Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i HCP review

Wharfedale’s Diamond 12 range of speakers has been a long-standing hit in our hi-fi and home cinema testing rooms. The stereo speakers have been showered with five-star reviews and have been bestowed countless Awards since they launched back in 2020.

Six years on, Wharfedale has revised the range with the new Diamond 12i series. While the 12.3i floorstanders have set the bar high with a five-star review, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new range in our AV testing space.

Thankfully, the wait is over, as we now have the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i HCP system hooked up to our reference AV amplifier, primed for testing.

This package combines two pairs of Diamond 12.1i standmount speakers with the 12.1Ci centre channel, and the same SW10 subwoofer found on the existing Diamond 12 home cinema packages.

Wharfedale has highlighted some minor tweaks to the tuning of the speakers and a few new finishes, so it’s not a radical departure from the existing Award-winning systems, but that might not be a bad thing.

Price

At £999 in the UK, the Diamond 12.1i HCP is conveniently sold as a complete package at various hi-fi and AV retailers. Buying this set as a full package also nets you a decent discount, as the total cost of these speakers bought separately is £1126.

The package doesn’t appear to be sold as a pre-assembled bundle in Australia, but buying the separate components comes to a total of AU$3300. Breaking that down, that’s AU$700 per pair of Diamond 12.1i (you’ll need two pairs), AU$700 for the 12.1Ci, and AU$1200 for the SW 10 subwoofer.

Unfortunately, it’s currently bad news for our American friends, as the centre channel doesn’t currently seem to be available across the pond. While the 12.1i speakers and SW 10 subwoofer are on the market, the crucial 12.1Ci is the missing piece to this 5.1 puzzle.

Impressively, Wharfedale has managed to dodge a price rise here in the UK, as the 12.1i HCP has launched at the same price as its 12.1 HCP predecessor. That said, the previous system launched at AU$2423, so that’s a substantial price increase Down Under.

It’s important to note that you’ll need to factor in the price of stands for this package, as the front and surround speakers are standmounts. For those who prefer floorstanders, you can swap the fronts for the 12.3i speakers, but we have a separate review of that system coming soon.

Build

The 12.1i HCP looks practically identical to the outgoing 12.1 HCP, with the main components – SW 10 notwithstanding, as it is literally the same subwoofer – all bearing strong resemblances to their 2020 counterparts.

In fact, this system has the same dimensions as its predecessor. The 12.1i measures 31 x 18 x 28cm (hwd), the 12.1Ci measures 18 x 48 x 28cm (hwd), and the SW 10 is 42 x 34 x 38cm (hwd).

The biggest difference is that Wharfedale has swapped the two-tone design, which paired a glossy baffle with a wood-grain vinyl finish on the sides, for a smoother finish on two of the available colours; those being All-black and Stone Grey. For fans of the original look, the Walnut finish pairs a wooden surround with a contrasting matte black baffle.

Our review unit sports the Stone Grey finish, which has divided opinion among the team. While some praise the minimalist, clean look that helps it blend into more living rooms, others feel the flat grey looks a bit unfinished and plain. Looks are, at the end of the day, subjective, and we appreciate that there are multiple colours to choose from.

The 12.1i front and surround speakers feature a two-way bass reflex design, whereas the centre channel sports a two-way closed box enclosure. The cabinets are constructed from wood fibre board of varying thickness, and they are assembled in a way that minimises sound interference from the cabinet itself in the pursuit of greater sonic purity.

These components also feature Wharfedale’s Intelligent Spot Bracing. This sees a wooden brace connect opposing walls in such a way that minimises resonance.

Features

Wharfedale has paid special attention to how these revised speakers present low frequencies.

This comes in the form of a new bass port, which has been redesigned with upgraded internal damping and tuned to support “improved bass clarity and control”. In theory, the 12.1i and 12.1Ci should deliver more consistent, spacious bass with smoother transitions between midrange and low-end frequencies regardless of placement.

The drive units across the system are essentially unchanged from the previous generation, although Wharfedale highlights tighter production tolerances which should result in more consistent performance.

