Speaker legends don't get much bigger than the Wharfedale Diamond 9.0.
The original small hi-fi speaker
It's hard to believe that the original Wharfedale Diamond is now past its thirtieth birthday. All those decades ago, it was the Diamond speaker that proved, for the first time, that excellent quality sound could be achieved from a small, budget speaker. Since then there have been dozens of imitators, but the Diamonds remain amongst the best available.
Solid construction
The cabinet isn't just compact, it's also very solid. This combination gives the Diamonds an extremely accurate sound quality as the cabinet doesn't flex or vibrate. Equally impressive are the drive units. A soft dome tweeter gives the clarity and smoothness of sound you'd expect from a more expensive speaker, while the woofer cone uses a carbon fibre type weave to offer extremely taut and responsive bass.
Surprisingly powerful
With a front port, these bass reflex speakers are punchier than you might expect and in no way could they ever be described as tinny. Over all, they may be small but the sound is grown-up, with excellent staging, realism and surprisingly powerful.
Hi-fi connections
It's not just the major aspects of the design that Wharfedale have got right, it's the details, too. Proper 4mm banana sockets will accept thick cable and offer the best type of connection. Threaded sockets at the rear make for secure and easy bracket attachment.
At £100 these speakers were clearly market leaders. Now we're offering them at this bargain price, the Diamond 9.0 speakers are a gem of a deal!
Top comments
fishmaster
26 Dec 1515#3
You have a healthy bank balance then, well done.
Toon_army to Obstinate_Person
26 Dec 157#2
My girlfriend said size doesn't matter!
deathtrap3000 to bigpappasmurf13
26 Dec 157#5
She has a bullet from Ann summers then.
MR GUS
26 Dec 156#15
If you "think" the speaker has degraded, first & foremost when was the last time ANY retaining screws / allen-bolts were tightened (evenly) !?
Whether it's the x-over screws, glue come off from driving the x-over too hard, melt signs for damage, blistered capacitors & resulting damage, smoker tobacco / sunlight rotting foam ring LF/U surrounds, rubber surround lip slightly unglued, etc.. simple checks that reveal a lot, depending on environment, placement & how hard you "think" you drive them.
All screws / bolts should be carefully checked & hand tightened from time to time.
If it's a spinning screw then remove all the retaining screws (by hand) use hot melt & a broken match to fill, pack out but offer some fibrous purchase for the screw to be returned & gently tightened, (might require a few go's).
The vibration of a box affects the cabinet chassis more than one would expect.
Latest comments (42)
MR GUS
9 Apr 16#42
Yup, quite a few brands! ..went on to work elsewhere within the industry, as well as access to speakers sent to me by mistake, general workshops, service depts, r&d...
Bagpuss69
3 Jan 16#41
Have got it all setup now, and it works very, very well. Way nicer sound than any of the Logitech speakers I've tried. The SMSL amp doesn't appear to have a crossover on it's subwoofer output, so I had to set that on the subwoofer itself. I went for a crossover at 120Hz, as below this the Wharfedales appear to drop off quite sharply. There was a very noticeable drop in SPL below 100Hz.
Obstinate_Person
31 Dec 15#40
Did you get to tear down any other brand of speakers or was it Mission only?
alekss
29 Dec 15#37
Can I hook these up to the PC? How/best budget setup pls?
Bagpuss69 to alekss
30 Dec 15#39
I've just bought a set of these for use with my PC. Also bought a Tannoy SFX sub as Richer Sounds had an open box going for £75. Am going to drive them from an SMSL A2 amp, which has a dedicated subwoofer output. Am hoping it should make a nice 2.1 setup and sound a lot nicer than an off the shelf Logitech etc. offering for the same money.
danpetre
29 Dec 15#38
Can you recommend other source of information? Not disputing anything you said.
Thanks
wizbowes
28 Dec 15#36
lol. I used to work in Hifi manufacturing. So much marketing **** when I was in it. Can't imagine it's got any better.
mikerj
27 Dec 15#35
Would that be the Mission MX2? If so the Diamond 9.1 or even 9.2 would be a closer match to those. You might find the 9.0s a bit light in the low frequency range compared to your Missions.
MR GUS
27 Dec 15#34
Ring Nikki in customer service for to see if the mission speakers are able to be sorted out at a reasonable price that i acceptable to you, ..but first which model are they? (Nikki runs / ran Mission spares alongside the others which now come under the amalgam of once truly Huntingdon made / assembled speakers (inc wharfedale)
MR GUS
27 Dec 15#33
Used to work as a professional in the industry for a long time! ..feel free to get the knowledge :smile: fact is it's a helluva lot of advertising & you don't annoy your big page advertisers, the way it was & doubtless is, ..I used to deal with reviewers for all the mags, if you want properly informatively, musically critical appraisal DON'T rely on What Hi-Fi's sticky spoon feeding.
