Diablo 4 Avis

[Aide Broeckel]

Hmmm. I do believe in some slight changes during burn in of speakers but I have never in my life experienced such a change with burn in that it transformed the character of the speaker entirely. So away I went wondering why on earth anyone would like a sound where the foundation (the bass) was stripped away.

When the Sopra speakers came out I was hearing buzz online that this was a new sound for Focal. More balls and more beef. I can confirm that this was true but most Focal speakers I have heard are still not beefy sounding speakers. They seem to be all about dynamics, transparency and bringing an open sound that is sort of light footed but very beautiful indeed.

Once set up and with proper power behind them, Focal speakers have a sound that is so much different from other speakers. Some say that Focal makes some of the best speakers in the world.

Before these Diablo speakers the best Focal sound I have personally heard under $25k outside of a dealer showroom was indeed from the Sopra No1 two way, but I have a thing for smaller two way speakers.

So why have I always preferred two way smaller speakers vs large behemoths? Well, they are smaller, sometimes they look cooler and they almost always disappear in the room with ease compared to larger speakers. I also rarely ever have room loading issues with two ways.

In todays 2023 world nothing really shocks me when it comes to price. My mind has grown numb to these insane prices and it just is what it is. High end audio is well, HIGH END and it will set you back a pretty penny if you decide to go down the rabbit hole. Be warned though, once inside it may be hard to escape! (many of you will know what I mean).

I know someone is reading this and asking this question. To those who feel it is crazy to spend so much on audio remember that some people spend 6 figures on boats, jewelry and cars. Some spend on lavish vacations and trips. I know a guy who has spent over $100k on a safe room with over 50 weapons inside out of fear of the future. A bit overkill IMO. I know sone who have $50k in their camera and lenses and yet photography is a hobby for them, not a business.

There is no shortage of things to blow our cash on in this world and some choose to spend it on audio to create a beautiful system that not only sounds heavenly but looks the part. We are as humans after all hardwired to enjoy music and to allow music to communicate with our senses. I listen to music daily yet I do not drive daily so yes, my system cost a little more than my vehicle did brand new.

I may put 6k miles per year on my car but I put thousands of hours on my audio system each year. So which brings me more enjoyment in life? The Audio of course. I have traveled to many parts of the world and am done with that part of life. I have no interest in boats, fancy watches or clothing. I spend money on what brings me peace, serenity, happiness and joy. I suggest we all do this in life. Spend on what makes you happy, noting more, nothing less.

The Bass is not big and flabby in high end speakers but rather, super controlled and tight. Tuneful yet Truthful. We get to hear every detail and instrument in their own space within a soundstage. We hear a 3 dimensional presentation with a well setup system that is noise and buzz free.

I even prefer listening to live recordings on my reference system VS going to a live performance these days. I have been to over 80 concerts in life and what do I remember most? The beer being spilled on me, the weed smell from the guy 3 rows back, the pushiness, the ear ringing and even the traffic in the lot at the end of the show. Dealing with nonsense. The last show I went to a few years ago, I was robbed. True story.

When I have a gathering at the house, I may have a small system playing background music quietly. I enjoy it as the sound is full and nice even at low volume. If we have a larger gathering I may move this outside and set up a nice playlist.

When I want to sit in my music room for hours and just soak it all in I enjoy a much more refined experience. This is when I want to be encased in the music with a walk in soundstage that has zero noise or flaws. I like to hear the separation of each instrument with clarity and body. I enjoy hearing the vocals dead center into the room sone with a 3D presentation and natural imaging.

I love the looks of the Diablo and have for many years. I was hoping that with my REL S/510 Sub I would be able to enjoy the world class treble and mids that these deliver to their fullest, without any kind of lean sound that some models in the Focal lineup are known for.

To be clear, I use my DCS DAC and CLOCK with the Billie and bypass the internal built in DAC as I feel the source is what makes all of the magic. With the DCS DAC even lower cost amps sound like a million bucks. What goes into the amp (source) is so important as to what comes out as the amp is simply amplifying your source signal. The better the source signal, the better the sound. With a cheap source and expensive amp all one is doing is amplifying the cheaper source. : ) This is why in my book, Source is King. See my video here about this.

