Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs B&W 805S

Short answer: the Wharfedale Diamond 9.1. It ranks #79 of 100 bookshelf speakers by sound quality; the B&W 805S ranks #81.

On the Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 side: The first design was a pretty good sounding speaker. Set against that: All current new ones sold today are the crap version.

The case for the B&W 805S: Bass and dynamic performance are strong for the cabinet size, playing very loud with well-controlled bass distortion. The tradeoff: CEA2034 spinorama shows directivity breaking down badly starting around 1kHz and staying poor to 3kHz - a wide crossover-region flaw the reviewer called “clearly flawed execution” that leaves vocals sounding recessed.

Buy the Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the B&W 805S if the price matters more than sound quality.

If sound quality matters at all to you, skip both of these and look higher up the 100 bookshelf speakers instead.

Specifications Side By Side

Related Speaker Comparisons

More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:

• Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 vs Triangle Borea BR03
• Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 vs Klipsch RP-600M
• Sonus Faber Lumina II Amator vs Triangle Borea BR03
• Sonus Faber Lumina II Amator vs B&W 805S
• Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 vs B&W 805S

The Two Speakers In Full

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1: Discontinued

Pros: The first design was a pretty good sounding speaker, the speaker was then outsourced to China and lost 1.5kg and was made with cheap parts and sounds much worse. Slightly rolled off in the treble by about 3dB

Cons: All current new ones sold today are the crap version. Discontinued.

Full Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 review and specifications →

Dimensions	11.7"H x 7.6"W x 10.9"D (296.0 x 194.0 x 278.0 mm)
Discontinued	Yes
Drivers	6.5" Kevlar cone woofer, 1" soft dome tweeter
Impedance	6 ohms
Sensitivity	87dB
Weight	12.1 lbs / 5.5 kg (good version), 9.9 lbs / 4.5 kg (bad version) each
Woofer Cabinet	ported

As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • GR-Research: $4000 Revel VS $350 Wharfedale The Results Might Surprise You!
  • Hi-Fi World Warfedale’s Diamond 9.1 Review
  • Reddit Search for Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 Review
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs Klipsch RP-600M
  • Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs Triangle Borea BR03
  • Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs Sonus Faber Lumina II Amator
  • Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs KEF Q350
  • Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs Aperion Audio Verus V8B
  • Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs Triad In-Room Gold LCR
  • Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2
  • Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 vs Emotiva Airmotiv B2+
  • See all 11 comparisons

B&W 805S: $2500 Discontinued

Pros: Bass and dynamic performance are strong for the cabinet size, playing very loud with well-controlled bass distortion. Horizontal beamwidth stays reasonably smooth through -6dB. Build quality has enough of a “quality feel” that the reviewer said it kept the speaker from the lowest possible rating.

Cons: CEA2034 spinorama shows directivity breaking down badly starting around 1kHz and staying poor to 3kHz - a wide crossover-region flaw the reviewer called “clearly flawed execution” that leaves vocals sounding recessed and masked without EQ correction. A high 4kHz crossover point appears to leave the tweeter’s small sub-enclosure resonating audibly during playback. Discontinued, superseded by the 805 Diamond/805 D4 series. Discontinued.

Full B&W 805S review and specifications →

Bass Extension (-10dB)	62Hz (measured, Audio Science Review)
Bass Extension (-3dB)	80Hz (measured, Audio Science Review)
Dimensions	16.5H x 9.4W x 13.8D in
Discontinued	Yes
Drivers	1" aluminum dome tweeter, 6.5" woven Kevlar cone mid/bass
Frequency Response	49Hz - 22kHz +/-3dB (-6dB at 42Hz and 50kHz) (Manufacturer specified)
Impedance	8 ohms nominal (3.7 ohms minimum)
Power Handling	50-120W
Sensitivity	86.5dB (2.83V/1m, measured, Audio Science Review)
Weight	25.4 lbs / 11.5 kg each
Woofer Cabinet	ported, rear

As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.

• Links
  • Official B&W 805S Product Page
• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • Audio Science Review Measurements
  • Reddit Search for B&W 805S Review
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • B&W 805S vs Triangle Borea BR03
  • B&W 805S vs Aperion Audio Verus V8B
  • B&W 805S vs Klipsch RP-600M
  • B&W 805S vs Sonus Faber Lumina II Amator
  • B&W 805S vs KEF Q350
  • B&W 805S vs Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2