The Adamantes V is the fifth version of a two-way stand-mount loudspeaker that Diapason, a maker of handcrafted Italian speakers founded in 1987, first designed in 1989. Each generation since then has refined the shape of the multifaceted cabinet, and the current version remains built from solid wood rather than the fibreboard used for most enclosures. Diapason supplies it in pairs, and buyers can order it together with a matching dedicated stand.
Key specs that matter
A 19 mm Sonomex silk soft dome tweeter, fitted with a wide surround and a high-definition ferrite magnet works with a polymethylpentene mid-woofer that Diapason lists at 180 mm, driven through its Direct Drive technology. The factory data gives a crossover point of 3,500 Hz, a frequency response of 45 Hz to 25,000 Hz and a sensitivity of 90 dB SPL at 2.83 V and 1 m. Nominal impedance is 6 ohm, with a minimum of 3.4 ohm at 200 Hz. Each speaker measures 246 mm wide, 398 mm deep and 380 mm tall and weighs 9.3 kg.
Engineering and use context
Diapason makes the enclosure from solid Canaletto walnut, and both front and rear baffles are engraved into multifaceted shapes intended to control diffraction at the edges. The wood is finished with a water-based natural coating. Bass reflex loading vents through an opening at the back, so the box ought to keep some distance from any wall behind it. Internal wiring is Van den Hul CS12, a halogen-free cable. With Direct Drive, the woofer runs without a conventional low-pass filter in its path, and the maker describes this as a route to faster transient behaviour in the bass. Drive units carry ferrite magnets on both the tweeter and the mid-woofer, and the cabinet is hand assembled in Italy in the same way as other Diapason models. The generous depth gives the small front baffle a relatively large internal volume for a two-way box of this width. The optional 2/A stand is made of solid Canaletto walnut on a brushed stainless steel base and is 75 cm high. With the stand fitted, the assembly measures 260 x 398 x 1148 mm, and each stand weighs 12 kg. The depth of the cabinet and the rear port suit a room around 20 m2 with free space behind each cabinet.
Pairing
Amplifiers of roughly 50 to 100 W per channel suit the Adamantes V. Because the impedance dips well below its nominal value in the lower midrange, a transistor amplifier comfortable with 4 ohm loads makes more sense here than a low-power valve amplifier with limited current delivery.
Alternatives
The Diapason Astera is another stand-mount model in the company range.