DIAMOND100
S E R I E S
FOREWORD
Britain has long been recognised throughout the world as being the home of loudspeaker technology in terms of innovation and quality.
This reputation has been built up over many years by some of the world's most famous loudspeaker manufacturers. Wharfedale, established over eighty years ago, has always been at the forefront of maintaining this reputation.
It was in 1932 that Gilbert Briggs built his first loudspeaker in the cellar of his home in llkley,
Yorkshire. This sleepy little market town was located in the valley of the river 'Wharfe' - an area known to this day as 'Wharfedale'. This unlikely location would see the birth of a brand that was to become recognised all over the world.
Briggs interest in quality sound reproduction stemmed from his great love of music; he was himself an adept pianist, and had a keen ear for the makings of a good loudspeaker. Indeed two of the first drive units he assembled in the cellar of his home won first and second prize in a loudspeaker test run by the Bradford
Radio Society.
Gilbert Briggs is still much admired and respected throughout the world for his pioneering work in hi-fi reproduction and his endless pursuit of better sound quality - driven by his love of live music.
Introduction
Wharfedale’s Diamond series has a long history of achievement. The first Diamond was born in 1982
- in a rear-ported cabinet of just over 5 litres were fitted a 19mm dome tweeter and 120mm long throw, polypropylene bass/mid driver. The crossover was simple but highly effective. This product took the industry by storm. The small cabinet and impeccable stereo image meant the Diamond quickly became a best-seller and a permanent fixture in the Wharfedale product range. Since then every new range of Wharfedale Diamond Series has been a best seller.
Driver Performance
As you would expect from a series of this stature, the Diamond 100 is bang up to date in terms of technology and performance. Foremost in the design criteria for Diamond 100 is the ongoing research into loudspeaker driver sound quality. To that end the famous Wharfedale Woven Kevlar cone was put under the technology spotlight and given a new profile based on the research originally carried out for the high-end Jade range.
Incorporated in the low frequency and midrange cones are semi-elliptical ‘break-up’ areas which smooth the response throughout the audible range.
In addition each surround is treated to match the cone edge with a unique ‘Diamond Pattern’ moulding. Finally the dust cap is blended and treated to provide a smooth transition and perfect acoustic match to the treble unit.
The treble unit chosen for Diamond 100 came under equal scrutiny during development. As well as selecting a sheer fabric dome and advanced ferrite magnet system, the dome is surrounded by a carefully crafted wave guide that encourages outstanding midrange performance.
Crossover
Combining the drivers is a crossover developed using Wharfedale’s latest ‘Virtual Speaker ’ software. Techniques developed in-house allow the final loudspeaker to be simulated and fully analysed even before a prototype is played for the first time. This simulation accommodates driver performance and cabinet construction, as well as room placement, to make sure that both on-axis and off-axis performance over a wide listening area is fully optimized.
Cabinet Design
Naturally cabinet design was not forgotten in amongst all the other technology. Rectilinear cabinet shapes were chosen to maximize the internal volume and provide the deepest, most extended bass response. Again the research from the highend Jade series was incorporated to elicit the latest advance in loudspeaker reflex loading – the Slot-
Loaded Distributed Port.
Exiting at the base of the speaker cabinet, the reflex port is loaded by a slot created by the plinth. This equalises the air pressure to mimic that inside the cabinet allowing smooth transition between the pressure variation in the cabinet and the low frequency sound developed in the room.
Cabinet walls and internal bracing were also incorporated in the ‘Virtual Speaker’ model, with the help of Delayed Cumulative Spectral Analysis that ruthlessly reveals panel coloration in all its forms. Using this technique Wharfedale engineers formulated a cabinet panel construction of multigrain faceted boards bonded together to damp annoying High-Q resonances and block internal sound leakage. The effect is that the ‘noise’ from cabinet walls is buried more than 35dB below the driver output. In Diamond 100 all you hear is crystal clear music from the drive units without any attendant coloration from the cabinet. Again computer analysis helped refine this novel technique, but the result is an audibly superior bass performance of great articulation and clarity.
