Exploring The Wharfedale Denton 1S
By John Klima
The Wharfedale Denton 1S traces its lineage back to 1967, when Wharfdale introduced a small, affordable speaker to work within smaller modern living spaces. The Denton 1, 2, and 3 evolved through various two and three way configurations, and were introduced between 1971 and 1974. The Denton name was revived in 2012, has been used with several anniversary editions, and leads us to the Denton 1S. The 1S has a seventies-modern design, complete with rounded edges and a recessed-baffle. This update to the Denton 1S is a fresh update as opposed to a copy and paste of the vintage Dentons.
In person, they appear to have been molded from a single material that resembles low-gloss Corian. My review pair came finished in white with black magnetic grilles. They also come finished with black cabinets and slate grey/blue. The fit/finish of these speakers is outstanding for the price.
Wharfdale recommends leaving the grilles on for optimum listening performance. Listening to them with the grilles on versus off didn’t affect the sound to me in a noticeable way. Leaving them off draws attention to the recessed baffle, and was more visually interesting to me. It’s also a good idea to remove the grilles with both hands, since once they break free of the magnetic hold, they can easily fall to the ground due to the recessed mounting location and smooth finish.
There is a single central port on the rear board located below the midline of the speaker box, with two speaker binding posts below, just above the “brilliance” EQ adjustment switch. The speakers retail at $999 USD, and have been available since May 2026.
Set-Up
I set the speakers up on 24 inch weighted stands, connected directly to my Rotel A11 Mk II integrated amp with Snake Oil cables. Since the rear board of the speakers are located 12 inches off the wall, I generally left the “brilliance” EQ switch in the ‘NORM’ position. The ‘MAX’ position is meant for when the speakers are wall mounted. This setting recommendation comes from Wharfdale, with the comment that users should adjust the Brilliance settings to suit individual tastes. When listening to side one of Bill Withers’ Still Bill, a voice-forward album, the difference in sound was negligible when swapping between ‘NORM and ‘MAX.’ I.E. It is a pretty subtle augmentation rather than a drastic shift in tonality.
The heart of the Denton 1S is the coaxial driver array. There is a 25mm silk-dome tweeter concentrically within a 165mm polypropylene mid/base cone. Since both drivers radiate from a single acoustic center, where you sit relative to the speakers may be less affected than a more directional or “beamy” mainstream design. The coaxial layout also allows the use of a smaller, more rigid cabinet. This contributes to their less tall, but wide appearance which appealed to me versus some of the taller bookshelf speakers in this price range.
Wharfdale Denton 1S Sound
When thinking about the Denton 1S sound, I think clear, smooth, and lifelike. The imaging and soundstage are excellent. I recently saw LA Witch play in a club that holds no more than 400. Listening to their first album through the Denton 1S speakers bought back the transparency of the instruments and vocals from that live show. This especially becomes apparent through their echo-heavy vocals and instrumentation, while maintaining the same richness and without coming off as too warm. The treble from the Dentons is also very saturated and silky, presenting all the original detail without sounding overly aggressive.
The Dentons were easy to listen to for extended periods of time. Their ability to accurately highlight details made them very interesting and engaging, and begged to be heard with a wide range of music. Only when listening close, and to the musique concrete of the Beatles Revolution No 9 did I feel like they were getting pushed to an edge. That said, I can attribute that more to the sonics of the first third of the track rather than the speakers.
The bass in the Dentons is great for their size, but the 6.5 inch mid/base cone is not going to shake any windows. Deep bass for movies or low electronic music will benefit from a well-integrated subwoofer.
I’d recommend the Denton 1S speakers for jazz, classical, singer/songwriter, folk, vocals, acoustic music, and small ensemble recordings. Their ability to accurately reproduce natural sounds also makes them suitable for live recordings. They also do well with rock and pop, but their sound does favor refinement over sheer impact.
Listening Sessions
The room in which my system is set up is a multipurpose/office room, measuring 10 feet by 14 feet, with the speakers set up along the long wall, set six feet apart on center. I did not toe in the Wharfedale Denton 1S given the relatively short distance from the central seating position. My most common setup can also include a Rel T/5I subwoofer, if necessary.
