Wharfedale Diamond SW150 Subwoofer 10-Inch Driver 150W Black

Really pleased with my recent purchase of Diamond SW150 subwoofer.Started researching subs to enhance my already great sounding home hifi.I'm running Alpha 8 integrated amp, Alpha 8 power amp bi wired to pair of B&W DM610 speakers, Alpha 7SE CD and ProJect Xpression turntable.Existing system always amazing sounding but I knew the DM610 stand mounted speakers couldn't give me all the lower frequencies a good set of floor standing speakers would. Unfortunately my room just doesn't allow for a big set of floor standers especially if ideally placed way out from the wall.I was looking for alternatives to improve my sound.So I didn't really know much about subs until recently, thought they were mainly for home cinema or car systems where the main speakers tend to be smaller. Then came across couple of online articles / videos discussing the merits of a sub in a home hifi system. I read lost of reviews and this Wharfdale consistently came out favorably, especially at such a great price.. They were £250 when first release 10 years ago and What HFi gave an excellent review at the time even at that price point.All i can saw is WOW, cannot believe i didn't discover the use of a sub in my set up earlier. The difference to my already excellent sounding set up is huge. I listen to a wide range of music from electronic to jazz although the majority is rock / guitar based. Obviously on electronic dance music, dub, electronica etc the subs presence is really felt. All the huge low end is really brought too life but even on classic rock where the overall effect is less "obvious" so much new sonic information is highlighted. The kick drums for instance, the sense of air being moved by the bass as felt when you are actually in a room with the band.It is really night and day switching the sub on and off whilst playing back almost any style of music.The reviews here on Amazon did have a few conflicting points. Firstly a few people mentioned hum or noise from the sub in either standby or low level in the background. I can confidently say mine is absolutely silent. No hum. I can only assume those who have reported this must have a connection or other compatibility issue within their set ups. Check all connections, quality of cable etc.There seemed also to be some confusion regarding wiring the sub into a system without a dedicated sub output. This is just not a problem at all. If running from an amplifier you simply attach a separate set of speaker wires from the amps left and right speakers out to the subs speaker left and right ins. On my Bi Wired set up i did this from the power amp as thats handling all my low end information.Finally setting up the sub itself was very simple. Connected to my system as detailed above the subs volume is adjusted by the amp. The sub does however have its own volume on the back and this is to adjust it to blend in with the other speakers. A well set up sub should blend in with the overall sound stage and not draw attention to itself. I have mine set at about 3/4 on the volume. Turning it up too high makes it too dominant and too low just lessens its affect. The final control on the sub is the crossover. This is the point that the subs frequencies work up to. Ideally you want a crossover of frequencies between the lowest end of your main speakers and the upper end of the sub. My B&W go down to about 55hz. The sub from 20hz up to around 100. I set the crossover at 65 hz on the sub and this creates a seamless blend in the lower frequencies. These settings seemed very common on all the online tutorials i looked at.I am literally rediscovering my entire music collection with this sub now in my system.

Finally bit the bullet and expanded my setup with this beautifully performing piece of kit - i currently have a 4 speaker stereo setup with 2 bookshelf and 2 floor standers, all running through a cheap denon 7.1 av hifi amp. The quality of sound i got before this purchase was good in the the highs and mids, but to get similar results in low frequencies i had to adjust the settings on the amp, boost the bass etc, which i was always unhappy about due to this distorting the beautiful highs i get out of the smaller bookshelves!The quality of the low range from this sub is unparalleled for the price (my budget is pretty tight which is why i chose this model). Tone is warm and complementary rather than overpowering and offensive, as are some units i have heard in the past.Controls on the back are simple and useful when playing music that doesn't favor the extra bass, although even in those cases, having the unit on but at a low volume makes for a much more immersive listening experience.trialled everything from symphonic orchestral, to house and jungle, and the wharfdale just eats up everything i throw at it.recommend testing the room you intend to use the sub in, for the best 'node', where the bass can extend fully and evenly into the room - it may not be visually the most obvious place, in terms of layout, each room will be different and consideration to sub placement will only improve the fidelity of your system.extremely impressive speaker, honestly struggling to fault it!

There are technical reviews of this sub right here on Amazon - take a look at them for specs etc. I'm more concerned with the 'feel' and 'shape' of the sound, the kind of thing that makes your hair stand up on the back of your neck.For the price, this sub is simply incredible. It's perfectly able to deliver a gentle, smooth, buttery caress of bass when required, filling out ever present low tones in Sci-Fi movies or from your favourite bass guitar using band without a hit of grit or roughness to be found. But, when required, it can also smash out a heart racing, chest thumping, ear bashing, punch to the face of full throttle bass extravaganza, like a bit of Hardcore Trance or the opening scene of Quantum of Solace or the Shuttle entry scene in the opening few minutes of the extended version of Avatar (something that brought my old sub to it's knees!)It's big, it's heavy, it's solid and placed correctly and paired with a decent amp it's wonderful to listen to. I paired mine with a Pioneer VSX-922 and a set of small and old (but fantastic) THX certified speakers for a 5.1 surround sound set up. I recently watched Blade Runner for the first time - the opening scene just comes to life, immersing you in amazing audio.I'm the first to admit that I'm just a baby audiophile, not yet interested in the best technical equipment. But I AM obsessed with getting that incredible FEELING that only good audio bring you and this completely fits the bill on that point.I'd go so far as to say that this sub beats anything I've personally heard at this price point - which is probably why I bought one!