Devialet 200...my impressions.

jaxwired

jaxwired

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So, about 2 months ago I switched to new speakers, PMC Fact 8s. The PMCs are the most transparent speakers I've ever owned. In fact, they are the most transparent speakers I've ever heard. So, you might think that pairing these speakers with a Devialet which is also known for extreme clarity of sound would be a bad idea. Well there is an element of truth to that but it's definitely not cut and dried by any means. The electronics that the Devialet replaced included a PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium preamp, and a wyred 4 sound DAC and amplifier. I was using Mullards in the PrimaLuna which gave a very rich lush delivery. It was pretty much a perfect pairing with the PMCs. However, the Devialet has added noticeable clarity and transparency to my system which was already producing very satisfying sound. The Devialet / PMC pairing is not strident or hard to listen to. It is, however, immaculate, and jaw droppingly detailed. Voices and instruments are about as real as I've ever heard in my listening room. There are frequent occasions when I mute my system to try and figure out if the subtle noise I just heard was my stereo or my kids. And those moments when you whip your head around to see what just made that sound and you realize it was the song you are playing. The combination does nothing wrong. That's the first and biggest concern. There is no boomy bass or congested mids or strident highs. There is only music exiting from complete blackness.

However, with all that said, I do suspect that the Devialet would shine even more with a naturally warmer speaker such as a Harbeth or Dynaudio. System synergy can make a huge difference and warm speakers would probably create a more profound symbiosis with the Devialet. Does that mean I am selling the PMCs or the Devialet? Nope. Because IMO, each represents a pinnacle of it's kind. Which one would I sell? Besides, I am really nit picking here. My system with the Devialet is stunning. Is it a bit on the cool side, yes, no doubt. Do I get regular goosebump moments with this system? For sure. The Devialet (and the PMC Facts for that matter) create music with amazing precision. Every instrument is cleanly and clearly depicted. There is no blurred lines between notes. In fact, I would suspect that when people first hear a Devialet they will be shocked by actually how good some of their recordings are. By the same token, the Devialet will highlight more than most when a recording has been recorded on the hot side of things. Too much energy up top is conveyed. But again, I do not want to give the impression that the Devialet is painful to listen to. It is most definitely not. The Devailet is smooth, it's just shockingly clean and clear. Highs never sound exaggerated, they just sound detailed. A system can be highly detailed and resolving and still sound smooth. In fact, I would argue that is the gold standard. What the Devailet is not, is rich, lush, and euphonic. If you want that, look elsewhere. And I'm not criticizing here at all as there's a lot to be said for rich, lush, and euphonic systems. After all, it's about enjoying the music, not examining it with a microscope.

So far, I have not heard the Devialet 200 with SAM (Speaker Active Matching) in the signal as Devialet has not yet released the custom SAM file for my PMC Fact 8 speakers. I will however be trying the Devialet with a warmer speaker next weekend, the Dynaudio Focus 160. Additionally Devialet HAS released SAM for the Dynaudio Focus 160. So it will be interesting to see how that combination sounds. I do not expect it to make me want to throw over my PMCs as I truly love my PMC Fact 8s. Also, Devialet WILL in fact soon be adding SAM for the PMC Fact 8s. So that should add yet another facet to this evaluation.

Am I set for life, not a chance. I'm a unrepentant box swapper and I don't see signs of a cure anytime soon. : )

Here is a video of the Devialet 200 and the PMCs in action. This video was recorded with a high quality stereo microphone. This mic does tend to roll off low frequency a bit. I realize a video no replacement for hearing in person, but I do find it entertaining. There are 2 songs on the video. Enjoy!

 
Sounds great on my end. Im sure listening though a computer doesnt convey what its really like, but I can get a Idea.....lots of air and transparency.
 
Jax,

Glad to hear that you like your Devialet 200.

