Wharfedale Opus 2...............

I heard the other evo series when I was short listing my speakers. They were good but I personally preferred their other brother the QUAD 21L and 22L. The quads are really very very good. You should audition them as well. They aslo make for very good HT with their timbre matched surrounds and matching sub.

I ended up buying neither as I found a speaker from Cadence. But quads do come close though.

Manek.

Funny you should mention the Quads, because I'm going with the Quad 22L for my Office (in my Home. I work from home).

I'm still a bit undecided on what finish I want. I originally wanted to go with the standard Maple finish. But my Quad dealer told me the standard Maple has been discontinued, and that the Birds-Eye Maple, Rosewood and Black are my available options.

It's rather difficult to decide, because my nearest Quad dealer is about 4 hours away, and he doesn't have them in stock. Will only order them for me. That limits my ability to see the other finishes, other than the pictures I can find on the internet.

I've already heard the 22L (in Birds-Eye Maple), sometime ago. So I know I love the sound! But I'm not too crazy about the Birds-Eye Maple. Although, I do love Rosewood; just haven't seen this particular finish in person. But I imagine I'll go with the Rosewood.

I'll be using the Quad 99 CD-P and Quad 909, with the 22L.

As for my Living Room, I'll be going for a listen of the Wharfedale Opus line, when I go pick-up my Quad speakers and gear; in about 3-4 weeks. The Quad dealer doesn't carry Wharfedale, but there is a dealer within 20 miles of him, that carries Wharfedale Opus and has them on display for a listen.

In my area of the United States, it is very difficult to find a Dealer who carries Quad or Wharfedale; they don't keep them in stock and on display for listening. They will only "Special Order" them.

Luckily, I have a friend in New Jersey, who had the Quad 22Ls, when I visited him during the Holidays. I heard them at his home. I fell in love with them right on the spot!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Manek.

Just a thought..if you like Quads, you might like the Meadowlark swift..though not very hot on the BAss region, they have a wonderful Midrange and looks that kill. the elder brother Kestrel has a better Bass though

The only speaker I have heard from Meadowlark, is the Swift, about a year ago. They sounded okay, but didn't really do much for me.

I would like to hear the Nighthawk. If I had the money, the Nighthawk would be the one I would be interested in.

But considering I've been putting together a Audio/Home Theater in the Living Room, and a strictly Two-Channel in my office; spending that much money on (Nighthawk)one piece would tie me down for a while, as far as completing my systems. All in all, I really love the Quad sound and I'm very anxious to get them ordered and into my home.

I'm sure I'll be very satisfied with the Quad 22L for my office.

If I end up really loving the Wharfedale Opus 2, I'm also going to get the Opus Center Channel, the Opus Tri-Surrounds, and possibly the currently unreleased Opus Subwoofer (supposed to be released in May). Of course this all relies heavily on how the Opus 2 impresses me, during the listen-in.

While I love the Quad 22L and their smooth, detailed, revealing ....and layed back sound. For the Living Room, I'm looking for speakers with just a tad more Oommpf. A little more Rock-ability.

Speakers that are smooth, but maybe a little more punchy. But not too punchy or harsh. I don't like speakers that have too heavy of a bottom end, and I don't like metal tweeters. Too harsh and shrill for my own taste.

I want a little bright (not too bright)....but smooth high-end, a little bright (not too bright)....but smooth mid-range and detailed tight bottom end, for the Living Room.

I guess I want the Living Room to Rock a little, and still do Classical and Jazz well.

While (Quads) in my office, I want a smooth, layed-back sound.

Don't know if the Opus fit that bill, but I'l find out.

Hi TjMV3,

Do not want to confuse you, but there are other brands which you may want to try. since you are in the US

1. Deftech
2. Paradigm (They have recommended HT system configs in their site)
3. Klipsch (the reference series is one of the really good HT systems with very well controlled dispersion)
5. Athena Systems
6. NHT

All of the above have a slightly forward delivery (Not Bright !!)

