Power handling (can take 200 watts At 40hz-20,000.)

The Covers are really tacky!

Got a pair of these after listening to the v400''s. These speakers are great the bass is the best feature as it plays down to 35hz and the treble is clear and distinctive. I mostly listen to dance music but i also like big band stuff and these speakers sound great with absolutley anything! I power these with a JVC RX-5000R reciever and they can take all the 200 watts without any problem, i can go just about as loud as i want without any audible distortion. These speakers need to be driven hard, 100 watts a channel minimum! with this sort of power thaey sound great but my neighbours hate them! Great speakers highly recommended! visit QED for the best deal! www.qed-uk.com

CLEAR & STRONG HIGHS (no raspiness), PRONOUNCED and CLEAR MIDS (no mud), VERY PUNCHY & CLEAR BASS (no boom). Great for JAZZ/ROCK/HT movies and concerts and a host of other stuff too. Great overall sound, with no system stress at all. Even sound great at lower volumes.

Limited to Walnut Veneer boxes, too bad. Could be bi-ampable/bi-wirable, but aren''t, they would be that much better, and LASTLY, no feet or spikes provided - have to buy your own - kind of a bummer.

Well folks, here''s where all the nasty rumours about these speakers stop! I purchased a pair of Valdus SE500 in Walnut(only choice) from UBID,Inc. to use as my MAINS and received one speaker at a time (yes, it''s true - TERRIBLE SERVICE). Once I had both it took about 2 weeks of routine use to properly burn them in and since then...WOW! Great for HT and all types of music. Upgraded crossovers I guess contributes to this success as the NON SE VALDUS 500''s were not so good. These are GREAT for any digital or analog application. I use a Subwoofer, but it''s not needed if you have a good amp/tuner (mine''s a Yamaha RXV396 HT receiver). Subwoofer helps a lot with movies, it''s a groundshaking combination!!! FOR THE PRICE YOU JUST CAN''T BEAT THEM - I mean it! GO WHARFEDALE! These speakers pick up all musical details and special effects with the greatest of ease and reproduction without straining the source. They are rated down to 38HZ, but show a much better low end than that. don''t think twice buy ''em and burn ''em in, you wont be sorry. For $277 including shippping it''s a GREAT DEAL.

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Mirage/Paradigm/Def Tech Towers of all sorts and configs have been tested, not much better for the price of the Wharfedales.

tight bass, impressive looking, sound spreads evenly around any room.

small bass ports, no carpet feet, not biampable. still need sub.

i have a whole valdus package with the 300''s as surrounds, valdus center, and 500''s as main. all se versions. the 500''s are very impressive looking right off. people complain about cheap grills, but i see no cheap grills here. i think they are complaining cause they are a real pain in a@@ to remove and put back on. the 500''s use the same bass port as the 300''s for some reason, which is way too small in diameter for what it should be on these monsters. the enclosure on these speakers is much thicker and sturdier than the 300''s which seem cheap and flimsy in comparison. these enclosures are divided to seperate the woofers from the other drivers. these speakers, despite thier size and power handling are NOT BI-AMPABLE, which is really sad. these speakers could be just that much more if they were. however, these speakers as with all the valdus series, fill the room with a nice natural sound. you will notice immedialty that the sound coming from the valdus series seems to come from everywhere like a bi-pole system. they do a good job of spreading sound throughout the room instead of broadcasting sound in a straight line like some def-tech speakers do, so you can easily place these speakers anywhere you like. and i didnt experience any "muddy" mids at all. in fact i was amazed at the clarity of the midrange band. the upper chamber is also ported in the back of the 500''s with an even smaller port than the 300''s. and since the 500''s are basicly a pair of 8''s stacked on top of a valdus300 i cant see this port doing anything. ok...the bass that the 500''s produce is nice, tight, and accurate. you WILL still need a subwoofer though. the valdus series can handle the rated power plus some with ease though and these speakers are pretty efficient. movies sound very good on the 500''s with soundtracks pounding and subtle sound effects sounding very realistic. music sounds pretty good too. voices are clean and distinct and these speakers have no freq gaps that are obvious. in fact if you place the 500''s or even the 300''s next to any other speaker, regardless of how cheap or expensive, and they will fill in the sound that the other speaker seems to be missing, even if you didnt know it was missing. so if you want a cheap pair of decent towers and dont mind buying a seperate subwoofer to compliment them them then these are the speakers for you.

