IndiqAudio Diamond Achal Owners - What are you powering your Speakers with ??

[vinothkumar]

Good music

You should be constructive about what exactly you are missing. Missing good music could be a poorly recorded track as well. I am asking about the sound that your system produces. Without knowing what you are missing, you won't be able to fix your problems.

 

[sandeeprao]

This is a Brave Statement. Almost all reviewers reviewing those speakers here on hfv seems to be paid reviewers in my view, based on the one sided praises only and not focussing over their drawbacks if any.

Hey @raj12345 - HVF is one forum where I come when I have serious concerns - the one which could not be mostly answered on most of the FB group and I have high regards for it.

I would want and request to keep this thread away from any such discussions which could derail my attempt to find answers to - what’s wrong with my setup.

If you see - there are people who have reached out trying to understand and help but hardly any Achal owners.

Just to make my self clear about my issues:
- speakers are sounding thin and not the kind of thin which you get without a sub (auditioned speakers with and without sub)
- am I under powering it ?
- is my unit is bad
- people who have chosen to continue with the speakers, how are they using it as part of their home theatre system or for studio listening?

 

[mahaaprasaad]

This is a Brave Statement. Almost all reviewers reviewing those speakers here on hfv seems to be paid reviewers in my view, based on the one sided praises only and not focussing over their drawbacks if any.

Sorry to say. If you have understood the issue of the FM please try to help him.

I know the limitations of my set up and my investment and kept my expections up to that. I have hardly paid Rs. 40K for pair of these speakers and we have HFV members who own a speakers costing more than Rs. 1000K.

Because of such staments like your's, I fear to express my veiws on the social forums and just try to keep myself away from the discussions, though I have point to express. Some times I tend to share something on this forum based on my expereience, because, I have gained lot of knowledge from this forum and acquired most of my equipment from fellow memebers and try to contribute some thing from my side if possble. I can't say more, but I can invite people to my home and judge themselves. Still they may not like becuase their taste may different from mine. Music is just like food, more personal. I may like Road side Daaba food but not at the 5 Star Hotel. Nothing is perfect on this earth and also everything have a value at its own place.

So, let us focus on understanding the topic of this thread and help the FM as for as possible on technical side.

 

[General_sound]

Sandeep. Where do you stay in Noida. We can meet and try to resolve your issues.You may send me a PM, if you prefer. Thanks.

 

[sandeeprao]

You should be constructive about what exactly you are missing. Missing good music could be a poorly recorded track as well. I am asking about the sound that your system produces. Without knowing what you are missing, you won't be able to fix your problems.

Apologies if my first post in the thread wasn’t clear — I really wish I could’ve invited some of you to a listening session.

My expectation from these 3-way speakers was a balanced sound. I’ve spent four years with them, always wondering if I wasn’t giving them the right support — maybe the amplification or room acoustics weren’t ideal. Then I auditioned a few bookshelf speakers (not referring to the Dali floorstanders, as they’re priced higher than mine).

So far, every speaker I’ve heard has sounded good — meaning, the same tracks played across 10 different setups offered similar musicality with varying degrees of detail. But with my current speakers, that consistency just isn’t there. For reference, my go-to test is Jagjit Singh’s voice, especially the track Zara Zara.

Now I’m trying to figure out where the issue lies — is it the speakers, the rest of the chain, or just me?

 

[keroo1099]

Apologies if my first post in the thread wasn’t clear — I really wish I could’ve invited some of you to a listening session.

My expectation from these 3-way speakers was a balanced sound. I’ve spent four years with them, always wondering if I wasn’t giving them the right support — maybe the amplification or room acoustics weren’t ideal. Then I auditioned a few bookshelf speakers (not referring to the Dali floorstanders, as they’re priced higher than mine).

So far, every speaker I’ve heard has sounded good — meaning, the same tracks played across 10 different setups offered similar musicality with varying degrees of detail. But with my current speakers, that consistency just isn’t there. For reference, my go-to test is Jagjit Singh’s voice, especially the track Zara Zara.

Now I’m trying to figure out where the issue lies — is it the speakers, the rest of the chain, or just me?

I'm just wondering if the phase on one of the drivers is off on a speaker. If you are handy with tools you can take the drives out and check.

 

[sandeeprao]

I'm just wondering if the phase on one of the drivers is off on a speaker. If you are handy with tools you can take the drives out and check.

Would be happy to do it, if guided properly - can you share something which I can refer to do this ?

 

[Analogous]

Apologies if my first post in the thread wasn’t clear — I really wish I could’ve invited some of you to a listening session.

My expectation from these 3-way speakers was a balanced sound. I’ve spent four years with them, always wondering if I wasn’t giving them the right support — maybe the amplification or room acoustics weren’t ideal. Then I auditioned a few bookshelf speakers (not referring to the Dali floorstanders, as they’re priced higher than mine).

So far, every speaker I’ve heard has sounded good — meaning, the same tracks played across 10 different setups offered similar musicality with varying degrees of detail. But with my current speakers, that consistency just isn’t there. For reference, my go-to test is Jagjit Singh’s voice, especially the track Zara Zara.

