Hi-fi deal alert! The superb Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 speakers drop in price in the Black Friday sales

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 stereo speakers in walnut veneer finish on a wooden rack

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

The stellar Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 standmount speakers have dropped to £179 in Black Friday sales at both Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson – down from their usual £249 asking price.

This represents a solid £70 saving on a pair of speakers that have earned consistent praise and a coveted 2024 What Hi-Fi? Award – so this is a deal you don't want to miss out on if you're looking for highly-recommended budget speakers.

The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 speakers deliver a surprisingly bold and full-bodied presentation that sounds confident and composed in ways that evade most budget rivals, while topping that with a degree of refinement that punches well above their price bracket.

The two-way speakers feature a 13cm mid/bass driver made of polypropylene/mica composite cone material designed to offer an optimal balance between rigidity and damping. This is paired with a 25mm textile dome tweeter engineered for wide dispersion, smooth response and strong dynamics.

Supporting this is a carefully constructed cabinet that uses panels of differing MDF thicknesses bonded together to control resonances, combined with strategic internal bracing. The result is a rigid but well-controlled enclosure that allows the drivers to perform at their best without unwanted cabinet colouration.

In our listening tests, the Diamond 12.1s impressed with their ability to dig up substantial detail and organise it in a cohesive, musical manner. Low-level strands remained easy to follow, and the presentation stayed composed even when recordings became demanding. The speakers handled large-scale dynamics with reassuring authority, delivering more weight and scale than their modest dimensions suggest, though naturally they won't produce floor-shaking bass given their compact size.

Tonally, the Diamond 12.1s strike a careful balance – they're smooth and forgiving without losing bite, and while they'll reveal poor source material, they refuse to over-emphasise weaknesses in the way some budget speakers can. The soundstage proved expansive for the price point and remained stable even during complex passages.

The Diamond 12.1s also excel at compatibility, managing to be forgiving enough to work well with micro systems, while retaining sufficient transparency. This flexibility makes them particularly valuable at this price level, where partnering equipment can vary considerably in quality.

We noted in our review that the Elac Debut B5.2s offered slightly more transparency through the midrange and greater rhythmic snap, but the Wharfedales countered with a less analytical, more easy-going nature that will appeal to many listeners. The choice comes down to personal taste and partnering electronics – either way, you end up with a talented pair of speakers.

At their knockdown price of £179 at Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson, the Diamond 12.1s represent strong value for anyone looking to build or upgrade a budget hi-fi system. The £70 saving brings these accomplished standmounters to a very tempting price, making this an ideal opportunity to secure a five-star performer that remains highly competitive.

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Read our Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 review

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