Rating: 
Summary: Worth Every Penny, Sound And Looks.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: You cannot do better for the money, twice the money...
Review: Audiophile garbage aside, I have not heard better speakers at four-five times the price of the Emerald 97 speakers. I got these from UBID when they were selling Wharfedale products daily...but no more...These are being powered by a mid-level Onkyo theatre design receiver and they project a musicality and clarity that you do not find in most $1000 speakers. The base is sometimes a little muddy but usually is extremely defined and mixes well with the ample mids and sweet highs. The "tuned" port is designed well and does not cause the speakers to lose definition or "tightness" that creates a sense of realism (which is what speakers are all about, after all). I don't care where they're made...they are beautifully finished, amazing sounding boxes that can be found for less than $350 delivered (for the pair!). At soft levels they provide details YOU DON'T HEAR ELSEWHERE. At mid levels they are BETTER than just about ANYTHING serious listeners can afford. At high levels they do not distort, they do not blur, they do not disappoint. Poorly mixed tracks will NOT sound good on these speakers. They are large and need space to sound their best. Also try the Diamond 7.2 Anniversary Edition. Possibly the BEST small speaker (I got pairs from UBID for $40 plus shipping) ever produced. Absolutely amazing.
Rating:
Summary: You cannot do better for the money, twice the money...
Review: Audiophile garbage aside, I have not heard better speakers at four-five times the price of the Emerald 97 speakers. I got these from UBID when they were selling Wharfedale products daily...but no more...These are being powered by a mid-level Onkyo theatre design receiver and they project a musicality and clarity that you do not find in most $1000 speakers. The base is sometimes a little muddy but usually is extremely defined and mixes well with the ample mids and sweet highs. The "tuned" port is designed well and does not cause the speakers to lose definition or "tightness" that creates a sense of realism (which is what speakers are all about, after all). I don't care where they're made...they are beautifully finished, amazing sounding boxes that can be found for less than $350 delivered (for the pair!). At soft levels they provide details YOU DON'T HEAR ELSEWHERE. At mid levels they are BETTER than just about ANYTHING serious listeners can afford. At high levels they do not distort, they do not blur, they do not disappoint. Poorly mixed tracks will NOT sound good on these speakers. They are large and need space to sound their best. Also try the Diamond 7.2 Anniversary Edition. Possibly the BEST small speaker (I got pairs from UBID for $40 plus shipping) ever produced. Absolutely amazing.
Rating:
Summary: wharfdale emerald speakers
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Steal of the Century
Review: I own the new Mark IV's in Walnut. There have been some changes: they are slightly redesigned in cabinet features (the bottom plinth) and the frequency response has been changed from 40-20000Hz to 30-20000Hz. Also the sensitivity is down 1 decibel to 88dB. The bass drivers have been tweaked for greater bottom end and my AVIA test signals show a remarkable Spl output from 40-25Hz primarily, I suppose, to offer greater HT experience without sub.
I can add very little to what has already been described in other reviews. These speakers have one of the finest tweeters I've ever come across right out of the box. When the bass and mid-range drivers have had a chance to fully break-in, the 97 will yield performance comparable to many 'name' speakers costing severalfold the outlay I made. Don't be frightened off by the 'Made in China' buzz out there...the quality is outstanding in every area: design (still British), materials (quality wood veneers---even on the bottom of the plinth!), and assembly. The finished product is an absolute steal. One word of caution: do not buy these speakers unless you like sonic accuracy and detail. You will find little of the 'fuzzy warmth' that passes for sound reproduction in other places yet they still maintain an open, sincere character with any music style. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Value, but watch that high end at loud volumes!
Review: I purchased these speakers 2 years ago. I had them bi-wired and hooked up to a Rotel pre and power amp. They sounded great, and were a marked improvement from my 10 year old B&W bookshelf entry level speakers. One later later I found myself in the market for a home theatre system. I again opted for the Rotel pre and power amp, but did some speaker tests with the B&W Nautilus line. Eventually I was sold over on the Nautilus line (at a much higher premium). Upon doing an A/B test of the B&W's versus these Wharfedales, there is a marked difference in overall soundscape. The Wharfedales at high volumes got a little shrill in the high end, while the B&W's just sounded great at any volume.
For the money I would definitely recommend these speakes whole heartedly, but if you have a little more money and are a picky audiophile, you may want to check out the B&W Nautilus series.
Rating:
Summary: Nice speakers, but beware of the hype
Review: It appears that Amazon is really trying to push the Wharfedale label. They are about the only moderately upscale speakers that they sell, and the Amazon official reviews are gushing with praise for them. I just bought a pair and have some comments.
1) A practical comment. It's a pain to get these delivered from Amazon. Make sure that the phone number in your user profile is up to date, or they'll end up sitting on a shipping dock with some local shipper (not UPS in my case) who won't know what to do with them.
2) These are quite nice looking speakers. We've got this sort of art deco thing going in our living room, and these complement the whole design very well. Having said that, lots of companies are putting out good looking speakers in this price range (not at Best Buy, but look around online a bit.) If you dig the specific design (as we did), then that's a big bonus for these speakers since they are attractive.
3) They do sound pretty good. I'm not sure if the gushing reviews from Amazon are warranted, but if you're replacing a pair of lame bookshelf speakers (which I was) with these, you'll definitely notice the difference. Especially in the bass which is something that the reviewers tend to harp on. Perhaps compared to top of the line speakers, they have weak bass, but compared to what most people have hooked up, they're quite sufficient. I'm currently using a piddly Yamaha receiver that I bought just out of college to run them and, even with that, they're pretty nice (I may update later when I get the Denon one I just ordered up and running.)
4) The biwiring hoopla may or may not be overdone. I don't want to take a stand on this, but some other sites that I've checked out have either said that its a scam (buy twice the expensive audiophile wire and maybe two amps!!) or that it only matters in very specific situations. I tried to biwire them and couldn't really notice any difference. However, that's not necessarily these speakers, but may relate to the overall practice of biwiring. Biwiring seems to be like wine appreciation; some people rave about certain wines with all sorts of fancy verbiage (e.g. "soundstage", etc. in the case of audiophiles) while the rest of us stand back and say "Nice wine" (or nice speakers in this case.)...
Rating:
Summary: Emerald 97 MK-IV
Review: My pair is black but I dont think the color effects the sound...LOL. The problems noted about shrilliness at high volumes on the 3rd generation of the Emerald 97s have been eliminated in the MK IV. the speaker is rated now 30-20000 125 watts 89 db. the 3rd generation was rated at 40-20000. In my opinion this speaker is a best buy in the "under $1000" category. Like all towers that use a 6"-8" woofer you definitely need a sub-woofer. For home theatre you need one anyway. I also own a pair of AR-S50s (better for HT.. shielded) 97s are not.. but seriously you're not going to have tower speakers right next to you TV anyway. The AR-S50s are more efficient (91 db) high power handling (200 watts) between the 2 the 97s get the nod.. they are more musical, better looking, and less obtrusive. the s-50s are 48" tall and the 97s are only 36" tall. and the veneer finish is also better on the emeralds.
Rating:
Summary: great sounding speakers
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty speakers and great sound...
Review: These are very good speakers for the money. I won't expound on what others here have said. But you should know that these are Wharfedale's Chinese-made knock-offs, not the UK-made real-deal. Also, these speakers are 6 ohms impedence, whereas most amps are designed to drive 8 to 16 ohm speakers. By using these, you run the risk of blowing the fuse on your amp if you play the volume extra loud. I gave these 4 stars because I don't think their suitable for most people's systems.
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