Wharfedale whose speakers are seen as being more “old school” than the new generation of speakers from brands such as Jameo and Bang + Olufsen is having another crack at trying to get traction in the mass Hi Fi market where styling and design count.
At the 2015 CES show in Las Vegas Wharfedale is set to release a new range of speakers which will replace the Diamond 10 series.
The new series consists of the 210 and 220 bookshelf monitors, the 230, 240 and 250 floor standing towers, 220C centre channel speaker, and WH-D8 and WH-D10 subwoofers, all with upgrades from the previous Diamond 10 series.
According to several mass retailers who sell Hi Fi speakers including JB Hi Fi consumers are moving away from the more traditional speaker, instead they are buying stylised speakers which one retailer described as “reflective of a buyers lifestyle”
A JB Hi Fi executive said “Remember these buyers are now moving to digital music and wireless connectivity. What they don’t want is old fashioned gear”.
The Wharfedale speakers’ enclosures have been upgraded to a more rigid laminated construction to minimize enclosure vibrations.
The woofers and midrange drivers feature woven and impregnated Kevlar cones with a high stiffness-to-mass ratio to deliver a high level of clarity, the company said.
The improved woofers use larger magnets to make the speakers easier to drive and capable of greater output. The speakers also feature a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter for smooth, detailed treble.
The Diamond 200 models deliver a “more room-friendly design” because they can be placed closer to a rear wall to achieve optimum performance and imaging. The improvement is attributed to a new slot-loaded bass port that also makes the speakers more efficient and reduces low-frequency coloration.
The crossover network has been refined to further improve the integration between the drivers and enable greater realism in reproducing voices and instruments. As a result of the changes, the speakers are said to deliver a natural tonal balance, tightly focused yet spacious imaging, expansive surround sound and clear reproduction of vocals and instruments.
