Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker (Black Ash, pair)

Rating:
Summary: Cheap but powerful.
Review: I bought these speakers from the only record/music-store nearby within 100 kilometers. They were planned to be put as rear-speakers, on a shelf. I heard about the speakers from Wharfedale's official website, and read a couple of reviews. They seemed to offer a lot.

So, I was stunned by the clear sounding frequencies, and by the low price, so I decided to take a pair.

It's not only the sound, in my opinion, there is some style in the speakers too : cool yellow kevlar-element and almost everything on the look (quite modernish), through golden text to the excellent looking wood material. And for WHAT PRICE!

Excellent choice, value for money is excellent, but the speakers need some performance by your amplifier. Of course, try before buying. I can promise, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: a little different, but very nice
Review: I really like these little speakers. All wharfedale products I've ever owned have always been above par and always impressed anybody that heard them. After seeing bad reviews I was a little worried that they made a lemon, but the one thing that nobody mentions with these speakers is that there's a very long break in period. My old wharfedale atlantic 200's took about 100 hours to break in. After that the entire frequency range sounded much better, especially the midrange. I'm noticing the same thing with the diamond 8.1's. After 20 hours of hard use they've already been mistaken for the kenwood 15" floorstanders they're sitting on.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Hesitate
Review: I was very skeptical! Especially sisnce I didn't hear them first. (No stores carry them in South Bend, Indiana) But I was reading every review I could find, about 15 total and they all said the same: 4.5 to 5 stars (cheap grills). I wanted to replace my old speaker system. So I bought the "Rears" Diamond 8.1 first, they're the cheapest. If I was out, I would only be out under $190.00 Dollars. I have an Onkyo receiver that puts out a low frequency of 20Hz to the high of 20khz these 8.1's sound crystal clear. I played it in stereo mode w/CD. Obviously, I had to turn the bass down. But not as much as I thought 11 O-clock below center. I could hear Don Henley's In-hail between words!! Needless to say I'm a kid in a candy store, ordering the diamond 8.4's, diamond 8 ctr channel and unfortunately wharfedale doesn't have a sub with a low 20hz subwoofer in fact Yamaha subwoofer has the lowest freq. I could find 20hz to fit my receiver. Sorry Wharfedale, I'd would rather of given you the business. The grills are cheap but putting black tape around the prongs that fit into speaker will hold them secure (Just a little tape). Buy them you will be happy! If your not, good luck with the others and I hope you have a good second job $$$$$$$

Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled
Review: Once you compare these speakers, you too will agree that they are GROSSLY overrated. They are cheap-looking, very light and flimsy, and are made of plastic and vinyl. They sound about average. After several comparisons, I bought the new Polk Audio RTI4 which are EXCELLENT in every comparison -- solid wood construction, great-looking, and SUPERIOR sound quality.

Rating:
Summary: Wanna laugh?
Review: Wanna laugh, try placing the Wharfedale Diamond speakers next to a set of Polk Audio RTI series speakers and then look and listen. The Polk Audio RTI series cost a little more, $259 for the RTI4 compared to $199 for the Wharfedale Diamond 8.1, so you might expect a little more to begin with, but the difference is like day and night. The British are known to have a strange sense of humor, but here with the UK Wharfedale brand, the joke is on us.

The Polk Audio series are simply elegant and have superb sound quality in comparison. The Wharfedale Diamonds sound OK, I guess, but they miss out in reproducing the entire sound range for which they are designed. I'm not talking just about the deeper bass, which both sets lack due their bookshelf size, but somewhere within the mid-range as well.

Where did all the rave reviews of the Wharfedale Diamond series come from? Not just those written by consumers, but those by professional reviewers as well. Even if you're on a budget, look and listen before believing that you're getting a good buy.