The price of high-end
components seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. Some reviewers don't wince when a
small speaker sells for $10,000 or even $20,000 per pair and sounds just OK. Seeing an
opportunity, a few companies offer what appears to be extraordinarily well-made products
for very reasonable asking prices. Based on our experience in Montreal, Wharfedale
qualifies as one of these companies.
Wharfedale's top-of-the-line Opus 3 loudspeaker has a
1" tweeter, a 3" dome midrange, and dual 10" woofers encased in a large
cabinet with non-parallel side panels. The rosewood finish of the display speakers was
gorgeous with its thick lacquer and high-gloss sheen. The price, $6500 per pair, may not
be pocket change, but in the world of high-end audio, the cost of the Opus 3s seems all
the more reasonable. They sounded great driven by a Quad CD 99 CD player ($2399) and II
Forty amplifiers ($9000 per pair). Both Wharfedale and Quad are now owned by International
Audio Group, IAG for short.
Doug Schneider, someone who puts emphasis on the value of
products he recommends, was more than impressed. Playing back a gospel cut by Chanticleer,
the Wharfedale/Quad system "projected a large and precise soundstage that had a high
level of detail and a fine sense of refinement," as Doug put it.
