Loudspeakers

When it comes to makers of true omnidirectional speakers, it seems that those with the highest profile currently hail from Germany. MBL's Radialstrahlers and the German Physiks models occupy the upper echelons of the market, while at the more affordable end it's the Duevel name that springs to mind most readily. Based in Osnabruck, the latter company is the brainchild of Markus and Annette Duevel, who founded the business in 1988.

The £9995 Bella Luna Diamante is the central model in a seven-strong lineup of loudspeakers, but it's notable for three reasons. Firstly, it's a bona fide TV star! Those who remember British actor Hugh Laurie's portrayal of Dr Gregory House in the US TV series House may recall that the character was a piano-playing jazz fan. His loudspeaker of choice? None other than the Bella Luna Diamante. Secondly, this model marks a transition within the Duevel range being the most affordable version to use a horn-loaded tweeter. Markus Duevel actually began his career in loudspeaker engineering specialising in the simulation and development of horn-loaded designs, so this is a key feature of the top models.

Pleats 'N' Ports
Finally, it is the latest incarnation of the original Bella Luna, which was only the second speaker offered by Duevel, following the Jupiter. The first Diamante version came a year later in 1998 and ran alongside the standard Bella Luna model until 2005, when the latter was dropped. This is the fourth iteration of the Diamante and it was introduced in 2018. Changes see the addition of a new bass driver with neodymium magnets in its motor system, plus cabinet and crossover tweaks.

Said bass driver is a nominal 220mm unit comprising a treated paper cone with what Duevel calls an 'M-roll' surround. Effectively, the surround has two rolls and is somewhere between a conventional single-roll surround and pleated type. The driver is reflex-loaded by four ports – one at each cabinet corner. This space also contains the crossover circuit, which is designed to minimise phase errors between the drivers – a key Duevel design feature.

Flare Play
The downward-firing tweeter comprises a 44mm titanium cone whose output is 'squeezed' between the lower and upper surfaces of two sandwiched saucers that form the body of a circumferential horn. This is the key to spotting the horn-loaded models in the Duevel range. Those having two saucers are horn-loaded, those with one – or other type of – diffuser use a dome tweeter.

The rear of the tweeter that is visible on the top of the loudspeaker looks conventional enough, but it is a cover disguising a motor system that utilises a dozen 20mm-diameter neodymium magnets arranged in a circle. The voice coil former is made from Nomex, a heat-resistant fibre, and in the centre is a phase plug of patented design.

Given that the Bella Luna Diamantes radiate in all directions, the concept of the speakers having a front and rear face is largely moot. However, there is a small stack of 'absorption discs' on the upper surface of the lower reflector. These line up with the connection wires to the upper driver and are opposite the front nameplate, so mark the rear of the cabinet.

Fit and finish is very good indeed and the speakers are available in an extensive range of colours. Not only are there black, white and graphite options, but different wood finishes including zebrawood, oak and a striking Macassar. In addition, the CNC-milled saucers can be fashioned from various woods or black or clear acrylic, with more options made to order.

Clean Sweep
When it came to the listening, I connected the Bella Luna Diamantes to my regular system of Naim Supernait amp and CD5 XS CD player with Flatcap XS PSU and, after some experimentation, positioned them around two feet from the rear walls and 18in from the side walls of my room. Here the speakers filled my lounge with a truly commodious soundstage.