250 vs 800 vs The Best

[Damon]

....But if overall SQ is your main priority you can match it for less.

I think a lot of Devialet owners become blind to what's out there and fall into the slick marketing strategy of Devialet, the 25-30k you pay for a 800 or 17-20k u pay for a 400 ain't small change and there is a lot of hi end gear that will be up there for that price, even taking into account buying additional components such as DACs and phono pres.

I'm only stepping in to counter the idea that Devialet owners have fallen for the package over the product or marketing. I think that most owners have purchased the Devialet for its sound quality, many in spite of its appearance and limited upgrade options. Many listened to Devialet expecting to reject it, or were surprised (and disappointed) that it outperformed their more expensive systems.  The audio press seems to agree that the Devialet products provide remarkable value. Many owners had other systems that cost much more, and settled on Devialet as being better sounding for less money. That accounting can be at the D120 level or the D800 or D-Premier level. The Jeff Fritz articles are a very good example of this; he settled on the D120 after years of systems that cost much, much more.

The concept of 'the best' is not really worth debating because no such item exists. If it did, there would be widespread agreement that 'it' is 'the best'. You prefer the Jeff Rowland amps, the OP seems to prefer McIntosh, and John Atkinson in the Dec 2014 (I think) of Stereophile stated that the Pass Labs amps were the finest sounding he has heard. The preferred equipment varies with each set of ears. and each room, and all the other associated equipment. 

Finally, one thing that impresses me about this form is the lack of 'fanboy' posts. There are many good threads about difficulties with noise, or setup, or control or the way the company responds to customer issues. I suspect that many would have moved on to the other products that apparently give better sound for less money. That they haven't moved on suggests that the sound quality is hard to give up on.