The mid bass was not as present as I am used to and this is what I feel makes many Focal speakers sound leaner IMO. They do not pump in the mid bass to flesh voices out. Rather they go for a more natural and realistic vocal presentation, and after a few days I was really enjoying this as it really did sound more realistic and authentic than what I was used to though I admit, I was missing the big chesty vocals.

The flip side is that transparency within the vocals allowed me to hear deeper into the recording and it was becoming addicting the longer I listened. I was listening with my DCS Lina DAC/Clock streaming Tidal HiFi as well as playing some vinyl with a Pure Fidelity Harmony turntable (which is gorgeous).

I decided to set up my REL sub with them and it was pretty easy to integrate. Once I did this the Diablos sounded very much like the insanely bigger Utopia models (I have heard the $150k model at a Dealer). They were complete from top to the lowest registers without flab or boom. This is when I started to really sit up and take notice.

With the sub dialed in and on it was a HOLY WOW moment. This was such a wonderful hypnotic sound. The clarity was there but with the sub crossed over at around 60-70hz and the volume at just a few notches up from 0 on the S/510 the sound was rock solid and fully blended to where the speakers sounded as one.

I was not hearing hard, lean or analytical at all when powered by the Billie MKII, DCS Lina DAC and CLOCK and using the REL S/510 Sub. I was instead hearing a grand scale, lifelike vocals and instruments, reverb decays from the studio and a seductive sweet smoothness. Soundstage was wide but not cavernous (this is good) and it had depth and height as well.

With an Aavik U-150 integrated (which is now an older model that sold for $20k plus loaded like this one) sounded absolutely insanely magical with the Focal. I was told by Tyler at Next Level HiFi in Wayne, IL I would be pleased with the U-150 and these speakers. He was not kidding, I will have more on this amp below.

Without the sub they sounded fantastic as well in my 13X18 room but there were times I wished for more oomph. Without the Sub there were times when the music sounded a touch lean. Then again, if Focal tuned these for more powerful bass output I feel the mids and treble would be negatively affected. Maybe they designed these to be used with a high quality sub because when the sub is on, these are pure magic and refinement.

I sometimes wished for this extra oomph with the ($20k) Devilles or even the ($16k) Klipsch LaScala as well so the Diablos are not unique in this area. Any high end smaller speakers will do better with a nice quality subwoofer.

Without a sub you can expect a big muscular detailed and crisp sound with the tightest most tuneful bass you have heard from the Diablo. These do well up to about 50-60hz when they start fading in the bass but what is there is powerful, impactful and dynamic.

What sets the Diablos apart from other speakers is indeed the treble and to some extent the midrange. The fact that Focal makes all of their drivers in house is remarkable. Other big name brand speakers use Focal drivers in many designs. They know their stuff. The speakers are also overbuilt and the stands are ridiculously good, well made and perfect for the speakers.

Large, heavy, stable, filled with sand from the factory. The speakers screw into them for perfect placement and balance. The spikes are large, polished and they are magnetized so the metal bases still to them when you move the speakers. With stands these weigh in at around 85lbs each.

The Diablos are also front ported which is fantastic. If using a ported speaker I much prefer them to be ported from the bottom or front. This allows for much easier room placement as the bass is not pumping out of the back, reflecting off of the wall behind it. I always find front ported speakers to be the easiest of all to place within a room.

I decided to remove the Billie MKII and place in the big boys. The nearly 100lb Pass Labs X250.8 and XP22 pre. When I do this the sound becomes more open, more alive and offers up a smooth crystalline experience. I hear more clarity within the mids and more spaciousness as well. There are more details and even more of a tangible beauty but the mid bass is a little leaner.

I was really digging the Billie MKII with the Focal but the Pass allows them to do what they do even better and if you want all of what these speakers can offer, the Pass Labs just brought out more of everything. The soundstage widens, gets taller and the 3D presentation is even more 3D. This setup is heavenly but these pieces are large, unruly and expensive.

Keep in mind that the Pass setup retails for around $30k. The Billie MKII is $2k, The Billie MKII sounds wonderful with the Diablos and warms them up a bit in the mids while still allowing the treble to shine but the sound is not the most refined or smooth. Being Class D there is a hint of that Class D sound but those tubes really help the Billie with the Class A preamp section.

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