PinoyDVD: The Pinoy Digital Video & Devices Community
Home Theater => Audio => Speakers => Topic started by: zram18 on Nov 26, 2015 at 08:03 PM
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lets start this new thread. :)
any reviews on this new Wharfedale diamond 200 series which replaced the 100 series? tumaas kasi ang price especially wharfe 230 and wharfe 240 (almost 10k pesos increase) which is supposed to replace wharfe 155 and 157 respectively. although as to wharfe 210 and 220, almost 1k pesos lang ang increase.
and why is it that there is only one center speaker (wharfe 220c)? pano kung ang kinuha mo yung malaking wharfe 250,mismatched na ang center nito na wharfe 220c?
what receiver/amp brand is best for this? thanks for you help.
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I have a set of those speakers. They're barely a month old and are in my acoustically challenged bedroom, serving in a 5.1 system.
- For the front, I'm using the Diamond 250.
- Center, 220c.
- Rear, 220.
While at the dealer, my wife and I were amazed by the overall sound quality, dynamics and imaging. So we purchased the set. All in black finish.
The receiver I'm using is a Denon AVR-4810. Its an older model and doesn't support 4K, Atmos and 3D. But it's got pretty much everything else. There's also a "pure direct" mode for serious listening with zero processing and shortest internal signal path. And it's power amp section is quite beefy. 140w into 8-ohms x 9 channels.
All speaker wires are AudioQuest X-2 and the front floorstanders are run in "bi-amp" mode on the Denon. Four independent amplifier channels run the Diamond 250 while the center and rear are powered by their own individual amplifier channel.
Out of their boxes, the speakers sounded impressive. After careful AudysseyXT calibration, they sounded even better on videos with surround sound. Lively and dynamic. Absolutely no harshness. These speakers will not offend sensitive ears.
For pure two-channel listening without any sort of processing, the Diamond 250 floorstanders don't require very require careful placement to sound good. But in my case, they do require aggressive toe-in for the highs to come out. The signature Denon sound and the signature Wharfedale warmth isn't, in my opinion, the best combination. I feel the highs roll off a bit early. Like they would benefit from +3dB of boost from 8kHz upwards. But since my set has seen barely 30 hours of playback time, I'm hopeful this will improve as they break in.
On videos with surround sound, the 220c center speaker acquits itself well. Even on a rack under my TV, their tonal balance blends nicely with the big floorstanders. I just get less bass. AudysseyXT calibration automatically set it to "small" with a high pass frequency of 60Hz. I set it to 40Hz after watching the cones barely move on deep male vocals played loudly.
I did not purchase the matching Wharfedale subwoofer as my old Yamaha YST-SW300 works just fine. On the Denon receiver, they are active when playing movies but are switched off for pure stereo listening.
I can't say a lot about the Diamond 220 pair that I'm using for rear speakers as they don't get pulled into service as much as the front left and right speakers. What I can say is when the Denon is in "multi channel stereo" mode (rear speakers get sent the same signal and power as the fronts) they sound just as good and with slightly better highs.
That's all for now. I'll be recalibrating AudysseyXT soon as the speakers break in. Then I'll update this thread.
Happy new year! :)
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nice review bro,very well said. :)
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nice review bro,very well said. :)
Thanks, bro. They're starting to break in. At least the front speakers are, as my wife listens to 103.5 FM almost 8 hours a day. And she listens loud. Haha.. :)
The highs are starting to shine. In my post above, I mentioned they would benefit from +3dB of boost from 8kHz upwards. I am now hearing (or at least I perceive to hear) a 1.5dB improvement. Getting there... :)
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Medyo ngongo wharfedale in my personal opinion. It will suit those who love bassy music like hip hop or rock.
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Medyo ngongo wharfedale in my personal opinion. It will suit those who love bassy music like hip hop or rock.
yup, ngongo nga
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On a lighter note, I recently had a chance to compare the Wharfedale Diamond 220 bookshelf speakers (roughly ₱12,000/pair from Toyama, made in China) with old Celestion 100's which if I remember correctly, cost around ₱35,000/pair from Audiophile back in 1992 and are made in England.
