Wharedale Diamond 9.1 or 220's?

Reality|Bites

Reality|Bites

Reality|Bites

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5 Apr 2006
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Recently one of the woofers on my 9.1's ripped for some reason, I've looked for a replacement woofer and it seems it's going to cost me £60, I can buy a whole brand new set for £99 these days. Now should I just buy the new set or maybe set my sights on something else?
I'm not looking to spend over £150 here really. I'm now using an old pair of Gale Gold monitors which sound great if you're not in the same room as them, as soon as you stand infront of them they sound very very weak and weedy if you know what I mean?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Someone fix the thread title for me please ;)
 
If I was looking for something with a bit more punch to the bass while in the same room what would I go for? Even with the 9.1's I always thought they sounded better listening to them from another room. Maybe the living room is just too small? I only live in a small one bed flat.
 
If you have a RS store near you, certainly worth popping in and see if they have the 220's in that you can demo, along with other speakers within budget. I've also got some 9.1's and it always amazes me when I listen to them, that they cost a mere £100. I've also wondered how the newer Diamond's compare, but it's nigh on impossible finding a comparison of a new speaker against a 12 year old, at least in this case.

The 9.1's were £180 I believe when they came out around 2004, and the 220's are similar price. Although designs move on and improve, given the similar release prices, I would guess the 220 will be similar in performance and might be slightly better. Given the £80 difference, the 9.1's are almost certainly the better buy.

I think for more bass, then you'd probably need a speaker with a larger woofer. Different speakers with the same size woofers can differ in the amount of perceivable bass they put out, as designs will differ. In general though, deeper bass means a larger woofer. Probably around 6.5" for a perceivable difference.

Monitor Audio MR2 are around £140 and have 6.5" woofers. Monitor Audio speakers offer a somewhat different sound signature to Wharfedale though. They tend to have a more prominent treble, deeper bass, but they are more withdrawn in the mid range. Some people prefer this, but some may find them a little cold or clinical sounding. Their discontinued BX2's were very well regarded, and sold for around £240 at one point. Although the BX2 are likely technically better than the 9.1, I have seen people who compared them both when demo'ing, say that they preferred the Wharfedale sound, as it was warmer with better mid range.

Preferences vary from person to person, so that's why it's best to demo if possible when moving from one speaker to another. Buying a completely different brand of speaker without hearing it first, turns out great if the listener prefers the new speaker; but I've seen some people do that, only to end up wanting to return them, because the different sound wasn't to their taste.
 
Just buy another set of 9.1s. No buyers remorse to contend with at that price and a decent set of speakers to boot.

I still can't find anything to replace mine without spending enough to make me regret it.

You could probably sell your remaining working one for £10-£20 on Gumtree.
 
Id get them repaired. They are still great speakers. I have the rare 9.2's myself. :)

e; £140 for 10.1's is a worse deal than £60 to keep 9.1's in service though! There wont be much difference in SQ.
 
Seriously, for all the hassle and time messing around @ £99 it's easier just to get another set of 9.1s.

To be fair it depends how you value your time but for me I would just be replacing them like for like.
 
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