The first brand on the list was founded in 1933, originally as the Wharfedale Wireless Works, by Gilbert Briggs. Since then, the Wharfedale company has had its hand in speaker manufacturing for commercial, military, and residential needs.
Since 1933, the Wharfedale brand has built its reputation as a quality manufacturer, but what set it apart was its quality to price ratio. Wharfedale’s speaker and surround sound systems are by no means cheap, ranging anywhere between a few hundred dollars to thousands. However, even their cheapest speakers have been noted by HiFi Trends as having excellent sound quality, high above its price point.
Wharfedale has several different speaker and surround sound product lineups. Its most notable line is perhaps the Diamond series, which was originally conceived in 1981 and has been continuously improved upon over time. It is currently in its 12th iteration. The Diamond 12 is an impressive blend of innovations, with numerous technologies to reduce unwanted vibrations in the speaker and produce excellent sound at a reasonable price — around $500.
Wharfedale is not only limited to budget-friendly products, however. The company’s high-end line of speakers, the Aura, starts in the thousands, and goes up from there.