Now I’m trying to figure out where the issue lies — is it the speakers, the rest of the chain, or just me?

Hi,
I am familiar with your dilemma and suspect many others are too.
After owning and experiencing over 20 pairs of speakers in the past few years I am still searching for the sound that satisfies me within my budget limits.
But during this journey I have had some moments of insights, great advice from FM and a few moments of epiphany. To summarise a few:
There is no speaker in the world that is perfect for everybody.
Even a very good speaker can sound ordinary or boring and uninvolving if paired with electronics that don’t have synergy with the speakers.
Synergy is a mysterious factor that no one I know can predict with certainty. Only way is to try and find out. This makes exploration of different combinations expensive in India. Past experiences of other users can help to an extent.
The room acoustics and positioning contributes to 40-50% of the sound quality in any set up- this is just my belief and can not be verified or measured.
Sometimes spending more can get you better sound but the value for money drops steeply after a point (diminishing returns)
Every manufacturer of audio products wants, needs to sell their creations. No exceptions. Some are just better at sales and marketing than others. Blaming them for being successful in selling their products (even if we don’t like them) is a waste of time.
Creating a hype around new products is now a norm. But finally after buying we can complain that the product did not live up to our expectations after living with them and using them in the long term. Or not. After all it was our decision to buy after auditioning.
Getting bored with a set up over time is a reality. The choices are to sell the entire set up and start afresh ot choose to upgrade one component at a time.
Asking for opinions on audio equipment from other users is sometimes similar to asking others about mileage of their vehicles. Everyone we ask will state a figure but very few would have taken the trouble to measure it. Audio quality and personal preferences are inherently subjective. Only you can decide in the long term if you like a particular sound presentation or not.
Understanding our personal sound quality preferences takes time and effort. There are no shortcuts. After several years and hundreds of hours I have some idea of what I like and what I don’t. I am not always able to express these using words. But I am more aware of how I feel. And this can change with the type of music and even the playback volume.
But the journey is fun and as the wise man said that’s what matters more than reaching the destination which in this case is ill defined, vague and unclear.
Hope this helps in your quest for better enjoyment of music.

 

[keroo1099]

Would be happy to do it, if guided properly - can you share something which I can refer to do this ?

From pictures it looks like the drivers are mounted from the front, but have no idea if a rubber gasket or sealant has been used behind as a seal.

If you want to still experiment it means un-screwing the drives and checking if the hookup wires from the crossover go to the same +ve and -ve terminals of the individual drivers. Again I don't know if the crossover on the Anchal are 1st order, 2nd order, etc. if 2nd order usually the midrange (6.5" front drivers) will be connected out of phase (positive from crossover to negative of driver and vice versa)

It's basically a trial and error method, and can get very frustrating if you don't know what you are doing

A quick way of checking the phase characteristics of the drives are the same in both speakers before you open then is to use a used AAA or AA battery and briefly connect (touch and remove) it to the speaker terminals at the back and observe how the speaker cones move (except tweeter) with the help of an observer. It should be the same for both your speakers.

Have you tried inverting the phase on at the back of your speakers and playing them (interchange +ve and -ve wires) to see if the sound improves.

 

[Nitin K]

Would be happy to do it, if guided properly - can you share something which I can refer to do this ?

Since fm General Sound also stays in Noida and has generously offered his help, a 3rd person's experience & perspective would certainly help in resolving the issue.

 

[Analogous]

I am stuck by the strong emotions evoked by any mention of Indiq audio. There seems to be no space for a middle ground between love them or hate them!

Considering that it’s always the final choice of the buyer to buy or not, is it an issue of unrealistic expectations or blaming the skilled sales person? Difficult to explain specially in instances when the speakers have been bought after auditions.

Or is it because brands like Indiq have lesser resale value compared to other well promoted international brands. I guess this would be a source of irritation too.

 

[vishalrao]

Hi @sandeeprao my audio setup is in my signature text... but it's essentially the Diamond Achals with a entry-level Denon X550BT.

I am nowhere near at an audiophile level nor have the technical vocabulary to describe my experience except to say it was a huge step up from my old Yamaha HTiB set which is to be expected - things like the "clarity" of my music came alive - meaning I could hear notes which were missing in my previous audio setups

All I can point out is that my set had poor bass at lower volume which is why I got the Polk HTS 12 sub but otherwise I was impressed with the sound. Now, I had/have never auditioned other brands/models so can't even compare at that level but for an "average Joe" like me I am satisfied with that I have.

 

[vishalrao]

.

ah @sandeeprao you say your set sounds "thin" - is that same as what I am trying to convey that my set had low-bass response at lower volumes?

 

[vinothkumar]

Apologies if my first post in the thread wasn’t clear — I really wish I could’ve invited some of you to a listening session.

