Wharfdale 9.1 still the go to budget speaker?

Dominic-Toretto · 5 Nov 2020 at 17:26

Hi,

I am wanting some speakers for my home gym. Are wharfdale 9.1s still the best budget option? (£119 on amazon). Any recommendation's on a amplifier to go with them?

Thanks

rubberduck · 6 Nov 2020 at 19:07

Squidward said:
Hi,

I am wanting some speakers for my home gym. Are wharfdale 9.1s still the best budget option? (£119 on amazon). Any recommendation's on a amplifier to go with them?

Thanks

While I haven't demoed new speakers in many years, I doubt very much if you can go wrong with the 9.1s at this price point - they seem highly rated. I guess it may be worth checking if they are a good fit for the type of music you listen to and if your amp is a reasonable match.

lucid · 7 Nov 2020 at 07:13

That Diamond 9.1s are still available over fifteen years after their introduction is something of an achievement for speakers in such a price competitive market segment. They're not listed any more on Wharfedale's site though, so where this stock is coming from is a bit of a mystery. Still, they are good speakers.

I wouldn't rule out the later Diamond 220 though. These were introduced around 2014 and are very musical speakers too. £129/pr down from the original £180-£200 they were at launch.

Psycho Sonny · 7 Nov 2020 at 20:52

If it's for just for gym use I'd just buy active speakers than a cheap amp and speaker set up.

unrealrocks · 9 Nov 2020 at 15:00

I'd personally try and go for the Diamond 220s over the 9.1s, they are a decent step up in terms of bass and overal performance. That said for budget end Wharefdale deff are still one of the best options. Might be worth having a look on eBay as I got a pair of 220s sub £50 due to a pretty ropey listing!

As Psycho Sonny said though - if its literally just for a gym space for some background noise you could prob just go for a sound bar or bluetooth speaker or something.

a1ex2001 · 9 Nov 2020 at 20:21

Get something like the Edifier R1280DB will sound more than good enough for a work out background doesn’t need and amp and has loads of connectivity built in.

Psycho Sonny · 10 Nov 2020 at 23:27

unrealrocks said:
I'd personally try and go for the Diamond 220s over the 9.1s, they are a decent step up in terms of bass and overal performance. That said for budget end Wharefdale deff are still one of the best options. Might be worth having a look on eBay as I got a pair of 220s sub £50 due to a pretty ropey listing!

As Psycho Sonny said though - if its literally just for a gym space for some background noise you could prob just go for a sound bar or bluetooth speaker or something.

Sound bars and Bluetooth speaker are crap compared to what I suggested. A set of 2.0 active speakers. I have a pair from Roth Oli for example.

A cheap soundbar is horrific in comparison.