After developing isodynamic panel technologies inspired by Magnepan, first with the DP77 and DP107, then with another design for the DP140 and DP160, where the tweeter protruded from the central panel and was embedded in the wooden side structure, the two Montalbanais creators of Diptyque Audio, Gilles Douziech and Éric Poix, reinforced by two young collaborators, set about creating a very high-end product.
Named Référence (see VUmètre test no. 42, Remarkable), this pair of 1.80 m high panels, priced at over €40,000, has now given rise to two more affordable new products, based on exactly the same design, which is much classier than the previous one: the Diptyque Audio DP140 MkII and DP160 MkII. The smaller of the two is now being put to the test, revealing sounds that are as natural as ever and an unusual soundstage.
Diptyque Audio has given its famous DP140 isodynamic speakers a facelift. Presented under the name DP140 MkII, they use two isodynamic cells for bass and midrange reproduction. These operate according to the brand’s exclusive PPBM principle, the result of more than ten years of research, innovation, and optimization. Their mechanical structure is inherited from Diptyque Audio’s Reference model.
High frequencies are reproduced by a new ribbon tweeter. With a 55 mm long ribbon, it has a particularly wide frequency response, giving these new speakers unparalleled consistency and naturalness. However, isodynamic technology differs fundamentally from the electrodynamic technology used in conventional speakers. Mastering this technology is a real challenge that only a very small number of speaker manufacturers dare to take on.
In the case of Diptyque Audio, it was the meeting of two hi-fi enthusiasts that gave birth to the brand. Gilles Douziech and Éric Poix, both searching for a system capable of meeting their requirements for naturalness and purity, devoted their energy to rethinking every problem and seeking optimizations in order to be able to offer products with unparalleled performance.
At the time, Gilles Douziech, a 19-year-old electronics student, had the opportunity to do an internship with Marcel Rochet, designer of Mulidine speakers. This was an opportunity for him to live out his passion while learning complex concepts of acoustics. Added to this were the essential electronics studies required to develop filters capable of working in harmony with a wide variety of speakers.
Éric Poix, for his part, was a specialist in mechanics and metalwork. Also in search of absolute sound purity, he continued to develop his listening system. What’s more, his skills quickly led him to design speaker stands that are acoustically neutral thanks to their high rigidity. It was from this union of two experts with complementary skills that Diptyque Acoustique was born. But after exploring many avenues, no technology fully satisfied them.
That’s when isodynamic technology, also known as magnetostatic speakers, appeared to them as the most promising. This was especially true since Éric Poix’s expertise in ultra-resistant structures offered the possibility of new mechanical solutions for designing the essential components of such speakers. The design of ultra-rigid frames, among other things, allows for perfect membrane tension.
As prototypes were developed, Diptyque Audio also made numerous improvements to this technology. One of the most important concerns the use of powerful neodymium magnets placed on either side of the membrane so that the magnetic circuits it carries evolve within a constant field during their movement.
This architecture, known as Push Pull Bipolar Magnet, guarantees perfect control of the membrane’s movements. To maintain the acoustic neutrality of these speakers, their frame is based on an assembly of thin MDF notches, felt, and sheet metal plates. This complex combination of materials has proven its effectiveness and the quality of sound it offers.
Magnetostatic technology, although delicate to implement, has many advantages. First, the diffusion of a flat wave from a large surface guarantees a feeling of sound immersion without any sound projection effect. In addition, the dipole operation of such speakers recreates the spatialization of sound necessary to replicate the behavior of a concert hall. Furthermore, the use of ultra-thin 12-micron Mylar membranes guarantees a lively, lag-free response. In the same vein, the use of the same membrane across the entire audible spectrum preserves the consistency of the sound message. Finally, the absence of acoustic load eliminates the “box” effect that causes certain undesirable colorations.
Finally, the tweeter used in the DP140 MkII has been specifically designed for them. It is based on a ribbon made from the same Mylar film as the main cells. This ribbon is a substantial 55 mm long, which allows it to go relatively low. The tweeter’s extended frequency response gives the DP140 MkII a very smooth transition between the tweeter and the isodynamic drivers. It also allows the use of low-slope filters: 6 dB per octave. This smooth transition ensures impressive naturalness and realism in the midrange. Listening to grand piano, among other things, highlights this behavior.
THE SETUP OF THE DIPTYQUE AUDIO DP-140 MKII
Discovered at the 2023 Munich High-End Show in the same room as the B.Audio Alpha One tested in this issue, the Diptyque DP140 MkIIs were listened to again before the summer during our visit to the manufacturer in Montauban, with Jadis amplification and Esprit Lumina cables, then again with these cables at the Paris Audio Video Show in October, this time connected to an Atoll 400 series amplifier-preamplifier pair and the ST300 network source.
