My Review of the IndiqAudio Diamond Achals

[Credoh]

Hi saptak matches v well with platinum achal.i have two more amps one is Norge gold 1000 it also sounds good.
Adcom GAF ,555se pmp this also pairs v well with these.among these saptak and adcom go hand in hand.v detailed clarity and vocals.
I tried my dali lektor 6 with same amps but they were good with adcom but not as good as ahals and v badly matching with saptak.
I'm using saptak with achal as 2 ch system with cxn v 2 for music
And connected to Sony tv via optical cable.i don't feel the need for subwoofer here as these speakers have 10" woofers and have good bass effect.

Thanks Girish. The Norge gold 1000 is in a similar price range as Saptak? I'm not familiar with this brand.

 

[girishtd8262]

Thanks Girish. The Norge gold 1000 is in a similar price range as Saptak? I'm not familiar with this brand.

No it's 16 k but outperforms it's price saptak is 1l
You can go through A thread on Norge here on hifi vision

 

[ajuvignesh]

No it's 16 k but outperforms it's price saptak is 1l
You can go through A thread on Norge here on hifi vision

1l is for a pair of monoblocks or for just a single piece?

 

[girishtd8262]

1l is for a pair of monoblocks or for just a single piece?

Single piece has two monoblock circuit.single power supply.its heavy 28 kgs i believe

 

[ajuvignesh]

Single piece has two monoblock circuit.single power supply.its heavy 28 kgs i believe

Thank you.

 

[Pratyush J]

Single piece has two monoblock circuit.single power supply.its heavy 28 kgs i believe

Based on the website specs and my discussion with them, Platinum Saptak is Dual mono, with individual power supplies and individual speaker protection for L and R amp boards. I will be on official travel to Blr soon, will try to visit them to audition their new speaker and the new Amp and post my review

 

[girishtd8262]

Based on the website specs and my discussion with them, Platinum Saptak is Dual mono, with individual power supplies and individual speaker protection for L and R amp boards. I will be on official travel to Blr soon, will try to visit them to audition their new speaker and the new Amp and post my review

It has single power socket but yes individual speaker protection

 

[Credoh]

Thanks for the tip! My PSBs and topping are in my office setup now. So considering what you said, I won't sell and might move the amp to my office if i decide to upgrade it.

I'm attaching a picture of my current setup. As you can see, there's a door next to my speaker. It looks like the speaker is blocking the door in the picture but it's not. It's just taken in such a way that it seems so.

Cheers

Congrats @jjoyz - couple of suggestions before doing upgrades you could try:
1) Swap out the L/R speakers so the bass drivers face the other way - see what impact that has in your room
2) Try to see if you can get a decent preamp in the mix and use the NAD as Power amp only - it packs a punch much above rated 50wpc

 

[milestoneseeker]

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.

 

[Kannan]

Very pleasing room and great photos. Wish you years of happy listening

 

[Sugar]

Thanks for a great review. I have also been interacting with Amit and its been a nice experience.

 

[Pratyush J]

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.

Fantastic review, sir. I can definitely relate your experience to my audition. Have fun and keep sharing your experiences.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

Nice review, especially describing the yo-yo journey - it has crossed my mind many a times if I should declutter down to an all-in-one. Glad you found something that delights you. Enjoy your music!

If you don’t mind sharing, what’s the ball-park price of the made in India class A amp?

 

[milestoneseeker]

Nice review, especially describing the yo-yo journey - it has crossed my mind many a times if I should declutter down to an all-in-one. Glad you found something that delights you. Enjoy your music!

If you don’t mind sharing, what’s the ball-park price of the made in India class A amp?

Hi, the retail price for the Class A is 2.35L.

It certainly has been a yo-yo journey and is best experienced by my exasperated better half who thought I was done with component set ups when I went in for the Kubik sound bar! It is a good thing that my current set up allows the wires to be hidden though it still brings in an element of complexity for the simple minded who just want to watch the TV. I am trying to keep it as simple as possible by using the option of defaulting to the last input within Oppo and ensuring I always switch off at HDMI In mode after my music sessions using CDP. Else, it switches on considering the CDP as the input and it adds the steps of changing inputs on Oppo. You would think it is logically easy but my dear wife doesn’t think so. To top it, my Oppo remote has gone bust and till I repair it, I am using the iPad app of Oppo to simulate the remote and this doesn’t help my cause of demystifying the whole set up!

 

[milestoneseeker]

I got down to listening some of my old CDs which have been gathering dust for a better part of 2-3 years.

