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I've been an audio enthusiast for many years now. Witnessed the evolution from tubes to solid state, evolving from modified tube circuits with output iron to class D, H, etc. and vinyl/magnetic tape to digital.The products have evolved accordingly to keep up with technology advances.
The preamp was originally designed to compensate for the record curve, and provide sufficient gain to drive the power amp. When digital came along, the industry went from a all in one CD player to separate transport / DAC setup. Then,streaming came along, which the DAC may or may not support. Of course, audiophiles also have to have interconnects to hook all this gear together.
Now, suppose you could get a single box that incorporates the preamp, DAC, streaming device, Digital Signal Processing (DSP), and the power amp all in one unit. Further suppose that this all in one unit would measure 15"x"15, about two inches high, be able to mount vertically on the wall (if desired), and sound better than the vast majority of separates currently available at up to five to six times the cost?
Well,the Devialet achieves this in spades. It provides 200 watts @ 6 ohms, up-scales all inputs to 24 bit/192 Khz, can support digital, analog, and streaming inputs, along with phono. It performs the RIAA equalization in the digital domain, which is reported to be more accurate than traditional methods. Then (if your speaker is supported, which many are), the signal is processed Speaker Active Matching (SAM) (DSP) to flatten out the speaker response curve.
The amp stage is also unique (A Hybrid Digital) (AHD). This is a unique design approach, where the voltage is handled in Class A, and peak current demand is handled in Class D.
After uploading the latest firmware and configuration of the inputs, along with selecting the specific speakers to be used (Dynaudio Focus 360), fired it up, and gave it a listen.
My initial impression was WOW, this sounded incredible. I have never heard a playback setup sound this good. I was shocked just how good this setup sounded. Instruments had a natural sound that very few systems can provide. Piano sounds like it's in the room. Strings and horns (two instruments that are very hard to sound realistic) sound more like actual instruments are portrayed, as opposed to sounding like electronic reproduction.
The fact that this level of reproduction can be achieved from a single unit is simply astonishing.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Follow Ups:
But no tape loop...5 dollars tops
Edits: 04/04/17 04/04/17
It has a PRE OUT, LINE IN, PHONO IN. What else do you need?
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Heard the latest and greatest from Devialet on a number of top speakers and can say honestly what you say is largely true BUT the most important point of listening to music, the music, is largely missing, IMO. It does not sound realistic...it sounds like a synthesized version of real.
...I auditioned a pair of $12,000 Merrill Audio Veritas amps for a few weeks and I would say the same thing about them.
They sounded like a great reproduction of music, but never enough like the real thing - very clean, detailed and a little too sterile.
I have not heard the Devialet.
It runs Class A for voltage, and Class D for current source. This does not sound at all like what most people would associate with Class D.
The Devialet is very sensitive to the original source material. There are recordings that sound pretty real with the Devialet, and not at all electronic.
To be honest (IMO) ALL solid state gear can sound electronic with some recordings, regardless of topology. Tube gear, on the other hand, often sounds warmer, more forgiving, has a special mid-range, and is usually less transparent (less inner detail).
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
A few of us did some extended listening with the 200 vs. my custom tube amp setup. Here is what was noticed:On some recordings, the Devialet 200 sounded better than the tube setup. The recordings that preferred the Devialet tended to be high resolution classical piano concertos, symphonies, and most studio rock/jazz offerings.
On other recordings, the tube amps provided a degree of warmth that is often associated with realism. These recordings tended to be live DVD rock/blues recordings. This was not the case with live classical recordings.
Piano music almost always sounded more like a real instrument on the Devialet. The Devialet also had more transparency and inner detail. It seemed to be better with older recordings from the late 40's through the early 60's.
No doubt personal preference play a part into people's preferences. These days, I primarily attend live non-amplified classical music, which has changed my perspective of what a reference playback system should sound like.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Edits: 04/02/17
Piano reproduction does require power for any accurate power and timbre , as to the Devialet , i do find them pretty good with the right load and is definetly worth a look ...
Regards
Edits: 04/03/17
A friend has the Devialet 400 monoblocks, which is basically a monoblock that evolves from integrating the two Devialet 200 that's driving his KEF Blades speakers. I would agree with morricab's assertion that largely the Devialet sounded awesome in all aspect of music reproduction however, it's lacking that organic component of sound, which makes the music more involving. Even my friend said that to me first before I even open my mouth with regards to my opinion on the overall sound characteristics of his system, which saves me from apologizing later.
But despite that, he still loves it and intend of keeping it, until he finds another power amp that will play nicely with the KEF Blades speakers in the future.
If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well
(Proverb)
" up-scales all inputs to 24 bit/192 Khz "
Umm No thanks "Digitus Horrendous"
D
Don't knock it til you listen to one.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Heard them on many occasions mainly with Focal Speakers -
-still not for me sorry--but enjoy for you that's Ok
Horse for courses
Des
NT
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Audiophiles with good and bad ears have been on both sides of the fence with this component. I tried to find someplace to personally listen to them, but Paris was the closest I could find.
My feeling with this unit is you really need to audition it in your target listening environment with the SAM configured with your specific set of speakers to fully evaluate it's potential.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Is the system listed in your profile - which hasn't been updated in years - what you were listening to prior to getting the Devialet?
You are right..I keep forgetting to update the profile (done).
I had tried quite a number of pieces of gear, including Tube Modwright Oppo ,Wavelength Audio, or Benchmark DAC-2 as sources.
