Next-generation Devialet

[Antoine]

Personally I believe the current Devialet platform has much more potential that Devialet hasn't even tapped into yet so I really hope Devialet won't release a new high-end platform for the next three years (at minimum) or so!

[Pim]

I'm just going to look at it from a large business point of view because that's what Devialet is now. So here's my prediction;
To recoup the money spent on SAM and other research the only way for them to go is what they've been advertising all along; 'One day everyone will own a Devialet'. They will go where the big bucks are and that is the mass market. So expect cheaper models with more options. The average consumer won't be all too fussed about sound quality as long as it 'does everything you didn't know you wanted it to do'

[mauidan]

Do the Devialet device not have FPGAs? I understood there were some. Linn have also used these in their DSes since their inception.

Yes, I read that they use FPGAs but not for the DAC (PCM1792) or ADC (PCM4220, the 120 has a PCM4202)

I did view the apparent inability to upgrade the DAC as a downside when I bought my Devialet as there was a lot of noise about the FPGA based Chord Hugo DAC at the time but the excellence of the sound won me over.

Devialet could have controlled their own destiny by using FPGAs for the ADC/DAC functions.

Yes, the current off-the-shelf ADC/DAC chipsets sound good, but I'm not going invest in dated ADC/DAC designs with no modular hardware upgrades.

On the subject of the 120/200 cases vs the 250, how can Devialet justify the price difference?

IMO, they should have their cases made in China with better heat sinking/finish, and room to expand inputs/output, internal drives other functions.

[Rodney Gold]

I haven't got my D premier yet , but its pretty much similar to my Digital active meridian system , but more configureable.

I would imagine that room correction is the next logical step from SAM. There are tools like rephase , acourate , Dirac that can correct the whole bang shoot as much or as little as you want...
At the very minimum , they could include a 5 band parametric eq so you can "tune" low bass

I have a miniDSP openDRC di , that uses acourate to implement FIR filters , all done in the digital domain , which I will be trying with my setup (D premier > Giya G1's)

[Rufus McDufus]

I can certainly see a possibility of a lower-priced Devialet but they're still building their brand awareness and will not be wanting to sully their reputation by going too downmarket too soon! I really can't see the next Devialets being more than a fairly gentle evolution of the current ones. They're doing what they do well at the moment. I also guess it's 2 years until we see the next generation. Perhaps 1 year, but I doubt longer than 2 years.
Software-wise, I guess it will evolve and new features added independently of device releases (as up to now) but possibly the next-gen devices will hold some new features? Perhaps room correction isn't possible or difficult with the current-gen devices? UPNP, something else or perhaps even a proprietary streaming solution building on or in addition to AIR?
Not sure the ADH core technology is really that applicable to mass-market devices. Potentially they could licence the technology though, perhaps to other hi-fi manufacturers? The hi-fi world is littered with the failure of manufacturers attempting to branch out to automotive or mass-market audio and it's a very risky play.

[Rufus McDufus]

Of course one thing that could give Devialet an advantage would be designing their own chips for various functions (primarily optimised for sound quality) rather than off-the-shelf. I'm guessing the cost of this could be prohibitive but if any hi-fi company could do it then I suspect Devialet can.

[PhilP]

Devialet could have controlled their own destiny by using FPGAs for the ADC/DAC functions.

Yes, the current off-the-shelf ADC/DAC chipsets sound good, but I'm not going invest in dated ADC/DAC designs with no modular hardware upgrades.

The use of FPGAs can only take you so far - they have their limitations as well e.g. the designer of the Chord Hugo said that he had to make some trade-offs between the ergonomics of the Hugo and sound quality because he had used up the resources of the Xilinx Spartan 6 chip. He opted for better sound quality

I agree that upgradeable modules would be the way to go if they can be implemented without negatively impacting the sound. If Devialet had taken that approach then an upgrade to support DSD would be a lot simpler.

Taking a different view - the 120 and 200 models actually cost less than many audiophile DACs (e.g. dCS Debussy £12.5k) so you could take the view that they are components that can be replaced after say 5 years if technology has significantly moved on.

[GuillaumeB]

Ok I started this so perhaps I should chime in

Some great comments so far and I hope we will get a few more!

One of the things that Devialet has achieved spectacularly is to bring reference-level hi-fi to the masses.

I mean for £4,500 (120) audiophiles can have something that sounds seriously good and can take on some of the best amps ever made. Even the 200 at £6,390 is a steal (when you consider what it might be replacing in more traditional setup) and it's no surprise to see most members of this forum opting for this model.

But the reference-level hi-fi market segment is evolving, and evolving fast. It seems that every week we hear announcements of a new groundbreaking DAC or streamer. There is literally a space race going on, particularly in the world of cost-no-object DACs. Even more modestly priced electronics are offering more and more. I mean as an example the latest Nagra HD DAC sports 25 internal power supplies to the unit and two external power supplies, with one feeding the the analog stages and the other the digital ones! Of course it does DSD 128 and comes with a remarkable looking anti-vibration plate. The cost? About £15k. This a smidgeon compared to a Vivaldi stack or Trinity! A Linn Klimax DS is just shy of £13k...

In the space of just a year or two we've seen HD music (i.e. studio masters) become much more readily available with decent offerings from Linn, Qobuz and HD Tracks now accessible. It wasn't so long ago that I was really limited in my ability to buy high definition music. And now we are hearing more and more rumblings about DSD and its supposedly vinyl-like presentation. It's surely only a matter of time until we start seeing DSD material become readily available here.

I think a year in hi-fi is a long time! Particularly digital audio. So I'm intrigued to see how Devialet develop their range, effectively catering for what is quite a wide range of audiophiles.

Over to you chaps!

Guillaume

[Eddye]

I think it's probable Devialet will bring out more affordable products. This trend has already happened with the 110/170 introduction and is continuing now with the 120 with all the ports and MM/MC phonostage available. I think it would be fantastic if Devialet would make their product truly modulair. The customer pickes out how much power, which ports, DAC y/n, Ethernet y/n, Wifi y/n, etc. he wants.

Also I would like to see Devialet develop the software further. I really would like a better iPad App and if possible an off-line configurator which writes directly to the SD card in de Devialet.

[GuillaumeB]

I think it would be fantastic if Devialet would make their product truly modulair. The customer pickes out how much power, which ports, DAC y/n, Ethernet y/n, Wifi y/n, etc. he wants.

That's a really interesting question. Could Devialet develop a stand-alone ADH amp with no DAC? I'm not sure I understand the ADH architecture well enough to answer this. Any reason why it couldn't just be made to amplify an analogue signal?

Guillaume