I have connected the speakers to the Marantz cinema 70s amplifier in a unified living room-kitchen space of 35-40 square meters without a subwoofer (in the future, the sw10 of the same company will be added).
Two things about them, they need 40-60 hours of breaking in, the difference in sound is significant, so much so that I hardly believed I was hearing the same speakers. At first, they were a bit tight, lacking a bit of "body," lacking a bit of "color," as if they were a bit "muddy," always compared to how they sound after breaking in... They need their time, they improve tremendously in everything I mentioned above!
The music I mainly listen to is all genres of Rock, blues, etc., and a little bit of metal.
After several hours, I have quick and tight bass, detailed highs, very good soundstage and imaging, you can clearly distinguish the musical instruments, they have a sweet sound and do not tire during long listening sessions.
I have placed them on floor stands, they are not meant to be placed on low-quality bookshelves or TV stands...
The distance between them is about 2.2m and the listening position is about 2.5m with a slight tilt towards the center and 20-25cm from the wall, ideally it would be 30+cm but then I don't like how they aesthetically fit in my space. When I tried them closer at 10-15cm, I didn't like them, they were quite boomy.
For the price I got them (295€) and their overall performance and quality in both music and movies, they are a gift! Very comfortably 5 stars.

Hello and from me, I received the speaker yesterday, 22/11/23. The purchase cost 290€. The construction of them is really impeccable. I had great concern about the change from kevkar to the new material klarity. But...
The results on the floor-standing speaker for now are very positive. Full and warm sound, tested in large and small spaces. You can play with the distance from the wall to fill the bass since the bass reflex is on the back side. Especially at their price, they are flawless.

