Wharfedale Diamond 12.4i Floorstanding Speaker

Wharfedale Diamond 12.4i Floorstanding Speaker 

The largest of the new diamond series , the 12.4i is a 2.5 way, bass reflex, floorstanding speaker. Using a 6.5" Klarity bass driver, 6.5" Klarity Midrange driver & a 1" textile dome tweeter. Offering a articulate, open sound stage with smooth detail and contolled bass. They pairing well with a wide varirty of amplifiers & can manage most music preferences. 

Wharfedale is excited to introduce the updated DIAMOND 12i Series. This new series features luxurious, modern finishes and subtle acoustic improvements that build on the strong foundation of the original design.

The DIAMOND 12 Series raised the bar in its category for sound quality, design, and musical engagement. Today, Wharfedale’s in-house team has further developed the series, focusing not on reinventing but on refining and improving.

The series now includes three beautiful new finishes that complement modern interiors: All-Black: A deep, rich semi-matte finish that offers a sleek, contemporary look—subtle and sophisticated. Classic Walnut with Semi-Matte Black Baffle: A timeless classic reimagined, blending the natural warmth of walnut with a clean, contrasting baffle for a premium appearance. Stone Grey: A striking modern option that suits minimalist styles and stands out.

Key Features

• Klarity™ Cone Technology
• 25mm Textile Dome Tweeter
• High-Quality Crossover
• Low-Resonance Cabinet
• Enhanced Bass Clarity
• User Manual

Along with the aesthetic upgrade, Wharfedale’s engineering team revisited the speaker’s internals, paying special attention to bass port tuning and airflow control. Small but significant changes to the port design and internal damping have improved bass clarity and low-frequency control—especially in real-world environments. Listeners will notice the difference.
A thorough port design effort led by Wharfedale’s Director of Acoustic Design, Peter Comeau, and senior engineers Dan Bailey Ornellas and Oliver Davies aimed to refine low-frequency performance through extensive empirical testing and listening evaluations. The development process lasted several months and included advanced techniques, such as laser interferometry, extensive anechoic and in-room measurements, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to assess airflow and pressure in the port structure.

Critical listening sessions—totalling hundreds of hours—were held to confirm the results. The outcome is a bass response that is better controlled and more articulate, with improved transitions between low and mid frequencies and consistent spatial performance, no matter the placement. These changes maintain the DIAMOND 12’s signature neutrality while subtly increasing listener engagement and dynamic flow.

The DIAMOND 12i mid/bass driver cones remain unchanged and are made from Klarity™, a special blend of polypropylene and mica that provides excellent stiffness and low distortion. This results in a cone that is lightweight, well-damped, and very responsive, delivering natural, expressive dynamics and precise transient response.

A low-damping surround enhances the cone’s efficiency and dynamic range, while ribbed shaping and profile simulation ensure a smooth, linear frequency response without added distortion.

Each mid/bass driver features a precise magnet system with an aluminium compensation ring to reduce the effects of inductance changes as the voice coil moves. This advanced motor system minimises intermodulation and distortion, producing cleaner, more accurate sound. The voice coil is wrapped around a high-power epoxy/glass fibre bobbin, which performs significantly better than standard materials at this price point, offering greater power handling, thermal stability, and structural
strength.

High frequencies are produced by a 25mm woven polyester dome with a high-loss damping coating, resulting in extended, smooth treble response. The front plate is designed acoustically with a flat profile and minimal waveguide to enhance dispersion and output. The result is clear, natural high frequencies with excellent off-axis performance.

Wharfedale’s engineers use a sophisticated Linkwitz-Riley crossover design, complete with air-core inductors—components
typically found in high-end speakers. The crossover network is finely adjusted for minimal phase shift and smooth integration
between drivers. The magnet structure for the mid/bass driver is modified to address the resistance of these high-quality inductors, ensuring fast, clean bass without compromise.

Each enclosure features a multi-layered sandwich construction that reduces panel resonance and distortion. Even the adhesive properties between the layers have been acoustically tested to optimise damping. Inside, intelligent spot bracing connects opposite cabinet walls using computer-modelled braces that reduce vibration without passing it from one surface to another. This contributes to the solid and authoritative sound signature of the Diamond 12i series.

Overall, the new DIAMOND 12i series is sure to impress. The changes may seem minor, but the impact is significant. It looks, feels, and performs like something new because it is. Yet, it still retains all of the qualities that made the original iteration so special!

Who is Wharfdale?

Started by a Yorkshireman, Gilbert Briggs in 1932, Wharfedale are one of the most famous loudspeaker brands in the world today. With a huge R&D department and manufacturing facility making over 200 in-house drive unit designs, they are focused on open-backed chassis technology, curved cabinets for reduced internal reflection, kevlar weave cones and powerful neodymium magnets to achieve incredible sound quality at each price point. The Diamond is the most famous and successful model to date, and lives on today with it's latest version; the Diamond 12 Series