Systems and performance
I will share three systems I built with the Crystal Dipole and the Model 1 Subs, and the outcomes.
First system:
WireWorld Silver Starlight CAT8 Ethernet Cable; PS Audio AirLens streamer with Clarity Cable Vortex Power Cord; Audioquest Fire Bird HDMI Cable (for I2S connection); PS Audio DirectStream DAC Mk2 with Belden BAV Power Cord; Iconoclast Generation 2 SPTPC XLR Interconnects to Schiit Audio Lokius Equalizer’s inputs; Audio Sensibility Silver conductor RCA Y-Cables from the Schiit Lokius EQ’s outputs; 3M Iconoclast Generation 2 SPTPC RCA Interconnects to VPE Model 1 Subwoofers with Belden BAV Power Cords; 2M Iconoclast Generation 2 SPTPC RCA Interconnects to Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifier (one channel used per speaker) with Belden BAV Power Cord; Kimber Kable -8Pr-BASE VariStrand Speaker Cable (8’) to the VPE Crystal Dipole Speakers.
The first system was established when Don visited, and it was the safest system in the sense that it was organized to ensure the performance of the F10 Select driver could be controlled to create a pleasing result. Along with the shipment of the speakers and subwoofers, VPE sent a Schiit Audio Lokius, a budget passive EQ, which allows for gross adjustment of six bands at 20Hz, 120Hz, 400Hz, 2kHz, 6kHz, and 16kHz. These six bands allow for rough contouring of a speaker and answered the perceived need to flatten the peak of the F10 Select driver and perhaps lift its bass output. Toggling the Lokius in and out of the signal path via it’s switch on the front, I selected vocalists who had a high degree of upper end energy in their voices to get a baseline for how the Crystal Dipole handled.
As expected, when the EQ was not engaged, Christopher Cross’s “The Café Carlysle Sessions” and Sara Bareilles’ “Brave Enough: Live at the Variety Playhouse” both were scorched earth in terms of the upper end energy. They sounded too sharp with a noticeable lack of warmth and body. Putting the Lokius into action flattened the upper frequency peak and boosted the bass of the F10 Select driver, but it sounded contrived, a bit too obvious. The F10 Select driver revealed that it was being pushed hard to obtain the low frequencies to compensate for the strong treble.
The Lokius costs about $300 and sounds like it. It restricted the performance of the Crystal Dipole (in this setup, the Lokius was not in the signal path of the subwoofers). With acknowledgement of its cost and the fact that it is intentionally not expensive, I don’t like the Lokius for how much filtering and reduction of the signal’s cleanness it caused. It did the job of allowing for gross changes in the bass, midrange, and treble response, but it was unsatisfying as a high-end result. It was like putting a Mid-Fi component or vintage component into a Hi-Fi rig and it brought down the performance of the entire system. I don’t hate Schiit Audio; I’m just telling you the practical outcome of putting the Lokius into the system. If you are a Schiit Audio fanboy, rant all you want. I do not care.
I recall that when I was a younger, budget audiophile, I thought reviewers who made less than favorable comments on budget equipment I used were arrogant. Now that I review and my taste in audio equipment has been elevated substantially, I see they were being honest. Most budget gear does not sound that good, at least when compared directly to finer equipment. One of the marks of a mature audiophile is acceptance of such assessments. You will make little progress in advancing your system if you argue with people who tell you honestly the limitations of equipment.
Some observations in defense of VPE’s decision to try the Lokius (in my case, previously unheard) in the system include the fact that it is a budget speaker system having a driver with a frequency response idiosyncrasy. If the Crystal Dipole was a $25+K speaker system, I am quite sure neither of us would have approved such a maneuver. One does not typically insert very entry level gear into a fine rig and expect a good outcome. One of the perversities of audiophilia is that Low-cost systems that have significant shortcomings are the systems that may benefit from low-cost fixes like cheap analogue EQs. Should VPE have sent me a $3k+ crossover? Would that comport with the price of the rest of the system? If one wishes to play the game as the typical budget audiophile, then one must use the equipment of the budget audiophile. I could have used a more expensive EQ to control the frequency response, but the conclusions would hold less applicability for budget audiophiles, VPE’s primary customer.
I did not find the initial sound of the system to be compelling, but that is largely because of two things. The first is that I have a lot of system building experience and have handled some very high-performance gear. Note that my comment regards the system entirely, not merely the Crystal Dipole and Sub 1. A speaker is not thoroughly evaluated by dropping it into a system and listening. Systems must be built to understand a speaker’s holistic performance.
