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Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Review (Speaker)

MarkWinston

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I am wondering about this too, I have high ceiling (at least higher than most houses I have seen). The higher the ceiling the better, right? Wouldn't false ceiling lower it, unless you mean adding absorbing material on the false ceiling, which would work I guess but would be expensive and a bother on a family situation.

I saw the comparison chart above with Elac DBR62. At half the price these seems like a very good deal. If anyone has listen to both of them, what was your impressions?

Ive listened to the 12.2 and the DBR62 in the same room and setup but not on the same day. FWIW, I decided to go for the 12.2s because it sounded smoother and less fatiguing, somewhat a meatier sound yet sounded more balanced. Bass on the 12.2 was also more to my liking, it had the kind of bass you could feel but not really hear, its doesnt intrude and only presents itself when there is actual bass on the track. But when it does, youll be find yourself searching for a hidden 'midwoofer' in the room. The only thing I feel the DBR62 has over the 12.2 is clarity, but not by much. Oh, and the 12.2 disappears more easily too. Subjective, but many would agree if they have heard both. I also had the chance to listen to the 12.1 and 12.2 side by side, even the 12.0. The Wharfedale distributor here has all the Diamonds lined up, along with the all the Evos and Elysians. No comparison, the 12.2 takes it by a mile, in the diamond standmount series of course. For 100 bucks more, its definitely worth it. Wharfedale seems to be pushing the 12.1 though...
 
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Thomas_A

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Nice speakers overall. The only thing is that the dip is a bit misplaced. An EQ should probably only boost the 1-2,5 kHz range and leave the 2,5-4 kHz as is. IMO.
 

Dmitri

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A nice to see positive review from a company with deep roots. Too many companies of historic note that have changed hands or management over the years simply live on the name once respected without living up to the quality for which they were once known. Wharfedale has always been a bang for the buck/euro/yen/et al speaker manufacturer, and I’m grateful to see that tradition remains unchanged within their lineup.

Once again, thanks for the excellent review Amirm.
 

Promit

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Dang, that’s quite a performance at $400/pr. I feel like Wharfedale is typically ignored by audio reviewers.
 

zeppzeppzepp

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Nice speakers overall. The only thing is that the dip is a bit misplaced. An EQ should probably only boost the 1-2,5 kHz range and leave the 2,5-4 kHz as is. IMO.

People may not detect any issue if they don't know the measurement beforehand.
That kind of dip is quite popular in many designs and it's beneficial for many forward sounding records.
 

beaRA

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I'm impressed by the performance for the price! I'm not aware of anything that does better for $400/pair, although the Kef Q150 may get close when it's on sale. This sort of old school minimal waveguide design is exactly why Audyssey has a midrange compensation dip built-in. Much like Amir, they don't seem confident that filling in that dip from a directivity error will translate well to all rooms.
 

Jukebox

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I really wonder how their flagship $10,000 Elysian 4 towers measure:
ELYSIAN_4_Standard_Piano_Walnut_5_1200x.png
They did invest a lot into this speaker and the looks alone is killer; if they target the same flat frequency response (maybe without the BBC dip), with better directivity and if we consider the quality of the drivers, superior power handling, higher sensitivity and lower distortion these speakers could be real challenger for the high end market.
Unfortunately I dont think Amir or Erin will get something like this anytime soon if ever.
 

testp

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Diamond 5: Rear-ported
Diamond 6: Front-ported
Diamond 7: Rear-ported
Diamond 8: Front-ported
Diamond 9: Dual front-ported. Also started curved sides.
Diamond 10: Dual rear-ported
Diamond 11: Bottom ported
Diamond 12: Rear-ported. Also back to flat sides.

What. The. ____.

that's the ying-yang style
 

Mauro

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The M106 was definitely a step up with much better resolution when it came to delicate details. It was clearly a better experience.
that’s interesting! What do you think is a measurable proxy for resolution?
 

ROOSKIE

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How does this compare to the JBL Studio 530 measured here, currently on sale for $250/pair?
Best thing for you would be to just buy both and compare at home.
I preferred the JBL to several Wharfedale speakers including a previous Diamond line - none of which were the 12 series though.
The 12 is a new designer and a "complete" take on the Diamond speaker. (not just a few tweaks)
Objectively they are very close in "score" but different speakers.
Subjectively I find I have preferred the 530 over several speakers with higher Harman ratings that I have owned myself and tested. (Including the Revel M105 and ELAC DBR62)
I love the 530, there are monitor/stand mount speakers I do prefer to the 530 but all of those are either significantly more expensive or DIY.
FWIIW I also found the Infinity R162/R152 to be very competent. They often go on sale in the US for less that $160/130 a pair.
YMMV
 

napilopez

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coomean

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Best thing for you would be to just buy both and compare at home.
I preferred the JBL to several Wharfedale speakers including a previous Diamond line - none of which were the 12 series though.
The 12 is a new designer and a "complete" take on the Diamond speaker. (not just a few tweaks)
Objectively they are very close in "score" but different speakers.
Subjectively I find I have preferred the 530 over several speakers with higher Harman ratings that I have owned myself and tested. (Including the Revel M105 and ELAC DBR62)
I love the 530, there are monitor/stand mount speakers I do prefer to the 530 but all of those are either significantly more expensive or DIY.
FWIIW I also found the Infinity R162/R152 to be very competent. They often go on sale in the US for less that $160/130 a pair.
YMMV
Thanks for sharing your impressions.

I do currently own the 530 in my living room (about 15ft x 12ft x 9ft), and I find it very versatile and like it a lot. My main complain is that it sometimes sounds boxy to me, even after room correction.

Just curious if these Wharfedale could be a step up from the 530 in that regard.
 

Thomas_A

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People may not detect any issue if they don't know the measurement beforehand.
That kind of dip is quite popular in many designs and it's beneficial for many forward sounding records.

Well, off-topic and my personal view after years of filter construction and listening, but a dip around 2 kHz will exaggerate the comb-filtering, "stereo system error", present when you have the speakers in a stereo setup in the usual 22.5°-30° angles. Thus, in my view any dips should occur 3-4 kHz, and 7-8 kHz. The only way to reduce the 2 kHz stereo system dip is to have reflection "fill-in", hence the radiated lateral response must have sufficient energy in that region.
 

ROOSKIE

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My main complain is that it sometimes sounds boxy to me, even after room correction.

Just curious if these Wharfedale could be a step up from the 530 in that regard.
I highly doubt it.
Be easy if you are in the USA to try it to find out. $10 returns @ crutchfield.
I have never considered the 530 a boxy sounding unit myself. Hmmm. It is possible your set has some quility different from mine or you are sensitive to some characteristics different to my sensitivities.
You might try and get your hands on a Linkwitz dipole model.
 

geoemm

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Oh boy, i wanted to get the wharfedale 12.2 but didn't do it coz of lack of measurement info, went for elac dbr62 as i got it for very good price. I wonder how both compared (wharfedale seems to have smoother freq response)
 
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