CELESTION 100:
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ySmNVChnXgo/T6PB9uGzmcI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/rZz3_ChHgus/s1600/P1040863.JPG)
(Photo for reference only)
WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 220:
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lZjz170ZhC0/maxresdefault.jpg)
(Not me. :) Photo for reference only)
Both speakers are on 24-inch metal stands filled with dry sand. The listening room has concrete walls, a hardwood floor, vertical blinds on glass windows and no acoustic treatments. Definitely not ideal, I admit.
The amplifier used was an old Denon AVR-4810 receiver (more than ₱100,000 back in 2010 from Toyama, made in Japan) in "pure direct" mode. In this mode, all video circuitry and DSP are switched off. Even the center+rear amps are switched off, as well as the front display. Only the amplifier channels powering the front speakers are active. Both the Wharfedale and Celestions were bi-amplified, fed by four (4) internal discrete Class-AB amplifiers rated at 140wrms/ch into 8Ω at 0.05% THD. So each speaker could draw upon up to 280wrms. Plenty of power on tap. Speaker wires were 4 meters of 14AWG Audioquest X-2 in equal lengths.
While these components are admittedly "mid-fi," please allow me to give my impressions.
Source material were original CDs of Jennifer Warnes' "The Hunter," Janis Ian's "Breaking Silence" and Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories."
The old Celestions still had the edge in air and detail up until the grills of the Wharfedales were removed. Then they were roughly on par. The Celestions just a bit brighter in the range from 10kHz and up, almost bordering on sibilance but not irritating. Singers pronouncing the letter "S" were more prominent. It could be because of their 32mm aluminum dome tweeters versus the Wharfedale's 25mm fabric domes. Incidentally, both tweeters use big old-school ferrite magnets and not neodymium. On acoustic guitar, piano and cymbals, they were roughly equal in shimmer and sparkle. On horns and electric guitar, the tweeters of the Celestions sounded more "forward." Careful equipment matching is needed with the Celestions, which would benefit from beefy and warm-sounding amplifiers. This is in contrast to the Wharfedales, which works nicely with neutral to bright-sounding amps.
For midrange purity, I'd have to give it to the Celestions which sounded more natural and uncolored. The Wharfedale Diamond 220s sounded like they were up by +2dB in the range from 500Hz to 1kHz. While this did not detract from the overall listening pleasure, singers and instruments in that frequency range sounded like they were physically nearer to me than on the Celestions, which many say are "laid back." A slight forwardness in the midrange can be good depending on the recording, listening chair position and room acoustics. Certainly makes it easier to hear vocals. And no, I did not hear any vibrations from the enclosures intruding upon the music. The Celestion uses a 15mm thick MDF enclosure that is internally braced while the Diamond 220 uses multiple wood laminates.
Here is a cross-sectional cut-out of the Diamond 220, showing its reflex port firing into a small gap between its base and plinth, and its tri-layered (MDF-fiberboard-MDF) cabinetry.
(http://kemela.com/store/images/WF/220cabinet-01.png)
In low-end extension, the Diamond 220s have the edge even if it is a smaller speaker (0.25 cu-ft vs 0.42 cu-ft internal volume) with a smaller woofer cone (130mm Ø vs 165mm Ø). The slot-loaded port of the Wharfedale gave the sound more weight in the region from 60Hz to 80Hz. The Celestions have a slight edge in definition and timing where bass notes start and stop just a bit quicker, giving more detail to plucked upright bass and lower piano notes. Tom-toms and kick drums also sounded ever-so-slightly faster. Perhaps this is because of its sealed enclosure acting as an air spring to dampen unnecessary vibrations of the woofer cone. This is not to say that the Wharfedales produced muddy bass. No, they did not. The pattern on its woven carbon-fiber cone works well to reduce cone resonances. Its just that those critical about midbass detail and transparency will find a bit of room for improvement. It's no LS3/5a, that's for damn sure! On the other hand, rock and hiphop listeners will definitely enjoy, and they will enjoy even more once they place the Diamond 220s nearer to the wall.
