Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker (Black Ash, pair)

by Wharfedale

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 8 x 12 inches ; 9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 23 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005IA2Y
• Item model number: Diamond8.1Black
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,619 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Product Description The Diamond 8 series is the result of over three years intensive research and development into virtually every aspect of acoustic design. Firstly, the tweeter in all models is a 25mm textile dome, ferrofluid cooled unit powered with an ultra-strong neodymium magnet for the fastest, most accurate response International Audio Group has ever achieved. Next, the woofer cone is made from a bi-directional KEVLAR weave - self-damping in nature, reducing resonant frequencies to virtually negligible levels. The impetus for rapid movement here, is a dual layer, vented voice coil which transmits the signal information with the highest levels of accuracy. The cone is mounted on a nitrile rubber 'Flexaural surround rim'. A profiled phase plug improves the off-axis performance to project an excellent stereo image across a wide listening area. All the stereo models are front ported to enable positioning close to a back wall. Gold-plated bi-wire terminals are used for connection and you should take advantage of the increase in openness this offers, even if using an amplifier with single connections. The final test though, of any loudspeaker is not how much technology is used in the constituent parts, but how these react together to form a coherent package. It's more about the kind of music synergy that can be created between the various elements to ensure the overall result is much more than the sum of the parts. It is this elusive element, the 'musicality' that separates the Diamond 8 from all the competition and you will not believe the results.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheap but powerful., March 1, 2002

By 

Santeri Pilli (Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 Bookshelf Loudspeakers, Maple with Champagne Front Baffle (Pair) (Electronics)

I bought these speakers from the only record/music-store nearby within 100 kilometers. They were planned to be put as rear-speakers, on a shelf. I heard about the speakers from Wharfedale's official website, and read a couple of reviews. They seemed to offer a lot.

So, I was stunned by the clear sounding frequencies, and by the low price, so I decided to take a pair.

It's not only the sound, in my opinion, there is some style in the speakers too : cool yellow kevlar-element and almost everything on the look (quite modernish), through golden text to the excellent looking wood material. And for WHAT PRICE!

Excellent choice, value for money is excellent, but the speakers need some performance by your amplifier. Of course, try before buying. I can promise, you won't be disappointed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wharfedale Diamond 8.1: Incredible value, but needs a great amp to shine, June 25, 2006

By 

Psymon JC (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker (Black Ash, pair) (Electronics)

I've owned my Wharfedale Diamond Wharfedale 8.1s for over a year now. I previously had Polk Audio RTi4s and Klipsch SB1s which I thought were both excellent speakers (though very different in sound). I have a range of amplifiers and receivers and what I observed is that the Diamond 8.1 really needs a good amp to drive it or you get the "muddy" or "weak" sound other reviewers have complained of. Good amp doesn't mean "high watts" it means high current capability and amplifier stability across the entire frequency range. "Lesser" amps will have a hard time driving the Diamond 8.1s particularly as the speakers' impedance drops (from an already low 6 ohms) at the bass and lower mid-range frequencies, thus creating a really difficult load for most amps. What amazed me is how much better the Diamond 8.1s sounded with each increase in amplifier capability. The other speakers I have didn't reveal such improvements. This suggests the Diamond 8.1s are simply more transparent and revealing than my Polks and Klipsch speakers. This speaker features high-end drivers which may account for its performance. Wharfedale obviously cut costs on the veneer, grill, etc. to keep the price low.

Some tweaks that may help improve the sound of these speakers even further:
(1) Remove the plates which connect the biwired terminals together and replace with a short length of decent quality cable (I happen to use Monster cable which is also the internal wiring). This should improve all aspects of the sound immediately.
(2) Bi-wiring the speakers or bi-amping the speakers can improve the audio "soundstage", but really, the quality of the electronics driving the speakers is far more important.

Overall, I think this speaker is an incredible value, but needs a great amp driving it to shine. It's ironic that such inexpensive speakers really should not be paired with budget amps or receivers. I hope everyone who owns these speakers is able to get as much enjoyment from them as I do.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a little different, but very nice, December 24, 2004

By 

Alex Jellison (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker (Black Ash, pair) (Electronics)

I really like these little speakers. All wharfedale products I've ever owned have always been above par and always impressed anybody that heard them. After seeing bad reviews I was a little worried that they made a lemon, but the one thing that nobody mentions with these speakers is that there's a very long break in period. My old wharfedale atlantic 200's took about 100 hours to break in. After that the entire frequency range sounded much better, especially the midrange. I'm noticing the same thing with the diamond 8.1's. After 20 hours of hard use they've already been mistaken for the kenwood 15" floorstanders they're sitting on.

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