is missing part of the mid-woofer speaker?).

3. The woofer looks to be a grey cone with a grey dust cover, but it might be a silver dust cover hard to tell from the picture and if silver I haven't seen any pictures with silver dust covers on the W60D woofer. The speaker surround is missing too.

Even though the cabinet is in nice condition I think this could turn into a restoration nightmare, so I think pass and wait for much better example?

can you post that picture?

i am very happy with my restored W60Es

Here's a the best picture I can get:



Roger, we are very happy with our W70 and Linton Wharfedales too.

I'm not a wharfedale expert, but I'm not seeing anything there that looks like it has been monkeyed with. I'd be on those if the cabinets were good.

There's a price on most anything that doesn't breathe. I do enjoy my W40's.

they look a lot like these except for the port:

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/187395-wharfedale_w60d_vintage_speakers/images/246992/

probably the real deal. where is gangtwanger? he would know this...

Ishmael said:

I am looking at a pair of Wharfedale W60D speakers and from the one posted picture with the grill removed I think I have too many questions.

1.While this has the pink tweeter, the black plastic tweeter protection cover is missing (you can see the screw holes from where it once was).

Click to expand...

This model generally did not have the black plastic cover, at least many Ds did not. Although I have seen some that did, although I don't know if this was because the original tweeters were replaced or this was a later issue of the D model.

2. The mid-woofer appears to be right, but again it is missing the metal frame that screwed into the front of the speaker baffle board, again the screws holes are there, but no frame (which makes me wonder if this is the right mid-woofers as isn't the metal frame that is missing part of the mid-woofer speaker?).

Click to expand...

I think you may be confusing the E version with the D version. See http://stereo.toups.info/Wharfedale/Full Size/10 W60D.jpg for a picture of the D version. The D versions had the speakers mounted behind the front board while the E version had the speakers mounted in front of the board. Also there are some differences in the tweeter size and mounting between the two models.

3. The woofer looks to be a grey cone with a grey dust cover, but it might be a silver dust cover hard to tell from the picture and if silver I haven't seen any pictures with silver dust covers on the W60D woofer. The speaker surround is missing too.

Even though the cabinet is in nice condition I think this could turn into a restoration nightmare, so I think pass and wait for much better example?

Click to expand...

Color photos can be misleading depending on lighting. I can't tell if the dust cap is original or not, but the one pictured is dented.

One thing to watch out for is the tweeter. The glue used to glue the purple diaphragm to the magnet evidently has a tendency to corrode the aluminum wire away where it passes under the glue. In theory this could be fixed, but my first attempt to repair one failed miserably. I have some others that I will attempt to repair in the future, but soldering aluminum is not an easy task and the wires are very brittle.

Thanks for the advice. In looking at online pictures of the W60 I generated the questions listed in my post. It’s always seems that the dilemma with Wharfedale speakers is figuring out which model derivation you are looking. It seems the consensus is that while parts appear to be missing (the holes I have noted on the speaker baffle board) this version of the W60 appears to be original speakers rather than replacements? Toups thanks for the clarification on the differences between the D and E models. If the purple tweeters have failed as you have described, what is the consensus, as repairs sounds pretty iffy? If replacement is considered what other tweeters have W60 owners used to replace this tweeter, or, is someone still making the purple diaphragm tweeters?

If similar to the W70D, then the tweeter had no grill. It was introduced in the E and a standard replacement for the D when a replacement was required. The tweeters are the same except for the glue and plastic grill. The issue was the glue deteriorated and cone lifted with the original. If you have one you can lift the cone and clean the motor and the cone and reglue it but have make sure it is centered. The grill was added to limit excursion and protect it from pokey fingers and the like so, just do not abuse it.

My Ds after about a decade with my brother having done through undergrad school and law school had both of the original tweeters delaminate and ordered replacements and was sent the later series with a letter explaining it was a drop in replacement and improved as to durability and reliability.

Here's some pics from the ones i had.Post 7 & 8

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=463234

Well I should have more to report as I was able to purchase them. Not sure if I can get them tomorrow or if it will be next week. Be interesting to see how they turn out.

That's an EARLY W60D... There are a few of these around. The drivers look right. The earliest W60D's had the same tweeter as the W60C. There's video of a pair like these (with rather-distorted audio) on YouTube, and I've seen pictures on Google Images of the same thing. The Mk II version is the one like in the pictures I posted in my W60D album on my profile page. This would simply be the Mk I version, had they called it that. Glad you bought them. You done good.