Both loudspeakers image very well. In this department, both the Celestion 100 and the Diamond 220 are pretty much equal. Once properly positioned and with the grilles off, they both disappear, leaving only the music in its place. Slight advantage goes to the Celestions as they produce a slightly wider soundstage. Instruments on the far left and far right sound further away compared to the Wharfedale. This could be because of the waveguide affecting the sound from the soft-dome tweeter. The Celestions have no such waveguide, just 2 small bars protecting the aluminum dome from dings and scratches.
Overall, I would still rate the Celestions higher in terms of refinement. They undoubtedly produce a more refined sound, which is expected given its price point, country of manufacture and pedigree. The Diamond 220s, while exciting and dynamic, are like a young wine. Vibrant, flavorful and with just enough finesse to appeal to the general audience. They represent excellent bang-for-the-buck. In fact, What Hi-Fi? gave it a 5-star review in 2015. Details here: http://www.whathifi.com/wharfedale/diamond-220/review.
An audition and comparison with similarly-priced and similarly-sized speakers is highly recommended.
Sorry for the long post, guys. I hope this gives a bit of direction to those considering these very practical loudspeakers. :)
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Hi sirs. Nice read on top!
I finally got involved in this addictive hobby. After doing some reviews and finally comparing one from the other, and through the help of one of my friend who is a member here as well and invited me here, I ended up with wharfedale as per my budget. I hope I made the right choice for our soon to be finished Family room of 21sqm :) no treatment yet. Still trying to figure out.
I already have in hand Diamond 220 on Diamond WH-ST1 stand, Diamond 220c, WHD8, surr WHDFS and Onkyo TX SR333 5.1 plus speaker cables. But I still have to buy HDMI and cable for SW.
I will read more on this wonderful forum. Kudos to everybody.
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congrats sir :)
you made the right choice, wharfedale is bang for the buck. indeed, i wonder why wharfe is sold here in the Philippines at a lower price than abroad. outside the philippines, both Polk Audio RTI and Wharfedale Diamond are almost at the same price level.
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congrats sir :)
you made the right choice, wharfedale is bang for the buck. indeed, i wonder why wharfe is sold here in the Philippines at a lower price than abroad. outside the philippines, both Polk Audio RTI and Wharfedale Diamond are almost at the same price level.
Thanks sir!
Yeah, I think it's really is a bang for the buck choice compared to the first set I was opting to which is POLK. But both of them deserves praises and so as the rest. I auditioned them in various store locations. And the reason I ended up with the wharfedale's is probably one is the design ;D and the room where I listened it from. It's in megamall store I think you guys know what store I am talking about.
And you are right, It is more cheaper here in PI than anywhere else outside PI :) and good reviews as well.
Now I have to concentrate on the installation and if possible, room treatment. I really want to achieve the cinema feeling when watching an action movie. Perhaps my wife can watch drama there as well, so the slaping confrontation will be more realistic ;D
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Now I have to concentrate on the installation and if possible, room treatment. I really want to achieve the cinema feeling when watching an action movie. Perhaps my wife can watch drama there as well, so the slaping confrontation will be more realistic ;D
That's the exciting part. Good luck and keep us updated. :)
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simple room treatment, puwede na yung sa Uratex (looks like egg crates) P1,300 lang ang bed size pero pair pag magbenta sila. or if you want better material try to contact fellow pdvd member sir Nelson de leon, mabait at super helpful.
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That's the exciting part. Good luck and keep us updated. :)
Thanks sir. By April I hope to finish this project and test results :)
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simple room treatment, puwede na yung sa Uratex (looks like egg crates) P1,300 lang ang bed size pero pair pag magbenta sila. or if you want better material try to contact fellow pdvd member sir Nelson de leon, mabait at super helpful.
Thanks sir!, I think I've seen something like that, yung looks like egg crates foam. I will read more on sir Nelson de Leon's post sir! Thanks for the suggestion!
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I have a set of those speakers. They're barely a month old and are in my acoustically challenged bedroom, serving in a 5.1 system.
- For the front, I'm using the Diamond 250.
- Center, 220c.
- Rear, 220.
While at the dealer, my wife and I were amazed by the overall sound quality, dynamics and imaging. So we purchased the set. All in black finish.
