My Review of the IndiqAudio Diamond Achals

Was surely a nice read . Would you suggest these speakers for Electronic music or EDM mainly being preferred. It's best to ask this from someone actually owning a pair and hence my question.
As I have mentioned, these speakers are very neutral and their sound is deeply influenced by the chain of electronics. While my Class A is not the right set up for EDM, you should explore these with Class AB amps which are brighter in nature. As I had mentioned, when I heard these with the Platinum Saptak stereo amp (class AB), these sounded far too forward for my liking. However, I am sure EDM would have sounded good with that set up. The speaker has the bottom heft that EDM needs but I dont listen to a whole lot of EDM...ok, I don't listen to EDM at all minus one album that I have of Armin van Buuren, so I am not the best judge for this genre.
 
As I have mentioned, these speakers are very neutral and their sound is deeply influenced by the chain of electronics. While my Class A is not the right set up for EDM, you should explore these with Class AB amps which are brighter in nature. As I had mentioned, when I heard these with the Platinum Saptak stereo amp (class AB), these sounded far too forward for my liking. However, I am sure EDM would have sounded good with that set up. The speaker has the bottom heft that EDM needs but I dont listen to a whole lot of EDM...ok, I don't listen to EDM at all minus one album that I have of Armin van Buuren, so I am not the best judge for this genre.
Sweet of you to pen down your thoughts about how these speaks would fare with EDM, and i agree it's better i get an audition along with the saptak amp and then decide.
 
Hi everyone,

It has been ages since I posted anything worthwhile on this forum so feels great to contribute something tangible via this ownership review.

My hi-fi journey had started way back in 2010 when I bought Paradigm Monitor 7 along with Denon AVR. Not the most optimal set up (played via Blu-ray player and no stereo amp) but it gave me my first taste of decent sound. Stuck around with that set up for next 4-5 years till I decided to "simplify" my life without (too) many wires. I went ahead and sold my AVR/towers in favor of Dali Kubik soundbar. For those of who know of this soundbar, it is essentially a 2-channel music system in the shape (and convenience) of a soundbar. It doesn't have any fancy 5.1 or beyond set up ... even an HDMI input is not there. However, it sounds great and belies its size when it comes to scale/sound. Plus, I bought Oppo UDP203 to address the source gap which allowed me to do justice to my CDs and Blu-rays, both.

This set up kept me happy for another 4-5 years and then the itch again started. However, the years had also made me wiser and I was no longer looking to blow 7 digit budget on a hobby which is not utilized to its full extent. Plus, I was still enamored by lack of wires/complexity. I seriously started looking at couple of options:
  1. KEF LS50 Wireless
  2. Indian companies who have a great value proposition of sound vs. price.
I demo'ed LS50 couple of times and scoured articles on it all over internet. It delivered the sound I wanted without the complexity of wires. However, when I started checking on its retail price, the price on ground was closer to 3L as against the What HiFi price of 2L. This made me question the value proposition as any further upgrade will require me to uproot the entire 3L investment. This question came on back of my demos which I was having with Indiqaudio's Platinum Achal floorstanders. I had read about Amit's products on this forum and after listening to the Platinum Achals with A/B class Saptak, I realized I can get the sound I desire while retaining the flexibility of separate and without blowing big bucks. I will forego the clean set up of no-wires but it is a trade off I was ok to make. Plus, I can be assured of after-sales service. Spending on brands with iffy after-sales was a major kill joy and I had read enough threads on people struggling to get drivers etc repaired to know that it is a very likely scenario.

It was during one of my demo visits that I was introduced to the Diamond Achals. I heard them along with the A/B Saptaks. As much as I have liked slightly forward sounding speakers, they sounded a bit too bright for my taste. Maybe my listening preference has shifted over years or maybe they were brighter than all of my previous setups. However, I liked the heft and scale that the Diamonds had over Platinum. It was at this point that Amit asked me to wait for their Class A Diamond Saptak which were under development. I was happy to wait.

