Topic: Wharfedale Diamond 9 Series

[cybermms]

Diamond 8's are here to stay!

They are still listed in Stereophile's 2005 Buyer's Guide side by side with Diamond 9's.

Wharfedale now has a Xmas offer for 8.3 and 8.4 exclusive to pinoydvd members. They will raffle a set of DFS8 + Center and 8.1 + Center for every group of 8 members buying the 8.3 and 8.4, respectively. (Check out the Asst Buy and Sell for more details). They are not reducing the price - they just want to thank their loyal followers from the pinoydvd community.

It will be the 8's vs. the 9's competing.The 9.1 and the SW150 already bagged What HI-Fi?'s product of the year in their respective categories. It will be a very exciting match-up between 2 siblings.

cyber

[saltuhin]

hello to all members. newbie lng po ako dito sa pinoydvd but I was a long time reader of your forums. It was with those readings that influenced me to try the diamond 9 series of speakers. Recently I bought the 9.5 and 9cs paired with a Yamaha rxv 440,  dtx 4.15 sub and bose 301 s4 for my surrounds. I was really impressed with the 9.5s because of the good bass response as compared with my 301s. All I can say is that I am satisfied with the wharfs and also considering upgrading my surrounds with 9.2s.

[Control]

hello to all members. newbie lng po ako dito sa pinoydvd but I was a long time reader of your forums. It was with those readings that influenced me to try the diamond 9 series of speakers. Recently I bought the 9.5 and 9cs paired with a Yamaha rxv 440,  dtx 4.15 sub and bose 301 s4 for my surrounds. I was really impressed with the 9.5s because of the good bass response as compared with my 301s. All I can say is that I am satisfied with the wharfs and also considering upgrading my surrounds with 9.2s.

WOW Sir, 9.2 for surrounds lang..ayos yan Sir! 

[bebot santos]

I went to parksquare to hear the 9 series, mejo kulang sa high, more on bass ang series, kinumpara ko sya sa m773 ng mission ang layo ng dating. (sempre mahal un mission) pero truly nde ako naligayahan sa 9 series.
Just my impression sempre un buyer pa rin ang masusunod

[synchro]

I went to parksquare to hear the 9 series, mejo kulang sa high, more on bass ang series,

bebot santos

bro we have the same impressions on the Wharfe's.  been considering a pair of bookshelves from the Wharf line for the longest time already but everytime I audition it I find it to be "ngo-ngo" or pinched sounding lalo na vocals ng male which always makes me think twice in purchasing it.  8 series and 9 series pareho ang shortcomings. bass is a strong point in both the 8 and 9 series but both models are still lacking in the midband . even if you dial up a treble boost parang may kulang pa rin.  I dont know if its just me, the associated gears used in the audition, the room etc etc.  One thing I do know is that the price is very tantalizing to say the least.  where else can you get an imported "UK based" monster floorstander for less than Php15T?   

[jerix]

i can notice the ambivalence of opinions with regard to the sound quality of the wharf in either the 8 or 9 series ...

Di kaya ito just a case of equipment mismatch or the influence of the listening environment

Maybe in our review, if it possible to mention the equipment used with the speakers or the description of the listening environment, i think it would be best... because when two or more people will make a similar comment on similar conditions or environment, there is a bigger percentage of truth..

[synchro]

jerix

heard both the 8 and 9 series in a friend's house (fan sya ng wharfs...he has both models). his room is untreated w/ the normal furnishings that you will find sa bahay like sofas, rug, curtains, center tables etc.

gear associated w/ the audition:

Onkyo A/V receiver
Philips DVD player
Digital cable: Puresonic
interconnects: VDH
speaker cales: generic 12 gauge from Listening room.

one time we tried using the Diamond 8 and 9 bookshelves with a Yamaha 150 watt x 2 power amp connected to the main out of the Onkyo. the output became slightly higher with more punch in the low end but the highs didnt improve a bit. parang may takip yung tweeter.

[av_phile1]

Maybe in our review, if it possible to mention the equipment used with the speakers or the description of the listening environment, i think it would be best... because when two or more people will make a similar comment on similar conditions or environment, there is a bigger percentage of truth..

Must indicate the genre of music source used.  Most techno pop music have a lot of synthesizer music containing signals even above 20khz and highly compressed so that any tweeter is challenged.  OTH, classical quartet or quintet ensemble music contain nothing fundamental above 12khz. 

