DIPTYQUE DP140Mk2 

 

So, what have the reviewers been saying ... so far ?

HIGH QUALITY REVIEW EXTRACTS

 

 

 

Lite LIFESTYLE & TECHNIK / Germany

Volker Frech - 16 April, 2019

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"This review is one of our favorites. It really covers all aspects extremely well" ... Atelier 13 Audio

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Magnetostats, as a topology, have created a lot of excitement in the loudspeaker arena ... with their open, transparent and dynamic reproduction. But because of their relatively low sensitivity they are also mostly used for the higher frequencies alone.

 

Only a few manufacturers dare to extend the surface radiator principle to the entire sound transducer. The French manufacturer Diptyque Audio has specialized in exactly this - and with the Diptyque DP 140 is presenting a slim, elegant, four centimeter thick sound transducer which is a work of art.

 

So, the question on our minds was : does the Diprtyque magnetostat magic succeed in reproducing bass ? ... as you will read later on, there is indeed good news in this respect.

 

Are speakers works of art?

This is in fact the spirit in which the Diptyque Audio transducers were created : The project started shortly after the turn of the millennium as part of an exhibition of contemporary art on the subject of sound and photography. Acoustics expert Gilles Douziech was responsible for the sound part of the event - and he had an idea:

 

He wanted to present a flat loudspeaker in order to project the images from the exhibition onto it. With his companion Eric Poix, he has now developed a loudspeaker that offered the required area, was mechanically stable and at the same time met the high demands of the two sound aesthetes - voilà: 

At the time, that "creation" was the prototype of what was to become the current isodynamic Diptyque loudspeakers line... following 17 years of development and "perfection" . Three models have grown out of this long "perfection phase" , and with the Diptyque DP140 we are evaluating the middle model in this test - let's take a closer look :

 

Paravan (German-speak for Screen) of Sound

We haven't seen such a graceful loudspeaker for a long time: The handcrafted Diptyque DP140 is reminiscent of a Paravan with its 140 x 50 centimeter surface and a housing depth of just four centimeters. This screen-like privacy screen is often very artistically designed and an expression of a refined way of life. So the association fits: The DP140 represents a refined sound culture. The black mid-low panel of the Diptyque DP140 is responsible for the Paravan appearance: a magnetostat system with an area of around 0.2 square meters works behind the metal protective grilles

 

Elegance ... with a touch of membrane

With the magnetostat, a thin membrane made of plastic oscillates, into which conductor tracks are embedded. At Diptyque, aluminum is applied to Mylar for this purpose, the entire membrane thickness - one should rather speak of "thin-ness" - is just 12 micrometers ! 

 

Accordingly, the extremely delicate structure weighs almost nothing. Because of this relative "masslessness", the membrane is able to vibrate extremely quickly. This is why such surface radiators can convert sound extremely dynamically and with accurate impulses. In addition, the membrane ideally moves evenly over its entire surface, hence the name isodynamic loudspeakers. This liveliness and accuracy results in an extremely light, open, transparent and spatial reproduction. On the other hand, such membranes are very fragile and therefore not particularly strong mechanically. That is why they are actually only used as tweeters. Diptyque, however, uses their magnetostat for the whole frequency range.

 

The mid-bass panel 

The membrane of the mid-woofer is just 12 micrometers thick and has an area of just under 0.2 square meters. The sensitive sound transducer is protected at the front and back by a metal grille. A steel frame encloses the magnetostat system of the mid-bass driver and its protective grille. The French have developed a patented bipolar push-pull magnet system so that the isodynamic principle also works with the mids and basses.

 

This should also create a powerful bass, which is usually rather unconvincing with panel radiators. The mid-bass panel is surrounded by a metal frame. This avoids any discoloration of the sound that occurs with normal loudspeakers due to the housing in which the transducer does its work. This steel edging is now held in place by a strut made of Finnish birch plywood. This is an attractive mix of materials that underlines the uniqueness of this speaker. The strut has three tasks: In conjunction with its arched metal base, it ensures that the flat-panel loudspeaker stands securely.