The receiver I'm using is a Denon AVR-4810. Its an older model and doesn't support 4K, Atmos and 3D. But it's got pretty much everything else. There's also a "pure direct" mode for serious listening with zero processing and shortest internal signal path. And it's power amp section is quite beefy. 140w into 8-ohms x 9 channels.
All speaker wires are AudioQuest X-2 and the front floorstanders are run in "bi-amp" mode on the Denon. Four independent amplifier channels run the Diamond 250 while the center and rear are powered by their own individual amplifier channel.
Out of their boxes, the speakers sounded impressive. After careful AudysseyXT calibration, they sounded even better on videos with surround sound. Lively and dynamic. Absolutely no harshness. These speakers will not offend sensitive ears.
For pure two-channel listening without any sort of processing, the Diamond 250 floorstanders don't require very require careful placement to sound good. But in my case, they do require aggressive toe-in for the highs to come out. The signature Denon sound and the signature Wharfedale warmth isn't, in my opinion, the best combination. I feel the highs roll off a bit early. Like they would benefit from +3dB of boost from 8kHz upwards. But since my set has seen barely 30 hours of playback time, I'm hopeful this will improve as they break in.
On videos with surround sound, the 220c center speaker acquits itself well. Even on a rack under my TV, their tonal balance blends nicely with the big floorstanders. I just get less bass. AudysseyXT calibration automatically set it to "small" with a high pass frequency of 60Hz. I set it to 40Hz after watching the cones barely move on deep male vocals played loudly.
I did not purchase the matching Wharfedale subwoofer as my old Yamaha YST-SW300 works just fine. On the Denon receiver, they are active when playing movies but are switched off for pure stereo listening.
I can't say a lot about the Diamond 220 pair that I'm using for rear speakers as they don't get pulled into service as much as the front left and right speakers. What I can say is when the Denon is in "multi channel stereo" mode (rear speakers get sent the same signal and power as the fronts) they sound just as good and with slightly better highs.
That's all for now. I'll be recalibrating AudysseyXT soon as the speakers break in. Then I'll update this thread.
Happy new year! :)
Sir, where did you purchased you 250s? I inquired about it from Spectra pero di daw sila nagbebenta nun. They only have the 240s and the 220c. Im also looking to get the 240c center speaker.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
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you might want to try the listening room in SM Megamall or Sights and Sounds
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congrats sir :)
you made the right choice, wharfedale is bang for the buck. indeed, i wonder why wharfe is sold here in the Philippines at a lower price than abroad. outside the philippines, both Polk Audio RTI and Wharfedale Diamond are almost at the same price level.
coz philippines is closer to china.
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Happy owner of Wharfe 225 here. I matched it with arcam for pure audio and yammy for home.
It's a steal for its price. Eloquent on mids and highs even it has a warm to neutral characteristic (based on my unskilled listening ear). Deep bass extension (but i need to tame it though since i want to hear quicker low frequency response). At very low volume, you can still hear all the sound detail.
For HT, di ganun ka dynamic and dramatic compared to my old psb speakers. Maybe it's because of the a warmer sound ng psb. I dunno. Yan lang yung napansin ko sa kanya.
For the aesthetics, i am not a fan of mixing wood and acrylic look finish. It is either all wood or all acrylic that works for me (Im in awe dun sa ginawa nila sa Reva model)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Anyone know where can I get a pair of Wharfedale 225? And any idea how much?
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listening room sale sila up to 20% discount pag cash.galing me dun kanina
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@zram18
thank you bro
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Hi. Can someone provide wharfedale speaker prices? Thanks...
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fs or bs?
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fs....
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Hi. Can someone provide wharfedale speaker prices? Thanks...
SRP:
230 - 25k, 220- 11k, 210 - 9k, center - 9650, sub -17.5k.
These are available in lazada I think. for cash discount, you have to check with your local dealer.
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Great! Thanks a lot! 😆
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Hi,
Initially planning to go to Polk Audio's Signature Series:
Front - S15
Center - S30
Surround - S10
Subwoofer - PSW110
But I found it bright for my taste and fatiguing.
And now I'm considering these:
Front - D220
Center - D220C
Surround - S210
Subwoofer - SW-150
Any feedback on this? Will be using mostly on music then movies/games.
