The classic Wharfedale Diamond speaker range gets a revamp with the all new Wharfedale Diamond 11
If you’re looking for a budget, bookshelf speaker which offers enormous bang for the buck, the ‘industry standard’ choice for decades has been the stalwart Wharfedale Diamond.
The Diamond’s success in the field has been partially down to relentless updates to the range, maintaining the Wharfedale Diamond series as a premier player in the budget speaker game.
All New Wharfedale Diamond 11
Launched this month (July 2017) following an unveiling at the Munich High-End Audio Show, the all-new Wharfedale Diamond 11 range features a raft of updates and improvements.
It should be noted, that the Wharfedale Diamond 11 is not currently replacing the Diamond 200 series; the two ranges will run concurrently, for the time being at least!
Redesigned and updated
Wharfedale state that, rather than setting out with a price orientated design approach (built down to a price), for the Diamond 11 they have aimed to design drivers focussed on performance.
The speaker drivers feature heavily ribbed loudspeaker baskets to maintain rigidity, which Wharfedale claims to help improve transient impact and ‘slam’. Behind the basket sits a redesigned, enlarged magnet structure to reduce distortion.
The cone and suspension have also been revised and enhanced: the lightweight foam surround enhances midrange response and is coupled to a long-throw voice coil motor system ensuring class-leading linearity and accuracy.
The signature Wharfedale Diamond Kevlar woven cone is present and correct with subtle tweaks to complement the new suspension design. The Tweeter, too, has been revised with oversize ceramic magnets, amongst other performance enhancements.
Curves are back in fashion
The revised cabinetry of the Wharfedale Diamond 11 series, features a return to the curved rear of the Diamond 10 series. The curved rear of the cabinets is both aesthetically pleasing, as well as serving a valuable sonic contribution; coupled to carefully designed internal bracing and a multilayer wood sandwich construction, resonances are reduced to 25db below the driver output.
The Wharfedale Diamond 11 Range
Bookshelf Speakers
The Diamond range has always defined by high-performance, affordable bookshelf speakers. The latest Wharfedale Diamond 11 range is no exception, comprising three bookshelf designs:
Diamond 11.0 – £159, 15w-75w, 75Hz-20kHz
Diamond 11.1 – £269, 130mm woofer. 25w-100w, 55Hz – 20kHz
Diamond 11.2 – £349, 150mm woofer. 25-125w, 48Hz to 20kHz
Floorstanders
The floor-standing speakers in the Wharfedale Diamond 11 range truly blur the lines between budget and high-end equipment. With the new Diamond 11 range, Wharfedale has actively attempted to create a range within reach of everyone.
Diamond 11.3 – ‘2.5-way’ floor stander, £599. 25w-150w, 44Hz-20kHz
Diamond 11.4 – 3-way, four-driver floor-stander, £779. 25w-175w, 42Hz-20kHz
Diamond 11.5 – ‘The Flagship’ of the Diamond 11 Range. £999. 25w-200w, 35Hz-20kHz
Home Cinema
Wharfedale offers a number of options for those wishing to build a home cinema, surround-sound system: Two centre channel speakers are offered in the Wharfedale Diamond 11 range, the 11.CC and the larger 11.CS
Current offerings for matching subwoofers, come in the way of the Wharfedale SPC and UPC subwoofers. At the time of writing, we are unsure as to whether Wharfedale may be updating these two subwoofers. As ever, for the latest advice on assembling a 5.1 system, please call us at Audio Affair. We’d be happy to help.