140 upgrade options

[Jean-Marie]

I can share my own experience, however keep in mind the differences. 

As you can read from my signature I went from a 120 non pro to a 220 pro. 

It is therefore difficult to distribute the perceived improvement between the added 2dB of power and the upgraded ADH of the pro versus the non pro. 

In addition, there was a couple of weeks during which I did not have the Devialet and I had switched back to my secondary system, so auditive memory is to be taken with a grain of salt. 


This being said, I ended up listening to my new 220 with attenuation 2dB higher than with my 120, which probably means that the limiting factor is the room, or that I have reached adequate levels to my ears. (Typically when I’m listening to well recorded classical pieces I am at -8dB with the 220 while I was at -6dB with the 120. 

So did the additional power brought benefits?
Actually the answer is yes, and that’s especially because of SAM. With the 220, SAM got almost twice as the power headroom to do its magic and that was noticeable (with the caveat that I was not able to do a  proper double blind test). 

So I would say that, especially if you are using SAM, more power can really brings a big benefit. 

Now is it worth the investment, is a question that each of us answers differently based on our income, priorities etc… determining when the marginal return on investment is not longer worth it is very personal. 

Jean-Marie

[qwaszxxx]

@qwaszxxx - You can review posts which might give you some idea of the relative merits of a 210 vs 220 vs 250 vs 440, but in addition to this I think there is also a question you need to ask yourself.

I have no idea of you own mindset, and to be honest I even wonder about some of the things that go on in my own brain, let alone anyone else's, but there is something to think about here.

It looks like a move to a 210 is your easiest option. OK, lets say that you do this and it sounds great. Is it likely that you will then be happy and say to yourself I have upgraded and now all is good? Or is it more likely that there will still be niggles in your mind? Would a 220 have been better? Just how good would that 440 be? I'm happy with my 210, but I just can't help wondering if it was the right move.

Here is where the 220 option perhaps looks better as it affords the opportunity to later go for the 440. The 440 is reckoned by many to be a bit of a "sweet spot" in the range. You get almost everything that the 1000 Pro offers at half the price.

If you could be fully content with a 210, then all of the above might be a simple waste of money, but if maybe not, it is at least something to have a think about.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. I've decided to go dual mono, and for me, I know objectively the cost benefit of going 440 vs 210 probably isn't worth it. But I also know myself and will always be left wondering if I'm missing out on something. Also, if I upgrade the speakers at some point (which I'm also considering doing), I'll appreciate knowing I have the amp with the power to drive anything. 

So I think I'll probably end up with a used 440.

Incidentally, the only non-chain Devialet dealer here in San Francisco (that I know of) has a 440 demo for sale, but at a very high price - only a 14% discount being offered. I went to go check it out yesterday, and they wanted to charge me $250 to make an appointment before I would be allowed to listen to it! Needless to say I left the store without making a purchase. So the search begins!

[paul.oorbeek]

I bought my demo 220 pro ci in the Netherlands from a dealer who had an 440 pro ci system and i paid €5.250,00 for my 220 with 5 yrs shop warranty. So a demo system of €10.500,00 is possible. But it can take time to find.

Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk

[Redwingnine]

This is interesting. I would have thought that the dual mono 210 would in theory sound slightly better than a single 220, as the specs are listed as better. The 220 does provide more flexibility, with preamp out and phono. I have no need for phono, but, preamp out is useful for subwoofer use.