The 12.1i retain the 13cm mid/bass driver, which is constructed from Wharfedale’s Klarity material. This is a blend of polypropylene and mica, which the company says “provides excellent stiffness and low distortion”. Each mid/bass driver also features a precise magnet system with an aluminium compensation ring, which should facilitate a cleaner sound with less distortion.

High frequencies are handled by a 25mm woven polyester dome with a high-loss damping coating, which is paired with a subtle waveguide for enhanced dispersion. Wharfedale claims that this tweeter arrangement can produce “clear, natural high frequencies with excellent off-axis performance”.

Wharfedale keeps things simple with the 12.1Ci, as it retains the same drivers as the 12.1i, albeit in a slightly different configuration. It sandwiches the same tweeter between two 13cm mid/bass drivers; using the same drivers across the package should, in theory, result in greater sonic cohesion between the components.

The subwoofer rounds out the system and, as we’ve already established, it’s the same sub that accompanied the previous edition of this speaker package. The SW 10 features a 25cm front-firing long-throw driver and a claimed peak power output of 350W. You’ll find Stereo Line In (2 x RCA Phono) and Mono (LFE) Line In (RCA Phono) inputs on the rear.

Interestingly, the biggest difference in this iteration is that the speakers are now single-wired. The previous generation 12.1 speakers sported two sets of terminals for bi-wiring.

Sound

Wharfedale’s highly-commended 12.1 HCP system won five consecutive What Hi-Fi? Awards thanks to its stellar blend of value and sound performance; the latter being the most important. We’re therefore pleased to confirm that the 12.1i HCP excels in this area too.

We’ve hooked the system up to our reference Denon AVC-A1H home cinema amplifier – overkill for this package, we know, but for testing purposes this AV amp will allow us to directly pinpoint the strengths of this system – and attached our Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player.

Starting with Sinners, we’re immediately drawn into the conversation between Stack and Mary thanks to the 12.1Ci’s excellent handling of dialogue. There’s plenty of low-level dynamic variation and detail to be found here, which ensures the tense exchange carries plenty of emotional charge.

The ensuing medley that swoops and swirls throughout the bar sounds impressively musical and dynamic, aided by superb cohesion between all elements of the system. There are no noticeable gaps between the channels, which sells the effect of the music flowing around the room convincingly.

At first, we feel as though the front left and right speakers sound slightly lean, but moving them closer to the wall restores a touch of richness and warmth that mitigates this apparent leanness.

Moving on to Blade Runner 2049, we use the infamously tricky chapter two sequence to test bass. Aside from the same slight fuzz on two specific sound effects that has tripped up the majority of subwoofers we’ve tested of late, the SW 10 provides impressively deep and even bass.

This low-end builds consistently throughout the sequence too, underpinned by a sense of tonal variation that helps to enhance the drama and tension of the scene.

Following on from this, we’re impressed by how this package can capture the atmospheric effects of the dystopian Los Angeles streets as Officer K returns to his apartment block.

Despite this being a strictly 5.1 package – Wharfedale does sell the 12.3Di height speakers if you wish to expand the system – the 12.1i HCP manages to convey the height and spaciousness of the scene, including the overhead projected advertisements, to an impressive degree. The sound is dispersed without sacrificing accuracy or detail.

Rounding out our testing with Dune: Part One, we find that the worm attack sequence affirms our assessment of the package. Weight, scale, spaciousness and detail are all balanced delicately, with superb dynamics underpinning the whole experience. Voices remain wonderfully natural, and the thumping drums throughout the sequence are punchy and deep.

We struggle to find any real flaws in the sound, especially at this price.

Verdict

The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i HCP delivers a superbly immersive, detailed and grown-up sound. Its excellent sonic cohesion across the front and surround channels, mixed with an established and talented subwoofer, makes for yet another successful recipe from the brand.

Given Wharfedale's track record this may not come as a surprise, but we can still celebrate how truly fantastic this surround sound package is.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

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Read our review of the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 HCP

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