very good speaker
no harsh at all,very smooth sound
one of the best speaker you
can find.
you must have a powerfull 2 channel amp
min-70 watt per channel,for best results.

I bought these new on EBay for $250 and was totally disappointed. having a pair of Wharfedale Valdus 400 I thought these would be great after reading the reviews. these lack 3d and sound more like a boom-box.

Before these excellent Diamond 9.2 speakers I had a pair of Diamond 8.2s. I must say that I was very suprised about how much better they sound than the 8.2s.
For their size they pack a punch and are outstanding in bass middles and trebles. They are very detailed and very easy to listen to. They have a warm sound but the bass is still accurate and tight, voices are chrisp and very distinctive. They are detailed and not too bright.
They play very nice even at higher volumes. I have them paired with my amplifier Marantz PM7200KI (2x95w/8ohm) and for me this is a perfect match, they need a fair amount of power to show their full potential on dynamics(not possible on those under 500$ receivers), so I would recommend at least 80w(rms) per channel into 8ohms. With a good amplifier and source they show performance equal to much more expensive speakers. They show big differences in different sources, low birate mp3s wont sound good but give them wav or original cds and be amused.
Quality and looks are excellent for this price range. I would highly recommend them to people which want a great budget speaker for stereo or home theater.

An incredible accuracy of the complete tonal range as compared to one of the best references in the business which is the Blue Herons. Those who aren't as well grounded to true tonal accuracy will think these are farther away from their reference to perfect than they really are. For anyone needing to really do an extreme monetary downsize from an extreme high end system it's a great place to start. that won't take much else if you know the budget sleeper mini systems that are quite good.

They do like a very solid base and can be dramatically out of balance with the wrong place to sit. a piece of marble cut to about a foot square can tighten them up significantly. I've also tried gluing up a 2-1/4" hardwood ply by gluing three pieces of 3/4" together to put on a shelf that isn't as solid as it needs to be.

I did something you don't see done very often when I hooked these up to a $80k true reference system in place of a set of Meadowlark Audio Blue Heron 2's. I set them on top of the B Herons which gave them a rock solid place to sit which is profoundly important for any bookshelf speakers. I use $800 stands for super high end bookshelf speakers as I have found it to be critical. To truly be fair to value speakers takes all the support system you would give the best.

So here is a little bitty set of speakers sitting on $12k speakers that are sitting in a line with five other meadowlarks including $22k Nightingales. the speaker wire was $3k JPS Labs SC2 NC Series. i was so amazed at what these sounded like I had a bit of fun with a professional saxophone player friend who spent major time listening to the reference setup. I played some instrumental tunes and some Robert Cray that is notable for sounding like you are sitting in front of the band at the Waldorf, it is stunning in that capacity. I asked him which speakers were playing and he immediately said the Blue Herons because that's where the sound was coming from. When I started laughing and said it was the little Wharfedales he siad no effing way, get out of here. He was amazed when he saw I wasn't joking.

Now that was a directional trick as well as being just a wee bit shy of the bass perfection of the BH's but what bass there was was spot on tonally as was everything else. I used and compared a vast array of entry through extreme tube and solid state such as Audio Research, BAT, Belles, Pass Labs, Jeff Roland, VTL, Rega, Electrocompaniet, among others, I know what I'm hearing and have no problem separating price and name from actual comparison evaluation. it took a couple of years and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of virtually every cable made plus a lucky early exposure to truly neutral cable to realize what it means to establish neutrality with cable so as to eliminate coloration from evaluations. Cable coloration wreaks havoc with subjective comparisons between all components because it has a tendency to emphasize the components differences in a magnified and inconsistant manner due to each having different characteristics that get amplified according to each one's different levels of colorations.