 

Ribbon hybrid / The Tweeter

The tweeter is a blend of a magnetostat and a real ribbon tweeter, developed by Diptyque itself. In the case of a real ribbon, a thread-like membrane moves, which consists entirely of conductive material, while in the normal magnetostat a plastic surface with a conductive path oscillates. Diptyque created a hybrid of both types to allow a more homogeneous transition from the highs to the mids. Since all diaphragms of the Diptyque DP140 now work on the same principle and the tweeter diaphragm also consists of the same wafer-thin aluminum-Mylar composite as the mid-woofer, the sound conversion of all frequencies in the DP140 occurs homogeneously and at the same speed.

 

The tweeter is mounted on its own plate for acoustic decoupling, which is fitted into the birch plywood strut. A concave widening milled out of the wood ensures that the sound is guided on both sides of the radiation, i.e. both towards the front and towards the rear. This guarantees a perfect distribution of the high frequencies into the ambient space. This is of course our test room, and this is where we are now setting up the Diptyque DP140.

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Construction and installation

So that the narrow loudspeakers stand securely, we first push the bent metal feet through the wooden struts and fix them with one screw each. A size 17 open-ended spanner is required for this. The screws should not be fully tightened right away, otherwise you will deprive yourself of the possibility of aligning the speakers slightly forwards or backwards. The two loudspeakers should be absolutely straight so that the sound-converting ribbons can vibrate without any inclination influences. It is therefore best to use a spirit level for alignment. We compensate for a possible lateral inclination of the Diptyque with the spikes that are located below the mid-bass panel. The included spike plates also help to compensate for the level.

 

We tested the speakers first with internal-positioned tweeters, then with external-positioned tweeters. Both set-up variants have their charm ... in the first case you achieve more focus, in the second case more openness. We chose the latter. You should definitely experiment with the distance to the wall, as surface radiators react more sensitively here than conventional loudspeakers.

 

When aligning to the listening position, we have found that a very slight angle is sufficient to achieve a stable and coherent spatial image. But it is also worth experimenting, as this topology will behave a little differently in every room. In a another position, we achieved more "openness". We choose the latter. You should definitely experiment with the distance to the wall, as surface radiators react more sensitively here than conventional loudspeakers. 

 

Something more special: amplifiers and cables

Panels are sophisticated loudspeakers, they do not necessarily harmonize with every amplifier - regardless of their price class. They also have certain requirements in terms of performance because of their somewhat lower efficiency. The Diptyque DP140 has a relatively good value of 86 decibels, but according to the manufacturer's recommendation, it should be operated with an amplifier that delivers at least 60 watts. Choosing a very low-loss signal conductor is also recommended for cables.

 

Expert advice is therefore a must here, the Diptyque dealer knows which amplifiers and cables lead to a consistent reproduction. For our test we have chosen a combination with which this loudspeaker is presented at a number of HiFi trade fairs: We use the integrated Neukomm CPA 155S integrated amplifier (Euro 6,700) as an amp, it provides 160 watts at four ohms and 95 watts at eight ohms. The Diptyque DP140, which has an impedance of six ohms, is in this case fully supplied with the requisite power. The O2A Quintessence Ultime (Euro 2,900) is used as the speaker cable.

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The Diptyque DP140 in action

The Neukomm CPA 155S integrated amplifier has proven to be a suitable partner for the Diptyque DP140. To play in at low volume, we inserted a CD that starts with the sound of a bell ringing -and while we're still standing at the rack and between the speakers, we're given a lesson in realism: The bells sound so real that we're convinced that the bell comes from the neighboring church tower.

 

This imaging power is an outstanding property of the DP140 that we experience in all the musical pieces that we hear with this loudspeaker. This applies first of all to Gabriel Fauré's famous “Pavane”, recorded by the Treya Quartet: the four musicians give a jazzy interpretation of this melancholy classical composition with trumpet, piano, bass and drums. An excellent new perspective - and with the Diptyque also an excellent listening pleasure: What fabulous spatiality and resolution!

 

The DP140 creates a clear, airy, light image. We have the feeling of being very, very close to the musical happenings, and being able to immerse ourselves in the performance like at a concert.

