The circumferential speed bump on the waveguide looks enough like a driver surround that you might, as I did, mistake the tweeter for a midrange driver.

Although on paper that doesn’t sound impressive, what I found remarkable was the deep waveguide in which the tweeter is recessed - a full 0.75” from the surface of the speaker.

The highs are covered by a 1” fabric-dome tweeter with a ferrite magnet. The Diamond 220’s drivers are evidence of some serious engineering at Wharfedale. When non-audiophile friends ask me to recommend a speaker, I typically point them to something of this size - they’re easy to accommodate in a room, and can usually produce enough bass that a subwoofer won’t be needed. It measures 12.25”H x 6.8”W x 10”D, a size ubiquitous among bookshelf speakers, and for good reason. The Diamond 220 is the larger of Wharfedale’s two Diamond 200 bookshelf models. I had never reviewed a Wharfedale speaker, and wondered if this $349 USD/pair model would uphold the high reputation established by its forebears.

The latest versions are the Diamond 200 models, and the subject of this review is the second smallest Diamond, the 220 bookshelf model. This line has gone through many iterations over the years, with continual improvement accompanied by consistent critical acclaim. The design team remains in Britain.Īlthough Wharfedale’s speaker line spans a wide range of prices, the budget Diamond models are what have earned Wharfedale headlines since 1981. Today, like other top-notch speaker companies such as Paradigm and Focal, Wharfedale still makes its own drivers and components rather than buying them from a third party, but now builds its speakers in China rather than the UK. Over the years, Wharfedale has changed hands, and since 1996 has been part of the International Audio Group (IAG), which also owns Mission, Quad, and Luxman, among others. Founder Gilbert Briggs began making speakers in 1932, at his home in the valley of the River Wharfe, in an area of the beautiful Yorkshire countryside commonly known as Wharfedale. The British firm Wharfedale is one of the oldest names in loudspeakers. Note: Measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.

2018-2019 EISA Awards Video Introduction.

Diamond dimensions 220