Devialet Expert 250 Pro vs. Devialet Expert 1000 Pro

[Redwingnine]

Hello dear Devialet user  


Except maximum power handling off course  what else are the (practical) big differences between an Expert 250 Pro setup - that I own one myself and I'm really happy with - and an Expert 1000 Pro setup?

Looking forward to hear from you all.


Kind regards,

Sjors from Holland

Good question.  

The largest difference is the power reserve for reproducing large dynamic contrasts, such as one gets listening to classical music.  With the 1000 Pro, it would be almost impossible to run out power, even with insensitive speakers such as models from ATC (85 db/w).   With the 250 Pro, it may be possible to run out of power at certain points of a given symphony.  This would be heard as a slight bit of momentary congestion during dynamic peaks.  

The 1000 Pro should have a wider and deeper soundstage.  Depending upon one's speakers and listening environment, one may or may not notice any difference whilst listening casually. It has already been mentioned the the specs for SNR and distortion are better, but would not actually be audible most of the time.  

For myself, as one who listens to a lot of classical music at near live levels (can't be too loud, don't want hearing loss), owning ATC speakers in a moderate sized listening environment, the change from a 250 Pro to a 1000 Pro made a significant difference.   

So, each case is different.  The above are some factors to consider.

[sjors.ehv]

Hello Redwingnine. Thanks a lot 🏼

[daniel.avasilichioaei]

Hello dear Devialet user  


Except maximum power handling off course  what else are the (practical) big differences between an Expert 250 Pro setup - that I own one myself and I'm really happy with - and an Expert 1000 Pro setup?

Looking forward to hear from you all.


Kind regards,

Sjors from Holland

The only benefit of 1000 vs 250 is the power, which only helps you if the volume at which you usually listen is close to 2x250 W (which I don't think).
Otherwise, 1000 brings you only the configurator problems / bugs specific to dual-mono. 

[Redwingnine]

Hello dear Devialet user  


Except maximum power handling off course  what else are the (practical) big differences between an Expert 250 Pro setup - that I own one myself and I'm really happy with - and an Expert 1000 Pro setup?

Looking forward to hear from you all.


Kind regards,

Sjors from Holland

The only benefit of 1000 vs 250 is the power, which only helps you if the volume at which you usually listen is close to 2x250 W (which I don't think).
Otherwise, 1000 brings you only the configurator problems / bugs specific to dual-mono. 

There is a difference between listing at a constant loud volume and having sufficient reserve power to handle large dynamic contrasts such as those experienced in classical music.  The 250 does not have as much power as the 1000 Pro.  For some scenarios, would agree that is not an issue. If one just listens to rock/pop, etc., the 1000 Pro is not likely to buy one much improvement.  However, there are situations where the 250 will run out of power with large scale classical music driving speakers that are of a lower sensitivity. (85 db/W as an example).  

I've tried both the 250 Pro and the 1000 Pro with my ATC SCM 40 V2 speakers.  When listening to classical music that has large dynamic swings at levels near, but still less than actual live, there are times the 250 runs out of power for those brief periods.  The music will sound slightly congested when this occurs.  I've experienced this first hand.  So, i think having the 1000 Pro is preferable in some use cases. There was a study in the past that proffered the opinion that a 90db/w speaker needed 500 watts to avoid clipping. 

The issues with dual mono configuration may have been in the past.  I've had no trouble whatsoever configuring the 1000 Pro.  One does need to study the options a bit before configuring.

[devianet]

Some of us have experienced quite a lot more from the 1000 pro, versus the 250 pro, than "just" uncompressed transients. 

Here's what I wrote, a couple of years ago, on the "Magico A5" thread, so the caveat here would be that this is with a very transparent and revealing speaker:

Fourth amplifier I've tried with the A5: 250 Pro. Half of my 1000 Pro reconfigured, of course.

Part of me was concerned that this experiment might have led to regretting the extra expense of the dual mono when the single stereo might have been just fine. Well, the 250 Pro *is* just fine - way more than fine, just like the D-Premier. Good enough to live with happily ever after. Unless, that is, you've heard the dual mono. I had intended to get to know the 250 Pro in depth over a few evenings, but the urge to go back was so strong I lasted only about an hour before succumbing.

The surprising thing was just how noticeable the difference was even at whisper-level. Much greater realism, depth, width, height, atmosphere. Almost the last word you could use to describe the presentation of the Devialet stereo amps is "flat", except when you hear one of them directly after hearing dual mono.

So IMO the A5 is highly transparent to the improvements of dual mono.

Devianet relative musical satisfaction scale with Magico A5:

Midrange home theatre amp: 5
D-Premier: 1000
250 Pro: 1300
1000 Pro: 1900

[Delija]

It's exactly the same between 440 and 220.

[Redwingnine]

It's exactly the same between 440 and 220.

Yes.  Totally agree!

[sjors.ehv]

Thank you all very much 🏼 again

[Pim]

Hello dear Devialet user  


Except maximum power handling off course  what else are the (practical) big differences between an Expert 250 Pro setup - that I own one myself and I'm really happy with - and an Expert 1000 Pro setup?

Looking forward to hear from you all.


Kind regards,

Sjors from Holland

I would recommend you to first of all, that is if you haven’t already, prioritize a really good power conditioner to go with your existing D250. You will be amazed at what the amplifier is capable of when plugged into a high quality power conditioner/manager. That step would definitely be something I would consider making before buying an additional D250.

I agree with the power conditioner. Since I installed a top model Furman there's a naturalness to the sound that is quite amazing. If I were in the position to choose and knowing what I know now, I'd go the power conditioner first. The 1000Pro is better yes, but not by as much as a good power conditioner.

[markush]

I absolutely agree about that too. Seems the architecture of the Expert line is - in contrast to other Amos with massive taroidal transformers - very sensible to the power supply. When I started using an Audioquest Niagara 3000/5000 that was an eye opener.