mid range (vocal reproduction) highs

bass, you need a sub for movies:)

I wrote a review a few yrs ago, and I didnt know anything about audio systems, But the wharfedales are still going strong and are awesome for music, i have the em93's for rears and a EM centre, pioneer reciever vsxd510 and dv355 dvd player, with a jamo e85s sub, is all i can afford atm (soon to upgrade to a 2 channel amp and cd player). Extremely worth every dollar I paid. Movies sound too good now :) Its a pitty half the other wharfedale range sound bad, i think emeralds seem to sound better than the new pacific series they have realeased.

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listened B&W's dm602's, heard lots of other high end speakers in hifi shops.

Good soundstage, presence, and clarity. Very nice looking cabinet. Great performance for price.

Sort of a cheap looking grill (a shame considering how pretty the cabinet is). Lacks bass and deliniation of higher-end (though much more expensive) speakers.

I was concerned about buying discontinued speakers via Ebay, but after reading the reviews here and elsewhere of the EM95s and remembering my last experience with discontinued speakers (Genesis 10s purchased in 1985 that I still use after two rebuilds) I decided to chance $200. And was pleasantly surprised. The soundstage was surprisingly broad right out of the box, even though pushed with decidedly mid-fi amplification (vintage kenwood ka-6006) and not bi-wired or sandfilled. The bass was full, but not boomy. The mid-range clear, and the highs defined without being over-bright. While they are not the best speakers I've ever heard, they are certainly a good, solid choice and a superb value at twice the price I paid. The first CD I played was DJ Cheb I Sabbah's _Krishna Lila_ which, to my mind, is an extreme test of a speaker. There are soprano vocals and solo violins, which are extremely difficult to reproduce accurately, as well as tablas and electronic basses to test the low end. The Wharfedales separated the vocals clearly and provided a reasonable sounstage for the violin. I was very impressed by the clarity of the tabla: the harmonics, the pitch bending, and even the scratching of the fingertips across the skin could be distinctly heard. The bass was firm with good presence, but not at all overpowering. I have recently auditioned Sonus Faber Concertos, Vienna Haydens and Bachs and several Boston Acoustic products. While the Wharfedales give up a lot of imaging to the Viennas and Sonus Fabers, the bass was clearer than all but the Bachs, and I feel the Wharfedales are superior to any of the BA products I auditioned. I'm very pleased with the Wharfedales after a few hours and I'm sure they'll do nothing but improve through the break-in. While not a match for Vienna or Opera, they are an excellent mid-fi choice. I'm thinking on my bedroom system instead of rebuilding my Genesis yet again, just springing for another set of Wharfedales.

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Genesis 10 (rebuilt) Vienna Hayden Vienna Bach Sonus Faber Concerto Boston Acoustic VR-M50 Boston Acoustic VR-M60 Boston Acoustic CR-95

they got bass

they only last a day

ive owned 2 merak mt-150 for about 3 months and they bite ass.i just purchased a new panasonic sa-he70 amplifier and the first day that i used them together i had to send one of my speakers to the merak company for repairs.like fug all.but i guess i expect to much from them for the price i paid. i like loud deep base songs and the music just shook the speaker apart.if ur looking into meraks loudspeakers dont do it buy a higher quality speaker and save urself the troubles of repairs.

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none

Solid midband Excellent control moderate bass output

not as deep bass as some styling might not be to everyone''s taste

Overall I am very impressed with these speakers I bought them on eBay because they were cheap and have been listening to numerous other speakers and am amazed by the sound of these Emeralds in comparason. I have a problem though I don''t have a matched set - I have one Light Oak, one Maple and one Rosewood. If anyone wants to trade a Maple or Light Oak I would be very interested. Please email me to let me know.

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Linn Keosa, KEF Q5, Dynaudio 62, B&W 603, Rega Jura

Bargain of the last millennium! Fast, transparent and clear throughout its range, very little coloration. Good imaging once properly positioned. Good looks (but only in light oak finish).

Can go loud but lack real deep-down, floor-shaking bass despite bass-reflex design. Have to be used close to rear wall (about 15" to 20"), but not too close to side walls. Finish on the back is rough (black vinyl), even more reason to keep them close to the rear wall.

Like Neil, I auditioned these speakers because of their wonderful price at Richer Sounds (119 Sterling, down from RRP 449). At the time, I was living in Surrey, England. I was aware of a review in a German Hifi mag ("Audio") which gave them a very good overall rating, even for the infalted German retail price of DM1,900 ($870). A quick call to the reviewer gave me more information. So I went to the audition with the clear aim of finding out whether I could live with the bass (or lack of it) performance.
After some moving them around the listening room, I put some roots reggae and dub (Robbie Shakespeare at his normally earth-shaking finest) in the CD player and hopped around the room with delight!

