Mare Diamante - 3 way 11" floorstanding

The Mare Diamante (MD) are expected to debut in early 2026; please call for previews and inquiries. Only two pairs of these loudspeakers will be available for this initial release date. The delay in launching this flagship Clinamen model stems from the integration of the Clinamen midrange driver, fully developed and produced in-house. It is an extraordinary component featuring a 660 g AlNiCo magnet, a pure iron motor assembly, a CNC-machined basket, a phenolic spider, and a leather suspension. It has been engineered specifically for front waveguide loading. To my knowledge, with the exception of certain Lowther models, there are virtually no full-range drivers optimized for front waveguide application.

The MD draws direct inspiration from the Calabi-Yau (CY) model, leveraging the design experiences gained from its development. The approach taken in the CY—utilizing a 4-inch full-range driver in a front waveguide in an extended-bandwidth configuration, supplemented at the low and high frequency extremes by dedicated transducers—proved to be an absolute success. The CY captivates listeners with its frequency extension, natural sound delivery, and soundstage reconstruction. While the MD deeply reflects the core DNA of the CY, it incorporates an 11-inch woofer instead of a 12-inch unit, alongside a slightly higher crossover frequency to the waveguide. Furthermore, the external arm supporting the horn has been eliminated, leaving only a vertical fin that serves both aesthetic purposes and cable routing. All these refinements make the MD far easier to integrate, even into smaller rooms. Naturally, the aesthetics of the MD will be pushed to the highest standard, with meticulous attention paid to every single detail.

 

CNC-machined birch plywood horn and rear AISI 304 stainless steel arm with integrated cable guide.

As requested, here is the English translation of your text, maintaining the refined, technical, and authoritative tone suitable for Clinamen Audio:

As mentioned, these modifications have had no negative impact on the performance of the MDs. On the contrary, the new MD outperforms the previous CY, thanks to the experience accumulated over the years with the CY project. Naturally, this expertise will also be integrated into future CY models, as well as CY units updated via retrofitting (such as SN3). The improvements encompass both functionality and aesthetics, as I consistently place immense value on product beauty—believing that true owner satisfaction stems from engaging all the senses.

Below are the key enhancements in detail:

 

• Solid-Block CNC-Machined Waveguide: Crafted from a solid block of birch plywood sandwich using precision CNC machining. This allows for seamlessly smooth contours across all surfaces and, most importantly, enables a true Tractrix expansion on all four walls—unlike the CY, where only two walls followed a Tractrix profile while the other two were linear with a fixed angle. Acoustically, this significantly enhances performance, minimizing internal sound wave reflections while delivering superior naturalness and extended frequency response. Mechanically, the substantial thickness renders the waveguide exceptionally resistant to induced vibrations.

 

• The 4" midrange driver is a magnificent component—the fruit of two and a half years of research and development, fully produced in-house by myself, and dedicated specifically to waveguide loading. Its parameters are optimized for horn loading, featuring a set of specifications that render it unique and irreplaceable. Building a loudspeaker driver from scratch requires overcoming endless engineering hurdles, but pushing for such an extreme level of component specialization yields unmatched technical advantages that directly translate into sound quality. To maximize magnetic flux density in the gap, the entire magnetic circuit is machined from pure iron (!). To eliminate air gaps between the individual structural parts of the motor assembly, the pole piece and bottom plate are turned as a single solid piece milled from a solid block.

The purity compliance certificate of the iron acquired for machining the Mare Diamante midrange driver motors

The magnetic assembly features a 660 g ring AlNiCo magnet, a proprietary "double butterfly" phenolic spider, a treated Japanese paper cone, and a deerskin leather surround. The basket is fully CNC-milled from a solid block. Its parameters are designed to radiate coherently and rapidly into the waveguide across the 350 to 8,000 Hz frequency range.

 

• The tweeter housing is integrated directly into the top of the waveguide. Beyond providing a cleaner aesthetic, this arrangement allows for closer alignment of the acoustic centers.

• 20 mm Thick PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate) Tuning Panel:

  Aesthetically intriguing, acoustically highly damped, and completely transparent, it exposes the underlying tuning grille, lending a sense of lightness and elegance to the speaker's otherwise substantial footprint.

• Streamlined Wiring Path: Elimination of multiple cable breaks between the crossover and the drivers. While maintaining operational flexibility, this direct connection enhances sound quality by ensuring the signal does not cross multiple physical interfaces (even when using expensive copper, connectors always introduce a discontinuity). The wiring for the midrange and tweeter no longer terminates at roof connectors on the woofer enclosure; instead, the unbroken cables exit through the rear reflex port and run along the striking AISI 304 stainless steel dorsal fin mounted on the spine of the cabinet. This structural element bestows a bold stylistic signature upon the loudspeaker, rendering it truly unique. As always, I strive for a seamless synergy between functionality and aesthetics. Following this same ethos, the midrange connection is made directly via 2 mm banana sockets soldered straight to the lead-out wires of the voice coil. These might seem like extreme measures, but when aiming for absolute performance, no detail is overlooked.
• Custom Inductive ComponentA new custom inductor designed for midrange attenuation, featuring increased inductance to minimize phase shifts at the crossover point.

• Enclosure & Proprietary T.D.R. Tuning System: The enclosure housing the fine custom Supravox woofer—with a net volume of 80 liters—is crafted from refined 21 mm birch plywood featuring 45-degree mitered joints. The cabinet loading relies on my proprietary "T.D.R." system (Tunable Distributed Reflex). It consists of a wide rectangular port with golden-ratio dimensions (1.618) and a surface area just slightly smaller than the radiant area of the woofer. Rather than firing directly into the room, it vents through an asymmetric channel distributed around the entire rear perimeter of the loudspeaker, meticulously calculated in its proportions and surface areas.The height of this channel is fully adjustable to fine-tune the cabinet's tuning frequency, allowing precise alignment according to room acoustics and personal preference. Tuning is achieved simply by swapping the Ergal aluminum spacers located between the cabinet back and the tuning panel. The tuning panel itself is made of PMMA (with an optional upgrade to exclusive 19 mm extra-clear tempered glass), which, beyond adding a touch of exclusivity, offers a view of the mirror-polished AISI 304 stainless steel tuning grille with the Clinamen logo centered upon it.

Golden section tuning port in AISI 304 stainless steel 

 

It is worth noting how the large-surface reflex port is aligned along the longitudinal axis of the woofer. This alignment significantly reduces the amount of acoustic energy reflected back onto the woofer cone, thereby minimizing coloration, distortion, and out-of-phase emissions. When using lightweight diaphragms—engineered to maximize speaker efficiency and transient speed—the reflection of acoustic waves bouncing off the rear of the cone becomes a non-negligible phenomenon, requiring careful design to minimize it as much as possible.

 

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