Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i

Warm of neutral, and liked that way. TechRadar (on stands, Naim Uniti Star) hears an even response with 'a nice little suggestion of heat', Creative Bloq calls it a warm speaker with a rich midrange, and a dealer comparing it with the Dali Kupid finds it 'tonally richer'. AVForums likes the balance but calls the voicing 'safe'. The only dissent is a 3-star Amazon owner who expected better sound and doesn't say why.

“while the overall tonality has a nice little suggestion of heat to it, it’s not even close to becoming overcooked”

Simon Lucas, TechRadar

“The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1is are a warm pair of speakers, offering a rich midrange, where the vocals and most instruments reside.”

Beren Neale, Creative Bloq

Full, punchy and well controlled for a 5-inch box — the most praised part of the sound. The Ear (on stands, toed in) calls it tuneful 'not at all ponderous', AVForums 'really strong for a speaker at this level', and Creative Bloq (desktop, clamp stands) hears it as more articulate than the original 12.1's, which is what the new port was for; Wharfedale's own Australian distributor hears the same in an A/B, though only subtly. A dealer calls it 'quite bass heavy' without losing balance. The minority finds too much of it: a Richer Sounds owner calls it 'a little bass-overwhelming', Hi-Fi Pig heard slight muddiness in the lower bass about 8 inches from the wall, and one critic says it doesn't reach as low as the decade-old Diamond 9.1.

“Even more surprising was what terrific bass the Diamond 12.1is were able to produce – it was really tuneful too, not at all ponderous.”

Chris Kelly, The Ear

“The bass performance, in particular, is really strong for a speaker at this level.”

Tim Hancock, AVForums

“The sound is a little bass-overwhelming and the treble occasionally distorted, but there is still plenty of depth and detail coming across.”

Cottingham46, Richer Sounds customer (4 stars)

Clean, present and natural, with no real dissent. The Ear, Hi-Fi Pig, TechRadar and hifitest.de all praise the vocals, and an owner calls the mids the best they have heard under C$1,000. The only qualifier is comparative: The Audiophile Man finds a little more midrange insight in the Dali Kupid.

“The voices of Lee and his bandmate Bryan MacLean came through beautifully.”

Chris Kelly, The Ear

“there were excellent, transparent and well-developed vocals”

Debbie Griffin, Hi-Fi Pig

Sources split three ways on the same gently softened top end. Just over half of the weighted sources hear it as smooth, well integrated and never harsh — hifitest.de, TechRadar ('dialed down just a little' but with 'no shortage of bite') and a Reddit owner who chose it to avoid listening fatigue. About a third find it a touch too safe: AVForums wanted more sparkle, and The Audiophile Man and a dealer both hear the Dali Kupid as more open and extended. A small third camp goes the other way. One owner listening nearfield with room correction finds the highs a bit too much, and a Richer Sounds buyer hears the treble occasionally distort.

Bigger than the boxes. The Ear hears width 'across the whole room' with height and depth, hifitest.de calls it astonishingly room-filling in a very large listening room, and TechRadar and Hi-Fi Pig agree. Wharfedale's Australian distributor, in an A/B against the original Diamond 12, found the old model's stage 'bigger and looser' and the 12i's more controlled.

“The soundstage was expansive with a width across the whole room and with good height and depth too.”

Chris Kelly, The Ear

“Soundstaging is convincing, and the Diamond 12i are able to escape the confines of their cabinets, just a little, in every direction.”

Simon Lucas, TechRadar

Good but not a highlight. The Ear praises its imaging, and the Australian distributor hears a more controlled, cohesive stage than the original 12's. A dealer finds the image well placed but 'not as holographic as some', and Creative Bloq, at a desk, hears tighter imaging from the Dali Kupid — though clamp stands that aimed the tweeters at the listening position helped.

“Imaging (where instruments sit in distinct pockets around your head) is stronger with the Kupids than the 12.1is.”

Beren Neale, Creative Bloq

Good resolution for the price. TechRadar and hifitest.de are impressed, and owners hear small sounds clearly; AVForums calls the detail 'solid'. Hi-Fi Pig's caveat is that it shows up compressed or poorly mastered recordings, and that it resolves less at low volume.

