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

by Wharfedale

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 8.6 x 37.8 inches ; 38.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 98 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B00004SY5C
• Item model number: Emerald 97 Oak
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,616 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

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

Pros:

• Amazing frequency extension (highs and lows)
• Gorgeous midrange
• High sensitivity (easy to drive)
• Beautiful wood finish
• Easy to position
• Sounds good from anywhere in the room
• Biwire/biamp convenience
• Floor spikes included

Cons:

• Slightly muddy deep bass

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great sounding speakers, November 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wharfedale Emerald 97 3-Way Floor-Standing Speakers (Rosewood) (Electronics)

Ran these speakers next to b&w speakers and they were neck to neck. For $1,000 less these speakers are a no brainer. Try them out and you wont be sorry.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wharfdale emerald speakers, August 6, 2000

By 

gene gardner (van, texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wharfedale Emerald 97 3-Way Floor-Standing Speakers (Rosewood) (Electronics)

I have never ordered anything major on the internet. I was somewhat apprehensive to order an item this significant. But after receiving these phenomenal speakers I am extremely pleased. The sound is exceptional and my wife is very happy about the beauty of the cabinets. I would highly recommend these speakers for anyone who wants a set of speakers in the $1000 range.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Every Penny, Sound And Looks., December 7, 2000

By 

MATTHEW BLACK "MATT BLACK" (Auckland, New Zealand.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wharfedale Emerald 97 3-Way Floor-Standing Speakers (Rosewood) (Electronics)

Although this fine product cannot be shipped to me here in New Zealand, I found the Amazon review and description so helpful that I went out and bought a pair here in Auckland city! It's all systems go for this very fine Wharfedale product. These speakers are clean and open sounding with no hint of 'boxiness', and they have decent bass output. And the real Rosewood veneer finish is just superb. I'm somewhat biased, as these are the third Rosewood colored set of speakers I've owned. You see, I bought the Emerald Center speaker, too! I may be wrong, but I think Wharfedale has become a slight underdog in the marketplace these days and I urge any undecided buyers to heed my words and at the very least audition the Emerald range.

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