D120 or 200 in a 25sqm room?

[speed_kills]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking for awhile and enjoyed the various discussions.

I'm very new to the hifi hobby and planning to buy my first system in a few months.  It will be put up in an enclosed room of about 25sqm at a new house currently under construction. Basically, this room will be my personal den/library.

I've been auditioning various brands and I've been most impressed with the Devialet so far (D120 paired with Focal Aria) for its sound quality and its simplicity as a one-box solution.

At the moment, I'm considering the D120 to be my first stereo amp but the dealer is tempting me with the D200 (he said D200 is their most saleable model due to its upgrade potential).

For my 25sqm room, my main critical listening distance (from the couch) will be 3 meters from the speakers. Then my secondary listening distance (from my desk behind the couch) will be about 4 meters away.

I guess bookshelves might be more appropriate for my room and listening distance. Maybe something like the Focal Aria 906 or KEF LS50 for starters as both are SAM ready and inexpensive. Then eventually upgrade to more reference level speakers. I'll also be spending a bit on professional room treatment.

My questions is , is there any real benefit with the D200 over the D120 at least in my room setup? Or even the current speakers I mentioned? For the upgrade path, I don't see moving my listening area to a bigger room soon although I may upgrade to higher level speakers later.

I can afford either D120 or D200 but I hope to spend the extra 2000+ Euros only if it's really worth the upgrade and not only because the dealer advised it.  

Thanks for your feedback in advance!

[Womaz]

Hi and welcome. I have only recently been through the same dilemma and i opted for the 200 after taking advice on here. The main reasons were the chance to upgrade to 400 at a later date and the extra power. I just thought I would have always wondered what the 200 was like if I had went for the 120.
I also think there are more inputs so if you are using headphone amps etc this will help.

I think if the cash is not the issue I would say you already know the answer

The Devialet is not too shabby for a first system, lucky guy.

[ledesc]

Hi speed_kills,
I'm exactly in the same situation, my room will be slightly bigger.
I'm still not sure of what the WAF will allow me in this new place (the delivery is for end of Q4), I've only the go for a D120/GT1 but will try to push for 'bigger' speakers if we find an agreement on the layout of the room (you can imagine I will compromise on the decorative,wallpaper, paints...).

I may start with a D200 and the GT1s, but I'm not sure it's relevant from a pure SQ perspective, and if I never upgrade I lose 2000€...

[iamwappie]

Considering your room size I don't think a D200 would make a great difference. Mine is 40m2 and that is no issue. It comes down to two things I'd say;
1. how easy can the speakers of choice be driven. Most are of +87dB sensitivity which works great.
2. do you need the additional connections and the phono stage the D200 offers?

I only had a need for one digital input for the streamer and one analog pass-tru for watching TV via my HT amplifier. Then again, if you have the money I'd say take the D200 to be sure you never have the 'What if....' thoughts on your mind ;-)

[Damon]

Welcome.
As Womaz says, not bad for a first system. Crikey, most of us here have spent years and distressing amounts of money to get to the Devialet stage.

Most here with the 200 have opted for that upgrade for the extra inputs, and possible future expansion, thought the extra power hasn't been unwelcome as far as I know. My room is about 12' x 22' or 3.5m x 6.5m and the 120 seems more than adequate in terms of volume into my 86 db small floor standers. Iamwappie suggests the same. 

BTW I just listened to the Athom GT1 the other day. I thought they were excellent. I heard them in a very large room; at least 7m x 6m x 3m ht, and I had no sense that there was a shortage of sound. We weren't playing disco, but we didn't go easy on the volume knob, either. I'm going speaker shopping this afternoon (instead of working) but the Athom is certainly on my short list.

[Pim]

Hi Speedy,

You're definitely on the right track if you're going to have room treatment done first. Then, with a Devialet amp, your speaker upgrade path can go all the way to the top! 120 v 200 really depends on your preference for listening level and speaker choice. Just be aware that some of the more expensive speakers can be a bit on the inefficient side.
I can see where your dealer is coming from. If he sells you a 120 then that's it. If you get a 200 and you really get the bug (and you will!) then you're probably going to be knocking on his door in the future for another 200 and much more expensive speakers.

If you're thinking about upgrading your speakers in the future anyway, have a look at some 2nd hand speakers on Audiogon. You might find that you can loose less money buying and selling towards your ultimate system.

[speed_kills]

Appreciate the interesting comments guys!

Is the phono stage different between 120 and 200? I was under the impression that I can connect a phono to D120 later on although my planned source will be mostly hi res audio files streamed via my computer connected to the house NAS network.

On another note, I've listened to the same Focal Aria speaker connected to another all-in one (Naim Uniti2) and surely the Devialet 120 sounded better. Not sure with Superuniti though as its priced like the D120. Dealer also explained to me that in the past, enthusiasts had to go through many boxes to achieve something similar so the Devialet is actually a good "bargain". As I'm new to hifi, I'm curious what Devialet owners think from their years in the hobby.

It's just that with my 25sqm room and planned listening distance, I'm unsure if the D200's additional power will bring additional benefits as I will probably be limited to bookshelves? One thing I've realized so far is that with a really good system, listening for hours is not tiring at all

Then again, a future placement for the Devialet is my 35sqm bedroom next to my den and being a one-box solution means better WAF

Anyway, decision time is a few months away and have some more time to study. Thanks again!

[hk6230]

I had a smaller room that yours. Initially I was also just looking at D120 as I believe it has enough juice to drive my KEF LS50. But considering future upgrade path and 2nd hand resell value, I opted for D200. Like my hifi enthusiast friend said, more power is always good, when you need it. And, if money is not an issue, I would recommend that you go for D200. I did.

[iamwappie]

With an upgrade in mind i'd say a D200 is good otherwise, and that kinda also applies to the D120, teaming it with LS50 speakers (although very nice ones in their price range) sounds a bit like an imbalance. €5000 vs €1500. A Porsche motor in a modest car. For a first system I'd then consider maybe the 120 and a higher price range monitor speaker to keep the total investment the same.
Edit: the Ls50 will definitely sound better with a Devialet and SAM than on any other amplifier but the LS50 won't show the real potential of the Devialet in my believe

[speed_kills]

Yes LS50 can be good entry speaker as its very affordable.

I'm also considering to do HT bypass mode first to my planned 5.1 fronts ( thinking to do B&W CM9 or KEF R700 or Focal Aria 926) as I think I need some time to choose a nice reference speaker later on.