And once you’ve savoured that, it’s time to realise that what the bi-amped Diptyques do for Sibelius (the sternest of tests) they do for all classical music, Mahler to Shostakovich, Mozart to Schubert. And because they do small and present just as well as they do large and imposing, Bach, Vivaldi and the Baroque canon, early music and choral works are just as engaging and impressive. A Christmas tour through Pergolesi, Gabrieli, Handel and the King’s College Choir was a particular pleasure.
Wrapping up – wrapping you up…
By now, it should be obvious that, given the right system and the right room (caveats that apply to any speaker, but arguably the Diptyques more than most) the Reference II is a mightily musical performer, one that punches well above its price point. That price point is slightly misleading, as like the Apogees of yore, the speaker has quite specific demands in terms of amplification, if you are going to fully realise its exceptional performance: unlike the Apogees, those demands don’t come with a price tag that dwarfs the cost of the speaker. At the same time, the preference for bi-amped operation does at least provide the option of staged investment. Just make sure that you order the speakers with bi-wired crossovers.
While on paper, the obvious comparison might seem to be the Clarisys Minuet (https://gy8.eu/review/the-clarisys-minuet-loudspeaker-2/) in practice these are two quite different speakers. The Diptyque can’t match the immediacy, instrumental texture and intimacy, the micro-dynamic shadings and sheer transparency of the Minuet. The Minuet can’t match the scale, natural perspectives, rich tonal pallet and dimensionality of the Diptyque, which in this regard is more like the similarly sized (but WAY more expensive) Auditorium. The Minuet is smaller and will work in smaller spaces. The Diptyque is only too happy to fill a huge room. You pay your money and take your choice, but it’s hard to argue with the musical integrity of the Diptyque, while the decision is more likely to rest on the available system, situation and circumstances.
The best equipment plays to its strengths – and the Diptyques certainly do that: but in important ways they actually make a virtue of their weakness too. Their natural tonal warmth and the subtle rounding of leading edges make them as forgiving as they are listenable. Their clear preference for bi-amping leads you naturally towards a superior system topology and better overall performance.
In discussing the ‘upgrade path’ inherent in the demands the speaker places on its partnering electronics, it would be remiss to skate over the upgrade option on the original Reference model. It has more significance than might at first appear. Owners of those early Reference speakers can have them upgraded to ‘Mk.1 EVO’ status, a half-way house to full Ref II spec. As mentioned previously, this involves changes to the crossover and wiring (sadly, the smaller foot on the original Reference model is too tight to accommodate bi-wire terminals). More importantly, the entire internal structure is exchanged for the modular construction employed in the Ref II, with the drivers mounted on composite frames, seven times as stiff as MDF. All for the astonishingly affordable price of €4000! That’s nice, but what’s really important is what it tells you about the company and its products. Not only are Diptyque keeping faith with their customers in a way that’s all too rare in high-end audio, but the product’s modular nature, with separate elements for each driver, the baffle and crossover, affords a level of future-proofing that is unusual in any loudspeaker, to say the least. That and the inherently robust nature of planar-magnetic construction, plus the inherently robust construction of the Diptyque products promise a long and fruitful working life.
