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Wharfedale Denton 1S
Wharfedale has introduced the Denton 1S, a new compact loudspeaker in its Heritage Series inspired by the original Denton 1 from 1974. Unlike the more traditional wood-veneered Denton models associated with the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Denton 1 was a forward-looking design with a molded white enclosure, rounded edges and an unusual coaxial driver. The new Denton 1S takes that idea as a starting point, but reworks it as a modern two-way speaker intended for contemporary rooms, flexible placement and much higher acoustic performance.
The Denton name has been part of Wharfedale history since 1967, when the first model appeared as a compact speaker designed to deliver natural, realistic sound from a relatively small cabinet. The Denton 2 and Denton 3 followed in 1971, but the Denton 1 was different. Despite the number in its name, it was not the first Denton. The "1" referred to its single coaxial driver rather than its position in the chronology. At a time when hi-fi loudspeakers were still largely associated with square-edged wooden boxes, the Denton 1 responded to a changing design culture with a more futuristic look and greater positional freedom.
Wharfedale's new Denton 1S pays tribute to that concept rather than simply copying it. The original used a full-range dual-cone driver with a so-called whizzer cone, allowing the speaker to avoid a separate tweeter and crossover. That brought advantages in time alignment and placement, but it also had limitations that would not meet modern expectations for a high-performance compact loudspeaker. The Denton 1S keeps the idea of a single acoustic center, but replaces the old arrangement with a newly developed two-way coaxial unit.
This new driver places a 25-mm silk-dome tweeter concentrically within a 165-mm enhanced polypropylene mid/bass cone. The point of this configuration is not just visual neatness. When both drivers radiate from the same acoustic center, the speaker can achieve better time alignment and phase coherence than many conventional multi-driver layouts. In practical terms, this should help the Denton 1S deliver stable imaging, a consistent tonal balance and a wider listening area, which matters for a speaker that is meant to work on stands, shelves, sideboards, desks or walls rather than only in one carefully optimized position.
The mid/bass diaphragm has been developed to improve rigidity and control breakup, while the cone surround adds damping at the edge of the diaphragm. Wharfedale says the relatively shallow cone profile also helps the speaker's directivity, and the 44-mm voice coil supports 100 W power handling. The tweeter uses a damped rear chamber and a high-flux motor system. Together, these choices are intended to give the Denton 1S a warm but controlled bass range, clear midrange and smooth high frequencies without the sense of separation that can occur when drivers do not integrate well.
The crossover has been developed through computer modeling and listening tests, using Linkwitz-Riley fourth-order acoustic slopes at 2.6 kHz. The circuit includes a silicon-iron core low-loss bass inductor, low-loss polypropylene capacitors and an air-core treble inductor, all mounted on a short-path PCB optimized for signal flow. This is the kind of engineering that matters in a coaxial design, because the crossover region strongly affects whether the speaker sounds like a coherent point source or like two drivers occupying the same physical space.
Wharfedale has also added a rear-panel Brilliance switch with two settings, "norm" and "max". In the max position, the response is lifted by 1.5 dB between 2 and 4 kHz. This is not a conventional tone-control gimmick, but a practical placement tool. Speakers positioned close to a wall or used in different room environments can change in tonal balance, and a small adjustment in the presence region gives the Denton 1S another layer of flexibility. Owners can choose the setting that best suits the placement and the room.
The cabinet also follows the spirit of the 1974 Denton 1 while changing almost everything that matters acoustically. The original molded polyurethane enclosure was visually distinctive, but it was not an ideal high-performance loudspeaker cabinet by current standards. The new Denton 1S uses a thicker and denser wood-based construction, with fiberboard panels of different thicknesses bonded and braced to reduce resonance. The mildly recessed front baffle improves structural integrity, and the coaxial layout helps because only one driver aperture is required in the front panel.
A rear-firing bass reflex port extends the low-frequency response, with a double-flared shape and soft rubber on the inner flare to reduce turbulence. The cabinet volume is 11.5 liters, and bass extension is specified down to 45 Hz at -6 dB. For a compact speaker measuring 330 x 236 x 229 mm, that is a useful figure because it suggests the Denton 1S is not intended merely as a small lifestyle object, but as a genuine hi-fi loudspeaker capable of producing meaningful low-frequency weight in a modest room.
The electrical specifications should make system matching straightforward. Sensitivity is rated at 88 dB, nominal impedance is 8 ohms and the minimum impedance is 4.5 ohms, with recommended amplifier power from 30 to 100 W. These figures point to a speaker that should not be especially difficult to drive, while still benefiting from a decent integrated amplifier. The peak SPL is specified at 95 dB, which fits the product's intended role as a compact speaker for everyday living spaces rather than a large-scale floorstander.
Visually, the Denton 1S is more contemporary than Wharfedale's mid-century-inspired Heritage models such as the Linton and other Denton designs. It has a smooth matte finish of the same quality used for Wharfedale's EVO 5 Series speakers and is available in black, white or blue. White directly references the 1974 Denton 1, black gives the range a more discreet option, and blue adds a bolder modern finish. The removable magnetically attached grille carries a Heritage Series badge, but in silver rather than gold to separate the Denton 1S visually from Wharfedale's more traditional retro-styled models.
Placement flexibility is a central part of the design. The Denton 1S can be used on stands, shelves, sideboards, desks or worktops, and the rear panel includes a 3/8-inch threaded mounting point for secure wall installation. This makes the speaker relevant not only for conventional stereo systems, but also for interiors where classic hi-fi speaker placement is difficult. In that sense, it continues the purpose of the original Denton 1 more than its exact construction - a compact Wharfedale speaker designed to fit real rooms.
The project was led by Peter Comeau, Wharfedale's Director of Acoustic Design, who described the original Denton 1 as "a fascinating design of its day". Comeau noted that the 1974 model reflected the modern styling of the late 1960s and early 1970s, while offering unusually flexible placement thanks to its coaxial driver. He also acknowledged that the old design had limitations, saying, "Our intention with the Denton 1S was to pay homage to the Denton 1's forward-thinking design and useful versatility whilst delivering a speaker that's elevated in every way".
That balance between heritage and modern engineering is what defines the Denton 1S. It is not another walnut-veneered tribute to classic British loudspeakers, and it is not a purely decorative retro object. It takes a less obvious model from Wharfedale's past and uses it as a platform for a compact, flexible, contemporary speaker built around a new coaxial driver, a better cabinet and placement-aware tuning. The Denton 1S is available in matte black, white or blue and is priced at €849/£649/$999 per pair. Info and photos by Wharfedale.
