The Article

DIAMOND 12.1i SPEAKERS FROM WHARFEDALE

6th April 2026

The Series 12 line of Wharfedale speakers has been refreshed to 12i standard. But how do they fare with the competition? Paul Rigby gets eye to ‘i’ with the 12.1i

Out of the 12i range, why did I choose the 12.1i to review? Partly the price. Money is tight right now and buyers are increasingly looking for value. I also wanted to have a measure of performance which is why I didn’t choose the 12.0i.

The Diamond 12 series has been around since 2020 but this new iteration of the 12.1, the 12.1i is remarkable in that the price has not changed. And that price is £249 in the UK.

The Diamond 12i Series offers a new selection of finishes: Deep Black, Stone Grey and Classic Walnut.

Wharfedale’s Director of Acoustic Design Peter Comeau has also improved the bass port tuning and airflow control plus revised internal damping while other components in the design are now manufactured in a different way, apparently employing finer tolerances.

In broad terms, the 8 Ohm 12.1i features a 25mm fabric dome tweeter, a 130mm Klarity mid/bass unit set in a cabinet spanning 312 x 180 x 250mm and weighing 6.8kg each with a pair of binding posts on the rear along with that improved bass port.

The speakers provide a 88db sensitivity which is not bad at all for a pair of stand-mounted speakers. As such, you will only need a 20W amplifier or greater to get these designs working properly.

But how do they sound? Let’s have a little listen.

SOUND QUALITY

In software terms? I still had the self-titled CD album from Seal to hand so used that plus the vinyl edition of Stereolab’s Peng!

Home on the range

To begin the review, I grabbed a pair of Q Acoustics 3020i speakers which are even cheaper at £199 but have always been a favourite of mine for their balanced and detailed output.

VS Q ACOUSTICS 3020i

Even so, I felt that the 12.1i speakers had a real confidence in the lower frequencies with a greater focus and weight to the bass and a solid presence in and around the stereo image offering a better foundation than the 3020i speakers.

Upper frequencies also offered better control, detail and discipline with more precision and a balance from the vocal and a better tonal accuracy from guitars and synths.

VS WHARFEDALE EVO 1

I wanted to see how the 12.1i speakers fared with more expensive Wharfedale speakers. In this case the EVO 1 stand mounts at almost twice the price. The EVO 1 should be far superior but, if so, in what way and by how much?

And yes the EVO 1 speakers do sound superior with a weightier bass from the larger cabinet, superb detail from the AMT tweeter and extra tonal realism and complexity but the improvements over the 12.1i, while obvious, are not that far ahead. You can see where the 12.1i is coming from. The 12.1i and EVO 1 speakers sound like Peter Comeau creations. You can hear the same frame of references and the same sound design. The 12.1i speakers are just lower cost and use a lower build budget. As it should be.

Finally then, how do the 12.1i speakers sound against a direct competitor. In this case, the Dali Kupid stand mounts, only reviewed last week.

VS DALI KUPID

Well the Kupids are more flexible in positioning terms because they occupy a smaller footprint. Not that the 12.1is are overly large, by any means.

The 12.1i speakers look more mature, more adult, more grown up in build and styling terms. Then again, the Kupids arrive in both fun and funky colours and more sober finishes as a contrast.

The 12.1i speakers are easier to drive with their enhanced sensitivity and easier to match in terms of other HiFi components. They only need a 20W amplifier to run properly, for example. The Kupids need a 40W amplifier.

In sound terms, which is better? Errr, yes! It depends! Both offer excellent upper mid and treble performance but the Kupids provide a more open, neutral and extended reach in this area. The 12.1i speakers are better disciplined and structured across all frequencies, with a classic presentation familiar to HiFi users. The Kupids do offer more midrange insight, though.

Despite the excellent bass response from the Kupids, the 12.1i designs provide better bass impact and deeper, more solid lower frequencies. The Kupids give a bouncy, funky bass but the 12.1i speakers offer greater precision.

Decide what part of the sound envelope is most important to you but be aware, we are talking degrees of change here, both speaker designs sound positively wonderful.

CONCLUSION

To my mind, the Wharfedale Diamonds provide a superb sound and a classic design presentation that offers both modernity and nostalgic elements in both visual and sound terms.

Offering brilliant value for money, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i speakers are little treasures and, above all, show once again the amazing sound quality you can access from today’s budget speakers for not much money at all.

WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 12.1i SPEAKERS

Price: £249

BUY HERE…

UK: https://amzn.to/3O7WfdR

Website: www.wharfedale.co.uk

GOOD: classic design lines, bass impact, build quality, sonic discipline

BAD: nothing