It was a surprise that when listening to Radiohead’s In Rainbows, I preferred listening to the Dentons without the sub. Despite the easy integration of this basic Rel unit, the sound “boomed” a bit more than I expected. Addressing this may simply require a bit more adjustment at crossover point and level adjustments on the sub itself for better overall integration. That said, leaving the subwoofer out completely was a great fit for the Dentons.
Knowing that the Denton 1S speakers promised to do a great job with ensemble/orchestral recordings, I pulled out my copy of Bert Kaempfert’s “A Swingin’ Safari,” and played the title track. This instrumental composition features a very prominent bass line, main theme on piccolo, and a trumpet solo. Needless to say, this track was a layup for the Wharfdales. Since the recording is pretty dynamic, the natural and clear reproduction by the Denton speakers made me question some online forum claims that they may not be as “exciting” as other bookshelf speakers.
I recently picked up a copy of “Flowers” by the Rolling Stones on vinyl, and was curious to hear how it would sound through the Denton 1Ss. Acoustic guitars sound fantastic, as does bass, as exemplified when playing “Out of Time” for reference. This album illustrates that instruments like tambourine are very clear sounding and lifelike with the Dentons. I experimented with the subwoofer again when playing Flowers through the Wharfdales. It did add another dimension, but did mask some of their main speaker clarity a bit when the crossover is set too high.
Wharfdale Denton 1S A-B Comparison
What’s a review without a little comparison? My main bookshelf speakers for the past few years have been the Klipsch RP600M stand mount speakers. Pairing them with a subwoofer has been very satisfying for all-around listening. They cost roughly $500/pair when I bought them, although since the release of the “II” model, I’ve seen them for sale for as little as $350. I like them for the forward/bright sound, and when paired with the Rel subwoofer, they more than fill my room. They are rated at 96db, which I always felt matched my 50 watt Rotel integrated amp well. Upon receipt and analysis of the Denton 1S speakers, I wondered if my Rotel would power the 88db Wharfdales as well as the Klipsch. Just a little bit of investigation revealed that the 96db rating claimed for the RP600Ms was a pretty big overstatement. Independent lab tests show that they are more like 89-90db sensitive. This was somewhat verified in that I did not need to change the volume level or tone controls when swapping in between each set of speakers. I chose a few different test tracks and albums to listen to while swapping between each set of speakers.
“Walk on the Ocean” by Toad the Wet Sprocket, streamed directly into the Rotel amp. The bottom line here was that I heard “more of the music” from the Wharfdales versus the RP600Ms. It was subtle, but the Denton 1S speakers revealed a much more transparent sonic window pane.
“Optimistic” by Radiohead off Kid A – less noise with the Wharfdales, less fuzz versus the RP600Ms. Better separation and instrumentation heard from the Wharfdales.
“Intro/Sweet Jane live by Lou Reed off of Rock and Roll Animal. Again, the Wharfdales were able to reproduce a sound that was noticeably more realized and acoustically sculpted versus the Klipsch. This was another surprise given the “bright” reputation of Klipsch speakers.
Syro, by Aphex Twin. I had to try out electronic music since, the general consensus was that the Wharfdales would be lacking when listening to the EDM genre. (I avoided using the subwoofer for this comparison.) What I heard was a bit surprising. The clarity that shines through with the Wharfdales was very apparent, and added some depth to the more intricate tracks. The Klipsch RP600Ms were good, and the bass sounded very forward. I cannot pick an absolute favorite between the two speakers in this analysis.
Conclusions
The Wharfedale Denton 1S is a gorgeous, highly refined, easy-to-love bookshelf speaker. Its biggest strengths are coherent imaging, natural vocals, smooth treble, and excellent build quality. If you’re looking for a speaker that lets you relax and enjoy music rather than analyze it, the Denton 1S appears to be one of the standout choices in its price class. If your priority is maximum bass output or an ultra-analytical sound, there are alternatives that may suit those preferences better. (Or get a responsive and musical sub, and set the crossover to what sounds best for your music.)
Due to its design, the Denton 1S is very flexible. They can be listened to in any room position and maintain a wide soundstage with stable imaging. At the same time you can enjoy smooth immersive sound coming from a compact speaker. Personally, the Denton 1S speakers are great, and a great choice for my listening space. I’d buy a pair in blue and be happy.
More info: Wharfedale Denton 1S
Our review of the Wharfedale Super Linton.
