Johans system

[Atomjohan]

Hi Johan
Could you elaborate in why the diablos are not for you? Incidentally both the diablos and x1 are in my shopping list but the x1 are hard to find a demo so was going to just settle for the diablos especially now the 2nd hand prices are dropping. Read in another forum the x1 does not do bass so I would guess a sub is a must.

Dom

Hi Dom,

First of all, the Diablos are really great speakers. Great tight bass for a standmount, a treble with great transparens and pinpoint accuracy in the soundstage. 
I really like them, so what I really mean is that they don´t  work for me together with the Devialet.

Before I bought my Devialet I had a Plinius Hautonga paired with the Diablos. This was a terrific match, real nice bass and mids but the star was the treble.
The Devialet caught my attention when I visited my seller looking for new speaker cables, I thought why not try it and took it home for a 1 week demo.
I was immediately amazed by the Devialets control of the speakers and a clarity I had not heard before. This together with the looks and the setup possibilities made me take the plunge though I was very happy with my current setup.
At first I really enjoyed the Devialet/Diablos, great and REALLY tight bass and the clarity was really amazing. After a while tough it struck me that I did not listen to music as often as before, and when I listened I listened to the details and not the "music". With the Plinius I was often foot tapping and this was gone now.
The difference is hard to explain but I will give it a go: The bass as I said was really tight and controlled but almost to controlled. It almost feelt like the Diablos was kept on a tight leash. But the biggest difference was the treble: Although very detailed and transparent it had lost it "body". Listening to for example Leonard Cohens voice with the Plinius gave me goosebumps but with the Devialet it sounded a lot more "flat" and less energetic. I guess analytical is a good way to describe the sound.

The Raidhos has brought back much of this body in the treble and now it feels like I´m listening to music again. The Raidho is also very detailed (I would say a bit more detailed then the Diablos) but most important imo has much more life and energy together with the Devialet. I must say though that the treble that the Diablos presented with the Plinius was sometimes magical, so with the right amplifier I´m sure the Diablos really can shine.

So the compromise with the X-1 was the bass. Although they play pretty deep for such a small standmounter (especially with SAM), they do miss the
"oomph" of the Diablos. At first I was not planning on a sub but got a real nice deal and give it a go, and for me there no going back know. It gives another dimension and depth to the sound and melts in real nice with the X-1. I´m quite sure the Diablos would benefit from a good sub.

As you said the Diablos are available for very good prices right now and is imo a very nice speaker for those prices. I can easily recommend it but not just together with the Devialet (to my ears of course). I have read many people being very pleased with the combo so it´s as always up to your personal taste.

I should mention that I have not tried the X-1 with a D200, only with the D400. But if you´re planning on using a D200 I can easily change to this setup and report back to you if you would like, I´ve been planning on doing this anyway for a while now.
I know the X-1 are hard to find but they are really worth it, and with the new XT-1 released there probably will be a few pairs of the X-1 up for sale second hand.

Johan