Herb Reicherts Review of the Wharfedale Diamond 225 Speakers

Thread Condition:: Non open up for farther replies.

Page 2 of 3

That's an interesting recommendation. How do the LS50s compare? I take it you prefer them.
I couldn't be happier with my 240s. They have taken my system to a much higher level than before with the JBLs I was using. I have the sixty day trial and return merely in that location is no way these bad boys are going back! These have fantastic mid's, plenty of bass, and warm highs with all the clarity you would want and no harshness. I would imagine the 225s would be very similar with the mids and highs.
I'm interested in your "veiled" annotate on the Focals. From what I've read Focal's sound is mostly clear and someone vivid by some people'due south tastes. I'k considering Focals and Wharfedales among speakers in the sub-1K range for an eventual upgrade.
dan c
the focals (to my ears) in the lower ranges e.g. the Chorus line accept really toned down their tweeters. nothing like the upper lines that utilise the berilum tweeters. the midrange on the Chorus is likewise non very transparent. i believe the tweeters are aluminum in the Chorus line.
my car speakers have the Be tweeters and they are bright (just I have them well toned down). they are so bright you could put them in the body with the subwoofers....
Expecting an "open box" pair in white from Music Direct side by side calendar week. To be paired with a Bryston 3B
power amp, Adcom GTP-400 preamp, and a Stanton STR8-80 turntable with a vintage Shure V15 Type IV cart with a Jico SAS stylus for vinyl playback.

McGuy and avanti1960 like this.
How'd it go? Have been drawn toward the descriptions of the audio of various Wharfedales and looking at these or the Dentons.
Impressions? I am wanting 225s or Kef Q100.
I had the KEF LS 50'southward and sent them back subsequently a 60 day trial. Afterward much consultation with Music Direct well-nigh my arrangement, I chose the 225's. They seem to be the right fit and compliment my vintage Marantz 4140 quad amp nicely. Also they are bottom ported which I learned was most beneficial since I accept to keep my speakers close to the wall. Extremely happy and a bully value compared to the KEF'south which were more than double in toll!
I picked upwardly a pair of these two weeks agone and you lot guys are spot-on. They throw a huge soundstage, are nicely detailed in the treble merely don't make me wince, and are extremely dynamic and punchy. I've enjoyed everything I've throw at them merely concluding nighttime listened to "Dreams Of New Orleans" (Chesky 24/96) , which is extremely dynamic (DR value of xviii according to DR meter in Foobar), and they were truly impressive. They portrayed a huge space with believable instruments and wonderful impact - loads of fun! And they seem to dearest the Outlaw RR2160. My room and positioning don't make for great bass from speakers and the 55Hz speaker EQ works perfectly with these.
I had LS50's before this and, while amazing, I couldn't relax and enjoy them without a scrap of fatigue. These I can, they're a better fit for me and my room. Being able to listen for extended periods is primal to me, and it doesn't hateful a speaker is simply "polite". If a speaker does non keep me engaged, it as well fails the extended listening test!

I've seen some talk of a "wood veneer" on these, but it's vinyl - as you'd wait at this price. The baffle is a really dainty gloss, though, which is rarely evident in marketing shots, so I tried to grab information technology a bit in my bad pic below.
DPM Forum Resident

The Wharfedales were just given a positive writeup in the April issue of The Absolute Sound by new reviewer, Drew Kalbach.
I call up hearing a unlike Diamond series model many years ago (1980s) at J&R Music in downtown Manhattan. Wharfedale provided a lot of bang for the cadet dorsum so too. It's overnice to know that some things never change.
I worked directly across the street from the WTC and remember J&R very well!
McGuy All Mc, all the time... Thread Starter

Exactly why I bought the 225s in the first place, besides shut to the wall where I demand them in our 2nd home. Was listening again to them last night, dearest them! Sad that I but get to use them about six months out of the twelvemonth and only on weekends.
Hi all simply throwing in my ii cents on the Diamond 225. Accept only owned them for a very short while (two days), but in my large open up floor plan living/dining/kitchen surface area they are a much better fit than the KEF LS50 they are replacing.
I have owned the KEF for about 3 months and have felt the need to constantly tweak positioing, or eq, or components, etc. They had moments of greatness, simply generally I could never comfortable with them for long periods.

