In this review, we will be comparing Diamond 12.3 and Diamond 12.4, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Wharfedale.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 and Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 | Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 |
|---|
| Brand | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | 1" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5" Mica-infused polypropylene | 2 x 6.5" Mica-infused polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 45-20k Hz | 40-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-150 watts | 30-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 19.50kg / 42.9lbs | 22.40kg / 49.3lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 45-1/2" x 8" x 15-1/4"
1156.0 x 200.0 x 388.0mm |
|---|
Diamond 12.3 and Diamond 12.4 are members of Wharfedale's Diamond 12 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Wharfedale Diamond 12 Series
History
What size room are the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 and Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 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 |
Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 |
| 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
Both Diamond 12.3 and Diamond 12.4 are 2-way speakers.
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3Wharfedale Diamond 12.4
TweeterWoofer
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 |
Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5-inch
|
2 x 6.5-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 Diamond 12.4 features a 1" Textile Soft-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Mica-infused polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
Diamond 12.3 has a frequency range of 45-20k Hz whereas Diamond 12.4 has a frequency range of 40-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the Diamond 12.4 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 Diamond 12.4 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 Diamond 12.4's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 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.
Diamond 12.4 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Diamond 12.3 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Diamond 12.4.
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
Both Diamond 12.3 and Diamond 12.4 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Diamond 12.3 and Diamond 12.4 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 Wharfedale Diamond 12.4'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 Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 has external dimensions of 1156.0 x 200.0 x 388.0mm (45-1/2 x 8 x 15-1/4inch).
Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 20mm wider, 171mm taller and 26mm deeper than Wharfedale Diamond 12.3.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 and Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 and Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 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 Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 is approximately 776.0cm2 / 120.3inch2. The Diamond 12.3 requires 16% less surface area than the Diamond 12.4 which gives it a small advantage 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 Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 weighs 22.40kg / 49.3lbs. This makes the Diamond 12.4 15% heavier than the Diamond 12.3.
Here is a comparison of how Diamond 12.3 and Diamond 12.4'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 Wharfedale Diamond 12.4?
Here are the items that come with the Diamond 12.4:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet (w/ locking collars)
- 2 Jumper-bars (pre-installed)
- 4 Isolation pucks
- Users Manual
 Height |
985mm
vs
1156mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
651cm2
vs
776cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
998USD
vs
1298USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
200 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
89 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
40 Hz
vs
45 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
| General |
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 |
Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 |
| Brand |
Wharfedale |
Wharfedale |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-150 watts |
30-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
89 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
5 ohms |
5 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
45-20k Hz |
40-20k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Mica-infused polypropylene |
Mica-infused polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
2200Hz |
2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
985.0mm (38.8") |
1156.0mm (45.5") |
| Width |
180.0mm (7.1") |
200.0mm (7.9") |
| Depth |
362.0mm (14.3") |
388.0mm (15.3") |
| Weight |
19.50kg (42.9lbs) |
22.40kg (49.3lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Black, Oak, Walnut |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
Siblings in Wharfedale's Diamond 12 series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 digs deeper - 40Hz against 45Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | B | Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 takes more power (200W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 is easier to place; Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Wharfedale Diamond 12.3: bi-amping; Wharfedale Diamond 12.4: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 is cheaper - $998 against $1,298, about 23% less. |
A Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 B Wharfedale Diamond 12.4
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?
The usual trade-off: Wharfedale Diamond 12.4 measures better, Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 costs about about 30% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. 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.
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.