Just curious if anyone has ever sampled any Wharfedale speakers. I was just looking at the Evolution series. Really quite nice.

I had some Sapphire 87's that I got on ubid for less than $100 eaqch. For the money, they were pretty good speakers, good bass, good imaging, but were lacking in midrange presence, and had harsh treble. My Axioms are superior in every way.

Mark

I have listened to the Diamond, Evolution, and Opus series. I only listened to the Opus once, but have listend to the Diamonds and Evo's several times.

At their price point, I haven't heard anything better than the Diamonds. A terrific value for the money.

The Evo's are also a very competent speaker. They have excellent midrange and bass. What I like most about both, is their attack and decay. Bass and midrange are precise and punchy. The highs are detailed, yet the overall sound is slightly warm.

To me, the Evo's shine more on 2 channel music than they do on HT. Most of this I attribute to a lacking center channel that mangaged to detract from the overall HT experience. Overall a great speaker in many respects.

What did you think about the Evo boxes. Pretty sweet, in my opinion. I have a pair of Pacific 200s. These are also great speakers for their price. The problem I had with the Diamonds is that you cannot replace the cones if they are damaged. Back on the Evos - does kevlar fatigue easier? Degrade, like if exposed to sunlight too much?

Before I bought my M22's, VP150 and QS8's last year, I demo'ed the Paradigm's and Wharfedale's at the same showroom. I A/B'ed w/ Paradigm 7's and mini monitors, if I remember correctly. Sounded fine to me, the 7's seemed a little more detailed. Then I listened to the Evo 20's and really liked them. Much more range, mids and highs, and much nicer looking cabinet. Would've loved to get the 30's or 40's but that was out of budget. Almost bought them until "sushi" turned me on to Axioms. If I never bought the Axioms, I would've bought a whole Wharfedale system.

Yes, they are styled very nicely. Elegant yet not overdone. They also seem very solid.

Their kevlar drivers are treated with a special UV screen which prevents UV rays from degrading the material.