Concluding night I threw the 225s up on my 24" stands connected to my outlaw audio 2160 and with no fiddling or tweaking I was in business. Fully engaging for solo critical listening, but also really enjoyable when I turned information technology down a few notches for evening conversation with my wife over a couple of drinks. This, for me, was a huge relief, being fully engaged in the music, but also being relaxed enough to not worry near making changes to whatever part of my system. YES... finally listening to the music. Skilful low end response, beautiful mid-range, relaxed highs that permit the item through only won't vesture you out.

I think probably my favorite aspect is that the mid-range stays present even at fairly low late night volume which is disquisitional for me due to a young child at domicile. The KEF could never scratch that itch for me in my room. In other rooms they were glorious, but non in that large space.

I have been predominantly a headphone listener for the past several years and have been searching for the speaker equivalent of the Sennheiser HD-650, and think I might have found it with the diamond 225.
Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

Non true. Mine are Diamond ten.7 towers, and they're made in Prc.
What fabricated you choose these over the Dentons if I might pry?
I never did get to hear the Dentons but, from the reading I did, felt the 225 would have better bass response and not be quite every bit warm/polite. Having lived with them a while I find the 225 to exist only right in those areas, just still have no idea what the Dentons audio like.
bhazen Everyone's entitled to my opinion.

That's right, more or less. Denton's more of an 'old schoolhouse' sound. 225's a more than 'modern' sound, more than 'presence' maybe ...? Both easy to live with, I remember.
Apologies if I missed this, but how long practise recall the break in period was for the 225s, @JackG ?
Interesting. The 225s are notwithstanding on the warm and forgiving side to your ear? Do you lot have a favorite, @bhazen, and, if then, why?
bhazen Everyone's entitled to my opinion.

Hmm, my fourth dimension with the 225'due south was limited (weekend home demo). Also, my fourth dimension owning Dentons was separated from hearing the 225'due south by a expert while ... with that caveat, I'll say that the Dentons are the more warm/forgiving, the 225'southward more transparent and neutral(?). Just I'm on subjective ground, here ... if forced to pick, probably the 225's due to my current preference for neutrality. But YMMV ...
I'd advise you read the review Herb Reichert wrote of the 225's in Stereophile; that, and John Atkinson'southward measurements, give a good idea of how they perform. Discount Herb's enthusiasm a bit.

Last edited: Aug 18, 2018
Cheers, @bhazen. I capeesh your honest response. I've read Herb's 225 review; he sure knows how to pen a phrase. What impressed me even more than that was that Fine art Dudley and Ken Micallef besides reviewed it and largely agreed with herb's assessment. That and the fact that the 225s were Stereophile's budget component of the year for 2017 and amongst the finalists for overall loudspeaker of the twelvemonth! Wild.
Saw a adept deal for some Diamond 230s - what is the better buy sound wise - the 230 floorstanders or the 225s?
Tin can't say I really noticed, sorry, I simply hooked them upwards and started using them.
The measurements really tell the story of how the 225s audio and correlates to what I heard- mid-bass peak, lots of cabinet resonance and a really high resonance elevation (effigy two) colors and sweeten the midrange combined with a slight dip in the midrange response and a ascension treble to make them interesting. Information technology is a archetype have on how to make a lower cost speaker sound pleasing and interesting - a refined version of "blast - tizz" if you volition. Pleasing but non very natural. I'yard actually surprised they gushed over this speaker the way they did.
Wharfedale Diamond 225 loudspeaker Measurements

Compare that to one of the pocket-sized monitor class leaders, the Harbeth P3ESR-
and you'll notice much less cabinet resonance, a flatter frequency response that brings out the midrange and some controlled cabinet modes that give them their famous transparent yet highly natural sound. Interesting Stuff!

BTW the Dentons tend to sound more similar the P3ESRs IMHO and would exist my preference vs. the 225s.

Harbeth P3ESR loudspeaker Measurements
Good for you, @JackG. No apologies necessary of course.
McGuy All Mc, all the time... Thread Starter

And then...back at the lake, figured out how to hook up a Bluetooth dongle to my blindside & olifsen beomaster 5500 system. Listening to Sun Ra Angels and Demons at Play. All I tin say is...wow! It is and so well-baked! If that's a term. These are fantastic for $450! I feel similar I stole them at present.
And I just saw that Crutchfield now has them in Black for $399! Out of stock though until nine/17/eighteen but what a deal.