Loose bass on the Diamond 10.1; how to fix?

[admin_exported]

Hi,

As a satisfied owner of the Wharfedale Diamond 9.1, I decided to check out the recently launched 10.1. They sounded good to my ears with solid improvements in transparency and tonal texture.

However, I noticed one BIG flaw… the rear bass ports and improper
positioning with respect to the rear wall might have something to do
with this…. But bass was loose, boom-y and definitely not neutral. Also
the timing seemed a bit off, especially with the bass notes and
transients weren’t 100% natural…

my AKG K701 has jaw-dropping timing and my expectations were pretty high….

So I was a little disappointed, considering the fact that the Diamond 9.1 seemed to have better timing and more neutral bass. Any comments… ?

 

[Simon Lucas]

The Diamond 10.1is get a First Test in the September issue (on sale July 29th).

 

[Anonymous]

Simon Lucas:The Diamond 10.1is get a First Test in the September issue (on sale July 29th).

Hi Simon... thanks for your reply.. I read What Hifi(India Edition) regularly. Is the review going to be published in the next month's issue? Did any of you guys notice these bass issues on the Diamond 10.1.. I can't wait for the review, share some hints!

 

[Anonymous]

Buzz Simon!

Could you answer my query?

 

[Anonymous]

ANyone test the 10.4 , When can we expect a proffesional review on them

 

[Anonymous]

I believe 10.1 is the only launched model for the moment, am I wrong?

 

[Anonymous]

Now that the review of the Diamond 10.1 is out, do people here agree with the reviewer's comments? Anybody got tight bass from the 10.1 and how?

 

[Simon Lucas]

We used our 10.1s both hard against a rear wall and out in plenty of free space. There's no doubt the bottom end suffers a little when the speakers are placed close to a wall, but at no point did they sound ill-controlled or flabby. It's possible to make the bass even tighter with the use of port bungs, but the trade-off is a slight inhibition of the low frequency extension.

We've got a pair of Diamond 10.3 floorstanders awaiting testing, and the Diamond 10 HCP 5.1 system gets a First Test in the November issue.

 

[Anonymous]

Simon Lucas:
We used our 10.1s both hard against a rear wall and out in plenty of free space. There's no doubt the bottom end suffers a little when the speakers are placed close to a wall, but at no point did they sound ill-controlled or flabby. It's possible to make the bass even tighter with the use of port bungs, but the trade-off is a slight inhibition of the low frequency extension.

We've got a pair of Diamond 10.3 floorstanders awaiting testing, and the Diamond 10 HCP 5.1 system gets a First Test in the November issue.

Thanks Simon for your inputs!

Sorry to bother you again... but could you kindly answer the following queries?

1) It's good to hear that, in your listening room, a little distance from the rear wall tightens the Diamond 10.1's bass.

But how much is the optimal distance in feet/cm (both from rear and side walls) I have the 9.1 and their low end is very tight, although my AKG K701 is even tighter.

2) You spoke of the Soundstyle Z2 stands, but what is available is Wharfedale's own stand. (glassy look) How are the stock Wharfedale stands?

3) Does length of cable affect tightness of presentation and timing?

Question 1 is of particular significance to me, as my room is pretty small. Answer 2 & 3 when you are not busy.

Thanks in advance.

Bhanja.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello Simon,

Could you please answer my queries in the last post? I eagerly await a response from your end.

 

[Anonymous]

bhanja_trinanjan:Simon Lucas:
We used our 10.1s both hard against a rear wall and out in plenty of free space. There's no doubt the bottom end suffers a little when the speakers are placed close to a wall, but at no point did they sound ill-controlled or flabby. It's possible to make the bass even tighter with the use of port bungs, but the trade-off is a slight inhibition of the low frequency extension.

We've got a pair of Diamond 10.3 floorstanders awaiting testing, and the Diamond 10 HCP 5.1 system gets a First Test in the November issue.

Thanks Simon for your inputs!

Sorry to bother you again... but could you kindly answer the following queries?

1) It's good to hear that, in your listening room, a little distance from the rear wall tightens the Diamond 10.1's bass.

But how much is the optimal distance in feet/cm (both from rear and side walls) I have the 9.1 and their low end is very tight, although my AKG K701 is even tighter.

2) You spoke of the Soundstyle Z2 stands, but what is available is Wharfedale's own stand. (glassy look) How are the stock Wharfedale stands?

3) Does length of cable affect tightness of presentation and timing?

Question 1 is of particular significance to me, as my room is pretty small. Answer 2 & 3 when you are not busy.

Thanks in advance.

Bhanja.



Buzz Simon.. sorry to bug you but could you kindly clarify on the above?

Other opinions too invited!

 

[Craig M.]

the answer to q.1 is wherever sounds best to you. every room has different acoustics, so what works in one room won't necessarily work in another.

as to your other questions, haven't heard either of your stand choices, but stands can have quite an effect on the sound. it may help you to get the heaviest stands you can that are 'mass loadable', fill them with sand or whatever, and this should help keep the bass tight.

in a small room the length of your speaker cable shouldn't have any noticeable impact on the sound, just try to keep them similar lengths.

 

[Simon Lucas]

bhanja_trinanjan:could you kindly answer the following queries?

1) It's good to hear that, in your listening room, a little distance from the rear wall tightens the Diamond 10.1's bass.

But how much is the optimal distance in feet/cm (both from rear and side walls) I have the 9.1 and their low end is very tight, although my AKG K701 is even tighter.

2) You spoke of the Soundstyle Z2 stands, but what is available is Wharfedale's own stand. (glassy look) How are the stock Wharfedale stands?

3) Does length of cable affect tightness of presentation and timing?

Question 1 is of particular significance to me, as my room is pretty small. Answer 2 & 3 when you are not busy.

Thanks in advance.

1) In our listening rooms (both acoustically treated and not) the 10.1s were happiest no closer than a couple of feet to the back wall. Any closer can bring a bit of bloom - and consequently a slight lack of definition - to the low frequencies. The same is true for the side walls - few speakers relish being 'cornered' on two planes.

2) We haven't heard any Wharfedale speaker stands, unfortunately. The Wharfedale brand crops up on all sorts of things these days - budget LCD TVs, for instance.

3) Unless you're talking about a really, really long length of cable then no, not in any meaningful way. More important you look out for substantial differences in the two lengths of cable you're using, as gross differences can impact on performance a little.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot, Simon! That explains everything really well.

Your observations mirror mine. I heard the Diamond 10.1 in a showroom where they were placed on top of other speakers and the clearance from the side and rear walls wasn't enough. I played a Beethoven Violin Concerto SACD (Ann Sophie Mutter on the violin). The orchestral peak was a smeary mid-bass boom and that shocked me.

The bass boom was trailing the music and seemed to "chase" the rest of the spectrum. Timing suffered as a consequence and the rhythmic drive of Brahms' Hungarian Dances was missing. (Naxos, Budapest Symphony Orchestra)

But the 10.1 had all the mid-range goodness of the 9.1 and more.

So, folks with small rooms and cramped spaces will be served better by the Diamond 9.1.

For those of us with the requisite space, the Diamond 10.1 will work.