I am not a great fan of Wharfedale..thier Evo is perhaps in a better league but personally feeel you can do better for your money. Even if you do decide on them, you could well leave their sub alone..try a Hsu/Deftech/Mirage or Paradigm depending on your budget..

Ari, have you had a chance to listen to the Opus line yet?

Unfortunately no..I do have their WH2 bipolar speaker as my surround in my HT..thats all.
May be to do with some mindset I have against Wharfedale of being not that great ..really have not looked at it for auditioning.

Just checked up on the Opus at their Website..must admit it looks good :). anyway since this is for an HT they should be a good choice..although for a Sub I would still recommend a different brand !

I received a PM from someone on another Audio forum (where I also post and read), and he is an owner of the Wharfedale Opus 2. He's from California, USA.

He's very happy with the Opus 2, and just loves their sound. He says the detail, Instrument Timbre, imaging and soundstage are very, very good. Smooth sound, which is a tad bright. But he says it's good bright, not overly bright or harsh. He's experienced no listening fatigue and says the Opus 2 makes him want to listen to music...more..and more. Very good at conveying the musicality.

He also said the Bass is tight (controlled), detailed and goes down very low. But he said if using them for Home Theater, I would need a Subwoofer, because while they have a nice extention in the low end; they don't go low enough for Home Theater.

Well, this guy sure seems happy with his Opus 2.

Can't wait to hear these speakers, another 3 weeks or so.

I agree with ARJ....Def Tech would be a very good idea too if you can find a def tech dealer in your area. very good for HT.

manek.

Hi TjMV3, Do not want to confuse you, but there are other brands which you may want to try. since you are in the US 1. Deftech 2. Paradigm (They have recommended HT system configs in their site) 3. Klipsch (the reference series is one of the really good HT systems with very well controlled dispersion) 5. Athena Systems 6. NHT

Currently, I have the Paradigm Monitor 9 v.3 in my Living Room, and while they do some things well; they are rather harsh with Piano, Mandolin, Saxophone and Trumpet. These four instruments just don't come across well at all.

I've listened to all the Manufactors speakers you mention, except NHT. They're all fine speakers, but they're just not the sound I like and want.

I'll see if I can get a listen of the NHT.

But like I said earlier, I don't like metalic tweeters, or metallic woofers. Believe me, I tried to like them, but they're just not my cup of tea.

I can undestand waht you are sying..but the speaker output depends quite a bit on the system driving it..with well matched electronics, metallic woofers can sound really as delicate as the silk dome ones

Anyway the monitor series is much better suited for HT..it is only in the Studio series that musicality gets interesting !

Have you tried Mnitor Audio ? you might like their silver series as well.

NHT have a very living room friendly finish (slim piano finish). you could also try the Dynaudio range.

If Omnipolar sound is OK with yo the Mirage 250/260 series is pretty good. but this may make you a bit uncomfortable if you have a preferance for direct radiating speakers..although for HT they are really good !

Yeah, I guess what I said in the post up above, is a bit of a misnomer.

What I should have said, is, I haven't heard any metallic tweeters or woofers, which appealed to me. The ones I have heard, have sounded harsh to my ears. Not my cup of tea.

Obviously, I haven't heard them all.

In other news, I finally decided on the Rosewood finish for the Quad 22L. Took me a while to decide, but Quad discontinued the Standard Maple. Which was the finish I originally wanted. I don't like the Birds-Eye Maple. I called IAG and they told me they had some 22L's in the Yew finish.

Well, that had me going back and forth between the Yew and the Rosewood. But I find the Rosewood finish so beautiful, I had to go with it!

Now I'm very happy and can't wait for my Quad 22L in Rosewood finish to arrive

congrats......
22L is a very nice choice of speaker.....hope you have many many hours of sonic pleasure.

Manek.