In order to further refine our tests, we were able to listen to the panels again conscientiously and in a calm environment in the large room at L’Auditorium Parisien, a dealer for the brand, with Cardas cables on Moon devices, then on the Mark Levinson 5805 amplifier connected to a dCS source.
Above all, these final tests allowed us to verify the best placement of the panels in a large room and their effective response. In the final analysis, we were able to consider the very noticeable differences depending on whether the tweeters were placed inward or outward, since unlike the vast majority of speakers or even electrodynamic panels, the DP-140 MkIIs are symmetrical, like the Reference models, with one tweeter on the left and the other on the right.
THE SOUND OF THE DIPTYQUE AUDIO DP-140 MKII
Now based on the design and technologies developed for the Reference series, the new Diptyque DP140 MkII—soon to be followed by the DP-160 Mk I—are smaller versions of their predecessors, both visually and in terms of sound. Mainly listened to with the tweeters facing outwards, these panels immediately offer a wide soundstage, which is particularly exciting for imaging the live scenes of certain recordings.
For example, we started with the Goldberg Variations in Christopher Tarnow’s very pure but highly technical studio recording for Víkingur Ólafsson, but this recording, in which we had already noticed an inversion of the low and high registers compared to the usual listening experience of a recorded piano, is even more disturbing with the DP140 MkII.
Conversely, Lang Lang’s live performance of the same work immediately transported us to the middle of Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, as if we were present in the church during the concert. Also from Bach’s masterpiece, Xu Xiao Mei’s live recording at the Abbey of Saint-Riquier gives the instant sensation of having changed location, and as with Lang Lang’s concert, it almost makes us believe that we are part of the audience, transported with a swipe of the finger on the iPad from one church to another, yet more than a thousand kilometers apart.
With such realism, we then wanted to visit Cologne thanks to Keith Jarrett’s Köln Konzert, where the only Hi-Res file found today on Qobuz places the pianist on the far right, this musical impression reinforced here by the image perfectly materialized thanks to the Montalbanais isodynamic panels.
The effect also works with live opera, where the singers’ positions and movements on a large stage can be perfectly reproduced visually. Large masses are never a problem either, with elements becoming more refined as the source is improved (from Moon to dCS in our case), while the change from a Moon 340i amplifier to a Mark Levinson 5805 surprised us.
Whereas we had already made this same change with speakers in the past and found the American amplifier, connected to the DP140 MkII via Cardas cables, to produce a sound that was immediately louder and faster, this time it just added a little extra speed and refinement. This allowed us to better understand the impressions we had during previous listening sessions, where, despite the variety of locations and very different upstream equipment, we recognized a very similar sound between the Munich and Paris shows, demonstrating that the panels are less sensitive to amplification than many conventional speakers, and that a good amplifier in the $3,000 to $4,000 price range can already make them sing.
Once the DP140 MkIIs were inverted to place the tweeters inside, the sound immediately tightened up. By bringing the panels closer together widthwise, the sound became more monitor-like, developing finesse and detail at the expense of the breadth of the soundstage. In terms of imagery, it previously felt like listening to Nick Cave or a pianist while sitting in a concert hall, whereas with the tweeters in the center, it felt more like we had brought these artists into our living room. This is mainly a matter of taste, but in a large room, we strongly recommend offsetting the tweeters to take full advantage of the amplitude offered by these new Diptyque speakers.
OUR CONCLUSION
With their expertise and maturity, the creators of Diptyque Audio have once again hit the mark with the DP140 MkII. Directly derived from the work and long development of the Reference models, these smaller panels far surpass the older models, DP140 and DP160, in addition to being much more stylish in their design and therefore much more flattering if they are to be integrated into a living room. Of course, this comes at a price, which is €2,000 higher than the previous generation DP160, but it is justified by the musical gain.
With their highly natural reproduction, the DP140 MIIs are not so much surprising for their impeccably accurate timbres, which we expected, but for the realism of the image and, if the tweeters are positioned correctly towards the outside, the breadth of the soundstage, which allows us to enjoy all the great concerts recorded live over the last century from the comfort of our own homes.
Author(s): Estève Fabry and Vincent Guillemin
Technical Sheet: Diptyque Audio DP140 MKII
- Origin: France
- Price: €14,000
- Dimensions: 1410 x 483 x 470 mm
- Weight: 38 kg
- Sensitivity: 87 dB/1 W/1 m
- Structure: 2-way
- Frequency response: 35 Hz -20 kHz
- Impedance: 6 ohms
- Amplification: Max. 180 W; recommended >60 W
You might be interested: DIPTYQUE AUDIO Reference: Wonderful and Musical
