Copy/pasted this review from the What Hifi website!!
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FOR
Insight, precision and control are excellent for the price; transparent sound; fine build and finish
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AGAINST
Revealing, so the rest of the system needs to be good
Wharfedale's Diamond started off as a single budget model back in the '80s. It was a squat, basic-looking thing that stole many a budding audiophile's heart by being massively musical.
Much has changed since then. Diamonds are now a range, and the new 10.1 is as classy as they come at this price level. This latest version also enjoys the kind of engineering content that even proper high-end speakers of a decade ago would've been happy to boast about.
This 10th generation model doesn't totally depart from the original – it still sounds superb for the money. This isn't always a given (generations five through to seven weren't anything special), but like the excellent 9.1 before it, the 10.1 is a king-size hit.
This is a mature-sounding speaker that trades the exuberance of its top rivals for quite astonishing control and precision. The 10.1 has the ability to make just about any price-comparable speaker, and most from the price class above, sound vague in the reproduction of fine detail.
The leading edges of notes are described with confidence and don't hang about after finishing. This pays dividends when listening to something dynamically demanding like Bizet's Carmen Suite, where the 10.1s will keep hold of every instrumental strand and not let complexity loosen its grip.
Rare performance for the price
The Diamonds flow with the music, too, and can cope with dynamic shifts in a manner rarely heard at this kind of price level.
Sure, spend more cash and you get (larger) rivals that deliver scale with more ease, and dynamic extremes with more force. But you won't always get the Diamond's insight or sense of transparency.
Integration between the Kevlar mid/bass unit and soft-dome tweeter is seamless, leading to a cohesive sound. We haven't talked about bass or treble performance because these speakers are terrifically capable and balanced right across the frequency range.
Unfussy about positioning
These Wharfedales aren't too fussy about positioning. Place them on some quality stands – Soundstyle Z2s will do – a little away from a rear wall, and you'll be fine.
The speaker's bass end is controlled enough to stay fairly taut when placed close to a wall, but its presentation loses cohesion and its impressive stereo imaging suffers too.
System matching is easy. Just get the best source and electronics you can afford, otherwise you'll find the 10.1s' insightful yet honest approach to music replay a trifle too revealing. Consider budget offerings from Marantz, NAD or Cambridge as a good starting point.
The old 9.1s were firm favourites of ours, even if newer rivals from Dali and Monitor Audio had stolen their limelight. The 10.1 puts Wharfedale back in the leading pack at this price level.