“Detail levels are impressive, too”

Simon Lucas, TechRadar

“They are not very forgiving with highly compressed or poorly mastered recordings.”

Debbie Griffin, Hi-Fi Pig

Lively at normal levels, with limits at both ends. TechRadar, AVForums and Hi-Fi Pig all say it sounds a little matter-of-fact at background levels and comes alive with a modest turn of the volume — Hi-Fi Pig puts the point at around 68 dB — though one Richer Sounds owner finds it good 'at quiet and loud volumes'. At the other end, The Ear heard it harden when pushed to party levels, and an owner says their amp can drive the woofer to bottom out on bass-heavy tracks at high volume.

“at very modest volume levels they can sound just a little matter-of-fact”

Simon Lucas, TechRadar

“their sounds definitely hardened and deteriorated when I subjected them to those stress tests”

Chris Kelly, The Ear

“I needed to squeeze the volume up to around 68dB or above to hear the full potential of these speakers to really hear them sing”

Debbie Griffin, Hi-Fi Pig

Forgiving once the rear port can breathe, but not really a bookshelf speaker. Hi-Fi Pig was surprised it worked about 8 inches from the rear and side walls, and AVForums found toe-in helped and off-axis seats lost little. TechRadar warns that the 25 cm-deep cabinet and rear port rule out a shallow shelf, and hifitest.de that it shouldn't stand right against the wall. What Hi-Fi found the pair slightly lean on stands until it moved them closer to the wall. At a desk, raising and angling them helped the imaging, and The Audiophile Man notes the smaller Dali Kupid is easier to fit.

“they seemed perfectly happy to be fairly near to the rear wall and corners of the room (around 8 inches from rear and side walls), which was surprisingly pleasing for rear-ported speakers”

Debbie Griffin, Hi-Fi Pig

“At first, we feel as though the front left and right speakers sound slightly lean, but moving them closer to the wall restores a touch of richness and warmth that mitigates this apparent leanness.”

Lewis Empson, What Hi-Fi? (12.1i HCP package)

“when working from home I often sit slightly off-axis but didn’t sense any significant drop in performance”

Tim Hancock, AVForums

Easy to drive for most. TechRadar heard it work with an all-in-one costing less than the speakers, and The Audiophile Man and a dealer both found it easier to drive than the Dali Kupid. Hi-Fi Pig is the exception: on a Rega Elicit Mk5 it needed noticeably more volume than Wharfedale's Evo 4.3 floorstanders, though it never strained the amp.

“The 12.1i speakers are easier to drive with their enhanced sensitivity and easier to match in terms of other HiFi components.”

Paul Rigby, The Audiophile Man

“My first observations were that they needed a reasonable amount of amplification to truly get them going.”

Debbie Griffin, Hi-Fi Pig

Unanimously above its price. Every reviewer and owner who mentions build praises the heavy, braced cabinets and the new soft-touch semi-matt finishes. The only reservations are about looks: What Hi-Fi's team was split on the flat Stone Grey, and a dealer found it shows fingerprints.

“On first inspection, the speakers are stunningly well produced for a unit that costs less than £250.”

Debbie Griffin, Hi-Fi Pig

“The overall build quality, design and fit and finish are exceptional”

Tim Hancock, AVForums

Outstanding at £249, where the UK price didn't rise. Every UK and German review rates the value top-tier, and What Hi-Fi says the same of the 5.1 package. Two caveats: in the US a pair costs $499, $100 more than the original 12.1, and the upgrade over a 12.1 you already own is small — Wharfedale's own distributor says Diamond 12 owners needn't rush to replace them. One YouTube commenter goes further and calls it a step back from the old Diamond 9.1.

“the Diamond 12.1i offer prodigious value for money in every respect”

Simon Lucas, TechRadar

“For Diamond 12 owners, there is no need to race out for an upgrade.”

Matt, Audio Visual Revolution (Wharfedale's Australian distributor)

“This is a watered-down, poor version compared to a decade-old Diamond 9.1 from each aspect”

mhnoni, YouTube comment on AVForums' review