 

Fine dynamic finesse and richness of timbres

The very first bars in which the topic is introduced are a revelation: Drummer Gilbert Paeffgen plays a fast, complex rhythm figure on his ride cymbal, he finely varied the strength of the hits as well as the point on the cymbal. This fine dynamic finesse and the changing sound of the metal are superbly reproduced by the DP140, although the drum kit is, as usual, in the rear area of the imaginary stage. There is a wonderful liveliness in this reproduction, that applies to the entire percussion, which Paeffgen soon introduces very effectively: What he conjures up here on hi-hat, snare and bass drum is simply outstanding, and the DP140 manages to allows us to feel this fascination.

 

Also, with the richness of timbre of the piano played by Peter Waters, the Diptyque - here again - proves to be a good indicator of the quality of a loudspeaker. The word “abundance” came to mind, by we felt this may lead us on the wrong track when trying to describe what we were experiencing. Rather, we ultimately concluded that the DP140 delivered a refined, rather "svelte", very contoured sound, which we noted in the Kontra-sub-Kontra octave tones of the piano, but also with the double bass by Tony Overwater: Whilst this speaker presents really good "depth and presence", the Diptyque does not overload the room in any way.

 

Top class private concert

The imaging power of the DP 140 is particularly beneficial for all pieces with vocals. The American singer / songwriter Livingston Taylor presents us his version of the classic "Isn't She Lovely", he starts the song by whistling the melody. Again we are under the spell of this absolutely realistic rendition: Taylor stands in front of us puckering his lips and whistles at us ... his performance sounds completely natural and natural, simply present and lively. It stays that way when he immediately sings the song with his cozy-warm voice.

 

Taylor proves himself to be a gifted artist who knows all the tricks about how to use his voice effectively: light breathing on the first note, well-measured vibrato at the end of the syllable, increase and decrease of the volume of the voice - and the Diptyque reproduces every nuance of this performance. As the song progresses, Taylor is joined and supported by a second guitarist, a bassist and a percussionist - and we can't help leaning back further and further in the sofa, and just relaxing and listening to what feels like a very "private concert".

 

Refined Sound

The DP140 then proves its sonic speed with the O-Zone Percussion Group and their legendary piece "Jazz Variants". This furious and varied percussion demonstration unfolds with incredible accuracy ... we have here a xylophone and a marimba, heretofore not heard with this level of precision and clarity. With the Diptyque, this entire piece is a festival of fine dynamics ... and with the drummer's breathtaking solo, the DP140 also shows us that it can actually get heavy-handed and "go on the offensive".

 

In Marla Glen's The Cost Of Freedom we then experience a wonderful "contouring" : The song is renowned first and foremost for the terrific vocals, and you'd think that Marla Glen's emotional roller coaster was made to showcase the excellence of Diptyque.

But this track also lives from the deep, pushing bass guitar. The DP140 delivers this bass, but without making the bass sound too broad. Here, too, the transducer shines with its refined sound, which gives us a special musical experience.

 

Conclusion

The Diptyque DP 140 is an excellent two-way magnetostat that inspires with all the properties you could want from a Planar transducer: It offers excellent spatial imaging, an open, transparent sound and a wonderfully agile-dynamic reproduction.

 

To this end, two uniquely-designed elements conjure up the magic : the tweeter, which is a blend of ribbon and magnetostat and which is embedded in the wooden strut, and the large mid-woofer that operates behind black grilles, with the patented bipolar push-pull magnet system that provides more powerful bass. As a result, the bass is a bit more powerful than usual, but still remains rather slim-contoured, as is typical for planars. 

 

Care is required when setting up. Consult your dealer for advice on the choice of amplifier and cable. If everything is set up correctly, the Diptyque DP140 will reward the listener with a very natural reproduction.

 

This loudspeaker creates the illusion of being very close to real music. This pays off especially with good studio recordings and concert recordings. But the DP140 is not just a joy to listen to, it is also an eye-pleaser. Due to its refined finish and workmanship, the elegant design and the attractive combination of light wood and black metal, the DP140 proves to be a highly distinctive addition to any "ambience".

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Overall Rating: 96/100

• Sound (60%) - 97

• In use (20%) - 96

• Fit-Finish-Features (20%) - 95

 

Attributed Class : Reference Class

 

Price / Performance Ratio: Appropriate