Additionally, in the past I have owned several passive EQ’s and have sworn them off entirely. After dozens of systems with many electronics, I have no desire whatsoever to insert a passive analogue EQ into a rig. It simply kills sound quality and to kill less sound quality one would have to spend more on the EQ than the cost of the entire VPE system! Further, I have used several systems with digital equalization, and they have advantages and disadvantages, but seem far less damaging to the signal than any passive EQ I have used.
If you are a budget audiophile and must work with a speaker with a serious peak in the 1,000 Hz range, how are you going to deal with it? Will you flip gear and cable sets, which typically bleeds your money away, or will you buy a $300 EQ? You will buy the EQ. It serves its purpose. If you want to be a casual listener and not a sound critic, then take my advice, insert the Lokius and forget about it. Fiddle with the knobs and find your settings and enjoy! Because if you ever pull it out of the system, you will hear what the F10 Select driver can really do, and you will be met with the problem of moderating its peak in the 6-15kHz range. As they say, pick your poison. The high-end way to address the shortcomings is to remove the EQ and spend a lot more money, which is what I represented in the second system. If the Crystal Dipole was not such a good speaker, I would not give this advice. The other attributes of its performance are so strong that it deserves to be loved and the peak moderated.
As we listened in my room and I demonstrated to Don how I can use an assortment of cables to ameliorate some of the frequency imbalance of the F10 Select, he mused that a small circuit could be made affordably which would do similar to the crossover and likely avoid the major decline in clarity. I suggested VPE produce such a device. Magnepan speakers in some installations benefit from resistors, and the F10 Select would benefit from a well-placed tweak.
I am not sure that Don realized how much I felt the Lokius detracted from the performance of the Cyrstal Dipole until I removed it and built a second system. He commented immediately about the leap in resolution and tonality; it was a sea change for the better. The peak in the 6kHz+ range was marginally moderated, and the speaker overall presented a more compelling sound.
Beside removal of the Lokius, I switched streamers from the PS Audio AirLens to the Bricasti M5 Network Player, which is a touch mellower and warmer. I revised several connections to holistically elevate the Crystal Dipole’s performance. I intended it to have a dramatically positive influence to the point that I would be drawn to the speaker:
Bricasti M5 Network Player with Belden BAV Power Cord; Schroeder Method digital cable (Audio Sensibility Silver Y-Cables and pair of Iconoclast Generation 2 RCA SPTPC Interconnects doubled to form a double conjoined cable); PS Audio DirectStream DAC Mk2 with Clarity Cable Vortex Power Cord; Iconoclast Generation 2 XLR SPTPC Interconnects to the Legacy i.V4 Ultra Amplifier (two channels used); 3M similar RCA Interconnects from DirectStream DAC to VPE Model 1 Subwoofers with Belden BAV Power Cords (subwoofers’ output increased from -7.0 dB to -4.0 dB); Iconoclast Generation 2 SPTPC Speaker Cables with Banana terminations (the F10 Select driver takes only Banana terminations; spades can be used if banana adapters are attached to them); VPE Crystal Dipole Mk2 Speaker.
I believe there were six changes including the Model 1 Subwoofer settings, and the result was as expected, dramatic. It was this system that motivated Don to contemplate a passive in-house solution for the peak in the frequency response of the F10 Select driver. Replaying the same music and much other music, the Crystal Dipole displayed disturbingly high-end sensibility. I say “disturbingly”, because the result was already showing an uncanny resemblance to far more expensive full range – as in big multi-way tower – speakers. Also, it was disturbing for those expensive multi-way speakers, as the VPE system only costs $5K! Now the pristine character of the F10 Select driver was heard lending legitimacy to its selection for the Crystal Dipole MK2.
In a nutshell, the experience of hearing the Crystal Dipole Mk2 is fundamentally different than that of a small dipole, and it is categorically superior in terms of finesse, color and solidity of the center image, and more vivid with better transients and dynamics. My perception was that tonally, the changes to the system caused 70% of the peak to disappear.
Don had suggested that there was not all that much music to hear below 20Hz, so I politely requested to change subwoofers. In a couple minutes I had my Perlisten D212s Subwoofers running alongside the Crystal Dipole. Now the speakers sounded quite elegant and ripe. Even more balance was brought to them and a degree of warmth associated with the LF that the Perlisten subs could add beyond the Model 1 Subwoofers. The F10 Select driver was rapidly starting to grow on me. Christopher Cross and Sara Bareilles had no strain in the upper registers of their voices. Granted, these are $14K per pair subwoofers at the time of my review, so it’s way out of line for a budget audiophile. The point was to show that even a challenging response from a particular full range driver can be met head on with proper selection of equipment and the cable set.
