Naive question about Wharfedale XP2

[davidbolan]

Hi, I would really appreciate any advice anyone could give me on this:
I recently bought Wharfedale XP2 speakers thru e-bay. I supposed they were manufactured around 25 years ago or so. They finally arrived, and they sound like crap! Completely muffled and muddy. But before I accuse the seller (who has very positive feedback overall), so please let me ask you the following question:

Is it conceivable that the sound is so bad because I connected the speakers to a relatively new, digital Sony amplifier/receiver (we're talking about a fairly recent model from the last few years)? Could it, possibly, simply be a really bad fit b/w amp and speakers? Mind you, as I said, the sound is VERY muffled and muddy - and I'm far from being an audiophile. I'm not just nitpicking - it REALLY sounds bad.

Oh - I should mention that the speakers are 6 ohms, while the amp is 8 ohms. Forgive my ignorance, but I really don't know what that means, and whether this might affect the sound. THANKS FOR HELPING OUT!!!

[RGA]

Any time you have a speaker 25 years old you could have a multitude of problems...which could be related to design or the fact that things are starting to go. For one speakers using foam surrounds typically go after 6-10 years in humid climates. It's a cheap fix if that's the case.

Or it could be a bad speaker...though Wharfedale is pretty popular amongst the collectors.

It's not the impedence difference or the amp.

Try the vintage forum at audio asylum...a lot more experience there with older speakers and Wharfedale http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/vintage/bbs.html

[neilvance]

Hi,

I got a pair of XP's 2-way (new) in 1980. The sound Quality was excellent and they looked great! you could rotate the 'logo' on the grill (removable) to suite speaker horizontal or vertical positioning. The tweeters where nice & bright in the very upper frequencies. I was so happy and proud of them, I keeped them all the way untill 1989! they served me very well.
I suspect (along with age / bad storage) your speakers in the past have had at some time/s perhapes been played quite loudly resulting in some tweeter / cone / coil damage.

A CD-player should sound the same for a very long time, With speakers & headphone unfortunatly they 'I think' have a very short life and need replaced more often than any other conponent.

Hey just in short, the XP's sounded great 28 years ago!

[markw]

I'm not exactly sure of their configuration but are you sure the tweeters and, if any, midranges are working? Put on a wide-range recording and put your ear to these. You should hear something.

Also, are there level controls on the back? Are they in the full position? Sometimes these need cleaning.