[mYKi]

I too owned the Diamond 8's for a few months connected to a Marantz receiver and I have to agree that it lacked the midband and it lacked details at the top end. However, it sounded great and Wharfedale's got me started into this hobby.

In my review of the Diamond 9's earlier in this thread, I listened to it connected to a NAD C542 and an HK amplifier. I had the same findings that it lacked detail. Para ngang may cover yung speaker.

Kaso we can't compare these with speakers like B&W, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio because all of these are 3 to 5 times more expensive.

[aHobbit]

I heard wharf and pioneer combo - they are far better than the wharf/yamaha combo. Am not satisfied as well when I auditioned HK/Denon with wharf.

I have not heard Onkyo/Marantz but have a gut-feel that onkyo/marantz (traditionally laidback amps) may not fit the performance of wharf (dull or accurate speakers). I maybe wrong.

My GC powers the 8.3. My only complaint is the high - somehow bitin for me. My 630 treble control didnt help even a little. I will try a quick tweak to the cross-over to boost the high a bit. If the tweak is correct and it improved a little, will report back here.

[av_phile1]

jerix

heard both the 8 and 9 series in a friend's house (fan sya ng wharfs...he has both models). his room is untreated w/ the normal furnishings that you will find sa bahay like sofas, rug, curtains, center tables etc.

gear associated w/ the audition:

Onkyo A/V receiver
Philips DVD player
Digital cable: Puresonic
interconnects: VDH
speaker cales: generic 12 gauge from Listening room.

one time we tried using the Diamond 8 and 9 bookshelves with a Yamaha 150 watt x 2 power amp connected to the main out of the Onkyo. the output became slightly higher with more punch in the low end but the highs didnt improve a bit. parang may takip yung tweeter.

I personally felt the highs and the details liberated when I shifted from wharfe to Mordaunt about 18 months ago.  And they're not really that far in price points.  But I attribute that perception more to my age.    I guess at 40 something,  I'm in that group who can't hear anything above 17khz as well as when younger.   So a relatively brighter and more detailed speaker is most welcome. 

[synchro]

mYKi

hehe akala ko ako lang nakaka-notice e kasi para wala akong nababasa na shortcomings sa thread na ito yun pala madami ding nakakapansin na ngo-ngo tumunog yung wharfs.  bro I think its a problem with the crossover kasi yung drivers naman look up to the challenge e (from the looks of it at least).  syempre we have to also bear in mind that comparing the wharfs to speakers costing so much more isnt fair at all pero lets say you pit the 9.4 floorstanders against say a bookshelf B&W 3 series (same price point as the 9.4's) what speaker will you ultimately choose to live with for the next year or so until you upgrade? what speaker will give you more enjoyment everytime you listen to it? for me hands down it would be the B&W coz im more into the midband...its the meat of the music...the filling of a pie...to hell with the bass hehe.  
Maybe the appeal of the Wharfs is only the bang for the buck aspect.  such handsome and imposing speakers or so little money but they eventually cut some corners to arrive at that price.  kaya ako bro di ako naniniwala dyan sa mga speaker of the year award award na yan e...iba pa rin yung personal audition.

sorry sa mga present owners ng wharfs kung na-offend kayo pero syempre we have to talk about the positives and negatives too for the enlightenment of future buyers. Hindi naman pwede yung puro good points na lang ang pag-uusapan everytime may bagong labas na model ng speakers di ba?  peace bros  

[LETOR]

Hi Letor,

I have an 8.1 and was able to listen to 9.1 at sights and sounds (Shangrila).  Based on my few minutes of listening to the 9.1, the most noticable difference between the two is in the bass region.  The 9.1 has more bass than the 8.1.  The mid and high section is almost the same.  Maybe the 9.0 will be equivalent to the 8.1 (haven't listened to the 9.0 though) but the 9.1 is, for me, better than 8.1.  To add to that, the 9.1 is already product of the year sa What HiFi magazine.  Now, I'm seriously considering the 9.1 as against to my earlier preference, the 9.6 Just my opinion.

losi_phile

hi losi_phile,

Pahabol question -- Mayron din ako ng 8.1, yung 9.1 ba sounds open as the 8.1? Kasi though mas okay ang bass region ng 9.1 as what you say but does the sound stage and openess is similar to the 8's?

Just like in my own observation between the 8.1 and 8.4 ...Surely 8.4 has plenty of low bass but in the mid section, the 8.1 sounds forward and has fuller or warmer vocal sounds. 