Thank you Manek

so have the quads arrived ? how do they sound ?

Not yet, Manek. The dealer is in Atlanta, Georgia; which is about 4 hours from where I live (North Carolina). He's the closest in my area.

He is going to be away for about three weeks, so I don't expect to get them in my house till the end of the month. Which works out fine for me. I really won't have the time to take a ride down there, till the end of the month. With work, the wife's work schedule (Saturday and Sunday) and a 4 month old baby boy; it's hard to take a whole day trip to Atlanta. That's why we planned it for the end of May, first week of June. I'm also going to audition the Wharfedale Opus 2 and 3, at another Dealer in that area. On that day, I'll be leaving around 7:00 AM, and probably won't get back till well after 10:00 PM.

But it will be one hell of a fun Audio day!!!!:D

Arj, I just wanted to say word on the Paradigm Monitor 9 V.3. While I agree with your comment, in part. I must say that they are not bad speakers. There are things those speakers do very well. I'm always impressed with the way my Dave Weckl albums (CDs) sound. Just this morning I put on Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene 7-13, and I'll tell you, it sounds so very good! They also do Classical very well. Quite a few of my Classical albums sound very good.

It took a lot fiddling with placement and toe-in, to get the best out of the Monitor 9 v.3.

And while I want another set of speakers that suit my personal taste a bit better, these speakers are no slouches. Musicality? Yeah, they're not the best at it. But, I am keeping them in a closet and saving them for my son. I figure when he hits the age of 7-8, he'll be ready for his own little two-channel stereo system. The Monitor 9 v.3 will be his. Of course, depending on the size of his room, when he hits that age, may force me to make some adjustments

I mean, who at the age of 7-8 years old, wouldn't have liked to have a pair of Paradigm Monitor 9 v.3 as their first speakers?

Not a bad first introduction to Audio.

oh yeah....you son's gonna be one pleased 7 year old. :-)
Hope the speakers stay in one peice for that long....since you have a 4 month old baby...that means 6.5 years to go

let me know when the quad's arrive....

manek.

I sure will, Manek.

I'm picking them up on June 10th. Barring any unforeseen incidents or issues at work (that may interfer), I'll have them home late that day.

When I get them home, I'll take a few pics of them. If you're interested in seeing them, I'll e-mail you the pics.

To further confuse the issue, I changed my mind ...again....on the finish

A very helpful guy from another forum, had pictures of his Quad 11L in the Yew finish. He e-mailed me a few really nice pictures of his speakers. I absolutely love the Yew finish, and hurried to call my dealer, to see if there was any chance for me to change my order to the Yew finish. Luckily, he had no problem with it and was able to get done for me. So my 22L Quads will be in Yew!

Believe it or not, I'm not usually this wissy-washy with my choices But since they didn't have what I originally wanted.....the standard Maple, it made it a bit more difficult for me.

But I swear this is my final choice, the Yew! Honestly, I find the Yew absolutely beautiful!

The Yew will go much better with the unfinished Maple and Pine, in my home office. it's obviously no where close to looking like unfinished Maple and Pine, but it fits in better with the overall scheme of things, than the Rosewood.

Besides, if I end up loving the way the Wharfedale Opus 2 or Opus 3 sounds, I'll get them in Rosewood.............or will it be the Piano Black?

Oh no! Not again! LOL

yeah....why dont you e-mail the pics to me.....

yew is good...enjoy

Finally, after a few postponements due to work related issues, I took my trip to Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday.

I left at 7:30 AM.......and got home at 2:00 AM.

But when I arrived here last night, my Quad 22L in Yew finish.....was with me

Obviously, since I arrived home at such a late hour, and had to get up and work at 6:30 AM this morning; I haven't had a chance to hook them up for any break-in or listening.

But I will tell you this, I did unpackage the Speakers to check for any possible damage and to see the finish. No damage. The Yew finish is absolutely stunning....beautiful!!!!!