Thanks!
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Hi,
Initially planning to go to Polk Audio's Signature Series:
Front - S15
Center - S30
Surround - S10
Subwoofer - PSW110
But I found it bright for my taste and fatiguing.
And now I'm considering these:
Front - D220
Center - D220C
Surround - S210
Subwoofer - SW-150
Any feedback on this? Will be using mostly on music then movies/games.
Thanks!
I have d225 as fronts, d220c center d210 for surround and wh d10 for sub.
I am happy with the sound. A friendly advise though do not buy sw 150 you'll be wanting additional oomph too soon.
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great thread guys. thanks to sir elco for the detailed review.
i, too, used to think that wharfedale is on the warm side. i have been a user of wharfedale 8's but wanting to change my system this time for dolby atmos. i already got a low powered denon x1300w (warm amp) to supposedly get the klipsch rp line but am still having second thoughts on its design. also considered the polk s line until i got to read on this.
wharfedale 225/220 seems to get good reviews. plus, it's cheap!
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also interested in this one, is it true the wharfedale 220 is the "new" model now after the 9.1? i plan to use a yamaha atmos receiver and wondering if its a good pairing? i used to have a wharfedale 9.1 setup sa house and really like its sound ... thanks in advance :)
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also interested in this one, is it true the wharfedale 220 is the "new" model now after the 9.1? i plan to use a yamaha atmos receiver and wondering if its a good pairing? i used to have a wharfedale 9.1 setup sa house and really like its sound ... thanks in advance :)
diamond 10 series muna bro
Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk
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^thanks bro, i mean if i will be buying now is the 220 series the latest? thanks bro
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^thanks bro, i mean if i will be buying now is the 220 series the latest? thanks bro
diamond 11 ata pinaka latest. parang ganito diamond 9, 10, 200, 11
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thanks bro! sobrang tagal ko nawala sa home theater scene need to catch up hehe thanks again :)
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sir @sidewider, Yammy is a good match with Wharfedales. had a yammy + wharfe8.3 way back in 2004 which served me well ' til 2009 =)
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I read from the thread starter that he used the d220 for his rear, which i plan to use as my front speakers, my question is will there be any benefit if i also use the 220 for front and rear? is it common practice to do these assuming price difference is negligible? compared to the whdfs which the store is offering me, the price difference is only 2k+ so i'm leaning towards getting two pairs of d220 if i will get any benefit from it... but if a dedicated surround sound speaker is the way to go, then i'll stick and go with it :) thanks in advance for any advice :)
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I read from the thread starter that he used the d220 for his rear, which i plan to use as my front speakers, my question is will there be any benefit if i also use the 220 for front and rear? is it common practice to do these assuming price difference is negligible? compared to the whdfs which the store is offering me, the price difference is only 2k+ so i'm leaning towards getting two pairs of d220 if i will get any benefit from it... but if a dedicated surround sound speaker is the way to go, then i'll stick and go with it :) thanks in advance for any advice :)
IMO, dipole or bipoles are more effective to recreate that theater feel. If you are going ATMOS, then maybe go with the d220 as you want it to be directional.
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I read from the thread starter that he used the d220 for his rear, which i plan to use as my front speakers, my question is will there be any benefit if i also use the 220 for front and rear? is it common practice to do these assuming price difference is negligible? compared to the whdfs which the store is offering me, the price difference is only 2k+ so i'm leaning towards getting two pairs of d220 if i will get any benefit from it... but if a dedicated surround sound speaker is the way to go, then i'll stick and go with it :) thanks in advance for any advice :)
From what i read, fronts and centers should match tonally you can use smaller or diff pairs for surrounds since they are just for effects. Some prefer the dipoles for side channels since its recommended the sides in a 7.1 not be directional. So the front 3 ideally come from the same series and speaker size. If 220s up front then similar size center, then if 225s get the center with 6.5inch woofers.
I’d advise getting good sounding rears and surrounds. At least you can double duty them for music or a stereo setup so they dont get wasted when not being used for home theater.
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Any idea if the 220C can be used in an LCR configuration?
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Any idea if the 220C can be used in an LCR configuration?
Better yan, since sure na timber matched na talaga.