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definitives, jbl, bose.

good tight bass and clear mids to highs depending on music played obviously.

not easy to take woofer out. I did not have to replace anything,i just wanted to see these woofers out of cabinet,not easy to do but then again,their in tight and isn''t that good ;)

Yes, in this world sometimes , or a lot of times a great price may raise eyebrows either negatively or positively to all concerned about getting a really good deal or getting ripped off,but i have to say that these speakers sound good with a quality reciever or amp,they do have refined detail for the price, but remember: valdus wants people to see and hear these for both the consumer and the sellers benefit because they can afford to. Why not, you start off here in the us with a friendly reputation with more positive feedbacks about these speakers and that builds secure relationships. ;) Moreover, they sound good with my yamaha rx596,and GREAT with my nakamichi ne-10!! Concluding: think about it, 4-8 ohm range at 200-250 watts,they are pretty reliable and accurate...Hook up a good a/v reciever or amp that is clean and there you go for that price :)

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cerwin vega 15" 3ways. These play loud but they sound cheap compared to the valdus- 500

Bass 35hz and up, price, power handling

sensitive to room placement, not the best soundstaging

The reviews on this product remind me of chevy against ford lovers. Loyalty versus objectivity. These speakers retail for 1000 bucks. They were sold at great discount in the US to establish its brand here. I have listened to many, many speakers in my time. These speakers do not sound as refined as a 3 or 4 thousand dollar speaker. Suprise! All this talk of "muddy" midrange is simply due to improper room placement; they are very sensitive to placement-get them away from the wall. The midrange is typical british, not forward sounding like many US speakers. At the 1000 dollar pricepoint Pinnacle gold towers sound better in all respects. But the pinnacles sound almost as good as Paradign referance line at 2500 dollars. The differance is not that great and you can get the valdus for 200 bucks used online. These are discernable better than jbl speakers (s310, 12) which cost much more.

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infinity, pinnacle, marti logan, vandersteen

Bass and Price

Muddy Mid''s

I was looking for decent set of front channel speakers to go with my pioneer Elite vsx-35tx. I looked at several brands such as JBL,Infinty,Polk. Now for the price you can''t beat these. The mid''s are a little muddy but they sure make up for it in the bass. It''s a bass reflex speaker and you can get away with not having a sub. Although I use a Klipsch KSW-100 it only adds to the good sound! The Valdus 500 is a good stater set of speakers for either surround sound or just for stereo listening!

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JBL

big sound,looks and price,price

lack of detailed sound, laid back mids, muddy bass

Got these for a friend from ubid for $137 ea and $68 shipping to CA. THe build quality is fair and these as most of the ubid Wharfs are made in China. These are not $1200 speakers, but for about $140 their sound is good and will work well for a theater system . If you want hi end sound expect to pay much much more. Watch out for ubid as they over charge on shipping. Check out the Wharf modus center as this I believe is anoyher good buy can be had foe about $87. If bidding on ubid check other sites for a price as I see far to many people paying to much,often paying more for a refurbished product then what they could get it new for. Happy bidding

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Paradigm monitors

Solid construction and incredible value

Speaker grills

I too caught the UBID bug and got these for $339 delivered - you have to be careful with UBID but if you know how to work around their tricks - you really cannot beat the value. I'm using the Valdus 500 as fronts for my home theater powered by my HK PA5800 (also from UBID)- while my Sony DB930 powers my center and rears - which are built into the ceilings - I also have 2 Subs - 100w each - the sound is great - the Valdus 500's are strong and have deep bass - I'm extremley satisfied with this arrangement - and maybe if I move to a bigger home - I'd probably look at other Wharfedale's for my rears and center.

very crisp, clear highs and mids w/ thundering bass. smooth at all volumes.

one of the best pair of loudspeakers i have ever listened to!!

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macintosh, klipsh

Good Bass, high power handling, nice looking, good construction.

Mids are a bit muddy

I got these off ubid for about 400$ and i am glad that i did. They are hooked up to my Yamaha 5150 reciever and sound great. I also got the opal center channel and opal 30 for the rear channels. WOW! What a nice sounding home theater system! I would recomened these speakers to anyone. For the price it is one of the best speakers u can buy.