These speakers certainly work for me in my moderately sized room (25m²). I can enjoy classical symphonies at full blast, chamber music, Miles Davis accoustic stuff, dub, AC/DC, all the stuff I like, be it from an analogue or digital source. I still love these speakers, but time will tell, whether they will continue to work in a larger room...

My equipment: Marantz CD-17 with Cardas Crosslink or Thorens TD 160 MkII/SME 2/Elac 796 Hsp into Onkyo A-7090 via 2.5mmm pure copper cable into EM95.

One final tip: These speakers need to be bi-wired and need a strongish amplifier to keep a grip on them!

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Several self-built shelf speakers

These really are great loudspeakers, which seem to cater for all musical tastes with relative ease and great panache. My system consist of a Technics SLPG490a c.d. player, an Aiwa AD-WX929 twin cassette tape deck, with the heart of my setup being a rather modest(ish) Marantz PM57. These speakers really need powerful amplification (i.e.,around 50 watts or more). The high frequencies are very clear, and are very well detailed thanks to the well designed tweeters. Yup, I agree with the rest of the reviewers here, these speakers greatly benefit from being bi-wired, I've tried both bi-wire and single wirind, and believe me, they sound far better when bi-wired. I bought these speakers on a rather tight budget, from a place called RicherSounds for 99 pounds (around $170 (ish)), quite possibly the best 99 pounds I've spent! These speakers have great drive and a very aesthetically pleasing design.

The bass is slightly 'airy' with some complex basslines, but their value far outweighs the cons at the price. Build quality is o.k, but seems just a tad 'mass produced'.

Great and very capable speakers, which benefit greatly from bi-wiring and a long running-in period, about 100 hours or so. Great for definition,but seem to lack sightly in sound staging, where the high frequencies sound a little 'near' to the speakers' position, rather than integrating with the excellent mid-range soundstaging. Overall, these speakers are very good, and almost have what it take to achieve 'classic' potential. A great buy, and as an avid 'Emerald' listener for over 1 1/2 years, I believe you can't do much better for the money!

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Kef C55(old uni-Q design speakers, with a passive-radiator to assist with low frequencies)
Celestion Ditton 15Xr's
Eltax Liberty 3+'s

Good price, good sound, good looks

Maybe not as revealling as some, but at this price it's hard to complain

I've owned these for just under a year now and I'm definitely not complaining. Just for the record, the only thing that has disappointed me is the fact that they have dropped in price so much in the UK (I paid QUITE a bit more, just quietly!). I originally picked the EM95's over the Mission 773 & 774, and the Chario Syntar 100T. I agree with the others here that they MUST be bi-wired to get the best from them. I would however question the need for "powerful" amplification, as much as "quality". I've just retired my old SONY (55W per side) for the Audio Innovations Classic 25 (all tube, 25W per side), and boy does it make the Emeralds sing! The other thing that has made a big difference is spiking them onto a pair of concrete paving slabs - tightens up the bass very nicely! At 119 GBP it's got to be a bargain!

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Marantz CD63 CD Player (tweaked)
SONY TA-F448E Amplifier
Audio Innovations Classic Stereo 25
2x Concrete Pavers

It is about the clarity and accuracy of the sound, isn't it?
These produce wonderful sounds which are never fatiguing.

None at this price point. Perhaps, the lack of deep bass extention may be a blessing. See the review

For the price I paid for these speakers, I have never been more satisfied. Describing the sound is difficult, but they seem to be the most accurate and precise imaging speakers I have heard for less than $500 a pair. I have no experience with actual studio monitors commanding prices of hundreds of dollars each, but I assume those would have to possess the characteristics these possess. Seamless, great detail, excellent dispersion, absent of listening fatigue, and able to do what they do effortlessly. When played at higher volumes they become larger, not louder, as do all superb speakers. I have them paired with two Emerald 93's and the bass is handled by my sub. The sub, a used Onkyo SKW 320, with two side firing 8" woofers,(pushed by a true high current 120 watt amp and reaches a true 25hz) combines beautifully with these. (I have owned other decent 15",12", and 10" subs with amps up to 200 watts which do not sound as good) What I now realize is that this setup does not suffer from the slight muddiness present when one combines a sub with woofers from the mains which compete a bit with the sub to produce the low frequencies. The bass (handled mainly by the sub)now has more clarity and depth and the slight muddiness I had experienced before is now gone. (I had thought the extra bass was attactive until now)I honestly do not believe that in my 55 years, I have ever heard better for the $500 or so I have invested in this setup. It is amazing and do not let me forget to credit the Emerald 93's which do add presence to the 95's and sound so similar.

