Short answer: the Arendal 1961 Monitor. It ranks #5 of 34 bookshelf speakers by sound quality at $1150; the Wharfedale Super Denton ranks #9 and costs $1499, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the Arendal 1961 Monitor offers: A physically robust build the reviewer calls “a little bit of a tank,” delivering low compression, low distortion, and overall really good neutrality - one of the reviewer’s top 10 picks under $1,500 across roughly 250 speakers… Watch for: Bass rolls off around 70-80Hz, so it cannot be used as full-range mains for music without a subwoofer, and a sub is recommended for home theater use as well.
What the Wharfedale Super Denton offers: A 3-way design with a 1” soft dome tweeter, a 2” soft dome midrange offset to the side of a centered 6.5” woven Kevlar woofer - a more compact alternative to Wharfedale’s own Linton 85 with a similar overall character. Watch for: A mid-range scoop from about 200-800Hz and a separate upper-midrange scoop were both audible in direct ABX comparison against a reference-neutral speaker, giving aggressive-sounding material a more subdued character.
Buy the Arendal 1961 Monitor. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Wharfedale Super Denton and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
Specifications Side By Side
| Arendal 1961 Monitor | Wharfedale Super Denton | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1150 | $1,499.00 |
| Ranked | #5 of 34 in Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers | #9 of 34 in Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 60Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 41Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 84Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 61Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Crossover Frequency | 1500Hz | 940Hz, 4.6kHz |
| Dimensions | 16.6"H x 6.4"W x 5.9"D (421.6 x 162.6 x 149.9 mm) | 14.2"H x 9.7"W x 10.8"D (360 x 246 x 275 mm) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin’s Audio Corner) | 6 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 85.9dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 86.6dB (measured by Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 2 x 5.5" woofers, 28mm tweeter | 1" soft dome tweeter, 2" soft dome midrange, 6.5" woven Kevlar woofer |
| Weight | 16 lbs / 7.25 kg each | 20.3 lbs / 9.2 kg (20.2 lbs) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | sealed | ported |
| Frequency Response | - | 52Hz - 20kHz (±3dB, manufacturer specified); -6dB to 40Hz |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Dayton Audio OPAL1
- KEF LS50 Meta vs JBL L52 Classic
- Ascend Sierra 1 v2 vs KEF LS50 Meta
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs KEF LS50 Meta
- Wharfedale Super Denton vs Dayton Audio OPAL1
The Two Speakers In Full
Arendal 1961 Monitor: $1150 Arendalsound
Pros: A physically robust build the reviewer calls “a little bit of a tank,” delivering low compression, low distortion, and overall really good neutrality - one of the reviewer’s top 10 picks under $1,500 across roughly 250 speakers tested. Works well both as home theater mains and as surrounds. Independent ASR Klippel measurements corroborate the low-distortion finding: THD at 86dB SPL/1m stays well below the reviewer’s audibility threshold, and even at 96dB SPL/1m it stays “far better than most bookshelves” thanks to the built-in high-pass filter that protects the woofers.
Cons: Bass rolls off around 70-80Hz, so it cannot be used as full-range mains for music without a subwoofer, and a sub is recommended for home theater use as well. Vertical radiation window is narrow, typical of MTM (mid-tweeter-mid) layouts - tighter than a standard two-way’s roughly ±20° - so a second home theater row sitting above or below the tweeter axis will hear a noticeably different tonal balance. ASR’s CEA2034 measurements show the response is elevated above 2kHz with resonant peaks around 3kHz and 9kHz, leading the reviewer to predict it will “likely sound bright.” Those same resonances show up as lingering ridges in the cumulative spectral decay (waterfall) at 96dB SPL/1m.
Full Arendal 1961 Monitor review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 60Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 84Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Crossover Frequency | 1500Hz |
| Dimensions | 16.6"H x 6.4"W x 5.9"D (421.6 x 162.6 x 149.9 mm) |
| Drivers | 2 x 5.5" woofers, 28mm tweeter |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 85.9dB (measured average, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 16 lbs / 7.25 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | sealed |
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- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Moondrop M4P MTM
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs KEF LS50 Meta
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Ascend Sierra 1 v2
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Klipsch RP-500M II
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Philharmonic Ceramic Mini
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Audiofirst Fidelia
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Radiant Acoustics Clarity 4.2
- See all 14 comparisons
Wharfedale Super Denton: $1,499.00
Pros: A 3-way design with a 1” soft dome tweeter, a 2” soft dome midrange offset to the side of a centered 6.5” woven Kevlar woofer - a more compact alternative to Wharfedale’s own Linton 85 with a similar overall character. Measured sensitivity around 86.6-87dB with on-axis linearity within about ±3dB. No cabinet or box resonances turned up in impedance testing, and there are no spike feet to install. Harmonic distortion looks good at both 86dB and 96dB, with about 20dB of usable dynamic range up to 96dB before compression starts to affect the midrange more noticeably near 102dB. Because bass rolls off starting around 60Hz, placing it closer to a wall (about 1-2 feet) than usual boosts low-end punch without the midbass bloat a deeper-extending speaker would get from the same placement. In the reviewer’s own comparison, its estimated in-room response actually measured more linear than the pricier Linton 85’s, despite being a bit less linear on-axis.
Cons: A mid-range scoop from about 200-800Hz and a separate upper-midrange scoop were both audible in direct ABX comparison against a reference-neutral speaker, giving aggressive-sounding material a more subdued character. A resonance around 660-700Hz shows up in measurement, though the reviewer couldn’t reliably hear it with real music in his own blind-ish A/B testing. The offset tweeter-and-midrange layout makes horizontal off-axis response noticeably asymmetric - response drops as much as 8dB more to one side than the other at wider angles - so the reviewer recommends aiming the speakers directly at the listener (not toed out, which loses upper treble) and suggests sidewall absorption to control uneven reflections. Must be listened to with the grille on - measurements are noticeably worse with it off (wider 2-4kHz dip, extra treble bump). Horizontal soundstage width felt a bit narrower than the reviewer personally prefers, likely related to the same offset driver layout. Multitone distortion gets high in the midrange at 96dB/1m, a concern mainly in larger rooms where you’d need to play louder.
Full Wharfedale Super Denton review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 41Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 61Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Crossover Frequency | 940Hz, 4.6kHz |
| Dimensions | 14.2"H x 9.7"W x 10.8"D (360 x 246 x 275 mm) |
| Drivers | 1" soft dome tweeter, 2" soft dome midrange, 6.5" woven Kevlar woofer |
| Frequency Response | 52Hz - 20kHz (±3dB, manufacturer specified); -6dB to 40Hz |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.6dB (measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 20.3 lbs / 9.2 kg (20.2 lbs) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons