Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 Speakers (Pair) (Walnut)

I bought these speakers as extention speakers for my kitchen / dinner room. I have not bought Wharfdale speakers for many many years but having read the positive comments on here I thought I would give them a go.I bought the Walnut finish version and I have to say the build quality and finish is superb well over what I was expecting. The bi wired connections on the back are really chunky and solid and will take high quality thick speaker cables with ease.Out of the box with flat direct feed they sound as good as you can expect a small / medium bookshelf speaker to sound. Nice crisp highs and clear middles the bass is a little light as you would expect from a bookshelf.However, as a test I drove them with my Technics graphic equalizer and after fiddling around I got some quite amazing deep, solid and punchy bass..... very impressive.They are quite heavy for book shelf speakers so make sure your wall brackets are sound.In short great build quality and superb finish, good sound and for £129.00 great value for money.If I could give 6 stars I would.

As I get older I seem to spend more time listening to music on my computer. When I listen to music on my system in the living room it’s usually in the company of others, so the music is turned down and bland enough not to offend anyone. Pity though because the Denon Ceol and Monitor Bronzes can throw out very decent sound. In the bedroom I have a Sonos Play: 1 pair. Great for going to sleep with sounds at relatively low levels (and of course, all delivered through Wi-Fi streaming).So why, with two nice systems, am I listening to music on the computer? It’s because I find I spend most of my time when I’m at home in front of the computer…About 2 years ago I decided I wanted to upgrade my Creative Computer speakers (GigaWorks T20 Series II) for something a bit more substantial. Not that there was much wrong with the Creatives; they were hefty, well designed and had offered adequate either side of my screen for a few years. But they were ultimately plastic housed computer speakers- part of that ‘computer speakers’ tradition of just needing some sound out of your computer. Remember the little cream coloured satellites from the 90’s? I even had a cream subwoofer at one point…So I bought Edifiers- the r1280t model- based on various reviews I’d read. Immediately the soundscape from my homemade desktop was fuller and deeper. There was a huge difference with base response, even if those deep sounds were a little mushy and indistinct.For the first time I began to question the whole thing about quality of source for Hifi, and how much you pay. I couldn’t cope with the thought of going back to vinyl. I still have a CD collection but it gets its often abandoned in favour of Spotify. The bedroom Sonos didn’t seem to suffer much in terms of sound quality as a streaming device. And now my soundcard, some bits of electronics on a motherboard I’d installed in a desktop, was producing exquisite such sweet music? I’ve become convinced that this computer sound set up- two speakers a metre apart on my desk, with my ears about the same distance from them, is the best way to listen to music.Now, in Lockdown I spend even more time in front of the computer at home, as I’m part of the ‘work from home’ brigade. So could I upgrade my listening experience from the Edifiers without spending obscenely? Discussions with the younger generation ensued. I’d received a seriously dinky Fosi T20 tube amplifier from my son in law, who thought I needed ‘updating’. “You don’t need full size amps anymore” he instructed me.I thought this amp was small enough to sit on my desk (and look nice) but I had no passive speakers. SinL recommended Lonpoo speakers off Amazon. I bought them. They were very cheap. I was not sure what to expect but I was quite impressed. Through the Fosi they were laid back and detailed. Really easy to listen to. They were an improvement on the sound stage from the Edifiers but, unlike the latter, they lacked any real base and I had to crank the amp to the top get any sense of presence and they still sounded thin. I suppose for £66 I couldn’t expect more. They went back.What now? I thought I’d spend a bit more, but not splashing out in any sense. I bought Wharfedale Diamond 9.1s. They are universally well reviewed, and have been around 15 years. I never owned Wharfedales, but they were always on my list of possible choices….They have been an Epiphany.They are a bit big for my desk but they really pair beautifully with the Fosi, producing rich, warm and highly musical ambience. I have NEVER heard such rich detailed sound. The soundstage has become completely enveloping. Subtle sounds come from far away in front of me (the speakers are against a wall, so those tiny tinkles, riffs and plinks in the distance must be coming from somewhere outside. Right?). Minute details are highlighted and detailed in a 3d stage; the breaths of the singer between singing, even the spatial tracking of the guitarist as his/her fingers move up and down the frets of a guitar. This is detail like I’ve have never heard before.I’ve never really understood audiophiles. I’m a few hundred quid guy, not a few thousand. But these speakers, at £120, have made a huge difference.I’m sure some of it is my position relative to the speakers? Or is it the shape and size of my study? Is it funky little Chinese amp? For goodness sake, is it the cables I’ve used? I don’t know. What I do know is, I have never had such an experience of the joy of music. And it’s these little 9.1s that seem to have made the difference…

These are really nice solid boxes,sounds amazing, at a fantastic price. The colour also sets it off.I would definitely recommend.

I’ll be honest, I dithered about buying these. There are some reviews out there questioning their build and quality, do not listen to them! The sound out of these is sublime and you really will not be disappointed with your purchase! The tone, quality, bass and build are true Wharfedale and what they’ve built their reputation on.So very easy to set up, wonderful weight and size and stunning power. I really can’t recommend them enough

Pleasing appearance, solidly built and well finished. I have slight reservations concerning the overall sound ballance. Sound is generally detailed quite 'forward'. On my system I sometimes have to adjust the treble downwards to avoid brightness turning into slight harshness. This problem is particularly noticeable for large-scale choral music, where there is a tendency for the sound to 'glare' for the full choir at full throated volumes. I have found that cutting around 4kHz with a graphic equaliser helps to limit this.I wondered whether some of this was my hearing, so I placed a pair of old (but quite good) SONY bookcase speakers next to the Wharfdales to allow an 'A-B' comparison. I also played the same music through my top-end system which has large floor-standing speaker cabinets ('ols school'). These tests confirmed my assessment that the Wharfdales can be a little over-bright and even a little harsh with large choral works.Speaker choice is always a matter of taste. For me, these speakers are definitely good enough to keep. Although (of course) not perfect, they are nice pieces and acceptable value for money.Additional... Just listened to a DECCA LP of Glazunov's and Prokofiev's violin concertos. The Wharfdales performed beautifully. Great clarity. Well done. An extra star.

They sound great with my ancient Kenwood KA-1080 amp and even better when paired with my Son's Cambridge Audio amp. I'm no audiophile but do listen to my hifi every day. I am just delighted that I got such good sound for not much money, in speaker terms. I came from Diamond 9.0 to these and was amazed at the difference. Even more so when placed on isolation foam.

Speakers arrived on time and boxed up very well . After opening and viewing the items i was so pleased how well and rich they looked and soon had them connected up to my audio system and totally amazed of the sound they produced im so glad buying these speakers at a reasonable and affordable price.

Great sound from these speakers. There's no speaker cables supplied so recommend getting decent cable.Would definitely recommend 😊