I also used to know writers who couldn't care less about what they wrote just using it as a leg up.. call me jaded & cynical if you wish but that's the truth of the matter.
(very memorably the one who made a complete pigs ear of audio tech spec for a handbook who I then had to sort it for because he didn't know the first thing about it). ..he got paid a lot for that as he had the PR skills to ass-kiss his way through, he used to star in a lot of the "thinking pictures of average joe's sitting on the sofa" for that mag.
jefCon
27 Dec 15#32
thanks op - grabbed a pair - still some left in Reigate if that helps anyone near by
teddyedward1
27 Dec 15#31
Hi, already commented but you seem to know what your on about: I have faulty old Mission 2 ways matched to an old but good Cyrus one amp. Am I being cheap at just looking at these for replacements for a living room. Don't listen as keenly as we used to, space is problem. Always liked the big (3 X the size) old Diamonds which I think were better than the Mission replacements. Thx
Franzkill
27 Dec 15#29
What does the 9.0 refer to? Also is this good for a regular sized bedroom?
mikerj to Franzkill
27 Dec 152#30
The number before the decimal point is the version number of the Diamond range. After the original Wharfedale Diamond made back in the early 80's, Wharfedale introduced updated versions pretty regularly so there were Diamond 2, 3, 4, etc. up to the current Diamond 10.
The number after the decimal point refers to a specific speaker type within the Diamond range. For the Diamond 9 range, there are seven variants, from 9.0 to 9.6. The 9.0 is a small bookshelf speaker (the lowest priced in the range), the 9.6 are large floor standing speakers (the most expensive in the range).
These would be fine for bedroom use, assuming you aren't expecting earth shattering levels of bass.
teddyedward1
27 Dec 15#28
Any good with an old Mission Cyrus One amp? Need to replace faulty old 2 way Mission speakers, that are physically a little larger & probably better spec. Mission speakers replaced large Diamonds at the time.
captainbeaky
27 Dec 15#27
Good price - I found them to be too restrained for use in a home cinema system but pretty good for music.
bigpappasmurf13
26 Dec 152#4
Small but powerful, as my girlfriend would say
deathtrap3000 to bigpappasmurf13
26 Dec 157#5
She has a bullet from Ann summers then.
Groovii D to bigpappasmurf13
27 Dec 15#26
she likes them 2 at a time :wink:
keefff
26 Dec 15#25
Got this speakers 3 years ago...highly recommended
schmoog
26 Dec 15#24
I would highly recommend getting a subwoofer if you're planning on getting any sort of bass-heavy sound out of these. Nowt wrong with the clarity and mids but the bass is weak.
Rich44
26 Dec 15#9
These or the Mordaunt Short M10s???
Hmmmm
bigpappasmurf13 to Rich44
26 Dec 151#10
Prefer these to the m10's, they have more clarity and and punch, although my m10's are pretty old so I don't know whether their sounds somewhat diminished over time...
rev6 to Rich44
26 Dec 152#11
These.
Speakers should get better over time unless they're faulty.
Gotta to Rich44
26 Dec 15#23
These go to 60Hz and the Mordaunt Short M10 only go to 90Hz.
So if you don't have a subwoofer you'd be missing out on alot of low end sound/feel with Mordaunt Short M10.
rev6
26 Dec 151#22
That's not what I said.
Obstinate_Person
26 Dec 15#21
Mr Gus should write a blog or website about his experience in the industry and the knowledge he has.
emcbar
26 Dec 151#20
a great price for these, but just remember they are made to a price !
interesting review (sorry - very long!!) of a Diamond 10.2: http://www.audioexcite.com/?page_id=4417
one unit was incorrectly wired up internally and finally, after analysis, one of the dirive units was replaced due to being faulty !!
let's hope quality has improved since this review ...
bigpappasmurf13
26 Dec 151#19
It's a perfectly adequate word to describe their sound performance without being a what hi-if reader. Feel free to describe their sound in your own way (if you have a pair) without criticising others.
MR GUS
26 Dec 156#15
If you "think" the speaker has degraded, first & foremost when was the last time ANY retaining screws / allen-bolts were tightened (evenly) !?
Whether it's the x-over screws, glue come off from driving the x-over too hard, melt signs for damage, blistered capacitors & resulting damage, smoker tobacco / sunlight rotting foam ring LF/U surrounds, rubber surround lip slightly unglued, etc.. simple checks that reveal a lot, depending on environment, placement & how hard you "think" you drive them.
All screws / bolts should be carefully checked & hand tightened from time to time.
If it's a spinning screw then remove all the retaining screws (by hand) use hot melt & a broken match to fill, pack out but offer some fibrous purchase for the screw to be returned & gently tightened, (might require a few go's).
The vibration of a box affects the cabinet chassis more than one would expect.
711324 to MR GUS
26 Dec 152#16
MR GUS = a true audiophile.
This man knows his s**t!
siadwel to MR GUS
26 Dec 15#17
What the heck is fibrous purchase ?
