Advise on whether to upgrade to 440, Astra or something entirely different

[dlange]

I'm looking for advise on whether and how to upgrade my system.

I currently have a pair of Bower & Wilkins 703 S3 speakers, powered by a Devialet Expert Pro 220.

I mostly listen to reasonably low volume and can feel that the output sometimes is a bit "thin". I have identified a couple of options that I'm considering and would like to hear your input (I will regardless take them home for a in-home demo before deciding, but I hope this can help me prioritise what to test). 

Budget
All cost indications below are including any trade-in value I might have (I'm assuming a trade-in value for my Devialet Expert Pro 220 of ~4k USD). My budget is ~14k USD plus the 4k USD trade-in value. But of course I also don't want to spend more money than necessary.

Option 1 (Upgrade to Devialet Expert Pro 440:
Upgrade my Devialet Expert Pro 220 to a 440 (will cost me ~3k USD to do through a demo ex at my local store)

Option 2 (Trade for Devialet Astra):
Trade-in my Expert Pro 220 and move to the new Devialet Astra (will cost me ~13k USD however, and I'm not sure whether this even produces any better audio than the 220 let alone the 440, but it gives me an update to the new platform and all new streaming capabilities)

Option 3 (Switch to something entirely different)
Trade-in my Expert Pro 220 and move to something entirely different:
a) Hegel H600 (~10k USD)
b) Naim Uniti Nova PE (~9k USD)
c) Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 (~2k USD)
d) Anything else I should consider that you think would be an even better fit?

Focus / What I'm looking for in an upgrade
I'm primarily interested in audio quality with my set of speakers (and a potential future upgrade to the 803 D4).

As a secondary thing I'm concerned with streaming capabilities. Whereas I will mainly use Roon together with Tidal, I also need to have a simple solution for my family. These needs include:
- Either AirPlay 2 (for Siri controllability) or Chromecast (for Google Assistant controllability)
- Connect Apple TV (either directly or through TV outputs) with an ideal possibility to control the volume with the Apple remote control

Considerations around the Devialet Expert Pro in regards to streaming capabilities
Either of the Option 2 and 3 will support these things in some way or the other. The biggest issues exist with the existing Devialet Expert Pro which only has Airplay 1, no chromecast, and is on an old architecture. I could however fix that by connecting a dedicated streamer such as the Bluesound Node Icon. If I connect that one through USB or Coax to my Expert Pro I assume that will be a lossless connection that shouldn't impact my sound quality at all? Would be great to get your view / confirmation on that assumption too.

Thanks!

[docvale]

Option 4: consider adding an active subwoofer to your system to enhance the body of the sound when played at low volume.

[Jean-Marie]

In my opinion, your options are as follow:

Audio quality wise, either put a bit of EQ (zero cost and best) to account for Fletcher/Munson curve of our ears or add a subwoofer as per Docvale suggestion (more costly but will more or less do an EQ).

Going the D440 route is the best route Audio quality wise for when you will get bigger speakers or if you feel limited at high volume (which apparently you don’t experience), typically if you are turning the volume above -6dB.

For the Airplay 2 question, I have solved it by adding an AirPort Express which is Airplay2 and have an optical connection.

Jean-Marie

[Vivialet]

problems like thin sound are usually caused by the interaction of the speakers and the room, not the amp. Use the room simulator of REW to get an idea what the problem is. Or better get a microphone and measure the response on your listening position. For a good start you can even use a smartphone with a measuring app.
If the room response has big gaps in the bass region (which is usually the case in normal sized rooms) you can buy any other amp without solving the problem.
Jean-Maries proposals are good, I use the same: subwoofer and some PEQ's. The Devialet has a lot of internal options to fix these problems. You have the bass and treble correction which you can even adjust from the remote, you have the Sweet Room PEQ and all options to integrate a subwoofer.

[Delija]

Devialet can sound a little "lean", mostly in the midrange. It could have just a little more "bloom". Many things will be better by upgrading from 220 to 440, but this particular thing not so much.

This could be "fixed" by adding good subwoofer(s). Properly set, subwoofers will improve the whole frequency range - not just the bass.

[hardcore]

Another thing to try is to change your ethernet cables and add a good ethernet switch or isolator. These make a dramatic difference to the sound, and can make it sound fuller / warmer / thinner / sharper / boomey depending on the cable and switch you use.

For ethernet cable I recommend a *solid core* *unshielded* ethernet cable (UTP) for a natural warm and open sound. Alternatively try the basic cheap ethernet cables, which are typically stranded unshielded UTP cables. Avoid shielded cables which can cause ground loops and tend to sound sharp or edgy.

For isolation, good value and good sounding options are the ifi LAN iPurifier Pro and / or the LHY SW-6 switch.

This will benefit any streamer or amplifier setup.

If you haven't experimented with improving ethernet, you might be skeptical. It definitely changes the sound. It's not about the data bits. It's probably more to do with EMI and ground loops.

[dlange]

Thank you all for these valuable tips, starting with testing Sweet room adjustmenets, which I have not yet applied.

[ray1234]

Devialet amps in itself is very neutral, and because it is dead neutral, it can be affected by a lot of factors to make it sound 'thin'.

I don't know what is your definition of 'thin'. If it means 'thin' in terms of not much bass, then a subwoofer can help. If by 'thin' you mean the vocals sound 'thin', then it is another problem altogether.

If 'vocals' sound thin, then just a subwoofer alone cannot fix that. You need to mix and match cables, like speaker cables and network cables, use cables with 'thicker' sound, like Cardas, or it can be as simple as moving your speakers closer to wall, anything to make the whole system sound balanced again. Putting wooden feet under your Devialet can also produce a 'thicker' sound. 705s3 by itself should not sound 'thin'.

[Delija]

If 'vocals' sound thin, then just a subwoofer alone cannot fix that.

Good subwoofer, properly integrated, can do much more than just improve the bass.
And yes - it can affect vocals a lot. It can make them bigger, more pronounced, more forward (in the scene), with more "air"...

It affects the sound (the whole frequency range) much more than any cable, footer or similar stuff. Not that cables are not important.

[thumb5]

I'd say @Jean-Marie is right on the money here: it's likely to do with how the perceived tonal balance of our hearing changes with volume (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour), rather than a "sound quality" problem related to the equipment.

The question is: do you like how the system sounds when you turn the volume up? If so, I'd definitely experiment with a bit of bass boost at low volumes before thinking about spending money on new equipment.