Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 Bookshelf Speakers, Black Ash (Pair)

Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 Bookshelf Speakers, Black Ash (Pair)
Manufacturer: Wharfdale
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
The launch of the original Wharfedale Diamond in the early 1980s revolutionized the design of loudspeakers. It single-handedly changed industry thinking towards so-called 'bookshelf' systems, with a quality never before heard in such a small speaker. Now, nearly two decades and seven generations later, the Diamond seven series is a complete range of compact, high-performance hi-fi loudspeakers. Each generation has taken large steps forward, and now the Diamond is the best value for money speaker available.The Diamond 7.2 takes the performance of the Diamond series to new unrivalled heights. Listeners have found that the 7.2 goes louder, goes deeper and reproduces more cleanly than any of Wharfedale competitor's comparable products.
Amazon.com Review
Wharfedale's Diamond series of bookshelf speakers can rightfully be dubbed "classic." Originally introduced some 20 years ago, these ever-evolving British bookshelf models are prized for their stellar midrange, silky treble, and remarkable bass response. That's one reason why they've never left the U.K.'s bestseller list. The other is value--and the new Diamond 7.2 redefines the term "best buy."

Well built with a black-ash vinyl-wrap veneer, the Diamond 7.2s are striking little speakers. But underneath that skin is where the Diamonds' true beauty lies. Reproducing the middle of the frequency range (the body of voices, guitars, and pianos) and doing bass duty is a 5.1-inch mineral-loaded polymer woofer. Embedding finely crushed stone into polymer creates a rigid, fast driver. This high-performance woofer is then crossed over via audiophile-grade film capacitors to a 1-inch silk-dome tweeter, yielding superb overall balance and a sweet, extended top end.

The Diamond 7.2's Audiostealth cabinet is rigid and free of coloration. The speaker's bass and sensitivity are further enhanced by a rear-firing port, so please note that the Diamond 7.2 should be placed a few feet from the rear wall and on a dedicated stand to sound its best. Though Wharfedale uses nickel-plated 5-way posts for speaker terminals (perfect for banana-plug-terminated speaker cable), gold-plated terminals would have been even nicer.

The Diamond 7.2s sound simply remarkable for a pair of speakers in this price range. Vocals sound open, detailed, and present, very "there." Instrumental textures, from guitars to saxophones to massed symphonic strings, sound lifelike, with a warm, rich balance. The bass has amazing weight and punch, reaching down to below 50 Hz with lovely detail. The tweeter is airy and sweet--it never spits or otherwise offends.

Finally, it's hard to believe that a speaker the size of the Diamond 7.2 can play as loud as it does without strain. Yes, you can overdrive it, but chances are your ears will give out first.

The latest Diamond 7.2 continues Wharfedale's classic tradition of providing superb sound and incredible value. --Wayne Garcia

Pros:

• Natural, detailed sound
• Excellent drivers
• Rigid construction

Cons:

• Require add-on subwoofer for home theater use
• Nickel-plated posts instead of gold

Wharfedale has been at the forefront of enclosure design for many years and has now developed a radical new construction method. Conventional cabinets fix the front and rear panels rigidly into the cabinet box, so the woofer cone vibrations are transmitted through the whole cabinet. Each cabinet wall would then vibrate adding coloration and dissipating sound energy. In contrast, Wharfedale uses front and rear panels made from Audiostealth molded rock polymer. This material is acoustically dead and is isolated from the main cabinet body with compliant gaskets. The result? Lower cabinet vibrations mean lower levels of coloration, a cleaner sound, and tighter, louder bass.

Another reason the Diamond 7.2 produces such extraordinary sound is that it uses symmetrical ports. Ordinary port tubes are flared at the end you see but plain at the other end. The result is that the air can get into the cabinet faster than it can get out, resulting in a pressure buildup that displaces the woofer cone so that it hits its end stops sooner. The Diamonds use Wharfedale's symmetrical ports through which air flows equally well in either direction. The result is that the Diamond loudspeaker can actually play louder with less distortion!

The Diamond 7.2 has a power handling of 100 watts so it can handle your powerful home theater amplifier, a sensitivity of 89 dB, and standard nominal impedance of 8 ohms. This model comes in black ash and has a five-year warranty covering parts and labor.

Average customer rating:

Mini Pc Cube Barebone Manufacturer: MSI COMPUTER Product Group: CE Binding: Electronics ASIN: B000M6VDM6

Product Description

Electronics:

1. Yamaha NS-AW1W Two-Way Indoor/Outdoor Speakers, White (Pair)
2. JBL S38II 3-Way 8-Mirror Image Bookshelf Speakers (Black Maple)
3. Cambridge SoundWorks Newton Series M60 Bookshelf Speakers (Pair), Blonde Maple
4. JBL S38 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers (Black)
5. Mission m30i 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers, Pair (Cherry)
6. JBL N26 II 2-Way 6" Bookshelf Speakers (Black Ash)
7. Red Rose Music Spirit Studio Monitors, LS-1 FS (French Sycamore, Pair)
8. Mission MSM72B Shelf Speaker, Black (Pair)
9. ACOUSTIC RESEARCH Home Theater 2-Way Bookshelf Loudspeaker ARXP62
10. Yamaha NS-AM100 2-Way Pro Monitor Bookshelf Speakers (Pairs)

Electronics

Electronics

Consumer Electronics

Boundless VT 510 - Desktop terminal - - HD: none - Monitor : 14" CRT

Acer AL1922R 19" LCD Monitor

Onkyo SKS HT510 - Home theater speaker system

Compaq Armada 7400 - PII 366 MHz - RAM : 64 MB - HD : 10 GB - DVD - Win95 - 13.3" TFT 1024 x 768

SanDisk SDSDB-128-A10 Secure Digital 128MB

Compaq Presario 12XL300 - C 600 MHz - RAM : 64 MB - HD : 6 GB - CD - Win ME - 13" HPA 800 x 600

MP21DV Two-Color Printing Calculator, 12-Digit Display

HP OmniBook 2100 - PII 233 MHz - RAM : 32 MB - HD : 3.2 GB - CD - Win95 - 12.1" DSTN 800 x 600