Pictures pay no justice, this finish has to be seen in person...to fully appreciate it's beauty. I am one very happy guy!

They (Quad) put each individual speaker, in a big cotton sack, tied at the top, to protect the finish. They provide the spikes for each speaker, and four little plastic thingies.....so you can place the spikes in them, and not damage your floor.

Manek, I should be able to take some pics of them, and e-mail them to you.......over the next 3-4 days. I'll let you know, and then you can send me your e-mail. Okay?

I also auditioned the Wharfedale Opus 2, and I like them a lot. I'm still gonna' do some more auditions with other speakers. But the Opus 2 is a serious contender for the job of Front Speakers in my Home Theater system.

I'll come back later an add some impressions of the Opus 2, when I have a little more time.

hey nice to know your quads have arrived. believe you me..they sound every bit as beautiful as they look.

congratulations and hope you have long hours of musical pleasure with them.

love to see the pics.

manek.

Oh let me tell you , Manek. I've heard them before! I won't buy speakers without hearing them, first. That's why I went to such extreme lenghts to hear the Wharfedale Opus 2.

A friend of a friend of mine , has the Quad 22L, and he invited me over to listen to them. I fell in love with those babies!

..and to think we thought the chinese could not make good stuff.

I've heard them too....and they do sound good indeed :-)

manek.

Finally, I got the Quad 22L hooked up and breaking in.

The hook up got delayed for various reasons; too busy with work.....a two week visit from the Mother-In-Law , and the fact that I am waiting on the Odyssey Tempest Pre-Amp.

I forgot to mention it, so I edited this in. I was confused regarding the Speaker Connection Terminals on the Quad 22L. I have Banana plugs, and it seemed that these only took bare wire. But I called the dealer I bought them from, and he explained to me how to do it. The Quads do take Banana plugs. I'll post a new thread on how to do it, in case any other Quad owners are as confused ...as I was

But I switched out my Paradigm Monitor 9 v.3, and hooked up the Quad 22L into my Living Room system. This way I can get them "burned-in". At a very modest volume level.

I started with Gil Shaham and Goran Sollscher's "Paganini For Two", which I put on Repeat for about 3 hours.

Then followed that up with 3 hours of Mstislav Rostropovich's J.S.Bach Cello-Suiten. Still mostly at a modest volume level, but I did turn the volume up a little bit...for the last hour of this session.

To continue, I put in Jean Michel-Jarre's Oxygene 7-13......for another 2 hours. I turned the volume up one more notch. This highest I've had the volume is at 9:00 AM on the volume button.

I also have played Lara St. John- Bach: The Concerto Album, Al Stewart-Year Of The Cat, Mark Knopfler- Sailing To Philadelpia, Windham Hill Collection-Summer Solstice, and Dave Weckle- Rhythm Of The Soul.

I haven't really done any critical listening, as I wait for the 50-60 hour break-in period; but I will say that the Quad 22L are much more poised and better at articulating busy passages and instrument seperation, than my Paradigm Monitor 9 v.3.

These Quads are sweet. Yes, even after only about 20 hours or so! I notice a big difference already......they seem .....smooth. Sweet.

I haven't dared to play any bad sounding CDs yet. I'll wait on that. I'm sure the bad sounding CDs...will sound.....very bad

Manek, send me your e-mail address and I'll send you some pics. I'm going to take the Pics this weekend.

mcpardiwalla@yahoo.com

love to see the pics !

There's a hold up in me getting the pictures taken. My significant other took the camera to work for some promotional thing they're doing. Hopefully, she'll have the camera back here (home) ...over the next day or two.

I'll take and send the pics as soon, as she brings the camera home. Women!

yeah I have the same problem too.....my wife took my boom box away to her workplace over a weekend becuase they had to work. I haven't seen it home since. I do see it at her office ever so often.

Well hope your camera comes back !

manek.

Manek, I e-mailed you the pics of my Quads.

Finally.