The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 speakers did surprise me. Before this review, I wondered if they could handle the competition. I wondered if they could keep up with the rest. Well, they’ve certainly put that question to bed and how! The Diamond 12.1 speakers provide a balanced and neutral sound but the way they integrate bass into a suite of detailed upper frequencies while maintaining all of the insight and information you might expect and want adds a touch of genius to the overall design. A flavour of Fink, you might say… Wharfedale launches Diamond 10 Series with the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 - the latest evolution of Wharfedale's classic high-performance, high-value 'bookshelf' loudspeaker Cost-conscious British audiophiles have traditionally gravitated to a handful of well-known brands offering lots of sound-per-pound. One of these is Wharfedale, and since 1982 that means its Diamond series of small standmounters in particular. But designing, building and distributing loudspeakers in this particular market sector is no easy task, so the new Diamond 12 range has its work cut out.

The mainstay of Wharfedale is the Diamond series. These have been around for decades, and have consistently been highly reviewed in their price class and award winning speakers. So, yes, they are good speakers.We have had the smallest floorstander, the Diamond 155 on demonstration in our showroom for the past week, and have been thoroughly impressed with it. Build quality and design is impeccable, while stereo image and soundstage is much greater than you would expect from a speaker at this price. Despite the Diamond range’s billing as an entry-level speaker series, the Diamond 100 are much more capable and adept, and would be hard to beat without spending some serious money. Wharfedale on kehittänyt DIAMOND kaiutinmallistoaan jo lähes 30-vuoden ajan. Viimeisin aikaansaannos on palkittu ja kriitikoiden ylistämä Diamond 10 -sarja, joka nostaa korkean suorituskyvyn omaavien kohtuuhintaisten kaiuttimien riman pilviin.

Many people see IAG’s Chinese connections as a bad thing, one that affects the brand name of Wharfedale plus other brands like Audiolab and Leak (two other brands under the IAG umbrella). They are what they are and they do what they do, but they are not what they are not, and they don't do what they don't do.

So we know what’s coming next then, eh? Top class engineering, perhaps? To make its Klarity drivers, Wharfedale adds mica to increase stiffness. Apparently, this helps to reduce flexing. As for the Diamond 12 Series’ treble unit? It has a 25mm dome made from a woven polyester film with a high gloss coating. The front plate is flat and exposes the dome as much as possible. I have owned many Wharfedale speakers and I have to say they are probably the most consistent brand across their models as far as quality, don't get me wrong though most of the model lines have different sound signatures. Currently I own the Evolution 40's up front with the Evo center and Opus tri surrounds in the rear and the sound is so balanced and clear. I have owned the following models over the years: Over the treble unit is a metal diffusion grid which, as well as protecting the dome when the speaker is being used without its grille, also irons out high frequency perturbations right up to 30kHz giving a super-smooth response and crystal clear treble detailing.

The Wharfedale Diamond range speakers are a truly iconic collection. With almost three decades of critical acclaim, international awards and millions of fans worldwide, you can rest assured that a Diamond speaker will deliveruncompromised quality.There's still plenty to admire in the way the Diamond 10.1s perform, but the emergence of some seriously talented rivals – such as the Arcaydis DM1 and Monitor Audio BX2 – has slightly taken the shine off this Award-winning speaker. They also make many lines of speakers in any given model year ranging from bargain basement junk to world class top of the line. But for those not clouded by that association and by that prejudice, Wharfedale has been and remains a strong contender in the Speaker market with the Diamond consistently being their most popular product.

Blended SRBP Cone Surrounds: The new textured surround allows a large ‘vMax’ apart from providing a compliant driver gasket, which dramatically improved dynamic response. The diamond profiled surround features rim-edge stiffeners which effectively damp cone resonances. Wharfedale is an elder statesman of the audio world, with decades’ worth of expertise to plough into its hi-fi and home cinema kit. The latest recipient of its sonic wisdom is the DX-1 HCP, a compact 5.1 speaker system priced to lure the budget buyer – hopefully without compromising on sound quality. If you're looking to get a conservatory, pool or outdoor area set-up, we also offer a range of outdoor speakers and our custom install speaker range includes weatherproof and splashproof speakers suitable for such applications. I asked a similar question in the UK (AVForums.com) version of this forum. Having know of Wharfedale for many years, I wondered why they did not get recommended more often. The treble unit and mid/bass driver handover is done via a crossover network using an acoustic LKR 24dB topology; this includes air-core inductors of the type claimed to be more commonly found in high-end designs.Their current range includes Reva, Denton, Diamond 11 and Diamond 200 series, D300 and vintage-look Heritage speakers as well as the newer bluetooth DS-2 speakers and Vista 200 subwoofer.