Wharfedale Diamond 7.2s and 10.2s
So a very close musician/recording engineer buddy of mine recently contacted me about "rebuilding" cabinets for a pair of monitors he uses in his home recording studio. A pair of Wharfedale DIamond 7.2s.
During a re-vamp of the studio's sound treatments, one of the 7.2s was accidentally dropped and the cabinet compromised severely.
He is currently going to school full time and working full time and has been battling some depression issues. This was close to pushing him over the edge as music has always been his escape.
He is a strong man and probably one of my best friends in the world so it really hurt seeing him like this.
I did tell him that we would get the dimensions of the cabinet and build a set but I didn't have time to get into the shop for at least a month or two to do it.
He seemed crushed. So I told him that I would see what I could come up with to hold him over...that it wasn't the end of the world.
So I ended up locating a pair of 7.2s on eBay for relatively cheap...and also found a pair of used 10.2s for dirt cheap and snatched both sets up.
I shot him a text and let him know that I had a surprise for him this weekend if he wanted to stop by sometime on Saturday.
Meanwhile, both pairs of speakers arrived last night and of course, I had to audition them to make sure they were in working condition.
The 7.2s were first.
Out of the box, they looked brand new. There were some scratches around the grille mounting holes but nothing that could be seen with them on.
I popped them into place on top of my LSi15s. I didn't do much critical listening at all but the Pandora stream, MP3s, concert blu-rays and CDs I did demo sounded very good.
Definitely a very clean sounding speaker with a surprising bottom end for its size.
The soundstage was very pinpoint accurate on orchestra placement for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
Brothers in Arms had a very nice presentation that, while not my SDAs, still impressed me.
I can see now why he uses them as studio monitors. Very accurate speaker without sounding harsh or clinical.
Next up were the 10.2s.
Honestly, I am giving him dibs on both pairs but if he takes the 7.2s, the 10.2s are going to be connected up to my HK 3840 and my Cambridge Audio DVD89 and used as my garage system.
They were everything the 7.2s were but just *better*.
Overall, the presentation felt cleaner and more powerful. That accurate sound without the clinical feel...more of it.
The orchestra for Rhapsody in Blue was just as accurate and wide but also filled in better.
Either way he decides (or even if he takes both as I am more than happy to give him both), I am fairly certain that I have become a Wharfedale fan.
Not enough to replace my LSis at this point but definitely a viable alternative IMHO.
Not trying to pimp his music...and some of the recordings are horrible as they came from non ideal shows or "garage" sessions but you can check out some of his music below.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOirC-INP8fXTN9Mb-Fc2Sw
https://soundcloud.com/stevan-robinson
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9MU6BXjMas-p55Xzk5bPOg
During a re-vamp of the studio's sound treatments, one of the 7.2s was accidentally dropped and the cabinet compromised severely.
He is currently going to school full time and working full time and has been battling some depression issues. This was close to pushing him over the edge as music has always been his escape.
He is a strong man and probably one of my best friends in the world so it really hurt seeing him like this.
I did tell him that we would get the dimensions of the cabinet and build a set but I didn't have time to get into the shop for at least a month or two to do it.
He seemed crushed. So I told him that I would see what I could come up with to hold him over...that it wasn't the end of the world.
So I ended up locating a pair of 7.2s on eBay for relatively cheap...and also found a pair of used 10.2s for dirt cheap and snatched both sets up.
I shot him a text and let him know that I had a surprise for him this weekend if he wanted to stop by sometime on Saturday.
Meanwhile, both pairs of speakers arrived last night and of course, I had to audition them to make sure they were in working condition.
The 7.2s were first.
Out of the box, they looked brand new. There were some scratches around the grille mounting holes but nothing that could be seen with them on.
I popped them into place on top of my LSi15s. I didn't do much critical listening at all but the Pandora stream, MP3s, concert blu-rays and CDs I did demo sounded very good.
Definitely a very clean sounding speaker with a surprising bottom end for its size.
The soundstage was very pinpoint accurate on orchestra placement for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
Brothers in Arms had a very nice presentation that, while not my SDAs, still impressed me.
I can see now why he uses them as studio monitors. Very accurate speaker without sounding harsh or clinical.
Next up were the 10.2s.
Honestly, I am giving him dibs on both pairs but if he takes the 7.2s, the 10.2s are going to be connected up to my HK 3840 and my Cambridge Audio DVD89 and used as my garage system.
They were everything the 7.2s were but just *better*.
Overall, the presentation felt cleaner and more powerful. That accurate sound without the clinical feel...more of it.
The orchestra for Rhapsody in Blue was just as accurate and wide but also filled in better.
Either way he decides (or even if he takes both as I am more than happy to give him both), I am fairly certain that I have become a Wharfedale fan.
Not enough to replace my LSis at this point but definitely a viable alternative IMHO.
Not trying to pimp his music...and some of the recordings are horrible as they came from non ideal shows or "garage" sessions but you can check out some of his music below.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOirC-INP8fXTN9Mb-Fc2Sw
https://soundcloud.com/stevan-robinson
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9MU6BXjMas-p55Xzk5bPOg
"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
Comments
-
Bravo, that was very nice of you.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
This dude does nice things for everyone around him and never asks for anything in return. I am now heading home from work and he is meeting me at the house so I can surprise him.
If he knew what was coming, he would refuse and not show up. But this ensures he gets what he deserves!
"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
I had the 10.2's for a while and enjoyed them, good little bookshelf that I'd recommend.
I'm sure he'll be quite happy, great karma man.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
Yeah, great karma, you're a good friend indeed!
-
I'd love to see someones thoughts on the Wharfedale Jade 3's vs the Polk LSiM 703's, both being at the $1500 price point.
If you were looking to displace your LSi's with Wharfedale (I know you're not), I think you'd have to bump up to the Jade series vs the Diamonds.
afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
That's a real nice gesture ZMagico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
-
-
Great karma, and love the music! Wish he lived in my neck of the woods, we'd defiantly be hooking up to play!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
***************************** -
Nice one! WTG!
always love the look of the Wharfedale's...after reading a stellar review of their Jade 3's I think I could own some Wharfedales some year.
Love to see his smile when he see's them!2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
That's awesome man. Good on ya!Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10 -
Thanks guys. Was a good feeling. Of course, we spent more time upstairs checking out the 2 channel system than we did demoing the Diamonds. In the end, he stuck with what he knew and took the 7.2s even though I told him he could take the 10.2s as well.
So now they are waiting for me to do my new power runs in the garage so I can connect up a garage system."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