I have a pair of the MK II version that I got from the original owner. I just haven't had an opportunity to dive into them yet. I need to re-glue one of the cardboard isolators that fit over the midwoofer, plus I need to figure out what I'm gonna' use for caps (I WANT to do what rogerfederer did with his W60E's, which is put oil caps in them, but money is tight right now).

Gang thanks for the input, you have been a real help with the Linton and W70s so look for pictures when I get the W60Ds home to help nail down more about them, hopefully they will have dating on the speaker cones like the Linton and W70s did. What oil caps did rogerfederer use in his W60Es? I have purchased a pair of new GE oil caps that are 12uF 500v to test in the W70s which I am listening to now playing Heartfelt the CD by Charlie Hayden (sadly recently passed away) and Antonio Forcione a lovely CD of just a guitar and a double bass. When you get this minimal it is like tight rope walking, great trust between the musicians. It is really sounding great, can't believe the difference my hearing aides are making in the sound I had been missing, these are truly wonderful speakers. Every pluck by Hayden on his double bass is sharp and clear, it is what efficient speakers are all about the immediacy of the music coming off the string of the instrument.

Question: How do you set up your W60 speakers? In Toup's catalog page for the W60D it appears that the speaker was designed to be laid on its side with the tweeter up/mid-range speaker down? Would you have the tweeter/mid-range on the inside with the woofer on the outside laying on its side, or, with the tweeter/mid-range on the outside with the woofer in the middle? Or, do you just stand them up vertically? What have you all tried, done, what seems to work best?

Ooof! Just caught that per the catalog these are 52lbs. per speaker, I will bring my folding dolly.

Ishmael said:

Question: How do you set up your W60 speakers? In Toup's catalog page for the W60D it appears that the speaker was designed to be laid on its side with the tweeter up/mid-range speaker down? Would you have the tweeter/mid-range on the inside with the woofer on the outside laying on its side, or, with the tweeter/mid-range on the outside with the woofer in the middle? Or, do you just stand them up vertically? What have you all tried, done, what seems to work best?

Ooof! Just caught that per the catalog these are 52lbs. per speaker, I will bring my folding dolly

Click to expand...

Yeah, that sounds about right. They're AR3-heavy for sure. The 2-way, ported ones are a LITTLE lighter, but only by a few pounds.

I got into the habit of putting them horizontal, both tweeters on the left (These can't be mirror-imaged, based simply on the fact that the tweeters would not be on the same plane if you did, unless I'm missing something), but don't be afraid to experiment and try them both tweeters to the right. But whether horizontal or vertical, the old Wharfies seem to sound best with the tweeters at eye-level (EAR-level), so placing them horizontally means putting them much-higher off the floor than you would if they were vertical. I'm thinking 25"-30", give or take. For vertical, maybe 16"-20" (That's 16"-20" OFF THE FLOOR, measuring floor to speaker-bottom). And I like them toe'd-in, but others have them straight ahead. Whatever floats yer paddleboat.

And one thing about Wharfies, the more precise you are with the measurements, the better they will sound. The ported ones with cone-tweeters are VERY-finicky about that, but the later ones seem to reward precision placement as well. That's one thing I always tell people. That magic is in that last quarter-inch. Get them up high, and get them equal (and I mean EQUAL) distance from you, and you'll be okay. You can be somewhat flexible on their distance apart from each other, but give them some space (Figure like 6-8ft apart if they're 8-10ft FROM you... Whatever that "golden ratio" is).

i used russian oil caps (kindly sent free by icenine!) in my W70s. W60Es i used dayton 1%. the W60Es are acoustic suspension -- different from the earlier ported, cloth surround W__ versions.

Roger thanks for the input. Another poster mentions issues with the +/- % of the oil capacitors they used. The % wasn't posted in the sale of the GE oil capacitor I have coming in the mail, perhaps it will be printed on the body, but I couldn't really tell from the picture (forgot to ask about it prior to purchase, so this may be wisdom the hard way). I can't remember what % the current Dayton caps are that are in the W70s but do recall they were 12uf 250v I will look to see if I took any pictures of them. The W60Ds I am getting are like your W60Es in that they too are acoustic suspension without a port so it may be that if the values are the same and I like the oil capacitors in the W70s I can simply move the new Dayton caps to the W60Ds. It looks like I will be road tripping Friday to pick them up.

Roger looking at the Dayton website the 12uf 250v that are currently being used in the W70s are 5%.

If you are interested for the next part of the journey go to my post "Wharfedale W60D-Homecoming."