Just bought a d 200 - a few more questions

[Duomike]

Just wondering what the best way to hook up is. I have a modded mac mini running audirvana. Music is on a external hd. The mini does not have any internet connection and is not hooked up to any wifi network. Currently using an audiophilleo converter with pure power. My options are going straight with usb to the d 200 or using the ap for usb conversion and then connect to the rca digital input. Has anyone had any experience and compared the usb conversion of the ap against that of the d200?

Understand the devialet is using a digital volume control. I'm concerned that i will loose resolution at low volumes especially since it will be driving very efficient avantgarde omega duos. Will it help to restrict the power output to 30 watts so that d 200 will use less digital attentuation? Maybe someone hear hooked the devialet to very efficient horns and has some experience? Worst case i will put in some power resistors into my duos to reduce efficiency.

[Hifi_swlon]

Understand the devialet is using a digital volume control. I'm concerned that i will loose resolution at low volumes especially since it will be driving very efficient avantgarde omega duos. Will it help to restrict the power output to 30 watts so that d 200 will use less digital attentuation? Maybe someone hear hooked the devialet to very efficient horns and has some experience? Worst case i will put in some power resistors into my duos to reduce efficiency.

Hi Duomike

Can't help with the first bit, but I searched quite a bit to find info on the 2nd. My Fact 8's are pretty sensitive, so since I also sit close, without Room Correction I use a volume of say -45 for evening listening. Many people here have volumes of -20,-10, or zero and seem to love the sound, so I thought the same as you. Not many people here seem to reduce the power though from what I could find.

I've tried lowering the power (only down to 100) but never really detected a change in sound, and the volume on the display didn't seem to change that much either for the same perceived level. This was firmware 7.1.

That said, I've a since discovered it sounds a lot better when pushed, and since I started using Room Correction, I actually find it sounds better even when no correction is applied, but the signal is still attenuated by -6 to -8db that Dirac applied, thus needing more volume on the Dev for the same output. To my ears it sounds better like this, but I'm still in experimental phase. SO I'm starting to wonder the same thing, whether people listening with their Devialet's doing much more attenuation are missing out somehow, and maybe the Devialets attenuation at low volumes is somehow making for a poorer experience. This could all be due to other factors of course, but I'll keep playing around. Please do report your findings….

[ogs]

I used a Stello U3 for a long time. The U3 has both AES and RCA out. The AES sounded very good, better than RCA. When my D-Premier was upgraded I got USB and have gone direct since then. Both Stello and Devialet uses XMOS. I do not know about the Audiophileo. USB is not without problems. I did not get really good sound from my system until I connected a Regen. Before the Regen I still preferred direct USB, but AES was actually very close and even better in some respects. With your modded mini I guess you'll like direct USB. You should still try it out and select what you like best.

I've never had any problems with volume setting and resolution, but I've never had speakers as efficient as your Duos! Restricting power can be a very clever way around this. I have my 250 set to 180 watts at the moment. Sounds more relaxed and detailed than full power setting. When I think of it, this may actually have something to do with volume setting and resolution. Please post your findings!

[Hifi_swlon]

…..avantgarde omega duos. ….

Beautiful looking speakers btw!

I know just looking at them they're out of my price bracket, but otherwise I'd try and work out a way of getting them into the house for a demo!

[Nick]

I am currently running a pair of Tune Audio Primes on the the end of my D200. While they are no where near as efficient as your Avantagardes they are in a different league to my Serblin Accordos. It just seemed reasonable to me to set the D200 to a power output more in line with the speaker's sensitivity so I have my D200 set at 40w. It all sounds fine, actually better than fine and I feel the useable range of volume adjustment seems slightly finer with the lower set output. Best thing I think is to suck it and see, after all to change the output power is the work of minutes on the Devialet.

[Hifi_swlon]

Is there a formula that can be used as a guide for setting the ideal power against a speakers sensitivity - at least as a starting point?  Or is it all down to experimentation?

In relation to PMC's the thing that keep cropping up on forum's is that they love oodles of power, so it seems counter-intuitive to me to lower the amps output, but at the same time I wonder whether it makes it easier for them to get what they need when the amp is running harder? I have ti sway for someone that has a decent science background (albeit very rusty) I find the relationship between speakers, amp, and power vs voltage etc etc all very confusing!

[ogs]

Hifi_swlon writes fast!

I also use room correction. I do not play very loud so my volume setting is between -20 and -10. The correction I use attenuate around 20dB. Without correction I would probably use the same volume setting as Hifi_swlon -40 to -45.

[Hifi_swlon]

Hifi_swlon writes fast!

[ Haha, usually I'm home on my iPad and write veeeeeerrrrrry slooooooooowly, followed by about five passes of corrections, but at work I can go quite a bit faster.  In fact its a relief to type on a real keyboard! ]

[thumb5]

I've always been hazy about what the output power restriction in the configurator actually does.  The two options I thought might be reasonable are:

1) it changes the gain of the amplifier so that a given input level results in more or less output, or

2) it does not change the gain but just limits the maximum output power

So, I asked Devialet.  They said that it's case (2), and it has no effect until the input level gets high enough for the maximum output power to be reached.  Presumably when that input level is reached, the amplifier starts compressing.

If that's right, changing the maximum power output in the configurator shouldn't have any effect on the sound quality unless/until the amplifier is driven up to the configured power limit.

[Duomike]

Will report my findings in two weeks. Will for sure set the max output to 30 watts. During normal listening i will rarely need more than 0,1 watt.

The omega duos are great speakers especially after modding them heavily. Teflon vcaps in tweeter xo, tweeter time aligned with midrange, xo in external box, everything hardwired. Subs removed from the frame and driven directly by d-sonics amps. Last weekend listened to wilson shasha and kharma db 11 s, both driven by megabucks electronic at friends places.

Both sounded nice but would not exchange for my system. Low efficiency speakers, even very high end ones, restrict the effortless dynamics compared to horns.