In this review, we will be comparing Diamond 12.3 and Borea BR08, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Wharfedale and Triangle.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 and Triangle Borea BR08 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 | Triangle Borea BR08 |
|---|
| Brand | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 | Triangle
France · founded 1980 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | 1" Break_in |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5" Mica-infused polypropylene | 2 x 6" fiberglass |
|---|
| Frequency response | 45-20k Hz | 40 - 22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-150 watts | up to 150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 19.50kg / 42.9lbs | 18.85kg / 41.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 38-3/4" x 7-1/8" x 14-1/4"
985.0 x 180.0 x 362.0mm | 40.1" x 8.1" x 12.3"
1020.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 and Triangle Borea BR08 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 |
Triangle Borea BR08 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Diamond 12.3 is a 2-way design whereas the Borea BR08 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3Triangle Borea BR08
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 |
Triangle Borea BR08 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Diamond 12.3 features a 1" Textile Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5" Mica-infused polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2200Hz. On the other hand, the Borea BR08 features a 1" silk Break_in Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 6" fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 215Hz and 3500Hz.
Frequency Response
Diamond 12.3 has a frequency range of 45-20k Hz whereas Borea BR08 has a frequency range of 40 - 22k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the Borea BR08 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Diamond 12.3's min frequency of 45Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Diamond 12.3 and Borea BR08 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Diamond 12.3 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Borea BR08's is at 92 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Triangle Borea BR08 a more sensitive speaker compared to Wharfedale Diamond 12.3, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Both handle the same maximum of 150 watts RMS, though Diamond 12.3 is rated 30-150 watts and Borea BR08 up to 150 watts.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Diamond 12.3 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Borea BR08 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Triangle Borea BR08's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Diamond 12.3 has a rear firing port whereas Borea BR08 has a front firing ports. Triangle Borea BR08's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Wharfedale Diamond 12.3's and Triangle Borea BR08's external dimensions. Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 has external dimensions of 985.0 x 180.0 x 362.0mm (38-3/4 x 7-1/8 x 14-1/4inch) whereas Triangle Borea BR08 has external dimensions of 1020.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm (40.1 x 8.1 x 12.3inch).
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 is 26mm narrower and 35mm shorter than Triangle Borea BR08 but it is also 48mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 and Triangle Borea BR08 in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 and Triangle Borea BR08 Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 is approximately 651.6cm2 / 101.0inch2 and base area of the Triangle Borea BR08 is approximately 646.8cm2 / 100.3inch2. The Diamond 12.3 requires 1% more surface area than the Borea BR08 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 weighs 19.50kg / 42.9lbs and the Triangle Borea BR08 weighs 18.85kg / 41.5lbs. This makes the Diamond 12.3 3% heavier than the Borea BR08.
Here is a comparison of how Diamond 12.3 and Borea BR08's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Wharfedale Diamond 12.3?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Diamond 12.3:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet (w/ locking collars)
- 2 Jumper-bars (pre-installed)
- 4 Isolation pucks
- Users Manual
What's in the Box of Triangle Borea BR08?
Here are the items that come with the Borea BR08:
- 2 x Borea speakers
- 2 x protections grids
- 2 x pedestals
- 8 x screws
- 8 x adhesive rubber plots
- 8 x decoupling spikes
- 1 x user manual
 Minimum Impedance |
5 ohms
vs
3 ohms
|
Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
985mm
vs
1020mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
998USD
vs
1600USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
6 inches
vs
5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
40 Hz
vs
45 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
22k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Base Surface Area |
646cm2
vs
651cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 |
Triangle Borea BR08 |
| Brand |
Wharfedale |
Triangle |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-150 watts |
up to 150 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
92 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
5 ohms |
3 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
45-20k Hz |
40 - 22k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Mica-infused polypropylene |
fiberglass |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
Break_in |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
2200Hz |
215Hz and 3500Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
985.0mm (38.8") |
1020.0mm (40.2") |
| Width |
180.0mm (7.1") |
206.0mm (8.1") |
| Depth |
362.0mm (14.3") |
314.0mm (12.4") |
| Weight |
19.50kg (42.9lbs) |
18.85kg (41.5lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
n/a |
| Available Colors |
Black, Oak, Walnut |
Light Oak, Walnut, Black, White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Triangle Borea BR08 costs roughly 1.6x what Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Triangle Borea BR08 digs deeper - 40Hz against 45Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | Triangle Borea BR08 is more sensitive (92dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (150W vs 150W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | A | Wharfedale Diamond 12.3: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 is cheaper - $998 against $1,600, about 38% less; arguably a different class. |
A Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 B Triangle Borea BR08
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Triangle Borea BR08 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 60% more. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the Triangle Borea BR08 appeals to you. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 45Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 much easier to justify. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Triangle Borea BR08 is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.