Highs, Mid-Range, Top Notch center speaker, good front satellites. Speaker setup manual was well written and a nice plus.

Sub-woofer was unimpressive (and not amplified), do not like the "bi-wiring", cheap accesories.

I admit I was skeptical of these speakers when I decided to buy them on U-Bid. This is my first surround system and I was trying to spend less than $1500 and get decent quality. I'm not talking top of the line, but something that will last for a few years and give standard results. I believe that these speakers have fit the bill.

Starting with the front satellites, the sound quality is good. The highs are good and it provides plenty of midrange . They do an acceptable job of producing the front surround effects. I listened to many types of surround speakers and I believe they sound better than Bose or even the ones included in the Infinity RS-10. But hey - it could just be my ears. Remember, I bought these sound un-heard, and I was happy (and quite relieved!) with the results.

The center speaker is probably the best unit of the kit. It produces great dynamic range with the three speaker setup. This component really made me decide that my choice was correct. Sounds absolutely wonderful for a full range speaker. My only knock is a little more low-mid to low end range punch would be nice, but they are still breaking in.

The rear satellites are basically the same as the front satellites minus the tweaters, so some highs are missing. Again, do a more than acceptable job of providing ambient noises.

I must also say that I have not "bi-wired" these speakers. I have a JVC 888VBK receiver, and I prefer the control it gives me over this "bi-wiring" business.

I thought that the included home theater set-up book that was written by some Brit to be actually quite good. Nice touch.

Ok. Now the minuses.

Included Brackets: Absolute Trash. Wharfedale should be ashamed of itself for selling this non-adjustable junk. Do your self a favor and goto your local retailer or Crutchfield and buy a decent set of front stands and rear brackets. I purchased a set of generic black stands from Circuit City for $50 bucks and rear brackets from Best Buy for $30 bucks. Well worth the price.

Included wire: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING! I used this junk to tie trash bags with. Thin, cheap and not even channel identifier markings (left channel with a dash along it). Hey Wharfdale - if you read this.... don't embarass yourself anymore, just stop including it. I purchased a 50' roll of 14 guage Monster Cable. I just refuse to use that tiny wire. It is so crappy, when you strip it, half of the copper strands (what few there are) go with. Yuck.

Unpowered Subwoofer: Ok. I did not bi-wire this speaker. Out of my receiver, I have only one sub woofer channel (which, is not amplified on the JVC 888 ). So, I passed the signal through an external amplifier I had borrowed from a friend and split it out of the amplifier into the in terminals of the speaker. However, I found that each speaker in the sub has its own terminal (for the bi-wiring). So I was getting okay sound, but only one speaker was firing. I jumpered it over (hey, its all mono anyway) so both channels were firing off of one lead in. It sounds okay at low volumes, but the higher it goes, the sound quality goes away fast. But, I am attributing this to my "unique" setup. I bet bi-wiring will make it sound great, but I don't want to give up control of my sub out settings - bi-wiring runs the sub via the left/right front channel outputs (for those who don't know). I even think there are crossovers in the sub to split the signals out, but again - I want the receiver doing this, not some unchangeable sub. Also, the plastic port insert for the sub woofer was loose and rattling. A little glue took care of it. I will re-adress the subwoofer issue later in the year when I have time. I am really thinking about ditching the passive subwoofer included and getting a true, active (with amp) subwoofer if I can find one at a reasonable price. Also - If you read this Wharfdale - possibly put a single channel port for single wiring. Not all amps have left and right sub outs, and not everyone wants to bi-wire.

Overall, I would give these a five star for value and four stars for overall quality. I can overlook the cheap wire and brackets, but I admit I am disappointed with the sub-woofer. I will post an update when I figure it out and hopefully its just my set-up.

Similar Products Used:

Listened to many speakers (in sound rooms and friends houses). However, this is the first set I have purchased.

Price, center channel

binding posts

Great product for the price. The center channel is of a very good quality. The fronts produce excellant highs. I have a Nakamichi AV10 receiver and it sounds great.

The subwoofer is a bit underpowere though, but it is adequate. Paid $300 on UBid. The rears are good as well. This is primarily as system for movies. The Dolby Digital sounds great. For music they are a good system if you have a small place and don't wish to get noise complaints from anal neighbors.

Overall, extremely satisfied.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch Quintet, Bose Acoustimass