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Wharfedale Diamond 12 Owner's Thread

SS55

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Amir reviewed the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1
After looking at the data of 12.1 I’m not surprised why @MarkWinston loved 12.2 more than Kef LS50.
 
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MarkWinston

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Whatever the 12.1 can do, the 12.2 does it better. On the spec sheet the 12.2 has a lower crossover at 2khz compared to 2.7khz of the 12.1 but I dont know if that changes anything. And deeper bass of course. Way deeper. The Diamond 12s are killer at this price, and that BBC Dip is what makes this speaker sound so smooth. Barely listen to the LS50 anymore since I got these.
 
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SS55

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Whatever the 12.1 can do, the 12.2 does it better. On the spec sheet the 12.2 has a lower crossover at 2khz compared to 2.7khz of the 12.1 but I dont know if that changes anything. And deeper bass of course. Way deeper. The Diamond 12s are killer at this price, and that BBC Dip is what makes this speaker sound so smooth. Barely listen to the LS50 anymore since I got these.
How close are your speakers to the wall? And do you feel the need for a subwoofer since the 12.2 drop off below 50hz.
 
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MarkWinston

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How close are your speakers to the wall? And do you feel the need for a subwoofer since the 12.2 drop off below 50hz.
I currently have them 1 meter away from the wall and Im still going to pull them out further away from the wall once I have the time to move everything in the room back. Everytime I pull it out a little soundstaging depth gets better and I feel at 1 meter it still can get better. The 12.2, even ported at the back, can get quite near to the walls without sounding boomy or messy, lower frequencies doesnt sip into the mids and muddy things up.

The 12.2 is rated at 43hz @ f6 on paper (in comparison 60hz @ f6 with the 12.1 which is huge in my opinion), in my room it gets to mid - higher 30s with no problems. A sub would definitely make things better if you can integrate it well but the 12.2 can take a lot of power without sounding like its going to give up. It just gives and gives, soundscape just expands as you raise the volume without sounding shrill or distorted. I currently dont have a sub paired with it as I feel Im not missing much. Ive heard the 12.1 next to the 12.2 next to each other before purchasing it, its pretty obvious that the 12.2 is superior to the 12.1 not only in the bass department but overall coherency.
 
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MarkWinston

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Forgot to mention that I had to buy higher stands (80cm instead of the usual 60cm ones) for the 12.2 to get my ears between the tweeter and woofer height. Once I did that, things changed drastically. Toed them in to around 10 - 15 degrees from my ears, thats where I felt everything was balanced, solid phantom center and wide enough soundstage. Tried toeing them in directly to my ears, lost a bit of soundstaging width. The important thing here is vertical axis, that has to be spot on.
 

SS55

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Forgot to mention that I had to buy higher stands (80cm instead of the usual 60cm ones) for the 12.2 to get my ears between the tweeter and woofer height. Once I did that, things changed drastically. Toed them in to around 10 - 15 degrees from my ears, thats where I felt everything was balanced, solid phantom center and wide enough soundstage. Tried toeing them in directly to my ears, lost a bit of soundstaging width. The important thing here is vertical axis, that has to be spot on.
What’s the distance between the speakers and then to the listening position?
 
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MarkWinston

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What’s the distance between the speakers and then to the listening position?
Room is 7.5 meters x 5 meters x 3.5 meters (h), speakers are 3 meters apart, listening position is 3.5 meters away. Aim is to get the speakers 2 meters away from the front wall, with 2 meters of space behind me. Should be more balanced that way. The 12.2s are currently residing in this main listening room, the LS50 are now in the kitchen for my wife. The Dalis and Dynaudios are in other bedrooms. Weird how a 500 dollar speaker can take over main listening duties.
 
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mvnchies

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Amir reviewed the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1
After looking at the data of 12.1 I’m not surprised why @MarkWinston loved 12.2 more than Kef LS50.

Cool! mine arrive today, glad to see they measured well too, hopefully it doesn't make me too biased though :D

super excited to give them a listen!
 