Started off with Parineeta OST. The CD itself is, unfortunately, now in need for replacement but I was able to get through 3-4 songs without hiccups. I must admit that for all of high resolution audio, music on good old physical media at 44.1 KHz, 16 bit still sounds awesome to my ears. With Bollywood CDs, the measure of brightness of a setup often gets tested, even for recently recorded CDs. However, no such issues with Parineeta. Just beautiful female vocals with no hint of sharpness. The subtleties such as draw of breath while singing come through shining and it was joy to listen to the songs till CD’s damaged section came through.

Moved over to Tracy Chapman’s collection CD. I still can’t get enough of the beautiful separation that this set up brings to the table. Her strong voice absolutely shines in songs and I truly enjoyed tracks like “Speak the word” which brings out the joy of listening to artists like her.

Hoping to put in some more time listening to Norah Jones, Diana Krall, and my favourite ghazal artists in the coming week.

One key change - I am spending more time listening to music than catching up with TV in my spare time. Call it placebo effect but it is much needed change and I will take it happily, irrespective of the reasons. Will keep the thread updated with further experience as I continue to cycle through my playlists.

 

[vishalrao]

I'm thinking of getting these too. Amit has been patiently answering my numerous questions and I should be able to place an order this week and likely get delivery around new years timeframe.

Currently plan to hook these up to a denon x550bt which I've also narrowed down to buy.

Mostly for music and movies via the streaming apps on a android based TV.

Same boat here. Planning to blindly get these which I'm mostly going to hook up to a denon x550bt.

Mainly just music and movies from streaming apps on Android based TV.

I'm too lazy and not well versed enough in audio topics to try other configurations.

Essentially want a plug and play experience of great sound.

 

[milestoneseeker]

I'm thinking of getting these too. Amit has been patiently answering my numerous questions and I should be able to place an order this week and likely get delivery around new years timeframe.

Currently plan to hook these up to a denon x550bt which I've also narrowed down to buy.

Rather than buying blind, it may be worthwhile to buy the AVR (if that is a confirmed piece) and then audition the speakers. I remember I did the same when I was buying my Paradigm Speakers. I had already bought my Denon AVR which I used to carry around to demo the speakers. The pairing of amps/AVRs and speakers it too tightly knitted to take a blind demo. Unless it is a pairing which is well established.

However, considering that the Diamond Achals are transparent without being inherently bright, pairing with Denon might be ok without being too forward. Paradigm's are known to be slightly forward sounding and they paired well with my Denon for my taste (I prefer a degree of "sparkle" from my speakers).

Since all your sources will be from the TV apps, life would be simpler going via the AVR as no switching of sources for you. However, would you do justice to the set up because of the source? Do check out what is the digital output state of your TV as quite often, such sources down sample the output and impact the quality of sound. Not sure how good or bad is the DAC in the x550bt. I made sure that my Oppo DAC comes in play in my chain as it is highly rated.

Btw, what's the size of your room?

 

[vishalrao]

Rather than buying blind, it may be worthwhile to .... (snip)

Did you not read the "I'm too lazy" part of my post??? haha, but no seriously thanks for your advice anyway also note I do NOT understand the technical audio terminology like "sparkle" "forward" etc either lol.

Btw, what's the size of your room?

12x15 (I think - roughly) haha

My room is cramped with garbage though so initially the speakers will be around 5 to 6 feet apart. I might make some arrangements (get a real computer desk, smaller bed etc) and be able to keep them at max 8 feet apart.

 

[milestoneseeker]

Did you not read the "I'm too lazy" part of my post??? haha, but no seriously thanks for your advice anyway also note I do NOT understand the technical audio terminology like "sparkle" "forward" etc either lol.



12x15 (I think - roughly) haha

My room is cramped with garbage though so initially the speakers will be around 5 to 6 feet apart. I might make some arrangements (get a real computer desk, smaller bed etc) and be able to keep them at max 8 feet apart.

Laziness can sometimes be pricey.

My bad on the terms - it isn't too technical. In fact, my terms are the quite opposite of what a technically minded person would utter! Bright/forward/sparkle etc are essentially for sound which tends to have a slightly higher treble. In other words, which tend to have greater emphasis on vocals and high pitched sounds. Warm/laid back is often the sound which tends to favor "smooth" vocals or lower frequencies. Think of Lata Mangeshkar/Kavita Krishnamoorthy as being "bright" while Jagjit Singh being "warm"! People like Arijeet Singh can tread the balance very nicely.

For 12x15 room, Diamonds and Platinums, both, should do nicely based on how much of the room is filled in.

 

[MasTerasTrix]

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.

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.