Value

They look like a speaker made in China (well, they are)

I want to first thank the reviewers who referred me to Wharfedale's US distributor, IAG America (www.iagamerica.com) for replacement of the speaker that I received damaged from uBid. Audio Review is a place to discuss the actual speaker, but most of these units are purchased through uBid, so it therefore becomes part of the buying decision and experience. While uBid is difficult to work with, I want to go on record saying that IAG is actually concerned with customer service. The IAG representative was very helpful and told me that they do alot of business through uBid. They ended up selling me one speaker for what I had payed for it's mate on uBid.

In all fairness to uBid, the two sets of Wharfedale speakers I have ordered through them were poorly packaged by the factory. Wharfedale people, if you're reading this, use thicker boxes and more padding! I can sympathize with the reviewers who said that the tweeter was dislodged upon receipt. Out of the four Modus speakers I ordered, two came in this condition. They were easily fixed, but that isn't the point. Also, UPS was the one who dropped the speaker. UPS shipping is a regular concern for me since I work for a computer company. We receive damaged electronics from them far too often.

If anybody wants a decent price on some Wharfedale speakers, go through uBid. However, if you want a guaranteed trouble-free purchase, walk into your local electronics store and pay more for a set of speakers that have a recognizable brand name on them. As Chris C pointed out, there are values to be found in the stores. However, I live in a remote area of Michigan and the nearest decent electronics store is two hours away in Green Bay Wisconsin. I hate to say it, but I'll still choose uBid.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, MicroTower

Price (Ubid), look w/o grill..Bass

To me, the midrange is a bit muddled...I just didnt fall in love with them...

I was so happy when i first connected them, but with time, i took my Platinums off Ebay, and decided to keep them and maybe sell the Wharfedales...It seems to me that they have great Bass response,,,and highs, but the mids are a bit muddled...Maybe its because my best friend has Paradigm's and they sound so clear and open, and bright,,,They are not as mellow as the Platinums, but dont sound as clear,,,pne thing is to be laid back, another is to have lack of definition. For the 250 bucks i paid, they are a great deal,,,maybe I am not giving them a chance, who knows...I still think they are excellent speakers...

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Monitor 9, Platinum 808, PSB's...

Value, detailed highs and smooth controlled lows.

midrange lacks definition and fullness.

We took quite some time to ensure these were fully broken in, as they were purchased along with a Yamaha 995 and Sapphire 83 some two months back. So, now I'm ready to deliver a review on these. Oh - and yes - bi-wiring does help. I'm now a believer.

The modus-8 has no difficulty filling our family room (20x22) with deep bass that extends nicely to where a subwoofer will be used to fill in the lower 100 Hz. They also do a nice job on the other end, with fairly crisp detailed highs that are very good for the $300 (after S/H) that they cost on UBID. However, where the modus-8 clearly lacks ability is certainly throughout the mid-range. Vocals, horns, guitar all aren't quite up to par with percussion and bass.

A proper center speaker definately helps to make up for the weaknesses of the modus-8. Currently, we're using a single sapphire 83 (2-way w/ front port) in this role and it fulfills it nicely (also does a very nice job with HT). When used as B main speakers, the Sapphire 83s complete the sound stage for the modus-8s on the A channel.

Don't get me wrong - the modus-8 are capable speakers, and will support most types of music with reasonable accuracy across most of the spectrum. However, it is well to bear in mind that modus is the value portion of the Wharfedale line. Therefore, some limitations are expected.

If you have a larger budget, I would strongly recommend that you review the Klipsch RF-3, Paradigm reference towers, and Kef towers (with the tweeter imbedded in the woofer).

Similar Products Used:

paradigm, klipsch, ads, boston acoustics, AR, KEF