Those of us with an audio addiction are forever searching. But, somehow I feel I am near the end of the road now. Only tweaking remains. I suggest anyone try this combination with a tight, well controlled sub, properly balanced to not overpower the upper frequencies. To borrow a phrase from another reviewer concerning the Emerald series, it is like entering a piece of sonic heaven. Buy the James Taylor dvd, Live at the Beacon Theater,(best sound engineering I have heard) and sit back to enjoy sounds which must equate to "being there", maybe better.

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Vandersteen, JBL, AR, Pinnacle, Infinity, Wharfedale and many others.

Beautiful to look at! Good value! Accurate mid and high reproduction for the price! Work well as rear surround drivers. Bi-wiring.

Weak on the bass end, Cheap grill

I spent 22years in the military and watched people dump countless dollars in their systems. I'm impressed by the carity of the mids and highs of these speakers. At the price they are selling for they do a very good job. Most other companies would charge you twice the price for the cabinets alone! I have them on my home theater system as my rear surrounds. My receiver's a Sony STR-DE1075, and the signals sent from a Sony DVP-S9000es, monster cable component, optical, and speaker wires. My systems set so only my 2 subs handle deep bass, this makes the Emeralds are a very nice compliment.
The EM-95s are weak on the bass end though. It's very easy to push the drivers to the maximum of their throw. This results in a sound like huge firecrackers on the fourth of July. I've got to add that almost all speaker power ratings are done at around 1000HZ. This is an easy signal for any speaker to push. Bring them down to around 50HZ and it's a whole different ball game. At 125 watts into 8 ohms you come up with a voltage input of 31.62 Volts at 3.95 Amps. Too much for a 6.7" driver to handle at low frequencies.

Very few, if any, drivers this size on the market will handle 125 watts of clean low end bass. But, that's why there are subs! And...Who now days isn't running a sub? I run two just for good measure! You've really got to play with your frequency level settings to bring subs in smoothly and avoid the camel hump effect in signals where higher sub freqs match lower surround freqs. Finding that smooth transition takes time with tweeking, but it's well worth it!
I rated them 4 stars overall because the advertising is misleading, talking a lot about the clarity of bass and giving prospective buyers the impression that they will handle 125 Watts at very low frequencies.
Overall, at this price, I'm still pleased with them!

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Infinity, Klipsch, JBL, Sony, Marantz, Pioneer, B&W,...etc

Dollar value, quality wood cabinets, detailed sound and surprisingly Huge Soundstage!

Tweeter is quite good, just not highly refined. For the money this is not an issue.

I do not have high-end electronics right now. Denon AV-2800 and a modified Pioneer DV-330. My cables are Cat 6 interweaved sets. I did not bi-wire the speakers for this review.
Review: The Emerald is unbelievable for $39 each plus shipping. I just can't resist low price speaker deals. The Emerald 95 is an excellent speaker which sounds more refined everyday. I am hoping 4-6 weeks additional use will 'smooth out' some minor rough edges. The midrange is clear and detailed. Not warm sounding, however not dark either. The tweeter is accurate enough and almost too bright sounding to my ears. The tweeter is not highly refined by any means, however does not have sibilance or 'honking' issues. I suspect after another 30 days the tweeter will smooth to a very pleasent sound from the somewhat 'edgy' performance right now. The mid/bass is smooth and detailed. I do not have any issue with the midbass except not quite as warm sounding as I prefer- not a disappointment at all. The most amazing attribute is the speakers produce a huge soundstage extending almost 90 degrees to my right and left. I can explain it as almost like surround sound, but I did not listen with rear speakers! Another discription are musical details can 'appear' at extreme angles to the right and left, clearly seperated and focussed with stability. The speakers also disappear to the degree I can not detect the source. The huge soundstage and 'disappearance act' just should not happen for $39 each or even $200 each. If the tweeters were higher-end Scan Speaks, this would be an absolute stunning package. Comparing to the M701, the M701s are dark sounding speakers. The M704s are not as good as M701s- sorry. The Wharfedales easily outperform the Missions- no contest. The ProAC 2.5 clones are more refined in all areas with a very musical reproduction that puts them in a class of their own. The Warfedale Emerald 95 use a fair amount of watts to play loud. I have over 100 watts per channel thus power is not an issue. If you prefer loud music I would not use a 60 watt source.
Summary: I believe the Emerald 95 are just inside the lower end of audiophile speakers. Some tweeking and tuning with different cables or electronics may move the speakers up another level. I do not have enough years audio experience to exactly and professionally rate the 95s. I can tell you for the dollars I spent, you can not beat this deal right now! Perhaps never depending upon your audio preferences.

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ProAc 2.5 clone, Klipsch 1.1, Mission M701 and M704.