DIAPASON ADAMANTES V SPEAKER 2022 REVIEW

Diapason is a name that will be familiar to many, as the world-renown Italian loudspeaker manufacturer has been producing speakers since 1987 and are known worldwide for its woodworking skills, exceptional cabinet design, and use of materials.

Recently, RAD UK has taken over distribution of this legendary brand, and when they approached us regarding a review, we were only too happy to give these speakers our personal views. So let’s delve right in…

Stunning Visuals

The first thing you have to say about the Diapason Adamante V Stand mount speaker is visually stunning. Many Hi-Fi products have great sound but are, in many cases, simply built-in square/rectangle boxes.

The design is like a faceted diamond, and the solid Canaletto Walnut Cabinets are a thing of true beauty and craftsmanship.

I was told by the UK distributor that the wood for each cabinet is aged for 25 years to limit natural fiber variation before the staves are cut. The choice of Canaletto Wood was determined for its unique properties of the wood, and only selected pieces which meet a predefined standard are actually used!

Obviously, this is a company that cares equally about the look and sound of its products. RAD UK explained this comes from Diapason designer & CEO Alessandro Schiavi’s work with classical instrument creation and studying the importance of the instruments cabinets in creating a sound.

This reasonably large stand mount speaker can be bought with a matching stand, which, although quite expensive, is incredibly restricting. According to the UK distributor, the stands work better with the speakers than other cheaper stands, and I would agree.

Complimentary Tech Features

The Adamantes V speakers are a two-way design that was first produced way back in 1989, and the shape of the speaker is not just to look pretty; oh no, the design is particular and is tuned to sound like a musical instrument by the designer and head honcho, Alessandro Schiavi.

The idea is for the speaker to create an accurate three-dimensional soundstage that allows the listener to “touch” instruments and voices and sense their exact position during a performance.

Diapason’s direct-drive technology is applied to a 17cm woofer designed specifically for Diapason by Norwegian driver manufacturer SEAS. It has been made to rigorous specifications to enable the direct connection of the rear speaker connections to the driver without a low pass filter.

This idea is to produce bass, which is both realistic and very fast. The 19mm tweeter, a treated silk soft-dome model, is also explicitly made for Diapason by SEAS. The stand is also made from Canaletto wood and brushed stainless steel, standing 75cm tall for optimal performance.

The quoted frequency response is 38Hz to 20Khz, which is impressive for a stand-mount speaker, and being rear ported would ideally need to be out from the rear wall at least 6 inches. The crossover to the tweeter is an impressive 4.6Khz, which generally means that it’s above the critical area for voices and many musical instruments.

Generally, I like speakers that crossover above 3Khz as the midrange tends to be significantly better. They are also 91db efficient and have a nominal 6ohm load, so they will work with various amplifiers, including valve amps.

Speaker dimensions are 246mm wide x 398mm deep x 1148mm high.

Impressive Sound Quality

So how do they sound? In a word, AMAZING! They have a vast soundstage reminiscent of a prominent floor-standing speaker. They are genuinely three-dimensional, and the positioning of vocalists and instruments is extraordinary.

Most importantly, the realism of the music is as good as any speaker I have ever experienced, even better than most. Voices and real instruments are so realistic that they are uncanny, and their ability to play music and be natural is excellent.

You can listen to them for hours at a time with absolutely no sense of fatigue. They simply play music, all kinds of sounds with different amplifiers. I used valve amplifiers, even low-powered ones, and I used both Class A and Class A/B amplifiers, and every amp sounded good with these speakers.

You certainly don’t need much power, and I loved both valve amplifiers and a Class A amplifier with them and never felt the need for more power. But then I also enjoyed them with a 200-watt class A/B amplifier, especially with rock music and large-scale classical pieces.

But if I preferred rock music, dance music, rap, or large-scale classical, especially at higher volumes, I would probably plump for a more powerful class A/B or even a Class D amplifier.

Final Thoughts

It would be an understatement to say I was impressed with these loudspeakers and stands. They are, without doubt, one of the best stand-mount speakers I have ever heard. The looks and finish are simply stunning and certainly help justify their price.

These speakers and stands are expensive, but honestly, if you can afford them, get an audition… or even if you can’t, still do it!

What Diapason has produced here is something special. This is not your usual speaker where someone has put some high-quality drivers into a square cabinet and slapped an expensive price tag. This next-level design uses the cabinet to produce a sound with which no other speaker can compete.

Why? No one else has this knowledge or can create cabinets as good as these. Brescia is world-renowned for its instrument design, and you can feel its history in these speakers. Why would you not want a speaker designed by a man who understands what real music sounds like and has the skills to recreate it.

Finally, you get a cabinet that could be placed in the Lourve museum as a piece of art, and this is a no-brainer at its price point.

Diapason Adamantes V Retail Price

Diapason offers two less expensive models, the Karis SE at £3499 and the Micra III at around £2,000, which I can’t wait to hear.
Alessandro Schiavi and his team have produced one of my favorite speakers in the Adamant V.

Their skill, fit, finish, and attention to detail put many other speaker manufacturers to shame, and I will be devastated when they have to go back to the distributor.

These speakers are deserving of my highest recommendation and a Platinum Award!

What do you think about the Diapason Adamantes V Speaker? We would love to know your thoughts in the comments below.