Wharfedale Diamond 8 Center Channel Speaker (Black Ash)

Other products by Wharfedale

Product Details

Data Sheet [248kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 7 x 18 x 7.2 inches ; 11 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 17 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005IA2W
• Item model number: Diamond8CenterBlack
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,596 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Speakers > Center Channel

• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 1, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
For affordable, audiophile-class home theater performance, the Wharfedale Diamond 8 center (or "centre" if you're a British purist) channel speaker is an exceptional performer. Hi-Fi World called the complete Diamond 8 series "The hi-fi products of the decade." The two-way center channel is a vital part of the overall Diamond 8 experience and offers detail and resolution that will amaze even the most skeptical listener. A unique bidirectional Kevlar weave creates a cone that can start and stop in an instant, delivering revolutionary midrange and bass response. Wharfedale doesn't slouch on any detail of construction, either; the speaker is wired internally with premium Monster Cable XP speaker cable for even greater performance. Speaker connector terminals are gold-plated and the cabinet features heavy-duty, rock-solid, MDF (medium density fiberboard) construction.

Twin, 5.25-inch Kevlar bass and midrange drive units with phase plugs and nitrile rubber surrounds make the compact, high-performance center channel perfectly matched with other Diamond series speakers. A single, 1-inch ferro-fluid-cooled, neodymium-powered, textile tweeter delivers crystal-clear highs. The speaker can be used with an amplifier ranging from 20 watts per channel to 120 watts per channel RMS with 8-ohm output impedance.

What's in the Box
Diamond 8 center channel speaker, user's manual.

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

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sound!, November 19, 2002

By	"member1327" (OAKLAND, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I have been listening to the Diamond Center Channel speaker for several weeks and have been very pleased with it's performance. Excellent voice reproduction with television and DVD's. What has been really suprising is it's performance with music. I listen to classical, country, rock and folk music. Excellent clarity, no distortion or muddiness with these genres. Even opera, which I think is a real challenge, was accurately reproduced. My only criticism is the somewhat large, boxy appearance. Otherwise an excellent value for the price.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jolly good bargain!, October 22, 2002

By	"gai39" (WI) - See all my reviews

This Brit rocks. The most popular of all British speakers for a good reason. The quality for the money you spend cannot be beat. I got an awesome deal on Amazon ... They go for [more] now but it's still definitely worth it. The clarity and tightness of the sound is truly a thing to marvel. Play your receiver at a higher volume and there is no noticeable distortion or harshness of sound. It's smooth and genuine. The only minor issue is its size and lack of beautiful design lines. But as far as functionality goes, there's nothing to beat it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Center Channel, June 14, 2009

By	Linda St James "Health Nut" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We added this to our home hi-fi and video setup, and the Wharfedale made a huge difference in the quality of audio. We now have intelligible voices coming from movies and discs, where beforehand, we lacked that kind of fine detail in the center of the field.