[sidewinder]

My setup: Marantz PM8000, Wharfedale Diamond 10.2, LG W2486 LED, HTPC with Asus Xonar Essence STX.
 

 

 

 

[Draca]

^ Love that set-up. Really interesting to see someone go the passive route for near-field speakers. You don't see that very often but boy, those Wharfedales are a pretty good choice. Heard good things about the Marantz as well. Love the DVD (?) collection as well.

 

[sidewinder]

It's mainly Bluray. My source is the LG Bluray/DVD-player for pc.
 
The Marantz was launched in 1999 if I recall correctly, and it's a pretty good amp, even to this day. It even supports Class A. I've always prefered the warm Marantz sound in combination with Wharfedale's more analytical and transparant sound. They even each other out somehow.
 
It's a great step u from computer 2.1 sets like the Altec Lansing FX6021 and Harman/Kardon Soundsticks II, which I've owned in the past. The biggest gain is just the sheer volume of course, along with proper open sound you don't get from smaller all-in-one speakers. Sound quality itself is not so much ahead, but there is quite a noticable difference between good MP3-rips and lossless audio. With the Altec of Harman Kardon, it wasn't very audible. But I bet the Asus Xonar has something to do with that as well.
 
Overall, I'm very pleased, especially the value for money. I got the amp for $250, and that's good value considering the Marantz PM6003 (which I had in mind primarly) costs more and has less power output. The PM8000 is over 10 years old, but we all know that if well manufactured they can last for a long time. The 10.2's cost me $350, that's also a fair deal considering the suggested retail price of over $450.

 

[Achua]

sorry,
double post

 

[brandnewgame]

You guys never fail to impress me 

 

[revolink24]

A couple of minor changes recently.
 

 
Not really looking forward to bringing this to college.

 

[jjsoviet]

Quote:

The 10.2's cost me $350, that's also a fair deal considering the suggested retail price of over $450.

Nice setup, I'm also looking for good bookshelf speakers. Do you recommend the budget Wharfedale ones for under $150?

 

[gorb]

Quote:

A couple of minor changes recently.
 
 
Not really looking forward to bringing this to college.

 
Nice mess

 

[sidewinder]

Quote:

Nice setup, I'm also looking for good bookshelf speakers. Do you recommend the budget Wharfedale ones for under $150?

I have the Diamond 9.0 at home, and they are placed in standard room, about 12 feet apart (unlike my desktop) and they sound very good considering their size. I've compared them to some standard Philips speakers which came with a 'hifi' setup (receiver, amp, cd-player all in one), and even though they are only have the size, the Wharfedale's beat them hands down. The buildquality and level of craftsmanship is excellent considering their price. They have the same airy feeling like my 10.2's. The only difference really is the bass impact, which is to be expected. 165mm versus 100mm. The new Diamond 10 range has some improvements, they've taken aspects from their higher-end range. But overall the Diamond 9 sereis sounds pretty much like the Diamond 10. I hope that answers your question.
 
For a desktop setup, I'd recommend the 10.0 or 10.1 because they are wall mountable (the 10.2 isn't, much to my mistake). I don't think you'd miss much in terms of bass really. I just wanted their biggest model to be future proof. For larger rooms while sitting in a couch and like 10 feet away, I'd get at least the 10.1. Though in terms of transparancy and reveiling detail or layers of music, they are equal. You just get a heavier feel to the sound with a larger driver obviously.

 

[jjsoviet]

^ Thanks, Sidewinder. I was thinking of upgrading my M-Audio AV30's when the time comes. My table is big enough to fit full-size bookshelf speakers, so size isn't an issue for me.
 
PS: How do I connect the Diamonds, if there are 4 inputs in total? I'm confused. @_@

 

[gorb]

if you're talking about what i think you're talking about, the additional binding posts are for biamping which isn't necessary but not a bad thing to do and the manual should tell you which ones to connect the speaker wire to if you aren't biamping
 
but if you aren't talking about that then ignore what i just typed

 

[jjsoviet]

Quote:

if you're talking about what i think you're talking about, the additional binding posts are for biamping which isn't necessary but not a bad thing to do and the manual should tell you which ones to connect the speaker wire to if you aren't biamping
 
but if you aren't talking about that then ignore what i just typed

That's the one I was talking about, thanks. How about the RCA and power connections, where are they located? All I see are the binding posts.
 

 

[sidewinder]

The double binding posts are for bi-wiring of bi-amping, that means you seperate the highs and lows with their own cable. It should reduce interference, but that's up for debate. Bi-wiring just seperates the signals, while bi-amping lets you connect two amplifiers instead of one. Bi-amping seems to give better results. But I wouldn't worry about that.
 
The speakers themselves have screw-type binding posts, which give the best contact possible. You take a piece of bare wire, twist it,  put it in the hole and screw it tightly. You then hook up that speaker cable to your dedicated amp, which by itself lets you connect it via RCA, HDMI, S/PDIF, whatever to your source.
 
Just so you know, these are passive speakers, they have no internal amplification whatsoever. They draw power from your standalone amplifier.

 

[Draca]

If you're unsure about the amplifier to pair with the Wharfdale 10.x series, the Marantz PM6003 is a great pairing, it won What Hifi's 2009 award for best amplifier under 500 pounds, and comes in at 250 quid - so quite a good price.

 

[jjsoviet]

Quote:

If you're unsure about the amplifier to pair with the Wharfdale 10.x series, the Marantz PM6003 is a great pairing, it won What Hifi's 2009 award for best amplifier under 500 pounds, and comes in at 250 quid - so quite a good price.

Woah, bit pricey at the moment. Maybe I'll  stick to my powered ones until I get more green for an integrated amp and a good pair of passives. Thank you all though, I am considering an upgrade within the next few years or so.