In this review, we will be comparing D330 and S 809, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Wharfedale and Jamo.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale D330 and Jamo S 809 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale D330 | Jamo S 809 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 5" Black woven Kevlar Cone | 3 x 5" Aluminized Polyfiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 56-20k Hz | 37-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-120 watts | 120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.20kg / 40lbs | 13.60kg / 29.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 38" x 7.9" x 13.3"
965 x 200 x 338mm | 41.0" x 7.5" x 9.9"
1042.0 x 191.0 x 252.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Wharfedale D330 and Jamo S 809 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Wharfedale D330 |
Jamo S 809 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that D330 is a 3-way design whereas the S 809 is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Wharfedale D330Jamo S 809
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Wharfedale D330 |
Jamo S 809 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5-inch
|
3 x 5-inch
|
D330 features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 1 x 5" Black woven Kevlar Cone Woofer. On the other hand, the S 809 features a 1" Tweeter and 3 x 5" Aluminized Polyfiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2000Hz.
Frequency Response
D330 has a frequency range of 56-20k Hz whereas S 809 has a frequency range of 37-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 37Hz, the S 809 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the D330's min frequency of 56Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
D330 and S 809 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. D330 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the S 809's is at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Jamo S 809 a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale D330, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Both handle the same maximum of 120 watts RMS, though D330 is rated 25-120 watts and S 809 120 watts.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier — change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
D330 features Post type posts and S 809 has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale D330's Post terminals
Jamo S 809's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
D330 has a bottom firing port whereas S 809 has a front firing ports. Jamo S 809's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Wharfedale D330 with its rear-firing port.
Jamo S 809 Port
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Wharfedale D330's and Jamo S 809's external dimensions. Wharfedale D330 has external dimensions of 965 x 200 x 338mm (38.0" x 7.9" x 13.3") whereas Jamo S 809 has external dimensions of 1042.0 x 191.0 x 252.0mm (41.0 x 7.5 x 9.9inch).
Jamo S 809 is 9mm narrower and 86mm less deeper than Wharfedale D330 but it is also 77mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Wharfedale D330 is approximately 676.0cm2 / 104.8inch2 and base area of the Jamo S 809 is approximately 481.3cm2 / 74.6inch2. The D330 requires 40% more surface area than the S 809 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Wharfedale D330 weighs 18.20kg / 40lbs and the Jamo S 809 weighs 13.60kg / 29.9lbs. This makes the D330 34% heavier than the S 809.
Here is a comparison of how D330 and S 809's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Jamo S 809?
Here are the items that come with the S 809:
- 2 Floorstanding loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 8 Mounting feet
- 16 Screws
- User Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
- Warranty Information
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Height |
965mm
vs
1042mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
598USD
vs
634USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
37 Hz
vs
56 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
26k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Dolby Atmos Drivers |
Optional Jamo S 8 ATM Dolby Atmos upward-firing speakers
vs
No
|
Dolby Atmos Compatibility |
 Base Surface Area |
481cm2
vs
676cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Wharfedale D330 |
Jamo Studio S 809 |
| Brand |
Wharfedale |
Jamo |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
25-120 watts |
120 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
4.1 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
56-20k Hz |
37-26k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
5" |
5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Black woven Kevlar Cone |
Aluminized Polyfiber |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Foamed Polyether |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
2000Hz |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
965.0mm (38") |
1042.0mm (41") |
| Width |
200.0mm (7.9") |
191.0mm (7.5") |
| Depth |
338.0mm (13.3") |
252.0mm (9.9") |
| Weight |
18.20kg (40lbs) |
13.60kg (29.9lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
MDF/Vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Rosewood, Black, White, Walnut |
Walnut |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass |
B |
Jamo S 809 digs deeper - 37Hz against 56Hz. |
| Amplifier needs |
B |
Jamo S 809 is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom |
evenly matched |
Similar power handling (120W vs 120W). |
| Size |
depends |
Jamo S 809 is easier to place; Wharfedale D330 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
B |
Jamo S 809: Atmos drivers. |
| Price |
evenly matched |
Much the same money ($598 vs $634 a pair). |
A Wharfedale D330
B Jamo S 809
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement or how you will use them.
Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Jamo S 809 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 56Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Jamo S 809 is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.