Wharfedale Diamond 12.1+Diamond 12.C+Diamond 12.1+SW10 Speaker Package

Diamond 12.1

The true all-rounder, the Wharfedale DIAMOND 12.1 is a traditional standmount (or bookshelf) speaker that embodies the history and performance values of the Wharfedale DIAMOND series.

The perfect ‘affordable’ hi-fi speaker, the DIAMOND 12.1 offers the best of both worlds – compact size with power and detail.

Perfect for 2-channel hi-fi systems, thanks to its intricate performance but also compact and capable for immersive home theatre, the DIAMOND 12.1 is designed and certified to perform, regardless of room size and application.

The DIAMOND 12.1 features a high-performance 130mm (5”) Klarity^TM driver for exceptional timing and refined bass. The superb 25mm (1”) woven polyester dome tweeter delivers open and smoothly extended high frequencies.

Diamond 12.C

The DIAMOND 12.C brings cinema-quality vocal tangibility and depth to the Wharfedale DIAMOND 12 series home theatre system.

Designed as the centrepiece and perfect complement for the DIAMOND 12 series standmount (bookshelf) and floorstander models, the DIAMOND 12.C is compact, accurate and powerful.

Using dual 130mm (5”) Klarity^TM drivers for accurate, refined mid-range and bass frequencies, while the 25mm (1”) dome tweeter delivers open and smoothly extended high frequencies opening up detail and depth for movies, sports and music.

SW-10

The SW series of subwoofers offer a level of performance previously unheard of in their class. Revolutionary drive units, amplifier modules and filter stages feature on every model. They strike the perfect balance between power and sound quality, offering remarkable sound pressure levels, yet retaining enough control to be considered audiophile in quality.

SW系列低音炮提供了同类产品中前所未有的性能水平。每种型号都有革命性的驱动单元，放大器模块和滤波器级。它们在功率和声音质量之间达到了完美的平衡，提供了卓越的声压级，但仍保留了足够的控制权，可以认为是发烧级的声音。

The new range of SW subwoofers comes with a host of new features. They now come with Non-pressed paper cones for increase self-damping, improved transient impact and intern increased the structural rigidity of the cone itself. The centre vents are copper lined to reduce the magnetic distortion and improve the heat dissipation.

新系列的SW超低音扬声器具有许多新功能。现在，它们带有非压制纸锥，可增加自阻尼，改善瞬态冲击，并提高实习生锥本身的结构刚度。中心通风孔衬有铜衬，以减少磁失真并改善散热。

Still utilising the solid, well-engineered power amplifiers the SW subwoofers are optimised for high impact at low frequencies and are ideal for movies or music. With the various finishes to the cabinets – Blackwood Vinyl with Hi-gloss baffle – these subwoofers look great with matching floorstanding speakers.

SW低音炮仍利用坚固，设计精巧的功率放大器进行了优化，可在低频下产生高冲击力，是电影或音乐的理想选择。音箱的饰面-黑木乙烯树脂，带高光泽隔板，这些低音炮搭配相匹配的落地式扬声器看起来很棒。

Diamond 12.1
Type 2-way, bass reflex
Max power 100W
Sensitivity 88dB
Impedance 8 ohms
Frequency response 65Hz to 20kHz
Dimensions (hwd) 31 x 18 x 28cm
Weight 6.8kg (each)

Diamond 12.C centre
Type 2-way, bass reflex
Max power 120W
Sensitivity 90dB
Impedance 8 ohms
Frequency response 90Hz to 20kHz
Dimensions (hwd) 18 x 48 x 21cm
Weight 8.5kg (each)

SW10 subwoofer
Amplifier output 200W
Sensitivity 110dB
Line input impedance 10 kilo ohms
LFE input Impedance 5 kilo ohms
Frequency response 40Hz to 120Hz
Dimensions (hwd) 42 x 34 x 38 m
Weight 16.5kg (each)

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Home Cinema Pack review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2021 winner. 

By What Hi-Fi? published October 04, 2021

OUR VERDICT

Fluid, composed and consistent, the Wharfedale 12.1 Home Cinema Pack is a mature yet affordable surround sound system

FOR

• Impressive insight and composure
• Taut, melodic sub
• Wide, uniform soundfield

AGAINST

• Nothing

It’s not always easy to be part of a large, successful dynasty. Just ask the Windsors. Despite the inherent advantages of belonging to a prosperous lineage, it can be tough to make your own mark and be noticed – for positive reasons at least. 

Similar to the Royals, fellow British institution Wharfedale and its Diamond series of speakers have a long and storied legacy (albeit with significantly less scandal), as well as a bit of a German connection. Beginning in 1982 with a single model, the accessibly priced Diamond range is now in its 14th generation, slightly confusingly known as Diamond 12. This generation consists of three sizes of stand-mount speakers (12.0, 12.1, 12.2), two options of floorstanders (12.3 and 12.4) and a single centre speaker (12.C).