SLOT-LOADED
DISTRIBUTED PORT
Back waves from bass drivers lead to the ports below
Cabinet
Back waves flow out of the ports, through the gap between the base of the cabinet and surface of the plinth
Plinth
The Real Test
That doesn’t mean that Diamond 100 is purely a computer design, clever though that might be.
This ‘Virtual Speaker’ is simply a tool that allows the Wharfedale engineers to explore all facets of the loudspeaker’s performance before starting listening tests. In the final evaluation weeks are spent fine tuning the acoustic performance using a wide variety of music in Wharfedale’s five listening rooms, each of which mimics the kind of domestic environments the Diamond Series are likely to be used in.
Only when the acoustic tests are deemed truly satisfying are the loudspeaker designs signed-off for production, ensuring that each speaker model fulfils its eventual owner’s dreams of musically enjoyable reproduction from Britain’s Most Famous
Loudspeakers.
Finishes
Mahogany Walnut Pearl Wenge Rosewood Quilt
Cinnamon Cherry Black Wood Winter Maple
Specifications:
DIAMOND 101C DIAMOND 102C DIAMOND 121 DIAMOND 122
General Description
Enclosure Type
Transducer Complement
Bass Driver
Midrange Driver
Treble Driver
AV Shield
Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m)
Recommended Amplifier Power
Peak SPL
Nominal Impedance
Minimum Impedance
Frequency Response (+/-3dB)
Bass Extension (-6dB)
Crossover Frequency
Cabinet Volume (in litres)
Dimensions (H × W × D)
Net Weight
2-way Centre Speaker
Bass Reflex
2-way
2-way Centre Speaker
Bass Reflex
2-way
2-way Bookshelf Speaker
Bass Reflex
2-way
2-way Bookshelf Speaker
Bass Reflex
2-way
-
2 × 130mm Woven Kevlar Cone 2 × 165mm Woven Kevlar Cone 130mm Woven Kevlar Cone 165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
-
25mm Soft Dome
Yes
25mm Soft Dome
Yes
25mm Soft Dome
No
25mm Soft Dome
No
89dB
25-150W
90dB
25-200W
86dB
25-100W
87dB
25-120W
95dB
8 Ohms Compatible
4Ω
60Hz ~ 20kHz
65Hz
2.8kHz
11.8L
-
174 × 470 × 264 (mm)
8.2kg/pcs
-
96dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.8Ω
55Hz ~ 20kHz
55Hz
2.4kHz
17.6L
196 × 530 × 304 (mm)
10.8kg/pcs
-
95dB
8 Ohms Compatible
4.1Ω
50Hz ~ 20kHz
45Hz
2kHz
7L
315 × 174 × 225 (mm)
5.3kg/pcs
-
96dB
8 Ohms Compatible
4.2Ω
45Hz ~ 20kHz
40Hz
2.3kHz
10.3L
354 × 196 × 295 (mm)
7.4kg/pcs
2.5-way Floorstanding Speaker
Bass Reflex
2.5-way
165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
25mm Soft Dome
No
89dB
25-150W
102dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.7Ω
40Hz ~ 20kHz
37Hz
2.2kHz
35L
-
963 × 196 × 334 (mm)
19.3kg/pcs
3-way Floorstanding Speaker
Bass Reflex
3-way
2 × 165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
130mm Woven Kevlar Cone
25mm Soft Dome
No
89dB
25-150W
102dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.0Ω
40Hz ~ 20kHz
35Hz
400Hz & 2.4kHz
Mid Internal 8.8L
Bass Internal 30L
975 × 204 × 348 (mm)
20.4kg/pcs
3-way Floorstanding Speaker
Bass Reflex
3-way
