Home > Consumer Reviews > Wharfedale Diamond 7.1 Bookshelf Speakers (Black Ash)

These speakers are a great value, and they really sound well for their price and size. They seem to do well on all kinds of music and speach. I gave my pair away, and missed them so much that I purchased a pair of 7.2 LTD as replacement. The 7.1s actually sound much better in my opinion. Normally, I listen to Linn Ninka speakers, which are in a different league altoghether, but I really enjoy the 7.1s for a change. I have played them very loud at parties, and have not manage to break them yet, however some of the partiers tried cranking dr dre, odb, motorhead and othen speaker unfriendly music at very high volumes. When my friends succeed in breaking the 7.1s I will definitely get another pair or two as replacement. May even get a matching sub with them. Only wish they had an active version for the laptop or ipod.

These speakers are small, but pack a big punch! The sound is crisp and tight. You will be challenged to find a better speaker in this price range.

I'd never heard of Wharfedale before I purchased a pair.
Now, I know the name of my next speaker purchase...WHARFEDALE!

An incredible deal. If you're looking for very affordable yet very good speakers, buy these! You won't be sorry. They're excellent! I'm no audiophile, but I can tell good from bad, and I swear many of my CD's have never sounded this good. Makes me want to upgrade my receiver. No kidding, if the price is right for you, buy them! You'll be glad you did.

Ok - just when I wanted to order another Wharfedale Anniversary set (love those in the living room) for the hobby room there are no more. Limited budget, so what do I do now? Ordered with a sigh this 7.1 pair. Just got them set up and fired up on an NAD 7155 receiver. They are very tight! I've auditioned a lot of speakers and actually got earaches at low volumes with some "audiophile" (high priced) speakers, because the bass and mids had a very strange resonance and phase shifting thing going on, that actually hurt my ears for real. Not these little guys. Beautifully driven, but I also suspect they really like a good amp to develop some volume, something to consider. Maybe the other reviewers' complaints about highs are from people that aren't used to hearing them? After the Boston CR75 pair I junked out (award winning, hence over priced, high pitched, mushy bottomed - enough said?) these Wharfedales are perfectly balanced. I finally get to hear all the detail while not in the living room McIntosh driven (the high end amp, not the computer) environment with the slightly larger Wharfedale Anniversary speakers. The 7.1 pair sounds very dynamic. A whack on the drum is a dry and hard one with no wobbely bits. The high end is NOT exagerated, but everything is there and I can pick out the accompanying brass, strings, vocals, well the whole shebang. Sounds like a thick heavy curtain has been removed and I am finally close to the stage or right in the studio. Anybody who sets these up in an apartment and complains about lack of bass is a complete utmost fool and deserves the eviction he will get for sure. No subwoofer needed for me, I can HEAR the lows. All in all, these and the Anniversary edition are hands down the biggest bang for the buck I ever had. With buying TWO Wharfedale pairs I still haven't spent the money I blew on my last set of award winners (the Bostons, bad move). Somebody pinch me.

Pros:
Sound is balanced, tight, clear, detailed, delivers punch, good dynamics, great for rooms under 200 sq-ft IF properly positioned. PS: not quite broken in by now, but I think my hobby room may even be too small for these to unfold. At medium volume they seem to want to hammer on the walls, if that makes sense. A larger environment (tested them in the living room) and some damping furniture/bookshelves/carpet-wall-coverings would let them run loose and unfold into a more pleasant, softer mode, so FORGET the 200 sqft comment I made earlier.
Cons:
consider the price! NO CONS