Obviously there aren't going to be many who hear them like this with over $60k in extreme performance value equipment and wire but they are truly amazing. I use a military cable that outperforms nordost Valhalla in Wilson Audio Watts/Puppy reference systems and that speaker wire is amazing with little high end micro systems and a set of Diamond bookshelf speakers. That setup with a Denon mini system or Pioneer XR-7 Micro and extreme cable costs a few hundred dollars but will put good systems costing thousands to shame where cable isn't the priority it should be. I sold a Diamond floor standing system for $800 out the door that would make many audiophiles with well over $10k in their systems become suicidally depressed. it was good enough that it was bought by hardcore audiophiles for offices of smaller rooms where a little quality system was more in order without having to sacrifice the levels they are used to. I use a setup like that for listening to what I want when burning CD's

Customer Service

i've never had any problems with any Diamonds I've owned or sold. Other Wharfedale cheap models seem to have occasional quality problems but not these.

Similar Products Used:

way too many bookshelf speakers to list, but Ushers, ProAc, Utopia, Kestrel and Shearwater floorstanding smaller speakers.

PRICE!, midrange, treble, accuracy, detail, bi-wire/ampable, gold terminals, aesthetics

At this price point, not much..Inefficient, High bass frequency cut off for a 6.5" driver

Going from the Diamond 7.2's, these are amazing speakers, they are very detailed and accurate in the midrange and treble area, very pleasant to listen to, no harshness whatsoever, they are also bi-wireable/bi-ampable which can (and does) improve the sound even further.
Though they are a bit lacking in the low end, but that is what a subwoofer is for.
If you can find them for cheap enough (under $350) then they are very much worth it.

Similar Products Used:

Wharfedale 7.1 7.2, Celestion III, Advent AS1 AS2, Infinity, Sony, Klipsch, Polk, Tannoy, KLH

Accurate, neutral, detailed, live-able, with excellent imaging and dynamics. Smooth natural vocals too. Fit and Finish is excellent. An unbeatable value for $300-$500. Buy with confidence.

Bass extension is naturally limited by the size of the speaker cabinet but they've got plenty of surprise--believe me. I would also have prefered cherry instead of silver.

Bought these speakers to replace the Sony's in my office's massage therapy room. They've been hooked up to an older '96 Harmon Kardon theater receiver for almost a month now and I use an older '96 Denon DCM-360 carousel CD player with alpha processing. I also use a very fine pair of Tara Labs interconnects, and a double run of very good Monster Speaker cable with gold banana jacks augmented with Walker Audio's SST Super Silver Treatment. Addititionally, I have the speakers sitting on home made 30" speaker stands made of 4" PVC pipe, closet flanges, and oak squares. ....and cream/gold crackle paint finish.

I listen to mostly, New Age, Jazz, Instrumental, light vocal, etc. all day long, as I am a massage therapist, in a 11'x15' room. When you listen to music all day long at low-medium volume you need a speaker you can live with---not too bright, smooth, and pleasant......And that's exactly what I got with the Wharfedale 9.2's.

At first, I felt the bass was lacking but I decided to let the speaker run all day and night for 10 days straight to break them in. After about 2 weeks, these babies started to sound way smooth with much better bass definition and I was "startled" by a very dynamic passage. I smiled and said to meself, "Yep they're breaking in beautifully." I think the final break in will happen over the next several more weeks. Even some of my clients have started to comment at how wonderful they sound. So my advice is: BE PATIENT! Let them break in before passing any judgement.

So how do they sound? Well let me qualify my listening experience: I have 10 Grand invested in my home theater system. I have the supper smooth $2800 Ohm Walsh Mk II's hooked up to my suberb $1200 Denon AVR-3805. I also use the best Monster cables and interconnects they sell.

I brought 9.2's home and hooked them up to my Denon amp. They did amazingly well against my Ohms at almost 10 times the price. This was no small feat because the Ohms are known for their crystal clear mids. The acoustical instruments I heard playing through these speakers were just superb! Fantastic micro detail without being even the slightest bit bright. The silk dome tweeter is so accurate and neutral--not like a metal dome tweeter. Imaging was just wonderful with vocals and instruments holding nice steady space between them. I think the Wharfedale 9.2's beat Paradigm's Studio 20's v.3 and Monitor series for detail, smoothness, accuracy, and just plain live-ability.

At the office I play them with the "Loudness" button engaged to give them some extra base at lower volume levels. The bass is more than adaquate and well defined but I'm curious about their bigger brother: Wharfedale 9.3's? If I'd have known about the 9.3's, I might have bought them instead but let me tell you I'm very happy with my 9.2's. The finish on them is first rate too. Mine are silver.