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MarkWinston

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Cool! mine arrive today, glad to see they measured well too, hopefully it doesn't make me too biased though :D

super excited to give them a listen!
A small piece of magic for 500 bucks. Or 350 in the case of the 12.1. Close your eyes and get ready for the speaker to disappear. Now that you know they measure well, lay back and enjoy the music. :)
 

nn_in

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Whatever the 12.1 can do, the 12.2 does it better. On the spec sheet the 12.2 has a lower crossover at 2khz compared to 2.7khz of the 12.1 but I dont know if that changes anything. And deeper bass of course. Way deeper. The Diamond 12s are killer at this price, and that BBC Dip is what makes this speaker sound so smooth. Barely listen to the LS50 anymore since I got these.
I used the own 11.2s and 12series just launched ! Guess after reading these I can reconsider 12.2s.The issue is backport.How sensitive is the backport as gets closer to wall? Does it work with about 2inches gap?
 
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MarkWinston

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I used the own 11.2s and 12series just launched ! Guess after reading these I can reconsider 12.2s.The issue is backport.How sensitive is the backport as gets closer to wall? Does it work with about 2inches gap?

Being back ported it is susceptible to gain but surprisingly its not as severe as the back ported speakers. I started by having them just 30cm from the wall, then I slowly pulled them out a few cm at a time and by the time I was around 45 - 50cm away, it was all good. That isnt as bad, I had to pull out my ls 50 way more to sound less boomy and muddy. I think this is caused by how neutral the bass on the 12s are. Thats my best guess. 2 inches is just too much to ask for from a back ported design but it is definitely not as bad as others. I had the 11.2 too, the V1, and that itself would sound boomy 2 inches away from the back wall.
 
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escape2

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I used the own 11.2s and 12series just launched ! Guess after reading these I can reconsider 12.2s.The issue is backport.How sensitive is the backport as gets closer to wall? Does it work with about 2inches gap?
You could try plugging the ports if you have to keep them this close to the back wall. Crossing over at 80Hz-ish to the sub might help as well.
 

Raindog123

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I don’t have 12’s… but own 11.5’s, do those count? :) Power them by a NAD C375BEE.

E3178EB8-287F-4767-AC17-94F29E5573C6.jpeg
 

Raindog123

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That is considered 'near field' listening for something so large... lol!

10 feet from each speaker to the listening point and between the speakers... Awaiting to go downstairs, to the room five times as big (in volume)… With this room to be powered by a pair of old trusted 8.4’s.
8795B3EC-6D8B-4BBF-A82D-8EBBAF94F2CC.jpeg
 
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nn_in

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Being back ported it is susceptible to gain but surprisingly its not as severe as the back ported speakers. I started by having them just 30cm from the wall, then I slowly pulled them out a few cm at a time and by the time I was around 45 - 50cm away, it was all good. That isnt as bad, I had to pull out my ls 50 way more to sound less boomy and muddy. I think this is caused by how neutral the bass on the 12s are. Thats my best guess. 2 inches is just too much to ask for from a back ported design but it is definitely not as bad as others. I had the 11.2 too, the V1, and that itself would sound boomy 2 inches away from the back wall.
Subjectivity do you think 12s are a step better than 11s.?Is it better imaging and soundstage?
Maybe I can consider 11.3 or 11.4 as I want to try FS.Any views would be welcome.
My room is approx 20ft x 9ft (where the listening area is 10ft x9ft) Essentially is one part of the room with 20ft used as backwall.
 
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nn_in

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You could try plugging the ports if you have to keep them this close to the back wall. Crossing over at 80Hz-ish to the sub might help as well.
I don't use subs.
Yes I can consider plugging the ports
 

InsideTheWire

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I have the 12.1s and love them. I am really impressed with how nice they sound for a blind purchase. The wife had me sell my previous speakers when we moved houses. I'm currently running a circa 2001 Harmon Kardon AVR110 and Audiolab 6000CDT, with a Khadas Tone board set up for streaming flac files off a hard drive.
 
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