But there are no hereditary hangovers to be found here. For Diamond 12, Wharfedale brought in German-based designer Karl Heinz Fink, previously heavily involved with Q Acoustics, to makeover the range from front to back. Almost every aspect of the construction from the cabinet to the driver material has been revised, and the result is a surprisingly charming, affordable and well-engineered line-up of speakers for a stereo or 5.1 (or more) surround set-up.

Build

Diamond 12’s redesign began with the construction of the cabinet, and the result is a solid, smart, understated build. Available in four shades of matte wood grain, the classic design is neatly offset by a high-shine baffle in solid black or white.

The engineers created the panelling from varying thicknesses of MDF that, together with spot bracing, help better control unwanted resonances. The boxes have a substantial feel but aren’t visually obtrusive. They also look more expensive than they are. Each of the speakers has a claimed 8 ohm impedance and two sets of terminals for bi-wiring, with mirror-finish metal straps included for non-bi-wired set-ups.

The 12.1 stand mounters have a two-way rear-ported design featuring a single 13cm mid/bass driver composed of something called ‘Klarity’, which is not a Kardashian but a new polypropylene composite cone material with mica added to improve rigidity. The Klarity cones are driven by a magnet with an aluminium compensation ring to minimise the effects of fluctuations in inductance that can occur as the voice coil moves.

The 25mm textile tweeter domes, meanwhile, are almost completely exposed, with a high gloss coating and a design intended to offer wide dispersion, smooth response and strong dynamics. The two drivers are linked with a carefully calibrated crossover that the company says uses premium components. The 12.C is configured similarly to the 12.1, but with a pair of 13cm Klarity drivers and a single tweeter.

The SW-10 subwoofer is available in matching wood finishes with the same polished baffle housing a single front-facing 25cm long-throw driver. Hidden at the rear are physical controls for level, phase and auto-sense (the sub comes out of standby when a signal is received), as well as two RCA inputs. Perched upon four stocky feet, it sits at 42cm high and, despite it being the smallest sub in the four strong SW series, it is by no means tiny. However, the quality of the build means it resembles a handsome piece of furniture rather than an awkward black cube and, especially given its performance, we imagine most people will be happy to make space for it in their living room.

Sound

The tautness and dexterity of the SW-10 is immediately striking when the Diamond 12.1 HCP gets playing. It’s an incredibly musical sub and it blends seamlessly with the smaller speakers, which themselves have an. impressively well-integrated low end. The result is rich and lively sound, particularly with films with a heavily featured score. When watching Amelie, Yann Tiersen’s famous accompaniment bursts with warmth and depth while there’s an undeniable snappiness across the board that isn’t limited just to high transients. Despite this responsiveness when things get busy, the 12.1s maintain a strong control, with a secure sense of authority and cohesion.

The sonic agility of the package is displayed well in the scene in which Amelie meets the photo booth repairman for the first time. Here, the stylised, heightened sound design is matched up with the choppy film editing and each sudden effect bursts dynamically with confidence, drama and uniformity around the viewer.

The soundfield is smooth and although swapping the front two speakers for floorstanders would certainly provide more scale, there is something to be said for the consistency of tone created by using the same speaker for fronts and surrounds.

Also in this respect, the 12.C centre speaker is well-matched to the 12.1s and, unlike with so many other packages, pulls its weight equally. We watch sonic psychological drama The Sound Of Silence and find that audio-obsessive protagonist Peter’s ultra soft-spoken, emotionally repressed dialogue is well projected with clarity and nuance. Set in the bustle of New York, Peter’s job is to rid the city of unwanted ambient sounds and as he pads around his clients’ apartments hunting for creaking floorboards and whining pipes, the Diamond 12 HCP digs up plenty of domestic detail and subtlety, making us feel the need to check if it’s actually our air conditioning unit making the annoying hum.

To give these tabletop-sized boxes a bit more of a vigorous challenge we try Blade Runner 2049 and they project the meaty, sonorous score with both composure and charisma. In the scene in which Ryan Gosling flies to the orphanage there are plenty of delicate nuances, from the sound of the raindrops landing on the windscreen to the wiper cleaning them off. Later on, when things inevitably start to get explosive, the 12.1s still deliver with balanced but compelling force.

Verdict

With poise, effortlessness, cut glass diction and charisma, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 HCP is essentially the Audrey Hepburn of home theatre speaker packages. It offers rich bass without sacrificing or overpowering the mid and treble, presenting a mature sound that’s rich in impact, agility, detail and sensitivity.

Large enough to provide cinematic scale with a wide soundfield, but discreet and affordable enough to be accessible to a variety of audiences, the 12.1s prove to be an excellent choice for both music and film.