In my case, I have been trying a Devialet 200 in place of a Aesthetix Pandora Signature/ARC REF 75 combo powering my WA Sophia 3s. Digital sources are a networked Auraliti PK 90 with linear PSU and PS Audio PWT. I've also tried Devialet Air, but prefer the other two sources.

I agree that "the Devailet is not, is rich, lush, and euphonic." It improved after 300+ hours, removing my networked speaker cables and running a heavy duty power cable directly to the wall outlet.

Engaging SAM improves the lower mid-range/upper bass, but the deep bass sounds the same to me.

Have fun.
 
Thanks Dan.

and I guess I should have mentioned in the original post that I am running an all digital system. I stream music from my music server via USB to the devialet.

And you remind me of another point. The devialet has gotten a lot of over the top press. I do not think the devialet is a no brainer head and shoulders over the competition giant killer. I do think it's competitive with other top tier electronics. Just a matter of preference. It does sound superb but there are certainly many other choices that are extremely appealing. It might be the best in terms of cost to performance ratio though. It would certainly be very hard to beat with 3 separate components for the same price.
 
Congrats Jax. Sounds like a fun piece. I think my review and conclusions on the Devialet still holds true.


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Mike said:
Congrats Jax. Sounds like a fun piece. I think my review and conclusions on the Devialet still holds true.


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Mike,

All I could find was your thread about the Devialet 170, have you listened to a 200, 250, 400 or 800 with a SAM enabled speaker in your listening room?
 
kiwi_1282001 said:
Thanks for sharing that Jax. A wonderful write up and neat video - dancing whites socks and all. :)

While I've not auditioned a SAM enabled Devialet system - the Devialet's I've heard have been too tonally cool for my liking and I found that fatiguing, particularly on older CD recordings which tend to be spotlit / bright in the treble. Further, my experience driving Raidho speakers has always oddly left me with the perception that the Devialet's are under-powered. One other observation in closing. I've found Devialets to be extremely sensitive to power cord changes, which does afford the opportunity to redress the character.
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I suggest you listen to a 400 or 800 with a SAM enabled speaker.

The stock power cords are fine when plugged directly into a quality wall outlet.
 
I'm going to delete my comments- on second thought, its just too hard to judge from a YouTube video.
 
jaxwired said:
Thanks Dan.

and I guess I should have mentioned in the original post that I am running an all digital system. I stream music from my music server via USB to the devialet.

And you remind me of another point. The devialet has gotten a lot of over the top press. I do not think the devialet is a no brainer head and shoulders over the competition giant killer. I do think it's competitive with other top tier electronics. Just a matter of preference. It does sound superb but there are certainly many other choices that are extremely appealing. It might be the best in terms of cost to performance ratio though. It would certainly be very hard to beat with 3 separate components for the same price.
Click to expand...

Agree with you . Fwiw it is more than 3 pieces , for instance just add the nice phono preamp and you have 4
 
Hi all. New here. I'm quite interested in Devialet - the initial draws for me (besides the rave reviews) being its compactness and suitability for the world of digital music. But. But I'm not sure I want to give up my my disc collection just yet. I'm on board with digitizing redbook and have heard good downloads. Having said that, I've done some critical listening to some HDTracks downloads (usb direct to oppo) and, while many are great, others are clobbered by, for example, some shm-sacd's (saxophone collossus, e.g.). Point being - I'm not ready to ditch the oppo just yet. So in Michael's review he has stated that Devialet impresses mightily for all digital, but analogue inputs are lacking sonically. Given that I'm wedded to sacd for a while (and the devialet doesn't even play nice with dsd via Eva inputs ?) would it be a mistake to get one? I'm currently using separates - accuphase c-2820 and a-45. Really want to go integrated. The candidates are the devialet, the audio research vsi75, or the ayre integrated. Speakers are Vandersteen Fives. Kind regards for any advice!
 
