home entertainment 2007
home entertainment 2007
home entertainment 2007
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PEAK CONSULT EL DIABLO<br />
similar to the pair in my listening room<br />
at <strong>home</strong>.<br />
However, despite what I believe JA’s<br />
measurements will reveal about its<br />
slightly mellow character, the Diablo’s<br />
overall presentation never seemed<br />
starved for air, and never sounded soft,<br />
bland, or boring—nor, of course, did it<br />
ever sound bright, etchy, grainy, or<br />
harsh, unless the recording itself was<br />
grossly so. Trumpets, flutes, xylophones,<br />
and brass all sounded sufficiently<br />
airy and metallic. Cymbals rang<br />
convincingly, and overall, throughout<br />
the months I listened to the Diablos, I<br />
wanted for nothing in terms of highfrequency<br />
or transient response.<br />
But most important, and perhaps<br />
because of that high crossover frequency,<br />
instrumental harmonic structures, and<br />
especially the human voice, were<br />
exceptionally lifelike and coherent. I<br />
can’t think of a loudspeaker that better<br />
reproduces instrumental and vocal<br />
touches and textures. I could consistently<br />
rely on the Diablos to provide<br />
long evenings’ worth of <strong>entertainment</strong><br />
without producing boredom or fatigue.<br />
They always invited me in and never<br />
pushed me away.<br />
The Diablo’s tonal balance was as<br />
self-effacing as its looks and, on closer<br />
inspection, equally and understatedly<br />
spectacular. The speaker never sounded<br />
too bright unless the recording was,<br />
nor did it sound polite—unless the<br />
recording was. From top to bottom,<br />
the Diablo never sounded mechanical,<br />
never showed any aural seams. The<br />
bass extension was deep, full, and satisfying<br />
without being overwhelming.<br />
While the overall balance was clearly<br />
tipped downward ever so slightly on<br />
top, this was never to the point that the<br />
Diablo sounded soft or rolled off. It<br />
was just slightly reserved. Some might<br />
wish for a more open sound, but I<br />
think the Diablo’s balance would be<br />
more welcome over the long haul. It<br />
was among the best-balanced loudspeakers<br />
I’ve heard here—its designer<br />
has managed to maintain a single sonic<br />
personality throughout the entire<br />
audioband.<br />
Unlike speakers that require high<br />
SPLs to work effectively, the Diablo,<br />
despite its slightly laid-back character,<br />
never failed to engage me. Even at very<br />
low SPLs it maintained impressive<br />
macrodynamic authority, sounding<br />
relaxed and unrestrained in my smallish<br />
room—like a high-powered amplifier<br />
just loafing along. Conversely, when<br />
cranked, the Diablo never sounded<br />
compressed, never lost its tonal or<br />
dynamic composure. I couldn’t come<br />
close to exposing its dynamic or SPL<br />
limitations.<br />
How loud will the Diablos play?<br />
Very, as I discovered at CES, where<br />
they filled a large space with ease. The<br />
Diablo sounded equally magnificent<br />
driven by Musical Fidelity’s mammoth<br />
kW monoblocks and by the 100Wpc<br />
Music Reference RM-200 tube amp.<br />
With the RM-200 the Diablos weren’t<br />
as tight or as controlled on bottom, or<br />
as dynamically authoritative—but at<br />
94dB claimed sensitivity, they still got<br />
plenty loud.<br />
Conclusion<br />
The Peak Consult El Diablo is a very<br />
large-sounding loudspeaker in a surprisingly<br />
small package. It’s comfortable<br />
playing softly or loudly in a small<br />
or a large room, whether reproducing<br />
chamber music, large orchestral pieces,<br />
solo voice, hard rock, metal, acoustic<br />
jazz, or anything else you might throw<br />
at it. Its highly refined, slightly mellow<br />
personality won’t appeal to all, but I<br />
suspect it will to most, regardless of<br />
musical tastes.<br />
But while very capable, the Diablo is<br />
very expensive at $65,000/pair.<br />
Although its value will be in the eye,<br />
ear, and wallet of the beholder, you<br />
may wonder why anyone would spend<br />
so much on a pair of speakers. Its relatively<br />
small footprint (for a big, bassproficient<br />
speaker), exquisite finish,<br />
and understated appearance will make<br />
it attractive to the wealthy, urban<br />
audiophile who lives in an apartment<br />
of small to medium size, but who<br />
wants big sound when he can crank it<br />
and convincing sound when he can’t.<br />
And if that well-heeled audiophile has<br />
a big dedicated listening room, well, no<br />
problem there either.<br />
I spent three months with the Diablos<br />
and found them to be among the<br />
most capable and musically engaging<br />
speakers I’ve yet auditioned. They<br />
could rock out and play very loud and<br />
gritty, and they could lie back to<br />
deliver delicate acoustic music with<br />
all the textural and tonal nuance<br />
needed to convincingly sell it as happening<br />
live—and that’s within an hour<br />
of my return from a concert at Avery<br />
Fisher Hall. ■■<br />
96 www.Stereophile.com, May <strong>2007</strong>