Third System:
After Don left, I continued to elevate the performance of both the Crystal Dipole and the Model 1 Subwoofers. The subs were coming into their own, proving they would be the bargain of the company and a superb addition also for owners of smallish Magnepan speakers. How good could the refinement of the Crystal Dipole get? I decided to streamline the system in a bid to simplify it as much as the Crystal Dipole Speaker. I kept the Bricasti M5 Network Player and the Schroeder Method Iconoclast RCA Generation 2 SPTPC Interconnects acing as a doubled coaxial cable. I replaced the PS Audio DirectStream DAC Mk2 and the Legacy i.V4 Ultra Amplifier with a streamlined component, the Heaven 11 Billie Amp Mk2 (review forthcoming). This integrated incorporates a DAC, class A tube preamp, and ICEpower Class D amplifier rated at 120wpc into 8 Ohms and 215wpc into 4 Ohms. I used the Iconoclast Generation 2 SPTPC Speaker Cable for the Crystal Dipole. The 3M Iconoclast RCA cable as above was run from the Billie Mk2’s Preamp Output to the Model 1 Subwoofer.
This was the best system I had established. It was cleaner, with more fullness and tonal ripeness, and no overt shortcomings. The simplest system was the best with the F10 Select driver. This stands as evidence that one is not necessarily best served by more expensive combinations of dedicated components, but comparisons must be made to alternative setups.
Performance of this system was impressive, and I much preferred most aspects of its sound to that of smaller dipole speakers. Especially with the Model 1 Subwoofers, it had heft, impact, and precision. The low end was not as taut as a fine subwoofer like the Perlisten D212s, but the extension was much needed for the 10” full range driver. Now the benefit of eschewing the Lokius equalizer was definitive. The Billie Mk2 has the unusual capacity to tame strident components without constricting them. It unweighted the overbearing frequencies in the 6-15kHz range, smoothing the frequency spectrum such that the Crystal Dipole was inoffensive and captivating simultaneously.
When the general sound quality of the Crystal Dipole and Model 1 Subwoofer is elevated, the chief attribute of extreme coherence is apparent in vocals and lead instruments. I have been looking for fresh vocalists who have inoffensive lyrics, and more recently I am enjoying Vienna Teng’s “Level Up”, a truly upbeat number with an encouraging message. Likewise, Dana Glover’s song “Start All Over Again” is an encouraging song. Playing these pieces through the three systems was revealing of how both the gross, as in larger, characteristics of the speaker and the fine, nuanced characteristics were easily manipulated. The Crystal Dipole hung easily with the modern arrangements of these pieces. Both are techno-pop-ish in their format and the women’s voices are strong, front and center. With an improved tonal balance, I was able to zoom in on the women’s vocals and appreciate the beauty of a full-range driver. It is as compelling as any panel speaker I have enjoyed, and that includes the prodigious King III. I am not saying it usurped the King III, but it offered an appealing alternative well worth hearing.
That is not to sleight the capacity of the VPE speaker system to throw a generous enough sound stage and fill it well. No, it will not be on a scale of a prodigious speaker like the Legacy Audio Whisper DSW Clarity Edition, but it will compare well with a smaller dipole speaker. The wave launch will by necessity seem localized. It cannot be otherwise. Even though the concentration of the sound is toward the center, it can still fill a room, as with a smaller panel speaker.
Michael McDonald and the group Fourplay did a remake of “Reflections” on his Motown album. His voice is iconic and is a good gauge for tuning one’s rig to the tonal balance desired. Once the Billie Amp Mk2 was running the show, McDonald’s voice carried enough weight that it seemed relaxed, unstrained as he hit the high notes. One of the ways to judge the capacity of a system is to clue in to the singer as they push their vocal cords to produce notes at the upper end of their range. Prior to addressing the F10 Select’s tonal imbalance, McDonald’s high notes were strained sounding, but once the emphasis was removed, his voice was less stressed. Those who are budget constrained but wish to capture a great deal of the glory of a full-range speaker system will do well with the Crystal Dipole and Model 1 Subwoofer.
A performance oriented speaker
Every company wishes for their speakers to be capable of high performance, but performance is found along a very wide range where the equipment and especially the system configuration have pervasive influence. Keying off the Model 1 Subwoofers, it seems there are two directions the hobbyist can go when it comes to smaller profile speakers attempting to create a big experience. The audiophile can either seek a large-scale experience where the size of the sound stage is among the most noticeable characteristics of the system. Conversely, they can set up the system so that it focuses the attention on the center image, the lead performer.
