Wharfedale PRO Titan Speakers
The new South African Standard? Formidable, fetching and full-on awesome!
What are the Wharfedale PRO Titan Speakers?
The Titans are among the pick of the litter in Wharfedale Pro’s range of speakers and right at the top of their active range. They are certainly one of the more popular brands in South Africa and the range is sized to cater for all requirements.
The active range starts off with the Titan 8A mk2, then the bigger 12D and 15D’s before being rounded off with the Titan SUB 12A and Titan SUB 15A subwoofers while the passive range only has the 8, 12 and 15′s. The Titan 8, 12 and 15′s are all assembled in a rugged injection moulded chassis and have been designed with the mobile and install users in mind to be ultra light and used upright, or on its side as a floor monitor. A cool perk to the chassis mould process is that some of the range comes in a choice of black, grey or white. The subwoofers however are still 15mm MDF board mounted in a steel frame for rigidity and tone and they ship in grey.
The active Titan D’s are the stand out models and are a huge improvement over the former Titan actives; they are now fitted with two Class D amps for both high and low frequency outputs and utilize Qubit, a 24-bit 192kHz Digital Signal Processing module with advanced multi-band dynamic processing and filtering to automatically adapt the loudspeaker to sound more full and natural in a host of different settings.
What’s good about the bi-amp design on the Titan D’s is that it extends to the limiting as well so the hi’s and lo’s are separately protected and accompanied by an LED light on the speaker to let you know if you are pushing them too hard. Another spin off to class D amps is the weight and the D’s come in significantly lighter. All the other models in the Titan active range including the D’s have two combo inputs for 1/4” Jacks or XLR and will accept Line or Mic (-40dBu), with a single XLR output to link them to other speakers. The passive range is fitted with Speakon connections and the 8 and 12′s also have 1/4” jack inputs.
The 12D and 15D’s also come with a bass response optimizer in addition to Qubit to tighten up that low end bass and make sure it sounds as crisp as the tops do. Another useful feature on the 12D and 15D’s is a 90 Hz highpass filter so they function more efficiently as stage monitors by cutting out stage rumble. Rounding of the feature list for the Titan D’s is a remote option and by using a 3 pin Euroblock connector you will be able to change the volume remotely by upping or lowering the voltage.
Right lets breeze through the technical numbers that matter in the active range; the Titan 8A mk2′s are 180W program with 150W in the lows and 30W in the highs, the Titan 12D’s push out a meaty 300W of power, of which 250W comes from the woofer and 50W from the compression driver, while the Titan 15D’s weigh in with a hefty 420W broken down by 350W from the woofer and 70W from its compression driver. The Titan SUB-A12 is programmed for 250W with a 500W peak and is crossed-over around 150Hz, while the Titan SUB-15A is rated at 400W with its peak at the 600W mark while its crossover is at the 100Hz mark.
So the 15 sub will definitely give you more rumble, while the 12 offers a punchier bass. As to the passive range the Titan 8′s are 300W program, the 12′s are 500W while the 15′s are 800W and all of these run at 8 ohms.
The subs are hefty in both power and weight with SUB 15A tipping the scales at 45kg’s, while the SUB 12A is a more manageable 22 kg’s. The 15D’s are also 22 kg’s, the 12D around 12.5 kgs and the Titan 8A mk2 a featherweight 6.25 kg each. As to the passives; 5.5 kg for the 8′s, 12 kg for the 12′s and 22 kg for the 15′s which proves it is lighter to get a set of actives.
All of the Titans include a handy cover for some basic protection and you have the choice of getting full-on gig bags if you think you need them. All the tops have a 35 mm speaker pole mount with a tightening screw to make sure it stays in place, while the subs have an integrated pole mount socket to affix the full range speakers onto.
Who should own one?
Wharfedale PRO Titan Speakers
It is a testament to the acumen of both Wharfedale Pro and the local sales team that the Titan range is so widely used throughout South Africa. I have been to many live performances and weddings using an entire Titan rig, to then stumble into my Spar the next morning/early afternoon and see [and hear] in-store promotions being run through a set of Titans too. A very small and lightweight rig of two Titan 8A mk2′s and a Titan SUB-12A will provide a great set-up for one man bands, and the ability of the Titans to handle speech and various types of music and performances means that they are very well suited to restaurants, pubs, venues, mobile performers and houses of worship.
Even for venues with an existing installed system, the Titan’s are a great reinforcement speaker to cover areas that the current system doesn’t handle too well, or for areas that are going to be expanded for functions.
The Verdict
I’ve worked with the Wharfedale Pro Titan’s numerous times in multiple musical and commercial environments and I’ve always been impressed with their raw output power, presentability and adeptness in translating different types of music or voices into a comfortable listening experience, so they will be as potent running next to a church band as they should be for a conference or office presentation.
The Titans are also great value for money when you spec them next to the huge range of active speakers out there at the moment. There is something to be said for the design too. They are pleasant to look at and the colour selection really seals the deal for a lot of people.
Aesthetics should never be overlooked; the more pro your gear looks the better you look. The white finish is stunning and when mounted onto a white wall the speaker will integrate perfectly, making the loudspeaker all but invisible.
The Titan range is a really superb package, but don’t just take my word for it; they have been used so extensively by so many people and I guarantee you that they will all sing their praises both for affordability and quality.
Suggested Retail Price :
Passive Range: Titan 8: R 1,695.00 | Titan 12: R 2,595.00
Titan 15: R 3,995.00
Active Range: Titan 8a Mk11 R 3,595.00 | Titan 12D R 5,195.00
Titan 15D R 7,495.00 | Titan 12 Active Sub R 5,295.00
Titan 15 Active Sub R 6,595.00
Supplier: Audio sure | Tel: (011) 790 4600