My expectation from these 3-way speakers was a balanced sound. I’ve spent four years with them, always wondering if I wasn’t giving them the right support — maybe the amplification or room acoustics weren’t ideal. Then I auditioned a few bookshelf speakers (not referring to the Dali floorstanders, as they’re priced higher than mine).

So far, every speaker I’ve heard has sounded good — meaning, the same tracks played across 10 different setups offered similar musicality with varying degrees of detail. But with my current speakers, that consistency just isn’t there. For reference, my go-to test is Jagjit Singh’s voice, especially the track Zara Zara.

Now I’m trying to figure out where the issue lies — is it the speakers, the rest of the chain, or just me?

Understood, Did you try all these speakers in your setup or demoed outside your place? You can very well confirm this if you borrow the speakers and try it out at your place.

 

[General_sound]

Analogous. Thank you for your insights which struck a chord in me. My Father bought me a Philips record player in 1972. My hobby of sound started. Today at the age of 70 , having gone through Sonodyne, Cosmic , Solidaire, Norge, Marantz, Denon and other amps, combined with speakers from many companies, I am still looking for the ‘Holy Grail’. Well maybe someday I will find it! In the interim Sandeep and I will certainly look into this vexing issue; as Karoo has said it could be a case of a driver wired out of phase. Let’s see.

 

[DB1989]

Apologies if my first post in the thread wasn’t clear — I really wish I could’ve invited some of you to a listening session.

My expectation from these 3-way speakers was a balanced sound. I’ve spent four years with them, always wondering if I wasn’t giving them the right support — maybe the amplification or room acoustics weren’t ideal. Then I auditioned a few bookshelf speakers (not referring to the Dali floorstanders, as they’re priced higher than mine).

So far, every speaker I’ve heard has sounded good — meaning, the same tracks played across 10 different setups offered similar musicality with varying degrees of detail. But with my current speakers, that consistency just isn’t there. For reference, my go-to test is Jagjit Singh’s voice, especially the track Zara Zara.

Now I’m trying to figure out where the issue lies — is it the speakers, the rest of the chain, or just me?

Lol, i don't think i was of much help then. Having said that, i played the track Zara Zara through Apple Music, Tidal and Spotify and interestingly, Tidal sounded bad, Spotify was quite decent and Apple Music was the best playing through the humble Apple TV 4K as a streamer.

On a sidenote, @sachinchavan 15865 - Apple TV 4K pre-processing works really well with (or is better optimized for) certain apps, especially those belonging to the Apple Eco system such as its namesake and Apple Music plus some other apps like Netflix and Youtube but not so much with Spotify, which is when i believe the passthrough option may be useful.

 

[sandeeprao]

I am stuck by the strong emotions evoked by any mention of Indiq audio. There seems to be no space for a middle ground between love them or hate them!

Considering that it’s always the final choice of the buyer to buy or not, is it an issue of unrealistic expectations or blaming the skilled sales person? Difficult to explain specially in instances when the speakers have been bought after auditions.

Or is it because brands lik

I am stuck by the strong emotions evoked by any mention of Indiq audio. There seems to be no space for a middle ground between love them or hate them!

Considering that it’s always the final choice of the buyer to buy or not, is it an issue of unrealistic expectations or blaming the skilled sales person? Difficult to explain specially in instances when the speakers have been bought after auditions.

Or is it because brands like Indiq have lesser resale value compared to other well promoted international brands. I guess this would be a source of irritation too.

Music evokes emotion, and that emotion drives much of what we discuss in this forum. Whether we’re praising or criticizing brands, it’s all rooted in how deeply we connect with the sound. So in my view, getting emotional about it is absolutely fine.

I personally was sold on the idea of "Made in India" speakers. The thought was: since they’re designed and built here, perhaps they’d suit our kind of music better ( than the international brands). To be transparent, I didn’t audition the speakers myself. But those who did often mentioned they were powered by solid amplifiers — not by AVRs or entry-level amps.

Much of the excitement came from the success of the Misras, and we bought into the promise of something even better with the Achals.

Now, on the topic of resale value — someone buying a Dali, Focal, or a similar global brand doesn’t usually worry much about it. That’s because a well-made product eventually earns trust and builds its own reputation over time. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening here.

And this thread isn’t targeting a brand or any individual — it’s just an honest discussion. But look at the response — how many current Indiq Achal users have actually joined in? Hardly any.

 

[sandeeprao]

Hi @sandeeprao my audio setup is in my signature text... but it's essentially the Diamond Achals with a entry-level Denon X550BT.

I am nowhere near at an audiophile level nor have the technical vocabulary to describe my experience except to say it was a huge step up from my old Yamaha HTiB set which is to be expected - things like the "clarity" of my music came alive - meaning I could hear notes which were missing in my previous audio setups

All I can point out is that my set had poor bass at lower volume which is why I got the Polk HTS 12 sub but otherwise I was impressed with the sound. Now, I had/have never auditioned other brands/models so can't even compare at that level but for an "average Joe" like me I am satisfied with that I have.

Hi @vishalrao, Thanks for your msz - let me DM you to understand.