Next-generation Devialet

[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.