Wharfedale Emerald 97 3-Way Floorstanding Speakers (Real Oak Veneer)

Wharfedale Emerald 97 3-Way Floorstanding Speakers (Real Oak Veneer)
Manufacturer: Wharfdale
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
With a performance as inviting as its classical good looks, the Emerald, now in its second generation, is a truly refined speaker. Designed with a distinctly art-deco feel, the speakers from the new Emerald range are built into a real wood cabinet, producing a rich, warm sound, steeped in emotion. Although undisclosed by the appearance of the Emeralds, technology is used extensively in the manufacture. Complex computer modeling has been used in the design of the cabinets to minimize coloration, the woofer cones are constructed using the patented mineral loaded homopolymer plastic to damp unwanted resonances, whilst retaining the strength to keep bass accurate and dynamic. Finally, laser interferometry has been used to create a truly outstanding tweeter for the Emeralds.The end result is a classic amongst speakers - a dry acoustic character with a revealing and flawless transparency.
Amazon.com Review
Great speakers keep getting more affordable. It used to be, a first-rate speaker entailed a second mortgage on the house. The eminent British manufacturer Wharfedale, however, debuts its amazing, biwireable/biampable Emerald line with an astonishingly high quality-to-price ratio.

The Emerald 97 three-way floorstanding speakers, also available in rosewood, occupy minimal floor space while gracing any room with their gorgeous sound and glossy, real-wood finish. Their treble and midrange drivers render voices and acoustic instruments so seductively that you'd swear the performers were right in front of you.

And while Wharfedale is best known among stereo purists, two pairs of Emerald 97s (or a pair of 97s with Emerald 93s for surrounds) work beautifully with the Emerald Centre to fill a room with surround sound from DVDs or DTS-encoded 5.1-channel music CDs.

Positioning, often a chore with floorstanding speakers, is a snap with these, in part because the Emerald 97s are so light (about 35 pounds each). They sound best with space on all sides: at least two feet from the walls and seven from each other. Setting them closer to the walls isn't disastrous, however, so if you're tight on space just be prepared for an overemphasized bottom end. We prefer toeing these speakers into the listening position as opposed to strict parallel placement, but toed or not, the Emerald 97s fill a room with pleasing, uncolored sound.

A subwoofer does help drive home the bottom octave (40 Hz and under) with greater solidity--especially with action films and rock music--but the Emerald 97s are capable of very deep bass on their own thanks to a well-designed (and unobtrusive) port in the front panel.

It's easy to rave about a speaker's extended range (high to low), especially when a speaker commands a wide frequency range, as the Emerald 97 does. But what really makes this speaker special is the quality of its silk-dome tweeters and their integration with not one but two nearly 7-inch woofers. The high frequencies sound sweet and open, to be sure, but the midrange--mostly embodying voices and any melodic instruments--sounds as warm and natural as can be.

Sometimes speakers that excel in the midrange sound their best only with certain music, like folk or acoustic jazz. Not so the Emerald 97s. From Haydn to Hendrix, Nina Simone to Nine Inch Nails, these speakers do perfect justice to the music--and, it seems, with ease.

The Emerald 97s sound better with their grilles on, which is unusual in our experience. This is unfortunate, as the grilles obscure the speakers' glorious woodwork. Like all hi-fi, however, you should season to taste--if your amplifier or receiver leans dark (with slightly diminished treble sound) or if your taste tends bright, you may prefer the grilles off.

Rock fans and movie buffs may still want a subwoofer for extra low-end slam, but a good amp with a biwired hookup (see our FAQ for more on biwiring) brings these babies close to perfection all on their very own. --Michael Mikesell

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