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People sometimes say that the Dutch are stubborn (and direct, and boorish… but that’s another discussion). But what about the French? According to your editor, French people are even more stubborn. They take a different approach to practically everything. And they are often convinced that they are right. This cán be very annoying, but often leads to wonderful constructions and innovations. We take a look at the Diptyque DP107. A French brand that has focused on magnetostatic speakers… with a twist!
If we ask you to name one brand in the world of magnetostats, we’re guessing you’ll come up with Magnepan. And rightly so. It is an insanely beautiful brand. Your editor played with a pair of 0.6SE for years. And it’s taken a long time for a dynamic speaker – with a ribbon of course – went over qualities of this magnetostat. Especially the mids and treble is so unprecedentedly purist in a magnetostat. That makes it that vocals are reproduced unprecedentedly fine. Stress-free, pure, uncolored…. phase correct.
But back to the Diptyque DP107 (6000 Euros per pair) for a moment.
Diptyque DP107
The literal translation of Diptyque is… diptych. An apt brand name, because Diptyque actually makes stereo speaker systems that consist of two panel speakers. However, the panel also consists of two panels: front and rear. In push-pull configuration. Right… Diptyque uses a push-pull system for their magnetostats.
So to start with the most distinctive: the PPBM – Push Pull Bipolar Magnet – system. This system is patented by Diptyque. Whereas Magnepan only placed a magnet behind the Mylar foil, Diptyque places a magnet system behind and in front of the foil. According to Diptyque, this provides more control and therefore less coloration, more dynamic range, et cetera. There is something to be said for this, by the way. The Diptyque DP107 is – as the name suggests – 107 cm high. It is the model above the 77 which – quite surprisingly – is 77cm high.
The construction is surprisingly strong. This is partly due to the kind of ‘sandwitch’ construction that is made of MDF and metal. So because both the front and back are structurally quite integer, the whole speaker feels remarkably strong. An amusing detail is that the mount allows the speaker to be tilted as desired. This allows the stereo image – and the frequency response (!) – to be manipulated a bit. We used a slight as well as a slightly higher tilt in the listening sessions. Voices were released more nicely this way and also at the right height, which results in a pleasant listening experience.
Magnetostatic
As mentioned, the Diptyque DP107 is a magnetostatic speaker. There is a large Mylar foil for the mids and bass and a smaller ribbon tweeter for the treble. Combined, the the DP107 can reproduce 40 Hz – 19 kHz. Yes… 40 Hz… that’s remarkably deep. I guess that’s thanks to the special technique Diptyque uses: the push/pull technology. So by driving the Mylar film with the music signal, it is either attracted or repelled behind or in front. Optimal and even control is the result.
Now a magnetostat is by definition bipolar which means that it pushes energy forward and backward. Do take that into account with placement and acoustic treatment. Our experience with bipolar speakers is that it does have a little more interaction with the room. In our listening room we have had no problems and the Diptyque plays very well balanced.
