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Devialet pro 130: Kef ls50 + dxd12012 sub vs kef r900
#1
Hello everyone,

I'm planning to upgrade my system at home with a Devialet Expert Pro 130. I have done a lot of research and have narrowed down my choice of speakers to 2 options:

1) Kef Ls50 (with or without SAM) + dxd12012 sub ($4500 total)
2) Kef r900 (with SAM for extra bass) ($5000)

This will be a hybrid stereo system in the living room to be used for both music and movies. For the home theatre side, I have no desire to use surround 5.1 or any of that nonsense. Only 2 speakers, or 2 speakers and a sub at most. I am pretty new to the high end audio game and have never owned $10K+ audio system like both of the above configurations would be. Both options are priced nearly the same so money is not really an issue in choosing one over the other.

As for why I've chosen the above options, I have read a ton of reviews. All 3 of these devices appear to be vastly superior to the other options within and many above their price ranges.

I'm trying to decide which of these 2 options to go for. I plan to try to setup a listen at a dealer if I can but I wanted to see what people think. If you had to pick 1, which of these 2 options would you choose? Do you see anything missing from my analysis below that should be considered? Would you change any of the speakers or the sub for something else in the same price range?

Obviously the goal is to produce the best quality sound possible for both music and movies. A few points I'm weighing in the decision:

1) I'm very interested in achieving full frequency range down into deep bass. I listen to all kinds of music, including classical, jazz, and bass thumping edm. Deep bass is also obviously important for home theater.

The dxd12012 sub goes all the way down to 10Hz. In terms of music it can cover everything including the deepest organ music at 16Hz. While I'm aware that the lower limits of human hearing reside somewhere around 20Hz, deeper bass can still be great for movies as low frequency effects will not only be heard but also felt in the body.

The Kef R900's go down to 35Hz. However with SAM, Devialet claims the R900's can go all the way down to 18Hz. This is low enough to skip a sub even for movies. Indeed lower than most subs on the market can achieve according to their specs. My concern would be if the R900 really can go down this far in my room and if so will the volume and sound quality be adequate at those low frequencies. From my limited knowledge and lack of experience, I would guess that even with SAM the dxd12012 will likely produce superior results at ultra low frequencies. The sub also has an extra 8Hz of headroom going down to 10Hz, but that number doesn't have to be a deciding factor.

2) Obviously high frequencies are important as well but from what I've seen its pretty much a draw between the LS50's and the R900's. The R900's tweeters might be slightly better but that also has to be weighed against the fact that they share the same cabinet with the woofers? From everything I've read aside from deep bass the ls50's produce amazing sound quality within their frequency range.

3) I live in a modestly sized apartment so I will rarely need to use really high volumes. I also hate ghetto fabulous boomy bass that shakes the house. I want a clean sound on all frequency levels that I can listen to and appreciate at reasonable volumes. I don't anticipate problems here with either setup as the R900 is an integrated floor standing speaker and the dxd12012 is a really great sub with excellent sound according to the reviews I've read.

4) Blending a sub with stand mount speakers I understand can be somewhat of a challenge. I don't mind doing a bit of extra work if the result is superior sound. Fortunately the dxd12012 is already recommended by the manufacturer to be put in the corner of a room so placement is easy. I would probably run the Ls50's at full range and try to low pass the sub around 50Hz or 30Hz if using SAM. Devialet's dsp capabilities also provide a lot of options here for tweaking as well.

5) Another issue is having adequate wattage in the amplifier. There is no question that the Devialet Pro 130 can handle the tiny Ls50's. I believe (not confirmed yet) the Pro 130 should be able to adequately drive the R900's as well. However even if the Pro 130 is enough, there is a temptation spend more than I want to upgrading the Pro 220 to get better amplification on the R900's. Staying with the standmount + sub configuration means I could potentially live with the amplification of the 130 for a very long time even if I decide to upgrade speakers later. I understand its really the woofers that require so much power on most floorstanders and most subs have built-in amplifiers.

6) Theres one major concern here which is specific to the Devialet itself. In particular the capabilities of the speaker outputs vs the preamp outputs. I understand the best Devialet experience is through the speaker outs and not the preamps (I made another thread about this to learn more). If this is the case, then I'm potentially sacrificing sound quality on the low end by using a subwoofer on the preouts vs getting all of the goodness of the speaker outs applied to the entire frequency range with the R900's.

Thanks!
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#2
I know I give advice that I don't always follow, but I'd say step one - if you can do it and it's sounds like you can - is to listen and see what you think. No one here is more likely to give you the right answer than you!

Don't have experience of anything in that list. But best of luck choosing your new kit.

>>> 1st Place Award: Devialet, last decades most disappointing technology purchase.  <<<

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#3
Welcome btw! Smile

>>> 1st Place Award: Devialet, last decades most disappointing technology purchase.  <<<

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#4
Welcome and only one comment.

Nothing wrong with using a pre amp out to a subwoofer. Rarely do folks have a subwoofer inline with the R-L speaker outputs of their stereo. You will just have to experiment with the cross over settings for the subwoofer.

And as above ^, if you have the opportunity to listen first, that would be the wise path.
Roon ROCK on Intel NUC6i5SYH/Ethernet | VPI Avenger | Devialet 440 Pro CI | Vivid Audio Giya G3 | Auralic Aires Mini | Synology 1812+ NAS
SXSW, US
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#5
D120 did not have analog output by default. I think it is the same for D130Pro.
If i am right, it means you will need to buy optional output card(?) or D220Pro, or give up on subwoofer (does the sub a D/A conversion?).
Fanless HdPlex (HQPlayer) -> Merging Hapi -> Genelec 8351B
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#6
I am using 2 JLAudio F110 subs with Raidho X1's, it took me a while to get the best out of it, but now really enjoyable.
Great thing with the Devialet 200 is that you can delay your main speakers to line up perfectly with the subs. (group delay for JL subs is 9ms)

Result is very musical, the Raidho's are so fast and accurate, only "weaker" point is the energy in the 150-300Hz region they can master. (when compared to a floorstander) the JL sub cannot fill this in either. I guess this will be simular to the KEF Ls50.
Main Set: Aavik U-300, Magico V3, Wadia 381i, Ayre DX-5 dsd, NBS Black label / Omega 1, Crystal Dreamline, Cardas Clear, Ansuz Ceramic, Aurender N100H, purpose build rack Bubinga wood (175kg rack only)

Second set: Devialet 200, Raidho X1, JL Audio F110 Subs (2x), Oppo BDP103D with audiopraise board, Melco N1A, Uptone Regen, and lots of Ansuz goodies
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