Lê o relato da 1ª Ultimate Session de 2026 em português
The former column Moustaches’ Adventures at High-End has a new name, but the same DNA.
MoustachesToys on Tour begins here.
And it could hardly have chosen a better stage.
I have attended presentations out of duty to my readers.
Others out of curiosity.
But there are rare occasions — dangerously rare — that make you return.
Not because there is more to hear.
But because what you heard refuses to let you go.
Francisco Monteiro, the guiding force behind Ultimate Audio Porto, is not a man who does things halfway.
To announce the system prepared for the first Ultimate Sessions of the year, he posted photos of the Diptyque DP-140 MkII alongside the Revival Atalante 7 Évo — with bottles of, also French, wine to match — and threw out a playful challenge:
“Who’s bringing the cheese?”
I didn’t bring cheese.
But I went.
And I went back once.
And then again.
And I brought home an addiction.
The Pre-Event: When “Just Stopping By” Is Never Just That
My first encounter with the Diptyque DP-85 had already left its mark.
Panel speakers do not allow emotional neutrality.
Some dismiss them as eccentric.
Others surrender to their impact.
I belong to the latter group.
Expectations were high for the DP-140 MkII — positioned two tiers above the 85 in the French manufacturer’s lineup.
On my first visit, before the arrival of the commemorative Gryphon integrated amplifier, the system was built around familiar ground:
- Fezz Equinox DAC by LampizatOr (the same converter I use in my reference system)
- Aurender N-50 network player
- Accuphase E-4000 integrated amplifier
- Isotek V5 Aquarius power conditioning
Three days later, I returned.
The system had been stripped to its essentials:
DP-140 MkII + Accuphase E-4000 + Accuphase DP-450 CD player.
No streaming. No network. Just signal and intent.
What followed was a quiet lesson in musicality.
The Accuphase components confirmed what I already knew: refinement, texture, breath.
Carlos do Carmo, with Joel Xavier on Gaivota, was not reproduced — Carlos do Carmo was summoned.
Shota Osabe & Margie Baker dissolved into Willow Weep for Me.
Patricia Barber, in Constantinople, moved beyond sound and into sensation.
Keith Don’t Go, Nils Lofgren’s demonstration staple, delivered physical presence and materiality.
I heard its pick.
I heard each string.
This was not a file being decoded — it was an instrument, four meters away.
Fresh out of their crates, the Diptyque panels still showed a slight sheen in the treble.
But even in that embryonic state, their trajectory was unmistakable.
With Accuphase, the system had muscle — yet brute force was never the message.
It convinced through coherence.
It did not gesture wildly.
It persuaded.
Like a faithful Jane Austen movie adaptation: true to the spirit, never betraying the intelligence of the original.
The Session: Gryphon 40 + Wadax Studio Player — Champions League Hi-Fi
Gryphon celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special edition of its bet-seller integrated amplifier, the Diablo 333.
Updated chassis.
Refined electronics.
The result, with Danish understatement, is simply called the “40.”
One of the few units available worldwide was present at this session.
Upstream sat the Wadax Studio Player — a component that provokes the same reaction as a Ferrari on an open road: people stare. And listen.
In this configuration, the DP-140 MkII ceased to be just equipment.
They became a portal.
An experience of total immersion.
Ein Heldenleben unfolded at full scale.
The Minnesota Orchestra breathed as a single organism under Eiji Oue’s baton.
Bows brushed strings with near-tactile texture.
The air between sections felt structured, dense, believable.
John Williams’ The Town Burns built tension until breathing itself became conscious.
Not because of emotional suggestion, but because the system constructed space with absolute precision.
In jazz, authority turned into flow.
Roy Hargrove delivered real groove — not the polished kind designed for showroom effect.
Sinatra appeared three-dimensional, that half-smile almost audible.
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto attacked the piano with weight and harmonic density.
Then came emotional exposure:
Bebo Valdés and Diego El Cigala, unvarnished.
Barenboim’s Adiós Nonino, restrained tragedy.
Le Trio Joubran suspended time with the oud’s tonal richness.
And when Eric Clapton’s Layla filled the room — from a time when MTV still meant music — analysis became irrelevant.
Feet moved.
Control remained absolute.
With the Gryphon 40, there is no contemplation.
There is immersion.
And yet, the Diptyque panels never lost composure.
Verdict: Diptyque DP-140 MkII
Neutrality without anesthesia.
Clean, open, resolute — yet never clinical.
No box coloration. Only tonal truth.
The midrange is the protagonist.
The entire spectrum performs admirably, but it is here that memory anchors itself.
Voices and acoustic instruments emerge with rare naturalness, texture, body, and intelligibility.
Organic.
Fluid.
Free of fireworks.
The treble is extended, fast, and open — now fully settled, without glare or fatigue.
What began as a faint initial brightness disappeared after proper break-in.
What remained was addictive.
Bass is deep and articulate, though not the chest-thumping impact typical of dynamic speakers.
It is more textural than physical.
Less visceral punch, more structural insight into the music.
For some, that may be a limitation.
For me, it was not.
The soundstage is holographic, wide, and precise.
Each instrument occupies three-dimensional space with remarkable focus and separation.
Before you realize it, you are inside the performance.
These are not speakers for everyone.
Thankfully.
Conclusion: The Cheese I Didn’t Bring
In my youth, someone once told me there are things you should never try — because you cannot go back.
No one warned me about Diptyque.
I didn’t bring the cheese.
But I went to Ultimate Audio Porto three times in one week just to hear them.
The DP-140 MkII do not rely on spectacle.
They do not measure happiness in chest impact.
They privilege truth, space, and nuance.
They are for those who put music first.
They are dangerously addictive.
Consider this a warning.
My thanks to the team at Ultimate Audio Porto for another unforgettable session.
Until the next stop.
MoustachesToys on Tour continues.
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