WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 10.1 SPEAKERS (PAIR) (ROSEWOOD)

I'm an American and had a hard time finding somewhere I could buy these speakers online. Unfortunately, the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s aren't sold by Amazon.com in the US. If you're an American, you can't purchase the Wharfedales on the Amazon.com UK website and ship to the US due to the import/export laws. It turns out there's only one Wharfedale authorized online dealer in the US (which can be found on the Wharfedale USA website under the "Where to Buy" tab). I was lucky to have found a Stateside online dealer; living in Oklahoma, there are no stores in my state that sell Wharfedales.

Now my review:

The Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s replaced a rather old pair of Bose 301s, which were admittedly a nice set of speakers for the decade I had them. When researching which new speakers to buy, I read a number of reviews. I eventually waffled between the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s and the Polk RTi A1s - both overwhelmingly favorably reviewed. In the end, I decided to take a chance on the Wharfedales. I spent hours trying to find them, finally did find them, and made the purchase. Due to a lack of options, I paid full price, which made me a little nervous. To make matters worse, the day after I purchased the Wharfedales, Amazon slashed the price on the Polks by $75. Not wanting to pass on a great deal and knowing I could return whichever speakers I liked the least, I went ahead and got them too. The speakers arrived within a day of each other, and the first thing I did was test them in head to head competition to see if I had chosen wisely. Kind of fun, and quite revealing...

The Diamond 10.1s totally exceeded my high expectations and validated the flowery reviews I had read. These speakers not only look fantastic, more importantly, they also sound phenomenal. Even with a premium Onkyo receiver, I couldn't turn the volume up high enough to distort the tight, controlled, and vibrant sound emitted from these speakers before they blew out my ear drums. Simply amazing.

The Polks, although fantastic, were ever so slightly brighter and harsher than the Wharfedales, if that makes sense. The Wharfedales seemed to be warmer and more refined; just as hard hitting, but more capable when handling the softer stuff. While the Polks are a hammer in the hands of a master carpenter, the Wharfedales are a chisel in the hands of a master sculptor. Although I favor the Wharfedales, the Polks are extremely impressive for the price. Keep in mind the Polks (on sale) were nearly half of the price I paid for the Wharfedales. That said, I'm happy to have both! The Wharfedales are better, but bang for the buck, the Polks are also a great option, and I'll happily find a use for them in a spare room. Truth be told, if not comparing them back to back in head to head competition, I'd probably have a hard time noticing the difference in performance. However, there IS a difference, and the Wharfedales reign supreme.

After I heard the Wharfedales, I was so impressed I was compelled to write a review and tell others of my experience. It's hard to find consumer reviews on the Diamond 10.1s, at least in the US. I thought there may be other Americans like me who wondered about the performance of the Wharfedales, whether or not they lived up to the hype, and how one might buy them. The Wharfedales are one of the best kept secrets in speakers in the US, and word needs to get out so others may enjoy this premium product. As a fantastic second option, the Polks are hard to beat, bang for the buck.

I hope this review helps!

Remarkable speakers for the price, definitely the best value for money speakers I've ever bought new. The bass is surprisingly deep and reasonably musical, the midrange is rich and solid, and the treble is clean and bright. Efficiency is good, and they play loud even with a tiny 10W Tripath Class T amplifier.

Great service and no postage charges, thanks to the company for that. Speakers are excellent quality and have made all the difference to our hi fi system. Would certainly reconmend them.