Wharfdale Diamond 9.1 Review

Good Points
Clear and genuinely distinct; ideal for classical music.

Bad Points
Maybe the stereo separation (sound stage?) isn't fabulous, but I'm no audio expert.
Too good for hard-driving rock music!

General Comments
I was very impressed with these speakers, although should point out that I'm far from an audio expert. But the sound was extremely clear and well-defined, which is all I wanted (my previous speakers, Q Acoustic 1010s, were slightly muddy and indistinct). Mid-range and top-end are very clear, to the extent that the speakers sounded almost too bright to my ears, especially when playing pop and rock music. In my opinion, for pop/rock, other speakers might be better than the Diamond 9.1s, which seemed to be too precise and balanced for that kind of thing.

However, I listen to classical music and these speakers are nearly perfect for that, in my opinion. Close your eyes and you really can believe you're in the audience, rather than hearing a recording. That's surprisingly rare. I have to boost the bass on my amp very slightly to help warm up the sound, however. My setup is a modest but fun Onkyo CR-515 mini system and the speakers are setup on my sideboard, along with a side table.

I rather like they way the Diamond 9.1s look too -- an unfussy square frontage with a black fabric speaker cover and tiny Wharfedale logos at the bottom. They remind me of old-fashioned speakers from the 1970s. There's something very British about them.

In summary, then, these are the kind of speakers your dad would have had. And he would have loved them!