For pre/power amps, have tried Electrocompainet pre/power combo, several Pass Labs combos, and a Primare combo (A 32 Pre/A34.2 pair in mono).
While all the above were musically pleasing, the Devialet is better across the board, and it is better by a fair amount (IMHO). The technical measurements bear out the outstanding performance.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
nt
Another 10K lifestyle game changer for the 1%. Don't get me wrong, a 13 pound unit that avoids the need for system matching is nice, but the new owner has to have a computer to download software in order to operate the amplifier. What happens if you......can't get to their website??? Or, better yet, don't want to use a computer????
I would consider a $10k integrated amp with built-in DAC and phono stage to be a decent value these days, if the performance is up to snuff. Not talking world class, but high end. You could still build a good system around it for less than an new economy car. So I would hardly call that a product for the 1%.
Regarding the comment about the computer, I don't get it.
In 2015 the average 'single' personal income was $30,250, according to US Census Bureau Data. You be the judge of 1%.
You need a computer to download data onto the Devialet via an SD Card.
What happens if.....in the future you are without the internet or a computer? Can you take it to your dealer for software upgrades?
Personally, if I was looking for an 'all in one' component, it would be
the Avantgarde Zero 1 HD system.
...households making over $250,000 per year are the top 5% and could easily afford one.
You think if we are without the internet we would still have high end audio stores?
You'd prefer the Avantegarde Zeros at $17,000?
Not to make this an ongoing economic discussion on affordable merchandise, but I did peek at your residence, and if you do live in the SF Bay area, the cost of housing alone would eat up your average household income; leaving it without a budget for even the purchase of streaming content.
Yes, the Avantgarde is expensive, but you would not need anything else.
The Avantgarde Zero 1 XD is a pretty interesting product as well.
I like seeing high end companies adopt fresh engineering approaches that treat audio reproduction more holistically. The old "separates" approach where you fill a rack with 17" wide rectangular boxes that perform one function each, connected by expensive cables and supported on isolation footers, is great for prying cash out of people's pockets in small increments for very little gain.
Regarding individual incomes, the top 1% is $288k or more. The country is full of middle class people who continually lease vehicles just so they can have a new SUV every few years, or buy boats or motorcycles or other toys, put in pools, or renovate their kitchens and bathrooms. There are lots and lots of people who could buy a $20k system including this $10k integrated, if listening to music is important enough to them.
Background Noise for the 1%.
Walter?
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
You can get the 120 used for right around or under $3k which is the same amplifier, just a little less powerful and flexible. Amp, pre, dac, phono all included. Quite a deal.
Good response.
> Another 10K lifestyle game changer for the 1%.
What I like to do is try to find the game changers that are economical. I recently assembled a tube line-stage kit that I feel sounds better than my Pass Labs X1 and it cost a lot less than the X1, too. That's my idea of a game changer! ;-)
Very nice John. I also have hand built amps that were very reasonably priced to obtain. As great as the Devialet sounds, there are some music DVD's I have that sound great with the tube gear.
If you check out the audio sites, one can find used Devialet 200's from 3 to 4K. Considering all it provides, that is pretty reasonable for a top of the line audio setup.
There was a guy on another site who posted that he replaced 25K plus of equipment with a Devialet 200, and it sounds better than his previous equipment.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
I might like to build some tube monoblocks. Can you provide a URL for those amps?
Besides the possible addition of tube amplification, I'm pretty much satisfied with the digital capability of my system. I use an Oppo BDP-105D for all digital up through single DSD resolution and I switch to a TASCAM DA-3000 for playing DSD 5.6M.
Thanks,
John Elison
I think you'd really enjoy building a Raspberry PI streamer for your music. :)
Just got one. When will you drop by for free beer and help me get this thing up and running?
Will
Nothing in this hobby is going to suit everyone's needs. Some responses to your thoughts:
They are not McIntosh, in that they do not hold resale value. These can be had for 35 to 40 cents on the dollar of original price, so do not concur with the 1% remark. It could be argued that this could save budding audiophiles cash by not having to spend big $ on interconnects, changing out one box to get to the next level. The S/W update handles that for you.
Well, anyone who does not have a computer would not be reading this website to begin with. Do not see that as a valid argument.
What if a tube amp smokes an output power tube and takes things with it?
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Well, anyone who does not have a computer would not be reading this website to begin with.
I'm reading this post with my iPad. Would that work?
A iPad IS a computer. :-)
An, if you had the attachment to read SD cards, the iPad could indeed update the unit.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
After researching the topic, I see that there are indeed lightning to SD card adapters available for iOS devices.
Thanks for that realization. :)
No worries.
I need to look into a streaming option.
PS: Here is a picture of the 6AH4 Thomas Meyer clone that mates with the 1625 amp.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
I stated, "Don't want to use a computer." Must you have your Dealer perform the service? Technologically advanced, but Tubes amps don't have to rely on
an internet connection to perform from day one till their end of time!
Goodness no. The owner can easily update the software revision to the latest version. What is even better is the fact the owner can configure the inputs to meet their needs. It supports pre-out, phono in, and various digital inputs. In addition, if the owner changes out the speakers, they can go to the website and load the specific DSP curve for their speaker.I have a good friend who makes amps/preamps for customers. He eschews modern technology such as mobile phones and a computer. I'm sure if he had one of these he would simply bring it over to have updated/re-configured.
I've owed a lot gear over the years, and this thing just sounds better than the vast majority of gear available. I was skeptical when I first read about these, but, hearing is believing.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Edits: 04/01/17
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