Finally, I can recommend a Black Friday deal on the speakers that I actually own

Wharfedale Diamond 220 speakers against white background

(Image credit: Future)

If, like me, you’re a sucker for building a good-sounding hi-fi system on a budget, you might be looking at older products for a proper bargain. In which case, there's a fair chance you've come across the Wharfedale Diamond 220 speakers.

These standmount speakers have been around for a long while now, getting five stars and taking home the What Hi-Fi? Award for best stereo speaker under £200, way back in 2014.

And I should know – these are the speakers I own.

When I purchased them, I was looking to upgrade from the Wharfedale Diamond 9, so began researching online and eventually came across What Hi-Fi?’s original review of the Diamond 220. The review convinced me to pull the trigger – and they’ve been worth every penny.

So, if you’re looking for your first set of bookshelf speakers or you’re building a budget hi-fi system, I’d invite you to check out this deal and come and join me in the (un)official Wharfedale Diamond 220 fan club.

Like some other Wharfedale speakers from this period, the Wharfedale Diamond 220 standmount speakers feature a layered cabinet construction. Chipboard is sandwiched between two thin layers of MDF, while vinyl is glued onto the latter for a neat, ripple-free finish.

The chipboard/MDF combination also dampens resonances, so you hear more of the speaker’s drive units and less of the cabinets. In the case of these stereo speakers, they are powered by a 13cm woven Kevlar mid/bass driver working in conjunction with a 25mm soft dome tweeter. They can also be bi-wired, should you want to.

When cranking a CD of High Contrast’s High Society, for instance, there is an initial inclination to want more bass, but I soon realise this is down to the nature of the music rather than a limitation of the speakers. There is ample low-end resolution there already and it sounds controlled and punchy, while adding more would harm one of the Wharfedale’s best sonic qualities: how well balanced they are.

They handle the low, mid and high frequencies with equal gusto, which becomes more evident after swapping out High Contrast for Free’s Fire and Water. Andy Fraser’s bass is deep but not muddy, Simon Kirke’s drums snap and pop as they should do, and Paul Kossoff’s guitar has just the right amount of grit.

In our original 2014 review, we said: “Stereo imaging is good too, nicely projected and layered. The good news continues where integration is concerned, with everything tying together into a seamless whole.”

While there are newer Wharfedale speaker models available at a discount for Black Friday, I couldn’t not highlight this deal for the Diamond 220.

They’ve been very good to me over the past few years, and in my opinion, still deliver a great sound considering their affordability. For the budget price, you can’t go wrong with them.

Check the Wharfedale Diamond 220 out now for £169 at Richer Sounds or on Amazon.

MORE:

I’ve picked my favourite affordable hi-fi components to create a Black Friday hi-fi system for vinyl and CDs

Check out our list of the top Black Friday deals under £100

How to avoid bad hi-fi and home cinema deals this Black Friday – top tips and tricks from our review team

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James Cook is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi?. He spent several years writing for various business publications, before completing a National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma in Journalism. Outside of work, James spends his time playing bass guitar, watching TV and motivating himself to keep fit, often unsuccessfully.

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