Wharfedale Diamond 225 bookshelf speakers

These demo speakers are in good working and cosmetic condition. One is missing two rubber feet.

Audiophile Performance and Build for a Budget Price: Featuring 6 1/2-Inch Woven Kevlar Cone Bass Drivers, the Wharfedale Diamond 225 Bookshelf Loudspeakers Sound Powerful, Big, and Dynamic

The Stereophile Product of the Year Award-winning Wharfedale Diamond 225 bookshelf loudspeaker is evidence that size does indeed matter – specially, when that size applies to a high-quality 6 1/2-inch woofer. While sharing many aspects in common with the award-winning Diamond 220, Diamond 225 boasts a larger woven Kevlar cone bass driver and more cabinet volume than its closest sibling, resulting in seriously significant sonic improvements that extend from better bass extension to enhanced frequency response. The two-way Diamond 225 reaches to 40Hz and touts a range of 45Hz to 20kHz all the while adding only 1.5 inches to its height, .87 inches to the width, and less than 1.4 inches to its depth when compared to Diamond 220. Better still, Diamond 225 touts all the characteristics that has made the Diamond Series one of the greatest values in audio. We're talking balanced dispersion, stellar proportionality, and see-through transparency – and sound that is much, much bigger and more powerful than its compact size would otherwise indicate.

How does Diamond 225 deliver such unstinting performance for such a nominal cost? For starters, upgraded construction materials, fine-tuned crossovers, a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter, and a slot-loaded port that allows Diamond 225 to be placed as close as two feet from a wall and continue to operate at optimal potential. Most speakers can't offer this flexibility and fizzle at such a distance. Able to mate with practically any mid- and high-powered amplifier, Diamond 225 plays with wonderful openness, rapturous accuracy, assured control, and natural tonality. No matter what styles of music you love, Diamond 225 is guaranteed to elevate your enjoyment and engagement better than any other speaker in its price class. Literally.

“Cool-headed, ready to rumble, and ready to dance, the Wharfedale Diamond 225 stand-mounted loudspeaker strikes a good balance between studio-monitor precision and living-room bookshelf ease.”
—Ken Micallef, Stereophile, June 2017

"Forget the Diamond 225's price. This humble wooden box is actually a connoisseur-level audio component. It could satisfy any sane music collector for decades."
–Herb Reichart, Stereophile, March 2017

“It’s easy—easy to afford, easy to install, easy to drive, and with its apparently low distortion and a frequency range absurdly wide for its size, easy to enjoy.”
—Art Dudley, Stereophile, October 2017

Sandwich Construction Reduces Coloration and Cabinet Resonance
Ongoing research into new cabinet materials and loudspeaker drivers yields the foundation for Diamond 225, which improves upon its predecessors in terms of design, construction, execution, and aesthetics. Diamond 225 includes the latest acoustic technology to produce an involving listening experience that cannot be beat at this price point. Fieldwork and testing that resulted in the implementation of Crystalam (a substance that reduces the audibility of panel resonance and the ‘cabinet hear-through' that causes distinct coloration) in Wharfedale's flagship Jade Series has now been applied to the far less-expensive Diamond 225. In Diamond 225, a simpler combination of particleboard and MDF supplies similar reductions in coloration, damps annoying high-frequency resonances, and blocks internal sound leakage.

Provides Optimal Performance Even When Close to Walls: Great On- and Off-Axis Sound
Derived from Jade Series' Aperiodic bass-loading system, a slot-loaded distributed port created by the plinth exits the base of the speaker cabinet. It allows for greater freedom of speaker positioning, meaning Diamond 225 can be placed as close as two feet from a wall and still operate at peak potential. Most speakers cannot achieve this feat. The port also equalizes the air pressure to mimic the pressure inside the cabinet, permitting a smooth transition between the pressure variation in the cabinet and low-frequency sound developed in the room. Consequently, the energy transfer is increased, and overall system efficiency strengthened. Computer-assisted modeling and hundreds of hours of tests ensure each speaker is fine-tuned. The same process is employed to fine-tune the crossover, which betters the integration between the drive units and intensifies the musical realism. Music lovers will relish audiophile sound whether listening either on and off-axis.

Wholesale Upgrades Benefit Midrange, Coherency, and Transient Response 
Bass unit motor systems are also significantly refined. Increases in magnet sizes, where applicable, beget higher-sensitivity systems that both make the speakers easier to drive and boost transient acoustic power. Semi-elliptical break-up areas on the speakers' signature woven-Kevlar woofer smooth the response, while the cone edges are treated with a unique diamond-pattern molding. To further facilitate outstanding midrange response, Diamond 225's treble unit uses a sheer fabric dome and advanced ferrite magnet system surrounded by a carefully crafted waveguide. The latter smooths the transition between the midrange and tweeter in the crossover region, producing extremely coherent sound between the drivers.

What Every Diamond Needs: A Highly Polished Finish
Destined to elegantly blend into any room, Diamond 225 stylistically benefits from a new lacquered front baffle and cosmetically enhanced veneers. The simple, one-piece baffle that tops the hybrid cabinet material is lacquered to a highly polished finish that cosmetically matches the diamond-cut drive unit surrounds. In addition, the inner and outer layers of MDF allow for a superior finish to the cabinet veneers, enhancing the prior look available on Diamond 100 Series.

Wharfedale Diamond 200 Series: Continuing a Proud Audio Tradition
Wharfedale Diamond Series reigns as one of the most successful hi-fi loudspeaker lines in history, earning worldwide accommodates for delivering award-winning sound at prices everyone can afford. Since its debut in 1982, Diamond models have subscribed to the principle that stellar performance could – and should – be available at a cost that brings more listeners closer to the music they love. Adhering to that brilliant heritage, Diamond 200 Series reveals entirely new levels of musical detail and transient attack, drawing listeners into musical performances in emotionally compelling ways traditionally only expected from speakers that command much higher prices.