B&W 686 S2 vs Whalfdale Diamond 220

Hi all,

I am split between these two options:
Cheaper setupYahama R-N301 + Whalfdale diamond 220 = £419 More Expensive setupYahama R-N301 + B&W 686 S2 = £568 1)Are the B&W speakers worth the extra money or should I just stick with the whalfdale ones? 2) should I just ditch both ideas and go for the Bose companion 50 standalone speakers or would there be a considerable drop in audio quality compared to the hifi speakers. 3) any other speaker suggestions? I would like to keep the yahama receiver due to its network features sorry about the formatting
 

Paulq

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Tom Govan said:
Hi all,

I am split between these two options:

Cheaper setup Yahama R-N301 + Whalfdale diamond 220 = £419 More Expensive setup Yahama R-N301 + B&W 686 S2 = £568 1)Are the B&W speakers worth the extra money or should I just stick with the whalfdale ones? 2) should I just ditch both ideas and go for the Bose companion 50 standalone speakers or would there be a considerable drop in audio quality compared to the hifi speakers. 3) any other speaker suggestions? I would like to keep the yahama receiver due to its network features sorry about the formatting

You're asking the wrong question really. There's no 'better' or 'worse' at any price point. The only comparator to use when choosing components is how they sound to you. Both are 'good' speakers and opinions on a forum will always be split about which are 'best'; usually on account of what people own or brand loyalty.

Trust me, and this is intended to help you rather than sound difficult, but go and spend an hour in a shop (or shops) and listen to a playlist that you create of your own music. Your ears will decide for you.

I have recently spent around 6 hours deciding which spealers to buy. My ears were the judge in the end.

Best of luck with whatever you get in the end and please let us know.
 

Paulq

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Dec 2, 2007
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Tom Govan said:
Thanks for the advice. I guess your right in that sense because people have different preferences. I shall visit a store then. If the choice was down to you which ones would you buy?

I have a set of 686's as part of my TV system. That's a big clue.

However, the Wharfedale's are also an excellent speaker so go and have a squiz at them. All you have to lose is time and most hi fi dealers will make you a brew *good*
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
Well, I have some Wharfedale Diamond 220s for sale at the moment for £160 on Gumtree, as new condition. As you might have guessed, I'm not such a fan of the sound, which I find a bit smooth and lacking detail and excitement.

I heard the Dali Zensor 3s the other day, which I thinnk are in another league! They are physically quite a lot deeper, and rear-ported so they require quite a lot of space, and of course they're £300. Good luck with your quest.

By the way I have the Marantz m-cr 603 which is quite similar to your Yamaha.
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
Just to add, if the quality of the Yamaha is anything like the Marantz, you're in for a treat! These all in one systems are pretty amazing these days. Mine sounds amazing with CD and Mp3 ripped at a high bit rate of 320kbps. I haven't even tried the streaming capabilities yet. I also think that more money invested in better speakers is worth it. The amplifier is quite capable of exploiting higher level speakers!
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
At that sort of price I'd be looking at Q Acoustics 3020, Dali Zensor 1, and Dali Zensor 3, but I agree with the above comments about the need to audition. Of the two you suggest I'd go for the B&Ws myself - less coloured than the Wharfedales.

If you can find some Rega RS1s on end-of-line sale, ex-demo, or 2nd hand, they are a fabulous speaker if you like a neutral and natural sound.
 

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