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Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 Bookshelf Speakers, Black Ash (Pair)

Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 Bookshelf Speakers, Black Ash (Pair)

List Price: $249.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good for the money, but not great speakers
Review: I wanted an inexpensive set of speakers to put in my kitchen and purchased these. They are just fine for that. But I tested them against my living room speakers, which are substantially more expensive, and they are simply not as good.

When I flipped the switch to change to the Wharfedales, my wife said that it sounded as if I turned the treble all the way up and the bass all the way down.

Few people can really judge unless they can compare two or more different speakers at the same time. You get what you pay for.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good for the price, but don't expect greatness...
Review: I will admit that for the price, these are hard to beat - I've heard worse sounding speakers that cost more. However, don't be led to believe that you will get super-high-quality audiophile sound from these (as some of the previous reviews seem to indicate). The 7.2s do indeed get low (although I found the bass a little muddy sounding), and the high frequenceies are very present (I actually turn the treble down). This emphasis on the extremes makes loud rock music sound great. Where I found this speaker lacking is in the mid-range. If you're a jazz or classical music connoisseur this is where you'll wish you had paid more for a speaker. I found solo piano, string quartet, and similar genres to sound empty or hollow on this speaker. This kind of music doesn't rely on a "thumping" bass or piercing highs the way rock music does, but it does require a full and rich midrange. Unfortunately this seems to be where Wharfedale cut the corners on the 7.2 (I suppose they had to cut them somewhere to offer them for this price). I'm giving them four stars because they are a good speaker for the price (from a purely critical standpoint I'd give them a 2-3 stars), and if you are easily impressed by lots of bass these are great. However, if you're a more discriminating listener you probably won't be completely satisified.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ridiculously good value for money
Review: I'm using these as a second pair of monitors in a small home recording studio. They're almost too good for that goal, in that they're very close in overall quality and bass extension to my main studio speakers, a pair of Tannoy PBM 6.5s which retailed for about 400 dollars. The Wharfedales required quite a lot of break-in (they were less than listenable the first few days), but by the end of week one, they'd clearly lost some of their initial harshness without having turned mellow or overly polite. My reference setup includes a 6,000-dollar pair of Martin Logans driven by a big Krell amp. Compared to the Logans, the Wharfedales, understandably, have many shortcomings: a lack of speed and liquidity, a much less believable soundstage (Lyle Mays' grand piano sounds like it's only about three feet wide), etc. They're better in a small bedroom or a den than in an expansive living space. Still, with a nice musical trimbre and a relatively tight bass extension that belies their small size, they offer borderline -- make that entry-level -- high-end performance at a ridiculous price.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Too Good to be True?. . .
Review: Needed speakers to replace floor standing models. Wife said must be "bookshelf" size. Listened to several settled on the 7.2's. Use mainly for background music, primarily George Winston piano type but also classical, jazz and Top 40--kids crank their rap when I'm not around. Simply put, for 120 bucks these are 5 star speakers. Don't be fooled, even though they perform admirably for what they are, they are not replacements for a full size speaker with all the attending specs--and money, but the highs are crisp, the lows are tight and the mids are more than acceptable. Also, keep in mind they have ports in the back which need room to "breathe". If you put them too close to a wall (or bookshelf) you'll get resonance (vibrations) that will sound bad. On balance, if you're looking for a true bookshelf, understand said limitations, you will find these to be a very nice speaker you can listen to for long periods without getting fatigued. Too good to be true? No, they're not that good, but from what I have heard from other speakers at $109 plus shipping. . .it's a tempting proclamation.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Assembly quality poor at best
Review: Received my Wharfedale 7.2's - major disappointment! One of the speakers looked as if it was a puzzle; the speaker wasn't connected to the speaker box, and the wires weren't connected to the speaker either. The other speaker was fine. Of course, the Wharfedale "Quality Assured" seal was affixed to the side of the box, making me wonder just what their "Tested to Specifications" included - obviously it didn't involve even a visual review of the product before it went out the door. Another disappointment - the box Amazon sent the speakers in was poorly closed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 7.2's will get the job done !
Review: The sound from these speakers is very clean. I use them as rear channel speakers on my surround system. The 89db rating seems to be on the mark as the sound level sparks your listening pleasure. At this price, you just can not pass them up.
Some recommend augmenting these with a sub woofer. I will try this soon. Even without, the bass response is very smooth.
Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: beautiful speakers, great price...
Review: The Wharfedale 7.2 is an incredible loudspeaker. I've listened to everything from Sibelius to Sarah Vaughan to David Bowie on them, and it all sounded crystal clear. These speakers have a warm, very natural sound and the soundstage is very believable. The bass response is incredible for such a small woofer. My father owns Quad and Dahlquist speakers and isn't impressed by much less than excellence, but when I hooked the Whafedale's up to his Nakamichi he liked them so much he's now considering buying a pair. My only nit-picky complaint is that the midrange could be a bit brighter. However, these speakers do handle the treble and bass beautifully, even the high trebles and (especially) the lower bass end. Room positioning is crucial for these speakers to sound their best. If you have any doubts about purchasing a pair, forget about them. This incredible speaker will not disappoint you, and at [the] price...you'd be insane not to buy them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wow
Review: These are great speakers! I rate products I buy on quality etc. as well at price. These babys bring the best from both worlds. They have a superb sound that will please any music lover. From piercing highs to bone crunching lows and everything in between. Its perfect! Godly! Without distortion! You should of seen the smile on my face when I hooked them up. Buy these!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Baby Boomers
Review: These are the perennial #1 selling loudspeakers in England and are manufactured by the same parent company that makes the legendary Quad ESL electrostatics. The clean highs, smooth mids and deep bass that these little wonders produce will absolutely amaze you. Speaker placement is important. They should be placed on stands that put the tweeters at ear level about 2 ft. from rear and side walls. The distance between speakers should be equal to the distance to the listener's position, and they should be toed in slightly. Attention to these details will provide a big sound stage with plenty of bass from the rear-fired ports. Moving the speakers closer to the rear wall will produce even more bass, if that's your uninformed preference. I have a pair of these, have purchased them for both my sons; and friends run out and buy them after one audition. These are true audiophile favorites at a ridiculously low price. Their performance with jazz and acoustic recordings is revelatory. The highs are well-extended without ever becoming spitty and the mids and bass are fast and smooth. Vocals are superb without chestiness in the lower registers. When properly set up, the sound source disappears. You will not believe the value at this price level.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Diamond 7.2
Review: These Diamond 7.2 speakers sounds really good.
Just have to make sure that you have them placed above the floor at least 2 feet and away from the wall with good stands.
Once in a while for some music I seemed to hear some resonance when they were new. Now I don't recall hearing those resonance any more.
I have used them with a Fisher tube amp and also a Sony home theater receiver.
I am pretty happy with them that I ordered another pair.


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