2 × 165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
130mm Woven Kevlar Cone
25mm Soft Dome
No
90dB
25-150W
102dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.0Ω
40Hz ~ 20kHz
35Hz
400Hz & 2.4kHz
Mid Internal 10.6L
Bass Internal 37.2L
1023 × 204 × 394 (mm)
24.4kg/pcs
3-way Floorstanding Speaker
Bass Reflex
3-way
2 × 200mm Woven Kevlar Cone
130mm Woven Kevlar Cone
25mm Soft Dome
No
89dB
25-200W
110dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.1Ω
35Hz ~ 20kHz
32Hz
400Hz & 2.8kHz
Mid Internal 8L
Bass Internal 66.3L
1128 × 250 × 424 (mm)
30.4kg/pcs
DIAMOND 100
S E R I E S
DIAMOND 122
2-way Centre Speaker
Bass Reflex
2-way
2-way Centre Speaker
Bass Reflex
2-way
2-way Bookshelf Speaker
Bass Reflex
2-way
2-way Bookshelf Speaker
Bass Reflex
2-way
-
2 × 130mm Woven Kevlar Cone 2 × 165mm Woven Kevlar Cone 130mm Woven Kevlar Cone 165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
-
25mm Soft Dome
Yes
25mm Soft Dome
Yes
25mm Soft Dome
No
25mm Soft Dome
No
89dB
25-150W
90dB
25-200W
86dB
25-100W
87dB
25-120W
95dB
8 Ohms Compatible
4Ω
60Hz ~ 20kHz
65Hz
2.8kHz
11.8L
-
174 × 470 × 264 (mm)
8.2kg/pcs
-
96dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.8Ω
55Hz ~ 20kHz
55Hz
2.4kHz
17.6L
196 × 530 × 304 (mm)
10.8kg/pcs
-
95dB
8 Ohms Compatible
4.1Ω
50Hz ~ 20kHz
45Hz
2kHz
7L
315 × 174 × 225 (mm)
5.3kg/pcs
-
96dB
8 Ohms Compatible
4.2Ω
45Hz ~ 20kHz
40Hz
2.3kHz
10.3L
354 × 196 × 295 (mm)
7.4kg/pcs
DIAMOND 155
2.5-way Floorstanding Speaker
Bass Reflex
2.5-way
165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
25mm Soft Dome
No
89dB
25-150W
102dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.7Ω
40Hz ~ 20kHz
37Hz
2.2kHz
35L
-
963 × 196 × 334 (mm)
19.3kg/pcs
DIAMOND 156
3-way Floorstanding Speaker
Bass Reflex
3-way
2 × 165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
130mm Woven Kevlar Cone
25mm Soft Dome
No
89dB
25-150W
102dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.0Ω
40Hz ~ 20kHz
35Hz
400Hz & 2.4kHz
Mid Internal 8.8L
Bass Internal 30L
975 × 204 × 348 (mm)
20.4kg/pcs
DIAMOND 157
3-way Floorstanding Speaker
Bass Reflex
3-way
2 × 165mm Woven Kevlar Cone
130mm Woven Kevlar Cone
25mm Soft Dome
No
90dB
25-150W
102dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.0Ω
40Hz ~ 20kHz
35Hz
400Hz & 2.4kHz
Mid Internal 10.6L
Bass Internal 37.2L
1023 × 204 × 394 (mm)
24.4kg/pcs
DIAMOND 159
3-way Floorstanding Speaker
Bass Reflex
3-way
2 × 200mm Woven Kevlar Cone
130mm Woven Kevlar Cone
25mm Soft Dome
No
89dB
25-200W
110dB
8 Ohms Compatible
3.1Ω
35Hz ~ 20kHz
32Hz
400Hz & 2.8kHz
Mid Internal 8L
Bass Internal 66.3L
1128 × 250 × 424 (mm)
30.4kg/pcs
IAG House, Sovereign Court, Ermine Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE29 6XU, UK
Tel: +44(0)1480 447700 Fax: +44(0)1480 431767 http://www.wharfedale.co.uk
IAG reserves the right to alter the design and specifications without notice. All rights reserved IAG Group Ltd.
Wharfedale is a member of the International Audio Group. CODE: WH12-BR0003