I finally got the call from Amit that I can now listen to the pairing. I came in, listened to songs of R.E.M and others, and left thinking - I can't recollect the last time I went through the same emotions when I listened to these songs in the past. It was also my first time of listening to a class A amp. The difference it made to smoothness is unbelievable! I put in my order and the set up was delivered over a month ago.

So how do I find the setup after period of burn-in (though not much was needed, tbh):

The speakers are polite(r) with Class A but not to the extent as I remember of speakers such as Harbeth. The vocals do not get muddied and the bass is precise without overpowering the mids. There are genres which would probably sound better with A/B amp and I do think that my Linkin' Park collection is a lot more polite on this set up. :) On the other hand, Simon and Garfunkel sounds glorious as do Nat "King" Cole and Louise Armstrong. You would think that this makes the low end muddled but it is not. As I said, the bass is precise and in certain songs, it actually sounds sharp and yet in other places, it feels polite. Yes, there is no overhang of the bass notes and it is just the feel which changes based on the song.

The set up feels really comfortable and is something you can listen to for long hours without the fatigue. The same speakers with A/B Saptak felt lot more excited in their nature. It also speaks of the versatility of these speakers! They can be what you what them to be by pairing them with appropriate amp. Very neutral in their core elements.

The imaging is spot on and so is the separation. I have always valued separation in my speakers and this has kept me away from the usual suspects of warm sounding speakers. It is now an interesting experience to listen to a non-fatiguing speaker without losing separation. The set up is also now hooked into my TV and dialogues come through loud and clear.

Btw, my chain for music is apple TV -> Oppo UDP 203 (HDMI) -> Diamond Achals. I am putting out the video via Oppo to my TV. I can imagine that I can do better with a quality streamer but for CD quality music, this is great. Plus, when I play my physical CDs, the clarity of physical media shines via Oppo.

So far, I have had opportunity to do sessions with Jazz, bollywood music, and elements of classic rock. I do not get enough time to sit down and enjoy multi-hour sessions on the set up but the joy of listening to great sound even for an hour makes it worthwhile.

I must also make it a point to speak about the nice experience I have had interacting with Amit during the course of demos and the sale. Professional and prompt. He was gracious in giving demos, never pushy in making a decision, and the installation was fully owned by him (and his team). This makes me confident of the after-sales support! Plus, he has diligently checked in from time to time to see how is my experience shaping up. This experience makes the idea of buying into strong Indian brands so much more compelling.

I hope to continue to post my observations on this thread as I experience more music (and TV) with the set up. Till then, happy to respond to any queries. Sharing a few pics of my set up.
Sharing updates on my set up journey. I have now added Topping D90SE DAC and iFi Zen Streamer. My immediate reaction (within the first 15 mins) to listening to music via this chain (as against Apple TV -> Oppo UDP203 -> Signature/Diamond Achals) was that it felt dark. However, the more I listen to the set up, the more full-bodied it feels. Since dark is not exactly a technical way to project, I understand better what am I listening to. One more immediate reaction was that the lows are now being dug up even more (in a good way)!

I had heard Topping E3 or E5 at Amit’s place when I was auditioning the speakers but I appreciate the Topping signature now that it is in my set up. I had read good reviews of D90SE while I was considering my options between D90SE and Gustard X18. In the end, I went with Topping as I read that Gustard is leaner in signature. It is also known to be a tad overpriced (Topping i.e.) but what the heck! I got a small discount at Headphonezone so it is ok. At the end, it is about whatever floats your boat. I knew a leaner sound will not cut for me. I now also appreciate that the Oppo DAC itself is leaner than D90SE. Therefore, it is not like D90SE is better than Oppo. Just that it colours the sound to sound fuller and that sounds better to me.

Did I mention the lows? :D I appreciate the low end capability of Diamonds even more with this chain. The bass makes its presence felt without overpowering the mids. The low end from “Gungroo” from War was never so pronounced without feeling overpowering. AC/DC sounds swell too!

