For those putting together a budget hi-fi system, the Award-winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 floorstanders have long been our go-to recommendation.
Until now. They've now been replaced by the updated Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i, which we gave a full five stars to just over a week ago.
And these new Wharfedale floorstanders remain a class leader at this sub-£500 price, and are an excellent buy for hi-fi newbies or anyone shopping on a budget.
That price just got a little bit better, too. We may have only just reviewed them, but the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i are now down to £469 at Richer Sounds.
The 12.3i is the replacement of the original Wharfedale Diamond 12.3, which won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards over the years – including at our most recent ceremony – and remained the class leaders at their price until they ceased production last year.
The new Diamond 12.3i floorstanders have a rather tall order to live up to then. Luckily, they're more than up to the task, with a change of port and internal damping resulting in a more exciting and dramatic listen than the original 12.3.
"The new “i” models are certainly bigger and bolder-sounding. Play a dramatic piece of music, such as the Indiana Jones theme by John Williams, and there is no denying that these new Diamonds produce more dramatic results," our Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i review reads.
"Dynamic shifts are a little more vivid, with the new-gen model going from quiet to loud and back again with greater conviction. The bass also kicks harder and, perhaps surprisingly given the identical specifications, seemingly a little deeper," we said.
Like their predecessors, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i are reasonably sized for floorstanders at 97.5cm tall and just 18cm wide. They'll fit into most rooms without dominating and will benefit most from having space to breathe away from the wall.
The 12.3i also carries over a 2½ way design where the upper 13cm driver handles the midrange and bass, with the lower one adding a bit of muscle at the lowest frequencies. The cone material on the drivers is made of a mix of polypropylene and mica, for a nice balance of stiffness, damping and light weight.
The tweeter is an old favourite: a 25mm coated woven polyester soft dome that has appeared in various Diamond 12 models and has always impressed us with its detail and refinement.
If you're looking for reasonably-priced hi-fi floorstanders, the talented Wharfedale 12.3i are a superb buy. The build quality is top-notch for the relatively modest price tag, they're smooth and even-handed sonically, and now are an even better bargain with £30 off at Richer Sounds.
MORE:
Also consider the Dali Oberon 5
Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested
Bigger boxes and bad vibrations – why floorstanding speakers can be tricky to build