Your experience may be different, but in general as I have enjoyed panel or omni speakers, my appreciation of them is best fulfilled when I sense their creation of the larger picture, the full band, the panoramic performance with a noticeably splayed, or inflated to the point of absurdity, center image. After all, that is what a larger wave launch does, spreads out the performance, widening the center image and more equally filling the sound stage with less intensity or focus at the center. As with the Kingsound King III electrostatic speakers, the breadth of the performance is the big deal. In that sense, it and other dipole speakers are great at calling me to appreciate the breadth of the performance.
Full range speakers like the Crystal Dipole pull my attention inward toward the lead performer and in that way are performance oriented. I monitor the entire piece, but I am enthusiastically focused on the center voice or instrument. The Crystal Dipole performs that trick superbly. It is the type of speaker that will gratify those who want to dream of sitting in front of their favorite artist in an intimate setting. This is not the sort of speaker you want for stadium rock at live levels. This is a nuanced setup, where deftness and subtlety of artistry are on display. Can this combo reach the levels of small Maggies? Of course, and perhaps with less distortion than overdriving the smallish mylar sheets of dipoles. I cannot say for sure, since I am unable to conduct a direct comparison. I will leave that for a different reviewer.
Model 2 Big Dipole Woofer with Magnepan LRS+
Strong opinion causes disagreement in the community over which type of speaker is superior, ones that widen the center image or sound stage, or ones that concentrate toward the center. It is no surprise that fans of each genre claim their speaker is the most revealing, the most precise, the most accurate. I find both to be capable of arresting revelations, precision, and accuracy. One category of speakers beckon my ears to listen more widely and the others to listen more narrowly. Both are great experiences!
A lovely introduction to erudite listening
As one scales the full-range speaker ladder, it can get pricey. It is not difficult to find full-range speakers costing tens of thousands of dollars, or ones with supplemental bass drivers, which claim ultra refined build and ultra-refined sound. By the time one builds a premium speaker, especially one with a cabinet, the price is multiples more than the Crystal Dipole. So it goes with full-range speakers. One climbs a steep ramp in pricing to elicit more refinement per driver, perhaps more than any other genre of speaker. For instance, both the price and performance of exquisite field coil drivers is nothing to sniff at.
The Crystal Dipole is delightfully recommendable and worth the hassle to arrange the system to tamp down the rise in treble and integrate it well with the Model 1 Subwoofers. You don’t want to miss the subs, as they are determinative of a superior result. Impress yourself; get the Crystal Dipole and realize all the beauty of extreme coherence you cannot experience with a dipole, dynamic, or line array speaker!
Associated Components:
Digital Source: Bricasti M5 Network Player, Wireworld Starlight CAT-8 Ethernet Cable
Analog Sources: Realistic LAB 400 Turntable with Schiit Audio Mani Phono; Nakamichi CR-1A Cassette Deck
Streaming Music Service: Tidal; Qobuz
Interface: ROON; Audrivana
DAC: COS Engineering D1 DAC Plus Pre-Amplifier; Eastern Electric Minimax DSD DAC Supreme with Burson, Dexa NewClassD or Sparkos Labs discrete opamps; Exogal Comet DAC and PLUS power supply
Preamp: Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated Amp (preamplifier mode)
Amps: Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra; Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated (amplifier mode); Exogal Ion PowerDAC (used exclusively with Comet DAC)
Integrated: Kinki Studio EX-M1+; Heaven 11 Billie Amp
Speakers: Legacy Audio DSW Clarity Edition; Kings Audio King III electrostatic speakers; Pure Audio Project Trio15 10” Coaxial version and Horn1 version; PureAudioProject Quintet15 10” Coaxial version and Horn version; Kings Audio King Tower omnidirectional; Aspen Acoustics Grand Aspen; Wharfedale Opus 2-M2 Monitors
Subwoofers: Perlisten D212s Subwoofers
IC’s: Iconoclast RCA and XLR Generation 2 with Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper conductors; TEO Liquid Splash-Rs and Splash-Rc; TEO Liquid Standard MkII; Clarity Cable Organic RCA
Speaker Cables: TEO Cable Standard Speaker; Snake River Audio Signature Series Speaker Cables;
Digital Cables: Clarity Cable Organic Digital; Snake River Audio Boomslang
USB: Clarity Cable Supernatural 1m;
Power Cables: Clarity Cable Vortex; Snake River Audio Signature Series; Belden BAV Power Cord
Power Conditioning: Wireworld Matrix Power Cord Extender; Tice Audio Solo
Manufacturer’s Comment:
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