I was listening to “Phir le aya idl” from Barfi and I got goosebumps from listening to the vocals. I also listened to usual suspects like Nina Simone, Jagjit Singh etc. While listening to John Coltrane, the sound staging continues to be excellent with the drums and sax so easily placed in front of me from left to right while I listen with my eyes closed. The separation and sparkle has not been lost even as the sound has become more full-bodied.

I guess you can say I like my new DAC. :) I am yet to route my ATV4K via the DAC to see how my TV experience changes (it is routed via Oppo) but I am tempted to keep it that way as of now. Oppo’s DAC is too good to be wasted and TV listening is never so critical as music tends to be.

Let me return to my listening and I will post further.
 
I started my journey with the PSB Alpha B1 and a Topping T20 amp. The amp was ok at lower volumes but I needed a bigger amp. So, I went for a Nad 326bee. Soon enough, my itch for more bass ended up me buying a Velodyne Impact 10. Then, I went for the Melodika BL40 towers. And then, the speaker bug bit again. This is all over a course of say 9-10 years.

I liked PSB Alpha's midrange but it wasn't doing justice to the music I listened to. Rock/Metal at highish volumes. Melodika was fine at high volumes but I missed the mids and vocals on these.

So, I was looking to buy new tower speakers to replace my existing Melodika speakers. I had already read a lot about Indiq Audio. So, I decided to go for it! Had a talk with Amit and zeroed in on the Diamond Achals. I went for a blind purchase as i live far away from Bangalore. I had been researching on and off for a few years but decided that this is it. I will buy these :).

The options for custom finishes was an added bonus.
The speakers arrived safe and sound. The packing was top notch. I loved my custom finish.

I'm still using my NAD 326bee and when I fired my speakers up for the first time, trust me, there were instant goosebumps. I don't know if it was due to me playing one of my favourite songs or hearing something I hadn't heard before, but still, needless to say I loved the sound!
The bass was very punchy.
The vocals are mesmerizing. The electric guitar sounded so real! Finally!

Now after a few months I can safely say that I love these speakers!
The bass is punchier and mids are still mesmerizing. :)

I had a placement issue with my previous speakers. My room is such that I can only keep the speakers kinda near to each other as there's a door in between. The soundstage of my previous speakers wasn't good if I kept them that way. So, I had to keep the speakers at a distance with the door in between that was neither looking good aesthetically nor was my listening position in between. But I tried the diamond achals both ways and the soundstage and everything else is still absolutely fine.

PC-->Topping DX3 Pro-->NAD 326-->Diamond Achals.
That's my usual audio chain and I play spotify and flacs in my PC.

The speakers sound great to me. The itch has kinda stopped. I may need to add a better amp in the future. Other than that, it's all good. For now. ;)

Thank you for reading. :)
Hi

I just ordered a pair of diamond achals. Could I request you for an assessment after 1 year of ownership. Are you happy with them. Any regrets
Could you send me a few images of your setup

Thank you in advance
 
Hi everyone,

It has been ages since I posted anything worthwhile on this forum so feels great to contribute something tangible via this ownership review.

My hi-fi journey had started way back in 2010 when I bought Paradigm Monitor 7 along with Denon AVR. Not the most optimal set up (played via Blu-ray player and no stereo amp) but it gave me my first taste of decent sound. Stuck around with that set up for next 4-5 years till I decided to "simplify" my life without (too) many wires. I went ahead and sold my AVR/towers in favor of Dali Kubik soundbar. For those of who know of this soundbar, it is essentially a 2-channel music system in the shape (and convenience) of a soundbar. It doesn't have any fancy 5.1 or beyond set up ... even an HDMI input is not there. However, it sounds great and belies its size when it comes to scale/sound. Plus, I bought Oppo UDP203 to address the source gap which allowed me to do justice to my CDs and Blu-rays, both.