Because it seems that no one shares my concerns about the crossover (which are reasonable and supported by the numbers I provided), I found a review that criticizes it and specifically mentions the filter or its components. Anyone interested can read it at "https://www.alpha-audio.net/review/review-wharfedale-diamond-12-2-bright-like-a-diamond-en/4/".
Here are some excerpts:
-high distortion in voice area
-sounds restless
We do not really like the sound of this Wharfedale. It is not so much that we hear a speaker that sounds completely off, but we just miss refinement.
The mids and highs are a bit sharp and harsh and the bass feels a bit messy and woolly. It is all a bit shouty… if that’s a word. This is especially true with vocals. S and f sounds become incredibly prominent.
And that’s a shame, because we have the feeling that this speaker can play much better with minimal modifications.
We’re guessing it has to do with the components in the filter, because the filter also measures a bit strange.
Perhaps clumsy layout of the filter? Component quality? Who will say…
We hear sharpness in an important area: the voice area. This causes restlessness.
This Diamond is too bright.
And it is really strange for the filter to allow the tweeter, only in this model of the 12 series, to go so low, i.e. at 2 KHz (and I wonder if you will find another speaker in a somewhat normal price range (i.e. not high, where the tweeter can cost as much as the diamond 12.2) with such a crossover frequency).
The speaker could be tremendously better, even with the noticeable thinning of the bodies and also some sharpness and sibilance, it has a sound color and emotion (and you see that I did not punish it too much in terms of rating, I said I would give it 3.5 stars, while in the review it gives it a much lower rating).
You decide. I still listen to it like this (after all, I like the up-front and bright sound, of course here it complains or "shaves" a bit (however you prefer to say it) and it is not very full, as a result of the crossover frequency) but I can't stop thinking about how amazing it would be with the right crossover and I get annoyed that the company did not allow us to listen to it as it should play.
And finally, I also changed the evaluation of the individual characteristics of the speaker, which I had forgotten to do, and this is my final opinion.
The speaker plays wrong, due to the crossover frequency (it is characteristic that it sounds like two speakers, with the tweeter being somewhat exposed and riding somewhat roughly and unnaturally on the woofer, i.e. there is no smooth transition to the high frequencies), but because personal taste always exists, some may find it more nervous and lively like this, and perhaps even cleaner and more analytical (a false perception of course), so listen to it as I said before, and if you like what you hear, it's your choice. After all, in sound, there is not only the right, neutral, colorless, etc. I have read a review for Klipsch in a group test, which says that it could be ranked first or last, depending on what we want from the speaker, i.e. what aspects we prioritize. And for example, the diamond 220, much more correct in terms of crossover, with the speakers combining perfectly to give the feeling of one speaker, gives a more "colorless" sound than the 12.2 (i.e. it does not have its sound color and emotion). Anyway, the fact remains that with the right crossover, the 12.2 would really "fly" (even if the bass is a bit woolly and messy as the test correctly states). And at this time, despite what I wrote, from this I hear (until I switch to another one of the many I have collected).
3/3/22
It is proven once again that one should not rush to evaluate something but should wait long enough. Their 3.5 stars deserve more, but I can't bring myself to round up to 4, because they are not cold speakers, but speakers that give color, emotion, and passion (even though they do not have very good hi-fi characteristics, as was evident from the beginning - the mission qx2 are definitely more hi-fi, regardless of the issues I have with them and do not want them at all, I would say in the end, and I actually prefer to listen to the wharfedale), and what I have written applies to the price up to 380 euros when I first wrote the initial review. At a price of 445 that I see now, there are clearly other options (borea b03, oberon 1, q 3030i now that they cost clearly below 400 euros and others possibly). I say it again, wharfedale messed up with the crossover (which has thinned the bodies and sharpened the sound).
2/3/22
Relief! Back to spektor 2 permanently now (I don't care about anything else unless it's oberon 1 for example).
If the 12.2 had the right crossover, they would be much better (and wonderful in general) and would refer a bit to the spektor in terms of sound style. Big mistake by wharfedale (however, the tweeter in general is not something exceptional, it has been made to work even lower so it sounds even worse). If you don't care so much about the bass and insist on diamond 12... prefer the 12.1 which, although will go noticeably less in bass (65 Hz), will play more correctly and with more body and refinement or if you want the bass, go for the 12.3 if you can go to the floor. Otherwise, there are also the dali oberon 1 which are definitely preferable (or even the q 3030i at the price I see now, i.e. 369 euros).
27/2/22
With everything that is happening around me and in Europe, I think it is very secondary to sit and deal with speakers. I write one last and that's it. I think that up to 4 stars is the rating for the speaker because wharfedale made some wrong choices in the crossover. In the 12 it is at 2.7 KHz, in the 12.1 at 2.6 KHz, in the 12.3 at 2.2 KHz but in the 12.2 at 2 KHz. That is, it has assigned more work to the tweeter (it has made it work much lower) resulting in a sharpening of the sound in the area where the tweeter connects with the woofer. It has done this only in the 12.2 for no apparent reason (since it has not let the tweeter go so low even in the floorstanding) and it affects the refinement of the sound, resulting in some sharpness (perhaps even sibilance). Otherwise, everything I wrote about the sound color, emotion, and passion of the speaker is true in the way it plays music and I am sure that it loses the 5th star only for the reason I mentioned earlier, which disrupts a critical balance and I appreciate that all the other models in the 12 series will play more correctly and more refined. So, because I believe that the wrong crossover has ruined the sound of the speaker (it could play much better), I find it difficult to recommend it but I say listen to it and decide.
23/2/22
Despite the hustle and bustle, I listen occasionally to calm down a bit and I am still not sure about the 5th star. What Hi-Fi writes about the 12.1 (something I hadn't noticed) "surprising bold presentation," but I think that this bright, lively, and intense character has gone a bit too far. Maybe the speaker hasn't balanced yet, but I can't say that it can't be bothersome (while with the Dali Spector 2, which also has a bright character, there is no problem). There is an area in the upper midrange and possibly in their connection with the highs where it shouts a bit and produces some harshness (it peaks there). Of course, there is no question of giving it less than 4 stars for a speaker that truly gives you such a good sense and passion for music, so I haven't reached a conclusion yet. Whenever I can increase the volume a bit more, now that it has played a lot more, I will see how it sounds at a certain intensity because at low volume, it only gives you pleasure and truly connects you to the music.
10/2/22
Unfortunately, there have been such serious health issues (not mine) that the progress is very bad based on today's data, and the last thing I care about is when the speakers will settle and how well they will play. So... whatever others and the magazines write, forget about me. And I'm changing the stars to 4 (which they definitely deserve) because I haven't reached a final conclusion that I believe 100%, something that will probably take a long time. Not like "we haven't seen it yet, we just took it out, Giannis."
9/2/22
I think it's hasty to decide with minimal listening and at low volume how good the speakers are (which according to tests are excellent), but especially to give them 5 stars (which I can't take back now and rate later) and I will wait for them to settle to reach a final judgment and rating (because it's a responsibility to evaluate something correctly and you have to do it when you are sure). I mean, as soon as I finally heard some volume, bodies, and warmth after the thin bodies and lack of tonality and warmth of the Mission, I immediately grabbed them. I keep the old text with the first impressions, but wait a while for my final evaluation.
The speakers are still completely unseasoned, their sound hasn't cleared up, they are searching, and although, yes, they have tonality, volume, and emotion, they have a very bright and lively midrange that shouts a bit (probably towards the upper midrange) and can be annoying for now since the sound is tight and hasn't resolved yet. Let's wait and see at what level of resolution and clarity they will reach and if there will be any annoying element after the good seasoning.
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It's not right for me to write something so quickly about them (nor to give them 5 stars immediately), I barely had a chance to take them out of their box, but I will tell you why I'm doing it.
With the Mission QX2, I found myself in trouble trying to accept them and understand why they are considered so good now, I pressured myself but I couldn't truly win me over, something didn't sit well with me no matter how hard I tried. I understood, of course, that they had some very good hi-fi elements (especially, tremendous clarity), but they never really fit me well, they didn't connect me to the music - I was more of an observer of their hi-fi elements, their strengths and weaknesses, and I constantly saw them with some cold disposition.
The Wharfedale speakers, which have also received excellent reviews (the 12.1 bookshelf speakers and the 12.3 floorstanding speakers), as soon as I connected them and played them a little, I found my joy even though they are completely unseasoned. They do not have the strong hi-fi characteristics of Mission speakers (for now but surely later), but they are more human, sweet, full-bodied, play well with average material, have color and emotion, have warmth, have the necessary information, and have an open sound, generally have soul, they do not just describe something. Obviously, when they break in, they will become much better, they will clean up, they will become much more specific, but they are already acceptable and I like them right away. I don't know if I should agree with the reviews on these speakers from now on, even though it is very early.
What I liked immediately is the color, warmth, and musicality of their sound, so I am predisposed towards them from the beginning. They have a fairly bright character, which, as a start, shouts a little at higher volumes, and I expect it to calm down a bit when they break in and free up, so I am waiting.
In general, the speakers that I believe will be exceptional (according to my criteria) are the Triangle Borea BR03 in the price category of Mission (100+ euros above the Wharfedale) and the Elipson Prestige Facet 8B in a higher price category (100+ euros above the Mission), based on the reviews, but where can I find them and listen to them properly in my home to see how much I really like them. S.D.

Excellent speakers... great value for money.
Sweet-sounding, they don't tire you out during long listening sessions.
Bass that can make chickens eat... sweet but crystal-clear midrange and detailed yet effortless highs.
Perfect stereo image.
My main music preferences are Heavy Metal and Classic Rock.
I drive them with a Denon 2x75w at 8ohm.