The DX1-SE is a satellite package that has replaced the highly rated DX1 HCP and is the latest offering from renowned audio buffs Wharfedale, so will they fill the shoes of their older siblings?
There are no surprises here, and the package contains the usual 5.1 speaker system. Four satellite speakers sit nicely at 19cm tall, each containing a 19mm silk dome tweeter, the inspiration for such has been taken from Wharfedale’s award winning Diamond speakers, and a 75mm bass/mid driver with a beautiful polypropylene woven cone.
There is one centre speaker that contains the same 19mm silk dome tweeter, plus not one but two 75mm mid/bass drivers which Wharfedale claims gives it better control of air flow which results in a rich and detailed centre channel.
Finally, there is one 200mm 120-watt amplified subwoofer which despite its size is more than capable of annoying the neighbours when the mood takes you. It also manages to give you a level of bass which you can appreciate at lower volumes.
The physical appearance and quality of the DX1-SE package is as expected, the speakers are well built and can sit nice and snug against a wall, thanks to Wharfedale’s closed box design.
The Wharfedale DX1 SE speaker package is perfectly sized for home cinema harmony
We set our DX1-SE package up with an Onkyo TXNR 646 AV receiver and threw the Wharfedale package in at the deep end with Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in glorious Dolby TrueHD. As this is an older film in the series, the scene in the sand storm makes for the perfect test for any mid range 5.1 package, and is often my go-to for testing for other similar packages. The DX1-SE took the whole scene in its stride – the hectic sound of sand blasting past our ears wasn’t turned in to a mess of white noise and we could still pick which direction those cars firing past Tom Cruise were coming from. The subwoofer dealt with the seemingly difficult task of mimicking a (rather large) sandstorm incredibly well, and really helped absorb me in the scene which is what I personally look for in a good AV set up. Whilst still offering a degree of separation during the much more slow pace dialogue scenes, the subwoofer calms right down and those twin 75mm drivers and silk dome tweeters really start to shine – there really isn’t an aspect of dialogue that wasn’t clear and concise which other similarly priced units can struggle with.
Having said that, my feelings towards this unit are very similar to that of the DX1 HCP package, and while changes didn’t necessarily need to be made, I do genuinely believe there minor improvements have been made.
Personally however, I wouldn’t go selling my existing Wharfedale DX1 HCP package and rushing out to buy this latest offering – I’d prefer to hang on or consider an upgrade.
If you’re in the market for a brand new system then this is a serious package to consider for relatively low cost. Why not pop by one of our stores and we can give you a demo?
To find out more about the Wharfedale DX1-SE speaker package, click here.
Author – Garrett, Plymouth Store