Skag to MR GUS
26 Dec 15#18
Other guy said you were an audiophile. If so, what budget sub / amp dac combo would you get to go with these on a PC setup? SMSL SA-50? Thanks.
MR GUS
26 Dec 154#14
Every time I hear the word "punch" in relation to small speakers I think ...a what hi-fi reader :confused: ..(the mag is a big bag of bull).
deany76
26 Dec 15#13
Great speakers, I have two pairs linked to two Sonos connect amps.
bigpappasmurf13
26 Dec 153#12
They get better to an extent but can't just keep getting better forever
cicobuff
26 Dec 151#8
Heat added they so often crop up at this price. Good for rears or as fronts in smaller rooms or even for pairing in a study etc with a micro system or budget amp.
bigpappasmurf13
26 Dec 15#7
She does like to treat herself every now and again
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Opening post
http://www.reevoo.com/p/wharfedale-diamond-9-0
Speaker legends don't get much bigger than the Wharfedale Diamond 9.0.
The original small hi-fi speaker
It's hard to believe that the original Wharfedale Diamond is now past its thirtieth birthday. All those decades ago, it was the Diamond speaker that proved, for the first time, that excellent quality sound could be achieved from a small, budget speaker. Since then there have been dozens of imitators, but the Diamonds remain amongst the best available.
Solid construction
The cabinet isn't just compact, it's also very solid. This combination gives the Diamonds an extremely accurate sound quality as the cabinet doesn't flex or vibrate. Equally impressive are the drive units. A soft dome tweeter gives the clarity and smoothness of sound you'd expect from a more expensive speaker, while the woofer cone uses a carbon fibre type weave to offer extremely taut and responsive bass.
Surprisingly powerful
With a front port, these bass reflex speakers are punchier than you might expect and in no way could they ever be described as tinny. Over all, they may be small but the sound is grown-up, with excellent staging, realism and surprisingly powerful.
Hi-fi connections
It's not just the major aspects of the design that Wharfedale have got right, it's the details, too. Proper 4mm banana sockets will accept thick cable and offer the best type of connection. Threaded sockets at the rear make for secure and easy bracket attachment.
At £100 these speakers were clearly market leaders. Now we're offering them at this bargain price, the Diamond 9.0 speakers are a gem of a deal!
Top comments
Whether it's the x-over screws, glue come off from driving the x-over too hard, melt signs for damage, blistered capacitors & resulting damage, smoker tobacco / sunlight rotting foam ring LF/U surrounds, rubber surround lip slightly unglued, etc.. simple checks that reveal a lot, depending on environment, placement & how hard you "think" you drive them.
All screws / bolts should be carefully checked & hand tightened from time to time.
If it's a spinning screw then remove all the retaining screws (by hand) use hot melt & a broken match to fill, pack out but offer some fibrous purchase for the screw to be returned & gently tightened, (might require a few go's).
The vibration of a box affects the cabinet chassis more than one would expect.
Latest comments (42)
Thanks
I also used to know writers who couldn't care less about what they wrote just using it as a leg up.. call me jaded & cynical if you wish but that's the truth of the matter.
(very memorably the one who made a complete pigs ear of audio tech spec for a handbook who I then had to sort it for because he didn't know the first thing about it). ..he got paid a lot for that as he had the PR skills to ass-kiss his way through, he used to star in a lot of the "thinking pictures of average joe's sitting on the sofa" for that mag.
The number after the decimal point refers to a specific speaker type within the Diamond range. For the Diamond 9 range, there are seven variants, from 9.0 to 9.6. The 9.0 is a small bookshelf speaker (the lowest priced in the range), the 9.6 are large floor standing speakers (the most expensive in the range).
These would be fine for bedroom use, assuming you aren't expecting earth shattering levels of bass.
Hmmmm
Speakers should get better over time unless they're faulty.
So if you don't have a subwoofer you'd be missing out on alot of low end sound/feel with Mordaunt Short M10.
interesting review (sorry - very long!!) of a Diamond 10.2: http://www.audioexcite.com/?page_id=4417
one unit was incorrectly wired up internally and finally, after analysis, one of the dirive units was replaced due to being faulty !!
let's hope quality has improved since this review ...
Whether it's the x-over screws, glue come off from driving the x-over too hard, melt signs for damage, blistered capacitors & resulting damage, smoker tobacco / sunlight rotting foam ring LF/U surrounds, rubber surround lip slightly unglued, etc.. simple checks that reveal a lot, depending on environment, placement & how hard you "think" you drive them.
All screws / bolts should be carefully checked & hand tightened from time to time.
If it's a spinning screw then remove all the retaining screws (by hand) use hot melt & a broken match to fill, pack out but offer some fibrous purchase for the screw to be returned & gently tightened, (might require a few go's).
The vibration of a box affects the cabinet chassis more than one would expect.
This man knows his s**t!