Wharfedale MovieStar 70 6-Speaker System (Beech)

Rating:
Summary: Real Hi-fi in Surround at a Great Price
Review: Having had systems from bargain-bucket to US$25k true audiophile, as well as a biais for quality and simplicity- this speaker system is a dream.

Realistically the only competition is a similar-priced Mission (or spend about 4 times more for an inferior, somewhat pretty, incrediably well-marketed, but fuzzy-sounding, headache-inducing Bose)- no contest.

Used with bargain ( not care much about TV!) Toshiba V392 VHS/DVD combo; bargain Yamaha Receiver RX-V350S (5x100 watt)(the 750 a total powerhouse musical dream but unecessary); and good 12 gauge speaker cable. Much better than a crowded movie-theatre with overblown fuzzy sound!

What/s good:quality cable binding posts, reasonable size satellites and good front and powered 100w subwoofer, attractive/modern look, very musical, movies sound great, great precision and timing and instrument separation, well manufactured, good price, great *bang per buck*. Note- the cheaper Wharfedale 60 Movie-stars are very inferior for not much less cash...

Nothing bad; still initially the matched speaker stands appeared lightweight but fine, and there is the intimidating competition from Mission speakers, or a pair of *true* great hi-fi speakers at twice the price (best-bets: Mission,B&W, Monitor Audio or Wharfedale) .

Overall, another Wharfedale winner.

Rating:
Summary: Great Big Mini System!
Review: I bought this system two weeks ago and I have been very impressed. My original goal was to replace two huge 3 foot high Infinity tower speakers that were taking up too much space in our living room. I wanted something that would be more discrete, aesthetic and work with a home theater system without losing the fine sound I was used too. These did all that and improved the sound! I have them mated to a Yamaha RX-V750 which is overkill but needed to hook up my phonograph. The surround speakers are the biggest I have seen for a "mini" system at about 6 inches high and deep but still small enough to hide on a shelf or mantle place. The Wharfedale's look so stylish you might not want to hide them. I've tried different placements and they definitely work best when placed at ear level but still work well when place in a hap hazard "hidden" manner. I have run the gamut of my music collection including the Beatles, Beethoven, Nick Cave, The Clash, Chris Isaac, Evanescence and Led Zepplin and the system works flawlessly. While a Bose system I listened to seemed to have higher highs and lower lows the Wharfdale seems to have better mid range and a more accurate all around sound, especially noticeable when I play my favorite classical music. I have played two DVD's Spiderman 2 and Return of the King and both left grins on all who watched and listened.

One warning is that these are 4 ohm speakers so make sure your system can handle that. Yamaha is one of the few A/V receivers rated for 4 ohm.

Wharfedale's web site only honors warranties if you buy from three authorized web sites including Amazon. I purchased from one of the other two and saved $200!

BTW I have a 25 year old set of Wharfdale bookshelf speakers in my office that work as good as the day I bought them. I am confident the MovieStar 70's will last just as long.

Rating:
Summary: Wharfedale does it again!
Review: I wanted a home theater speaker system, that was good with movies and music too! I listened to Polk 6700 speakers (very good) JBL 160 (nice) Energy 5.2 (very nice) Athena (ok+) and Wharfedale Movie Star 70's (awesome)! The biggest difference was the music end of the spectrum! All of the mentioned systems were very good to excellent for movie/tv viewing, but ranged from good, to adequate, to so-so on music! Except the Wharfedales, which were excellent for theater use, and awesome on music, probably due to the fact they are a bit larger than most! No tubby lower midrange, or ear bleeding, thin highs! Bass was rendered very well too! A great value, and they are decor freindly.