It was this (and previous experience with the Clarisys and other speakers) that encouraged me to enquire about the possibility of bi-wiring/bi-amping. Diptyque duly supplied the necessary crossover blocks to simply replace the existing, single-wired versions. Reconnecting the speakers to the CH M1.1s, first in mono-bloc/bi-wired configuration and then in dual stereo/vertically bi-amped mode, it was hard to credit the staggering improvement in the speakers’ performance. The soundstage firmed up and stepped forward, the performers gained presence, body and focus, the music, improved dynamic response, textural detail and articulation, the performance, greater immediacy, impact and emotional connection. Switching to bi-amped operation with these speakers is a complete game-changer, a shift equivalent in magnitude to taking the Clarisys speakers active. It delivers such a fundamental improvement that I have to ask why Diptyque don’t offer bi-wired crossovers as standard? With the bi-amped option engaged, there was no going back, with both CH’s M1.1s and the more affordable A1.5s on hand. As impressive as the Reference IIs can be, driven by two-channels, drive them with four and you’ll be enjoying a whole new ball-game.
The advantages of bi-amping are greater than simply the sonic and musical. Not only does it allow a staged investment, but it opens up the possibility of using a pair of more modest amplifiers. The rules to bear in mind are that the best results are achieved with a vertical disposition, so that the two channels of one amplifier are dedicated to a single speaker – one channel driving the bass, the other the mid/treble. From that perforce follows the essential truth that you need a pair of identical stereo amplifiers. Although at one time it was fashionable to mix amplifiers in a horizontal bi-amp topology, using (for instance) a tube amp on the upper registers, some meat-head solid-state unit on the bass, this causes more problems with integration, continuity and musical coherence than it solves. Don’t do it. Well, maybe as a stop-gap, while working towards the second amp for your set-up, but the results rarely survive long-term listening.
Going large…
If you haven’t heard (or heard recently) a full-range di-pole, it’s an immediately imposing and impressive experience. Firstly, there’s the sheer scale and dimensionality of the sound-field, something that imbues the music with life and presence, allowing it to breathe, both rhythmically and in the way it energises the room. The Reference IIs generate convincing width, effortless depth and serious height and air. They also plant that soundstage on a firm floor, thanks to their low-end weight and extension. The result is really convincing dimensional presentation. Small groups are near life-sized, orchestras fill the end of he room. But this isn’t just about scale: it’s about perspective – the way that the images present a naturally coherent whole, with natural proportions, up-close for the intimacy of a small-group/club recording, nearer mid-hall for full orchestra. The scale of the presentation mimics the live experience, shortening that distance between listener and original event.