Thanks Mark! Also, a clarification - (I'm writing this I my iPhone) - the last part of that post should have been asking about how devialet deals with DSD from RCA cables. If I understood Michael's review correctly it drops the ball?
 
maikeru said:
Thanks Mark! Also, a clarification - (I'm writing this I my iPhone) - the last part of that post should have been asking about how devialet deals with DSD from RCA cables. If I understood Michael's review correctly it drops the ball?
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Correct. First, it can't handle DSD natively, second, if you feed it DSD via an external DAC, you will suffer major SQ degradation via the ADA conversion process.

If you aren't prepared to live within the a Devialet ecosystem, then I recommend you look elsewhere. The Devialet is a lifestyle choice more than an audiophile choice.

That being said, I know Devialet plans to offer DSD support in the new future, but whether this will be only DoP remains to be seen.
 
"The Devialet is a lifestyle choice more than an audiophile choice"

With respect - I'll choose to disagree . Certainly that was the perception when people first saw the piece, certainly it was mine. However, as I use my 200 more, I've grown to appreciate it's qualities and in particular the SAM feature which is not a minor or subtle feature. The phono input is very good & the onboard DAC is excellent. I could discern no differences between wireless streaming and physical USB connection. As far as the very narrow world of DSD is concerned, I'm not sure how big DSD libraries are out there - audiophile concerns are more observed in the breach than the observance I think :rolleyes:

I can think of a lot of audiophile systems this thing will leave in the dust but I never make the mistake of thinking that because it's pretty one-box solution, it can't possible be of audiophile quality. As always....YMMV
 
I have over 1000 DSD albums.

For the same money as the Devialet, I can build a system that will leave it in the dust. I stand by my reviews. Its a nice piece and I personally WOULD own one - but it is not the panacea some in the audio world make it out to be. For one, it's power ratings are a joke. I told Devialet this at RMAF and they know it cannot handle difficult loads and when it does start to lose power, you get a hissing out of one channel and then it cuts out (this occurred repeatedly measured at 93db @ 1 meter on my Raidho D3's).

I have reviewed the Devialet 170, 400 and 800 on multiple speakers.

The SAM technology is terrific and although subtle, it was an improvement.

As I also mentioned, the phonostage is excellent. I was surprised at how good it was.

But I stand by my review and as the person above asked - DSD from an external DAC via ADA on the Devialet is not ideal.


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And how widespread do you think DSD ownership is ? I asked Chad Kassem at the NYAS how the Hi-Rez download business is going and he said...slowly climbing. The point is Mike that the system you can build for $9000 is not the system that most audiophiles can ... knowledgeable audiophiles like you neither pay $9000 for the Devialet nor for the alternative system. And as far as how many audiophiles have meaningful DSD libraries.....

Anyway , my point is, it's not a panacea (I never said it was) but I know of nothing in the audiophile world or anywhere else for that matter , that is. It's simply one more potential solution and a rather good one at that. I had absolutely no issues with the 200 power output into my Q3's or the D1's.
 
All the audiophiles I know - all of them - have DSD albums. As I said, I would own the Devialet, but it has many many challenges. Most after market power cords won't work because they won't fit. Most speaker cables with a larger end, won't work because they won't fit. Using anything external (DAC, phonostage, tape preamp, etc.) sounds awful.

The value of the product is reflected in its overall benefit to the end user. If living within the Devialet ecosystem is acceptable, then rock on. But for most - especially the DAC flavor of the month crowd - it's not the answer.

I like the Devialet, but people need to understand its strengths and weaknesses as its a commitment to the Devialet way of things.

P.S. I love that Devialet remote.


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Now you made me feel bad Mike - I consider myself an Audiophile but I have very few DSD albums ......my credentials are suspect. Back to the LP's for me :rolleyes:
 
Bobolaclune said:
Now you made me feel bad Mike - I consider myself an Audiophile but I have very few DSD albums ......my credentials are suspect. Back to the LP's for me :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Haha! I was an earliy adopter of DSD....but vinyl still rules!


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