[iceman90a]

i'm sure no offense is meant and none is taken when we post our individual reviews here. after all we're not being paid to do so di ba? its all about sharing and helping the next buyer make an informed decision...

just a word of warning - we get what we pay for

when i went for the diamond 9's for my Tito's HT set-up - the following were the considerations:
1. Price
2. use (just for HT)
3. he might be setting up an audio only room as well
4. compatibility with equipment to be used
5. again with Price (had he given me a bigger budget, i might have went with another brand)

[jerix]

To those who already have the wharf 9, di pa naman huli--- similar to the case of the 8 series, maybe these babies need to be tweaked

Calling diy_master and Nirvblakr the master tweakers --  

[av_phile1]

mYKi

hehe akala ko ako lang nakaka-notice e kasi para wala akong nababasa na shortcomings sa thread na ito yun pala madami ding nakakapansin na ngo-ngo tumunog yung wharfs.  bro I think its a problem with the crossover kasi yung drivers naman look up to the challenge e (from the looks of it at least).  syempre we have to also bear in mind that comparing the wharfs to speakers costing so much more isnt fair at all pero lets say you pit the 9.4 floorstanders against say a bookshelf B&W 3 series (same price point as the 9.4's) what speaker will you ultimately choose to live with for the next year or so until you upgrade? what speaker will give you more enjoyment everytime you listen to it? for me hands down it would be the B&W coz im more into the midband...its the meat of the music...the filling of a pie...to hell with the bass hehe.  
Maybe the appeal of the Wharfs is only the bang for the buck aspect.  such handsome and imposing speakers or so little money but they eventually cut some corners to arrive at that price.  kaya ako bro di ako naniniwala dyan sa mga speaker of the year award award na yan e...iba pa rin yung personal audition.

sorry sa mga present owners ng wharfs kung na-offend kayo pero syempre we have to talk about the positives and negatives too for the enlightenment of future buyers. Hindi naman pwede yung puro good points na lang ang pag-uusapan everytime may bagong labas na model ng speakers di ba?  peace bros  

No problem with a balanced set of perceptions.  Even those consumer reviews on eccoustics and other audio consumer review sites have a mix of reactions on any model.  Just goes to show that no single product can satisfy everyone.  Even those expensive B&Ws have their naysayers as well. 

I tend to agree that wharfe may have compromised more to bring its price down.  I recall reading some posts in the diamond 8 thread early last year about tweaks made on the crossover network that improved the highs.  Maybe the new owners can benefit from revisiting those posts.

[LETOR]

Try the wharf speakers with the Rotel amp...its worth testing.

[slayer]

Bros,

I all of your views has merit... here are some considerations:

1.) Audition condition
2.) Speakers are not broken-in
3.) MATCHING (with empahsis)

I have an 8.3 and at first... i consider it also as ngo-ngo... lack on detail... rolled-off highs... that was my 1st setup.  As it evolves...  cdp... speaker cables... ic... speaker placing... etc... i must say that my audio experience is now totally different.  I've been a believer of MATCHING after my experience.

Its all about MATCHING.

Goodluck on your matching expedition.

[synchro]

Letor

wharf and rotel?  para yatang magkaibang league na yun bro.  

[kimpao]

Bros,

I all of your views has merit... here are some considerations:

1.) Audition condition
2.) Speakers are not broken-in
3.) MATCHING (with empahsis)

I have an 8.3 and at first... i consider it also as ngo-ngo... lack on detail... rolled-off highs... that was my 1st setup.  As it evolves...  cdp... speaker cables... ic... speaker placing... etc... i must say that my audio experience is now totally different.  I've been a believer of MATCHING after my experience.

Its all about MATCHING.

Goodluck on your matching expedition.

Alin sir, sa "Matching" ka ba naniniwala o sa "Matsing" 



Bakit kaya nae-extend ang high and lumilinaw yung mids ng wharf kung sa tube amp naka-kabit? Hmmmmmm makes me wonder......... Bakit kaya?

[slayer]

Pre,

Ang ibig sabihin non... hindi SPEAKER ang may problema!     

[kimpao]

Pre,

Ang ibig sabihin non... hindi SPEAKER ang may problema!     

Nice one, Preng slayer!!!!....... 

[slayer]

Pero i must admin... pangit talaga ng enclosure ng diamond 8... which is not the case on the 9s.  Masadyo malakas ang resonate ng enclosure ng 8... so you really have to do treatment. Which reminds me... hindi ko parin na sa-sandfill yung 8.3 ko... matagal ko nang plano ito. 

