Ok, so i said i wouldn't buy any speakers 'till i moved house, but sod it, i got some anyway. Reason being, that i want to try the new beast out properly. Also, i've had my eye on some for a while, and by chance i came across some cheap a couple of days ago. I wanted small speakers, as my future room is going to be smaller than imagined. I figured it made more sense to save £20000 on a house, going for two lounges, and instead make a nice little man space with a reasonable sized bedroom, as i have now. Plus i now like cans too much, which made a big room less relevant. So i've grabbed a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 8.1's. Before you switch off, consider them for the shed or something, 'cos they are cracking. This is what HFW thought: 'Unexpectedly clean, smooth, open and engaging sound makes them a modern hi-fi classic. Superb value for money, but classy ancillaries are a must' Now these things retail at £120 i think, but they are readily available for much less than that. Now i wasn't expecting much for that money whatsoever. The main thing was that they worked, for the odd occasions when i wasn't going to be using cans. But blimey, i didn't use my cans all day yesterday. It could be argued i suppose, that i have just missed speakers so much, that i'm overwhelmed, but i don't think so. First off, these babies don't do bass. Though i am hoping that will change a little, once they are run in a bit. They claim to be able to go down to 55Hz, but it is hard to judge effectively as there is not much of it. What there is though, is tight, lean and super fast. I'm presuming it is the small size of these speakers which aids them in having such much speed and vitality? The best bit is the mid/treble. I'd put my mortgage money on it that Robbo would quite like 'em. They are so open and smooth sounding. A complete turn arround from the old metal domes. Vocals in particular sound fantastic and spacious. More amazing is the soundstage they produce. So much of these speakers is actually more impressive tham my old ones, which leads me to believe that they are just better suited to the room. They are on 'overkill' stands, and are rock solid. And the downstream electronics, fortunately for me are 'classy' :D (well in price comparitive terms) - which meets HFW's criteria at least. So i think these speakers are working at the limit of their abilities, and they are thoroughly enjoyable. They can handle 100w, so despite their 87dB sensitivity, loudness is not a problem, and the NAD has them under complete control. (As will the Pioneer soon). They are a 6ohm load as well. Just to put this into context, i am getting excited about them not because they are flagship challengers, quite obviously, but mainly by the fact that these little lovelies cost under a ton!......which is ludicrous money. And at that price, i think they are f****** unbelievable. Of course, as i have mentioned already, i think the other big factor, is that these speakers and my current room were made for each other, which helps no end. Also they are diddy and cute, so SWMBO has given them the full seal of approval, and now thinks that i am less mental. Might get her into hifi and non-chart music yet. For less than a ton these speakers are a complete steal.QED :)
