Well I am not one for wasting too much time evaluating SQ, I tend to have a painful period of checking things out to my own satisfaction followed by years of music enjoyment. Prior to buying the Devialet I had had the same system for >10 years and some of it longer than that. I did some DAC evaluations from which I concluded (in my opinion) the difference between properly engineered DACs is very much less than the difference in SQ between different CDs. That is one step leading to the D-Premier and stopping using a much more expensive conventional system.
Anyway, I will make extensive listening comparisons with my current systems, but 2 things of note, firstly I have found refining the perfect room position and toe in for best bass and minimal reflection effects in the mid takes months, and my Goldmund speakers are almost certainly in the best place for bass in my main room and weigh >120kg each, so I won't be moving them...
Secondly I mainly listen to the Devialet 800 through Tune Audio Anima speakers which produce a greater sound level with less than 1 of the 800 watts than the silver Phantom does flat out, so I would be surprised if it matched the musical dynamics on Mahler's 2nd symphony, for example
OTOH I believe strongly in the quality of the Devialet engineering and am expecting that within their design envelope they are likely to give the best sound available.
Maybe I am going to have to bite the bullet and rip/tag a few more of my favourite classical CDs
Anyway, I will make extensive listening comparisons with my current systems, but 2 things of note, firstly I have found refining the perfect room position and toe in for best bass and minimal reflection effects in the mid takes months, and my Goldmund speakers are almost certainly in the best place for bass in my main room and weigh >120kg each, so I won't be moving them...
Secondly I mainly listen to the Devialet 800 through Tune Audio Anima speakers which produce a greater sound level with less than 1 of the 800 watts than the silver Phantom does flat out, so I would be surprised if it matched the musical dynamics on Mahler's 2nd symphony, for example
OTOH I believe strongly in the quality of the Devialet engineering and am expecting that within their design envelope they are likely to give the best sound available.
Maybe I am going to have to bite the bullet and rip/tag a few more of my favourite classical CDs
Devialet Original d'Atelier 44 Core, Job Pre/225, Goldmund PH2, Goldmund Reference/T3f /Ortofon A90, Goldmund Mimesis 36+ & Chord Blu, iMac/Air, Lynx Theta, Tune Audio Anima, Goldmund Epilog 1&2, REL Studio. Dialog, Silver Phantoms, Branch stands, copper cables (mainly).
Oxfordshire