If you need more bass, or your putting these in a larger room, go with the Wharfedale 9.3's or simply use a sub. I can play the 9.2 very loud without strain and they can be very dynamic. In a smaller room (less than 200 sq. feet) the 9.3's might over power the room because the 9.2's almost do.

Either way, this speaker is flat out excellent, and the price is quite fair. You'll be blown away with the detail you'll hear with a good acoustical recording. Hard Core Rock-ers will want something punchier and brighter, but the even they might be lured by these beauties with their curved cabinets.

Similar Products Used:

Ohm L's, Ohm Walsh's, Sony, Paradigm

Accurate, neutral, detailed, live-able, with excellent imaging and dynamics. Smooth natural vocals too. Fit and Finish is excellent. An unbeatable value for $300-$500. Buy with confidence.

Bass extension is naturally limited by the size of the speaker cabinet but they've got plenty of surprise--believe me. I would also have prefered cherry instead of silver.

Bought these speakers to replace the Sony's in my office's massage therapy room. They've been hooked up to an older '96 Harmon Kardon theater receiver for almost a month now and I use an older '96 Denon DCM-360 carousel CD player with alpha processing. I also use a very fine pair of Tara Labs interconnects, and a double run of very good Monster Speaker cable with gold banana jacks augmented with Walker Audio's SST Super Silver Treatment. Addititionally, I have the speakers sitting on home made 30" speaker stands made of 4" PVC pipe, closet flanges, and oak squares. ....and cream/gold crackle paint finish.

I listen to mostly, New Age, Jazz, Instrumental, light vocal, etc. all day long, as I am a massage therapist, in a 11'x15' room. When you listen to music all day long at low-medium volume you need a speaker you can live with---not too bright, smooth, and pleasant......And that's exactly what I got with the Wharfedale 9.2's.

At first, I felt the bass was lacking but I decided to let the speaker run all day and night for 10 days straight to break them in. After about 2 weeks, these babies started to sound way smooth with much better bass definition and I was "startled" by a very dynamic passage. I smiled and said to meself, "Yep they're breaking in beautifully." I think the final break in will happen over the next several more weeks. Even some of my clients have started to comment at how wonderful they sound. So my advice is: BE PATIENT! Let them break in before passing any judgement.

So how do they sound? Well let me qualify my listening experience: I have 10 Grand invested in my home theater system. I have the supper smooth $2800 Ohm Walsh Mk II's hooked up to my suberb $1200 Denon AVR-3805. I also use the best Monster cables and interconnects they sell.

I brought 9.2's home and hooked them up to my Denon amp. They did amazingly well against my Ohms at almost 10 times the price. This was no small feat because the Ohms are known for their crystal clear mids. The acoustical instruments I heard playing through these speakers were just superb! Fantastic micro detail without being even the slightest bit bright. The silk dome tweeter is so accurate and neutral--not like a metal dome tweeter. Imaging was just wonderful with vocals and instruments holding nice steady space between them. I think the Wharfedale 9.2's beat Paradigm's Studio 20's v.3 and Monitor series for detail, smoothness, accuracy, and just plain live-ability.

At the office I play them with the "Loudness" button engaged to give them some extra base at lower volume levels. The bass is more than adaquate and well defined but I'm curious about their bigger brother: Wharfedale 9.3's? If I'd have known about the 9.3's, I might have bought them instead but let me tell you I'm very happy with my 9.2's. The finish on them is first rate too. Mine are silver.

If you need more bass, or your putting these in a larger room, go with the Wharfedale 9.3's or simply use a sub. I can play the 9.2 very loud without strain and they can be very dynamic. In a smaller room (less than 200 sq. feet) the 9.3's might over power the room because the 9.2's almost do.

Either way, this speaker is flat out excellent, and the price is quite fair. You'll be blown away with the detail you'll hear with a good acoustical recording. Hard Core Rock-ers will want something punchier and brighter, but the even they might be lured by these beauties with their curved cabinets.

Similar Products Used:

Ohm L's, Ohm Walsh's, Sony, Paradigm