Page 1 of Wharfdale flat panel NXT speakers as rears

Has anyone tried these things out as rear speakers? They come with a sub, and can be disguised as a picture - a sly way of getting surround into the living room? HiFiBitz has them at £99, but I`m really unsure of how they`d work.
Westy`s comments about having a disperse rear sound field made me wonder if they`d do a reasonable job - but maybe they sound vile anyway...

This item was edited on Saturday, 22nd September 2001, 07:35

I`ve got a videologic digitheatre and replaced my left and right fronts with these (and a seperate amp as the impedance doesn`t match the digitheatre) I have a 20 foot square room with sofas on 3 walls, and the TV in a corner, I also pull down a screen on the 4th wall on occassions so the idea of a more diffuse sound field was quite appealling. They work really well. On the sweet spot sofa (ie the one I sit on) they work really well, but everyone else in the room still gets a great surround experience even if they are right on top of one of the panels. As a stand alone product I think they`d be a bit weak, but as part of a setup, they`re fine.
As rears I don`t think you could go wrong. They won`t handle millions of watts (they will turn off if you overload them) but in a digitheatre context they are perfectly happy. Switched into stereo with the videologic sub reinforcing the bass, music is quite good (not audiphile, but good) and getting guests to work out where the sound is coming from is great fun.

Damn, I paid 179-99 for mine, I`m seriously thinking of getting another set for the rears now you brought this up. If you do, I`d recommend getting some flat speaker cable you can hide under wallpaper/paint. That makes them much harder to spot.

Dave

So the sound isn`t so diffuse that you can`t tell left from right?
How do they hook up - is it both cables to amp to sub to speakers?
What about sub positioning? I found a couple of reviews on www.audioreview.com, and some people said that sub positioning was essential.
These speakers sound quite a good idea for me because of the room layout, as we have a 25" x 15" room, with the TV at the far end, and two sofas along the long walls, so no-one gets a "sweet spot" in the centre of the sound field.

What do people reckon?

Or should I go for "normal" rears - could I do a lot better for £99?

This item was edited on Saturday, 22nd September 2001, 07:30

No, you still get a clear left/right effect.
Yes I take the processed left/right signals, feed them to an amp, from the speaker outs to the sub and the sub sends the higher frequencies to the panels. I`ve just stuck the sub alongside the sofa alongside the videologic sub where it`s invisible to most of the room. Probably not too critical fror rears as they don`t get sent much if any bass anyway. I think in most domestic DD setups the rear channels are in small mode, that is the bass gets sent to your main subwoofer channel.

Dave

Richard,

I strong;y suggest you save up a little more and go for the Mission m7ds surrounds. They may not be as discreet looking as the loudpanels, but they are mighty fine surround speakers for not much money.

Richard,

I strongly suggest you save up some extra pennies and go for the Mission m7ds dipole surrounds. Although flat panels do give a more spacious image, i feel the Missions are the real deal and will blend well into almost any set up. Placed on side walls and set up correctly, you`d be hard pushed to find anything better at the price.
My Miller and Kreisel tripoles(don`t be confused,they are the same as dipoles only they have the advantage of three drivers,one at the front,and one on the left and right sides of the speaker cabinet),are so effective that i can`t go back to direct radiators any more. I spent ages setting them up,and a well recorded movie has the speakers immersing you into another world!
I heard the Wharfedales at a trade show once,effective,but their power handling is very ropey,so bear in mind before purchasing.

Let us know how you get on

All the best

Westy

Cheers Westy - I had a feeling that they wouldn`t be as good as "proper" speakers. I`m still stroking the chin at the moment - need amp first - just seen a yammy A5 for £199 (new - must be old stock!!) - don`t know whether to go for that or go for the 620 at £90 more - is it worth it? I guess the difference nearly buys me some rears, or at least a decent centre.
I intend to use the preouts on the (maybe) yammy to go into my Naim pre/power setup, as I have Shahinian Arcs off that, which are lovely. However, the reason to go for an amp and not processor is that I`m moving the main hifi to a different room, so will need a full blown amp (and then some more fronts!).
I may use some funny old speakers I already have as rears for the moment, and buy a decent centre - suggestions most welcome.
What do you reckon? Is that a plan? Or should I do something completely different?
Nice to see you internet problems seem to be solved!
R

This item was edited on Saturday, 22nd September 2001, 15:49

A good point about power handling Westy, they do have a habit of the power protection cutting in if pushed too hard, but for my purposes they are quite loud enough: and I like my movies loud :-) Still you may be right, I`d hate to recommend them and Richard not like them, so "proper" speakers may be a safer bet.
All the best,
Dave

Richard

As much as i`d love to recommend the a5, the ax620 can be bought for as little as £350 if you shop around. This excellent amp will knock spots off anything in its price group, and is versatile with any material.
However don`t be tempted to bolt on some old speakers-`money for old rope` applies here!
You obviously have a good ear for sound as proved by your Naim setup, so here are my suggested partering speakers for your Yammy(should you choose to buy it!)
The Mission m7av4 speaker pack is excellent, with some impressive floorstanding fronts dismissing the need for a subwoofer. This also includes the excellent m7ds dipole rears ive mentioned.
Or you could try the Wharfedale Diamond cinema pack,again with floorstanding fronts but ordinary Diamond 8.1 direct radiating speakers for rears.
Both these speaker packages are superbly capable and will suit any environment and budget at around £500.
My view is, if you`re going to be serious about home cinema, then you`ve got to be prepared to spend the money. It`s no good thinking about bolting on some old kit to new, its simply not an option. Either buy all in one go, bit by bit, or interest free credit. many people choose this option as lets face it, how many people do you know who have £1000+ to dispose of from their bank account!?
Hope all this helps mate,let us know how you get on

All the best

Westy

I won`t divert the thread, so Westy can you comment on the Pioneer one I` m going to start?
Thanks,
Dave