Johans system

[Atomjohan]

Excellent. Time to update your sig.

Did you try the AQ Volcano and Tellurium ultra black speaker cables on the same speakers, and if so what did you find?

Hi and sorry for late reply!

Yes I did try the Volcano versus the Tellurium on the same speakers. The Tellurium a winner, in terms of detail and transparency. 
Although the Volcano is a great cable, it´s not as detailed but has a nice warmth to it.
At first the Tellurium was too bright, but after a few days of playing it really started to shine, now it´s a definite keeper.

//Johan

[Atomjohan]

Hi Johan,

I see you've got the X1's set up wider and with more toe in than you had the Diablos. Can you please tell us what the reason for that was?

Hi!

Yes as mentioned they need to be toed in quite a lot to achieve the best soundstage. I´m still trying out the best positioning 
and at the moment they are quite wide apart, and it sounds like they benefit from that. 

//Johan

[Dom]

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

[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

[Dom]

Thanks Johan,

That's a great writeup and very informative. Seems like the diablos prefer a slightly warmer amp as a I was talking to a member from another forum and he also used the plinus and heard the speakers through a vitus and said it was sublime.
I heard the diablos through a d200 and it sounds very to my ears and out of curiosity I asked the dealer if maybe it could sound warmer he said try the moon amps which he had in stock but I didn't have enough time. It wasn't because I thought is sounded sterile but I knew people on forums did mention this including yourself. I am afraid after a year of ownership I might prefer a more warmer sound which I can see myself going but love the detail and realism of the diablos. Will I get tired and view the sound as forward I don't know but like I said the diablos sounded good at the dealers demo. They seem to be dropping in price as the months go by.

Which brings me to the raidho, no demo in Ireland where I live and probably have to buy on online opinions which all seem good except for the bass and I think I definitely need the d200, the d120 is definitely out of the question from what I read. They seem to be holding their price at the moment maybe the new versions haven't really hit the market yet. But I really like what I read in your comparison and may wait for the right moment to buy though a bit risky without hearing them first.

[samurai7595]

I have no experience with the Focal Diablo speakers but I did audition the Focal Sopra 2 speakers along with the Devialet 200 integrated amp at a local dealer.

The speakers are a beauty to look at and the bass is deep & powerful but I’m not sure about the Beryllium tweeter. On certain recordings, I found that it sounded a little harsh. Talking to the sales rep, he told me that with the Focal Beryllium tweeter, it’s usually a love or hate affair (some people love it and others hate it but no one seems to be in-between).

Then, I compared the Focal Sopra 2 to the new B&W 804d3 speakers and the B&W Diamond tweeter was a lot more pleasing to my ears than the Focal Beryllium tweeter.

[Elztalbiker]

Focals Diabolos and Focals sounds awesome with tubeamps, much details, airy and very natural, not so with solid state.


Sent by iPad