This set up kept me happy for another 4-5 years and then the itch again started. However, the years had also made me wiser and I was no longer looking to blow 7 digit budget on a hobby which is not utilized to its full extent. Plus, I was still enamored by lack of wires/complexity. I seriously started looking at couple of options:
  1. KEF LS50 Wireless
  2. Indian companies who have a great value proposition of sound vs. price.
I demo'ed LS50 couple of times and scoured articles on it all over internet. It delivered the sound I wanted without the complexity of wires. However, when I started checking on its retail price, the price on ground was closer to 3L as against the What HiFi price of 2L. This made me question the value proposition as any further upgrade will require me to uproot the entire 3L investment. This question came on back of my demos which I was having with Indiqaudio's Platinum Achal floorstanders. I had read about Amit's products on this forum and after listening to the Platinum Achals with A/B class Saptak, I realized I can get the sound I desire while retaining the flexibility of separate and without blowing big bucks. I will forego the clean set up of no-wires but it is a trade off I was ok to make. Plus, I can be assured of after-sales service. Spending on brands with iffy after-sales was a major kill joy and I had read enough threads on people struggling to get drivers etc repaired to know that it is a very likely scenario.

It was during one of my demo visits that I was introduced to the Diamond Achals. I heard them along with the A/B Saptaks. As much as I have liked slightly forward sounding speakers, they sounded a bit too bright for my taste. Maybe my listening preference has shifted over years or maybe they were brighter than all of my previous setups. However, I liked the heft and scale that the Diamonds had over Platinum. It was at this point that Amit asked me to wait for their Class A Diamond Saptak which were under development. I was happy to wait.

I finally got the call from Amit that I can now listen to the pairing. I came in, listened to songs of R.E.M and others, and left thinking - I can't recollect the last time I went through the same emotions when I listened to these songs in the past. It was also my first time of listening to a class A amp. The difference it made to smoothness is unbelievable! I put in my order and the set up was delivered over a month ago.

So how do I find the setup after period of burn-in (though not much was needed, tbh):

The speakers are polite(r) with Class A but not to the extent as I remember of speakers such as Harbeth. The vocals do not get muddied and the bass is precise without overpowering the mids. There are genres which would probably sound better with A/B amp and I do think that my Linkin' Park collection is a lot more polite on this set up. :) On the other hand, Simon and Garfunkel sounds glorious as do Nat "King" Cole and Louise Armstrong. You would think that this makes the low end muddled but it is not. As I said, the bass is precise and in certain songs, it actually sounds sharp and yet in other places, it feels polite. Yes, there is no overhang of the bass notes and it is just the feel which changes based on the song.

The set up feels really comfortable and is something you can listen to for long hours without the fatigue. The same speakers with A/B Saptak felt lot more excited in their nature. It also speaks of the versatility of these speakers! They can be what you what them to be by pairing them with appropriate amp. Very neutral in their core elements.

The imaging is spot on and so is the separation. I have always valued separation in my speakers and this has kept me away from the usual suspects of warm sounding speakers. It is now an interesting experience to listen to a non-fatiguing speaker without losing separation. The set up is also now hooked into my TV and dialogues come through loud and clear.

Btw, my chain for music is apple TV -> Oppo UDP 203 (HDMI) -> Diamond Achals. I am putting out the video via Oppo to my TV. I can imagine that I can do better with a quality streamer but for CD quality music, this is great. Plus, when I play my physical CDs, the clarity of physical media shines via Oppo.

So far, I have had opportunity to do sessions with Jazz, bollywood music, and elements of classic rock. I do not get enough time to sit down and enjoy multi-hour sessions on the set up but the joy of listening to great sound even for an hour makes it worthwhile.

I must also make it a point to speak about the nice experience I have had interacting with Amit during the course of demos and the sale. Professional and prompt. He was gracious in giving demos, never pushy in making a decision, and the installation was fully owned by him (and his team). This makes me confident of the after-sales support! Plus, he has diligently checked in from time to time to see how is my experience shaping up. This experience makes the idea of buying into strong Indian brands so much more compelling.

I hope to continue to post my observations on this thread as I experience more music (and TV) with the set up. Till then, happy to respond to any queries. Sharing a few pics of my set up.
how much for saptak signature and diamond achal plz ?
 
For excellent sound that won't break the bank, the 5 Star Award Winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Bookshelf Speakers is the one to consider!
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