[av_phile1]

Letor

wharf and rotel?  para yatang magkaibang league na yun bro.  

True, but I personally don't see a problem.  Let's not be restricted to price range categorization.   

Even a Dai-ichi + Krell combo is fine if that's what makes the listener happy.   

[av_phile1]

Pero i must admin... pangit talaga ng enclosure ng diamond 8... which is not the case on the 9s.  Masadyo malakas ang resonate ng enclosure ng 8... so you really have to do treatment. Which reminds me... hindi ko parin na sa-sandfill yung 8.3 ko... matagal ko nang plano ito. 

The Diamond 9's non-rectangular cross-section, shared with the Pacific Evolution line, does provide less internal standing waves to backload the woofer, so I can expect a more relaxed bass excursion.  They seem to have more promise after a tweak. 

[wanderlust]

i too have the same impression of the wharfes before, ngo-ngo. had an 8.1 dint was able to use an 8.4, was really unimpressed until just lately, when, i had a chance again to use an 8.3.

at first it was all the same (ngo2x and weak bass which tend to sound boomy), thought the previous owner had it for 6 months or so, i could see that it was not fully broken-in as yet. so after a few session with the magic cd and the xlo burn-in cd, it opened up a bit, from then on my impression totally changed! now with the addition of new speaker cables (bi-wiring) and some other improvements on my system, i had a hard time letting go of it.... well if its not of k0yas persistence i wouldnt have let go of it, well maybe except for chito.... of course.


added note: i had it only for the sole purpose of selling it latter on, a transistion period until i found a new floorstander that would tickle my fancy, what happened was that the 8.3 was the one who tickled my fancy instead. hay... sabi nga lagi ng isang guru: "kung ano pang maganda sya pang nawawala sayo, d bale happy naman sila. share the experience nalang"

ill miss my 8.3.

[kimpao]

i too have the same impression of the wharfes before, ngo-ngo. had an 8.1 dint was able to use an 8.4, was really unimpressed until just lately, when, i had a chance again to use an 8.3.

at first it was all the same (ngo2x and weak bass which tend to sound boomy), thought the previous owner had it for 6 months or so, i could see that it was not fully broken-in as yet. so after a few session with the magic cd and the xlo burn-in cd, it opened up a bit, from then on my impression totally changed! now with the addition of new speaker cables (bi-wiring) and some other improvements on my system, i had a hard time letting go of it.... well if its not of k0yas persistence i wouldnt have let go of it, well maybe except for chito.... of course.


added note: i had it only for the sole purpose of selling it latter on, a transistion period until i found a new floorstander that would tickle my fancy, what happened was that the 8.3 was the one who tickled my fancy instead. hay... sabi nga lagi ng isang guru: "kung ano pang maganda sya pang nawawala sayo, d bale happy naman sila. share the experience nalang"

ill miss my 8.3.

Hay................. ang isda nga naman ika nga nila nahuhuli sa sariling bibig.  Tama pala yung bubwit ko.  Ahehehehehe.....

[slayer]

Bili na ng Diamond 9.4 tapos 4 years break-in period ulit! Ahehehehe...      

i too have the same impression of the wharfes before, ngo-ngo. had an 8.1 dint was able to use an 8.4, was really unimpressed until just lately, when, i had a chance again to use an 8.3.

at first it was all the same (ngo2x and weak bass which tend to sound boomy), thought the previous owner had it for 6 months or so, i could see that it was not fully broken-in as yet. so after a few session with the magic cd and the xlo burn-in cd, it opened up a bit, from then on my impression totally changed! now with the addition of new speaker cables (bi-wiring) and some other improvements on my system, i had a hard time letting go of it.... well if its not of k0yas persistence i wouldnt have let go of it, well maybe except for chito.... of course.


added note: i had it only for the sole purpose of selling it latter on, a transistion period until i found a new floorstander that would tickle my fancy, what happened was that the 8.3 was the one who tickled my fancy instead. hay... sabi nga lagi ng isang guru: "kung ano pang maganda sya pang nawawala sayo, d bale happy naman sila. share the experience nalang"

ill miss my 8.3.

[garee]

considering ht and audio applications, which is best for keeps : 8.3 or 9.2?

[slayer]

8.3 is a floorstander... 9.2 is a bookshelf... if you don't have a sub and you need more bass, go with the floorstander.