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Wharfedale - Reva/Diamond

Does anyone here have any experience with the Wharfedale Diamond 11 series or Reva series?

The Reva 3s and 4s looks fantastic.  They seem to have everything I want from a speaker.  Soft dome tweeter, full range, beautiful fit and finish (Walnut!) and the right price tag, but I can't find more than one or two reviews of them, and for the most part none of them were favorable.  I find this hard to believe.  I called the only two Wharfedale dealers around me and neither of them carry the Revas in stock for me to take a listen.  One did say that he actually liked the sound of the new Diamond 11 series better.  "More Refined" is how he put it. 

So this poses another problem for me...   Wharfedale seems to have a lot of speakers in the $1,000 to $2,000 range - Diamond 250, Diamond 11.5, Reva 3... All with woven polyglass woofers and soft dome tweeters. How different can they all be?


I currently own the Diamond 10.7s, but have grown tired of their fit and finish and loose, relaxed sound.  I am aiming to upgrade slightly to something with a soft dome tweeter, but hopefully a little more airy, something that will reach a little higher than the 10.7s.  I hope to gain tighter, more precise low end and of course a nicer look as well. 

So..  How to those Revas sound?


10000_hz_legend
10000_hz_legend OP
65 posts
 
To reiterate...

If there are almost no reviews for a speaker, and the little amount said about them is rather negative, does that mean its Sh!t?  Especially if they LOOK fantastic.

kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
I'm sitting here listening to a pair of Focal 936's. They have 4 F cone 6.5" drivers and cost $4000. The Focal Kanta No.2 has 3 F cone drivers and costs 250% more. You can be sure they sound much better. The only difference between the drivers is a tuned rubber surround and a copper ring in the motor. Little things can make meaningful differences. The 936's are also a great value. 
I'm not all that familiar with Wharfdale, but the few times I've heard them they didn't leave any sort of memory. I'm an imaging whore and if a speaker doesn't do that very well I keep walking. 
smrex13
423 posts
 
I have the Reva 2, and I really enjoy it.  I tend to like a very smooth, non-fatiguing sound, even at the expense of some detail.  As I read reviews, it seemed that Wharfedale's entry-level bookshelf speakers (Diamond 225, Reva 2, and the Denton) were all voiced in precisely that way.  After reading the positive review in Hi-Fi Choice (http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/files/HFC_412_InDepth_Wharfedale_Reprint.pdf) I decided to give them a shot.  I've been very pleased with them --  a relaxing listen with enough low end for my smaller room.  I like the slot-loaded port as the bass doesn't get boomy.  The soft-dome tweeter is very smooth and has cured the listening fatigue I was getting from other speakers.  

Just my two cents, 
Scott
smrex13
423 posts
 
Oh, and you can order the Revas through Music Direct with their 60-day return policy.
10000_hz_legend OP
65 posts
 
Glad to hear some positive feedback.  I might give them a shot, hopefully they are a step UP from my Diamond 10.7s and not sideways.  They look like a top notch speaker, so I hope they behave like them.  I am very bad at pulling the trigger, maybe I’ll get a few glasses of whiskey in me over the weekend and fire away through Music Direct.
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