ELTAX MONITOR 3 vs WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 9.0

S

sketchy

Guest
these are both priced up at 50 pounds at my local richersounds, what one would you guys go for (considering i will be playing them through an amp to play music from my computer)?

cheers
 
You won't go wrong with either for that money. I was ever so impressed with the monitor3's that I had in my second system for about 5 years.

I've not heard the Diamonds but there are several contributors to these forums that swear by them. They were also double the price til a few weeks back when the diamond 10's were released.
 
yeh i thought they were both good deals but i was just wondering which set people thought had an edge over the other. any other thoughts???
 
The Eltax's have great bass weight for their size. Very impressive. For the money I would have no hestitation in buying another set. You can also biwire or bi amp if need be.

The only thing being....if you are stand mounting them they have wide feet and an unusually placed bassport, under the speaker. So you need wide speaker stand plates.
 
I've owned both.

I was never really happy with the Eltax's. The bass was just too difficult to control - it would boom awfully at certain frequencies and disappear at others - and the treble could be very harsh at times ("Universally Speaking" by RHCP would make them crackle). Add that to the difficulty of getting them to sit nicely on stands and I would say best avoided.

Having said that, with the right music they could sound amazing - Listen to "Yeah!" by Usher and you would swear there was a sub in the room. Unfortunately that is not my type of music, and with anything guitar based they were awful.

The Wharfedales on the other hand are significantly smaller than these, hence they won't go as loud and are a bit light on bass. However, put them against a wall and the bass will come through and it is always controlled - never boomy. The treble also has a lot of control and restraint (perhaps too much at times). Almost anything you play will sound like you expect it to - always silky smooth. Play anything at fairly low levels, and you get lovely rhythm and punch - cranked up, things can start to sound a bit strained however.

They look fine too. I got the cheapy rosewood ones from Richer's and despite having the finish of a 1980's coffee table they look fine on my Soundstyle z2 improved stands (you need a stand with a small top plate btw).

As always, consider what music you like, where your speakers will be and how loud you want them to go. Don't listen to anyone's opinion until you know their tastes and setup.

The Wharfedales are ideal for me as I like detail in bass rather than BOOM, and I listen at fairly background volume levels but they might suck for your needs. I can't recommend the Eltax's though.
 
Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 are extremely mellow speakers. They have a nice midrange and soundstage but are definitely lacking in bass and high frequencies. I personally like mellow speakers but these just go too far.
 
I've not heard a pair of Eltax speakers I've ever warmed to regardless of price. Yes they are cheap as chips but the bass is just so loose and boomy that it becomes a distraction. I'd go with the Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 every time.
 
Though I am somewhat stating the obvious, the best test is to hear both speakers, and see which appeals to you more. When it gets down to this speaker vs that one, it is really a very personally choice.

Since Richer Sounds has them both, that shouldn't be too difficult.

Steve/bluewizard
 

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