In this review, we will be comparing DENTON 80 and Rebellion, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from Wharfedale and Klipsch.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale Denton 80 and Klipsch Heritage Rebellion first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale Denton 80 | Klipsch Heritage Rebellion |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | Compression Horn |
|---|
| Woofer | 5" Woven Kevlar | 8" Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 44-24k Hz | 60-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 86 dB | 95 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-100 watts | up to 200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 7.90kg / 17.4lbs | 14.51kg / 31.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 12-5/8" x 7-7/8" x 12"
320.0 x 200.0 x 305.0mm | 19-1/8" x 12" x 9-3/4"
485.0 x 305.0 x 247.0mm |
|---|
DENTON 80 and Rebellion are members of Klipsch's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Wharfedale Heritage Series
History
What size room are the Wharfedale Denton 80 and Klipsch Heritage Rebellion 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 Denton 80 |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion |
| Near-field |
Average |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Good |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Bad |
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
Both DENTON 80 and Rebellion are 2-way speakers.
Wharfedale Denton 80Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Wharfedale Denton 80 |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5-inch
|
1 x 8-inch
|
DENTON 80 features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5" Woven Kevlar Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2300Hz. On the other hand, the Rebellion features a " K-702 driver Compression Horn Tweeter and 1 x 8" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 715Hz.
Frequency Response
DENTON 80 has a frequency range of 44-24k Hz whereas Rebellion has a frequency range of 60-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 44Hz, the DENTON 80 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Rebellion's min frequency of 60Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf 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
DENTON 80 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Rebellion which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. DENTON 80 sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the Rebellion's is rated at 95 dB. This 9 dB difference makes the Klipsch Heritage Rebellion a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale Denton 80, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf 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.
Rebellion can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas DENTON 80 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Rebellion.
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.
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
DENTON 80 features Binding post type posts and Rebellion has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both DENTON 80 and Rebellion have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 Denton 80's and Klipsch Heritage Rebellion's external dimensions. Wharfedale Denton 80 has external dimensions of 320.0 x 200.0 x 305.0mm (12-5/8 x 7-7/8 x 12inch) whereas Klipsch Heritage Rebellion has external dimensions of 485.0 x 305.0 x 247.0mm (19-1/8 x 12 x 9-3/4inch).
Wharfedale Denton 80 is 105mm narrower and 165mm shorter than Klipsch Heritage Rebellion but it is also 58mm deeper.
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 Denton 80 is approximately 610.0cm2 / 94.6inch2 and base area of the Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is approximately 753.4cm2 / 116.8inch2. The DENTON 80 requires 19% less surface area than the Rebellion which gives it a small advantage 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 Denton 80 weighs 7.90kg / 17.4lbs and the Klipsch Heritage Rebellion weighs 14.51kg / 31.9lbs. This makes the Rebellion 84% heavier than the DENTON 80.
Here is a comparison of how DENTON 80 and Rebellion's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Bookshelf class.
Weight
All Bookshelf Speakers
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
 Low Frequency Response |
44 Hz
vs
60 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
24k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
320mm
vs
485mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
610cm2
vs
753cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
200 watts
vs
100 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
95 dB
vs
86 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| General |
Wharfedale Denton 80 |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion |
| Brand |
Wharfedale |
Klipsch |
| Speaker Type |
Bookshelf speakers |
Bookshelf speakers |
| Power Range |
20-100 watts |
up to 200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
86 dB |
95 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.3 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
44-24k Hz |
60-20k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
5" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Woven Kevlar |
Paper |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
Compression Horn |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
2300Hz |
715Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
320.0mm (12.6") |
485.0mm (19.1") |
| Width |
200.0mm (7.9") |
305.0mm (12") |
| Depth |
305.0mm (12") |
247.0mm (9.7") |
| Weight |
7.90kg (17.4lbs) |
14.51kg (31.9lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
Mahogany red veneer |
18 mm MDF with real wood veneer |
| Available Colors |
Mahogany with grey tungsten cloth grille |
Black Ash, Walnut |
| Mounting Bracket |
|
|
| 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 |
A |
Wharfedale Denton 80 digs deeper - 44Hz against 60Hz. |
| Amplifier needs |
B |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is more sensitive (95dB vs 86dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom |
B |
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion takes more power (200W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
Wharfedale Denton 80 is easier to place; Klipsch Heritage Rebellion is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
depends |
Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. Klipsch Heritage Rebellion sits in a wider range (12 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
A Wharfedale Denton 80
B Klipsch Heritage Rebellion
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?
Klipsch Heritage Rebellion 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 60Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Wharfedale Denton 80 the better fit for near-field listening and a small room, and Klipsch Heritage Rebellion for a mid-size room and a large room.
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.