Expert Pro sound quality

[yabaVR]

And now we can't even cling onto burn-in to help us out, since Devialet told Confused it doesn't exist.

Really? Did they? I mean what the heck DO they know...

Isn't it funny though they could build such a beautyful sounding amp in the first place? There has to be at least one person at Devialet who has the knowledge how to put all this together and let it sound so sweet. I mean it CAN sound sweet. And it's even sweeter when modded. I can not believe this is by chance...no way...but still...may be they are just lucky

@4tLotM
Do you have any idea how many hours your PRO has performed since new? There is a good chance it'll mature to old capabilities of your D-Premier. Keep it and don't shut it off for the next weeks.

gui

[Cylob]

I have got him back and it takes three weeks. At first i was schocked about the condition of the 250 pro. The wheel of the remote has a scratch and the backkcover a dent. I made a ticket to Devialet. Since three weeks i'm waiting for an answer.
So what about the SQ. First the Pros: deeper and more controlled bass, more details, wider soundstage, all also at lower volumes.
But there are also disappointing experiences. Voices, especially female voices lost the  magic. I heard song after song and and i don't feel touched. It sounded clear with a beautiful bass and soundstage, but my D-Premier had a magic in voices that the 250 pro can't deliver. I tried Anna Calvi, Ben Caplan, Bill Fay, Bon Iver, Joni Mitchell, Sara K, James Taylor, Joana Newsom, Natalie Merchant, Leonard Cohen and so on, but no real feelings. I miss the warm character of my Premier, but no way back.
Three days ago i changed my setup. I moved my speakers, i changed the digital input from aes to cinch and used sam in different percent. Now i got better high frequencies, to much bass, 3 d sounstage but still no emotions like i had before. I don't feel satisfied with hardware and sound.
Sorry for this, but it's the sad truth. I'm thinking about a change to Accuphase or Mcintosh.

Omg: sorry to hear that!
Hopefully Devialet will someday start listening to their products again instead of just measuring.
And realize they need to come up again with a firmware that will sound much warmer then the ones they keep releasing lately.
Or at least give people the option...

[Hifi_swlon]

If you like firmware flexibility to 'tune' then yeah, we're a bit scuppered on the pros. At least for a while.

Hifi purists would probably disagree, but I actually wish they gave options with obvious sound differences - warm, vinyl, 'clubby' or whatever, and of course no effect. I know there are filters etc available elsewhere but it's an amp with incredible DSP - why not throw a few features out there to utilise it?

[Hifi_swlon]

And now we can't even cling onto burn-in to help us out, since Devialet told Confused it doesn't exist.

Really? Did they? I mean what the heck DO they know...

Yeah, see the burn-in time thread.
http://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?t...1#pid52711

[f1eng]

And now we can't even cling onto burn-in to help us out, since Devialet told Confused it doesn't exist.

I have had mixed experience with burn in.
I have always been a sceptic as to whether it could exist

I bought a D-Premier in the early days, and it sounded just like the one I had had on demo out of the box, no need for burn in. A few weeks after I got it the configurator came on line and Mathieu Pernot came to OAC to show us a few things about it, one of the things he talked about was the ability to go dual mono with another D-Premier. I borrowed a second D-Premier for a demo of dual mono and subsequently bought another. The new system sounded slightly harsh and unpleasant when I started using it, certainly not the improvement I had heard at home with the borrowed one.
I investigated why, and in the end found it was the new D-Premier causing the harshness. Going back to a single amp was superb with my existing one, and poor with the new one, so I returned it as faulty and got another. This next new one sounded fine from new like the first one had.
Whether the second unit would have "burned-in" with time I have no idea since I only had it for a few days.
I had my D-Premiers updated to 240s one at a time, so I could both listen during the update period, and compare the new to the old directly. The updated amps sounded fine straight away.
I eventually part exchanged these 2 amps for an Original d'Atelier which sounds great to me, and I haven't noticed any break in period with them either, unlike some.

So it seems to me maybe individual units are in more need of burn-in than others.

My Goldmund electronics improved notably if left on permanently, as they recommend. I have not noticed such a big change with the Devialet amps I have owned (5 now), and they only take an hour or so to sound at their best IME.

[mdconnelly]

It's actually a bit refreshing to hear that someone isn't particularly mesmerized by the sound of their new Expert Pro.   After all, audio sound quality is, in no small part, in the ear of the beholder, right?   It concerns me more when we're all fan-boys.   It's easy to get caught up in the raves and enthusiasm.

There is no doubt that my 220 Pro sounded a bit different from my 200 when I first got it.  I liked the improved and tighter bass and the more immersive soundstage and non-fatiguing presentation.   But for the first week or two, there were times when I was convinced it was still going through break-in changes because, well, at times, it just sounded a bit off.  In particular, I felt that vocals were a bit thinner and less present at times. 

Skip forward... It's been a month now, and I'm now extremely pleased with what I'm hearing.   Devialet's breakin comments to the contrary, my system is sounding better than ever.   Did the 220 Pro change during the first few hundred hours?   I certainly believe so.  But hey, maybe it was just my ears - after all, I am now a month older.

[Hifi_swlon]

I have got him back and it takes three weeks. At first i was schocked about the condition of the 250 pro. The wheel of the remote has a scratch and the backkcover a dent. I made a ticket to Devialet. Since three weeks i'm waiting for an answer.

Just checked out your photos properly as was on my phone all day. Ouch! Looks like they've been thrown in a bin and then dug back out.

There were a few faint scratches on my remote which I was a bit annoyed about but figured the d-premier it was upgraded from had them already (which would still be annoying as the dealer said the unit was perfect). Now I'm wondering whether it was Devialet themselves!

[jpg11111]

I have got him back and it takes three weeks. At first i was schocked about the condition of the 250 pro. The wheel of the remote has a scratch and the backkcover a dent. I made a ticket to Devialet. Since three weeks i'm waiting for an answer.
So what about the SQ. First the Pros: deeper and more controlled bass, more details, wider soundstage, all also at lower volumes.
But there are also disappointing experiences. Voices, especially female voices lost the  magic. I heard song after song and and i don't feel touched. It sounded clear with a beautiful bass and soundstage, but my D-Premier had a magic in voices that the 250 pro can't deliver. I tried Anna Calvi, Ben Caplan, Bill Fay, Bon Iver, Joni Mitchell, Sara K, James Taylor, Joana Newsom, Natalie Merchant, Leonard Cohen and so on, but no real feelings. I miss the warm character of my Premier, but no way back.
Three days ago i changed my setup. I moved my speakers, i changed the digital input from aes to cinch and used sam in different percent. Now i got better high frequencies, to much bass, 3 d sounstage but still no emotions like i had before. I don't feel satisfied with hardware and sound.
Sorry for this, but it's the sad truth. I'm thinking about a change to Accuphase or Mcintosh.

Have to say i had a similar experience. The cover at the back was a bit rough underneath (although ok on top) and the remote had a chip in the wheel. The unit i send back was perfect as it was only a few months old.
I raised a ticket and after sending a few pictures they are sending a new remote out. Will see........

[Axel]

When I ordered my upgrade, there was a comments box, so I put in it "The amps and remote are in pristine condition" (They were). They were returned to me in the same condition. I don't know if my comment made any difference, but if they ask for my comments, I expect Devialet to read them.

[moreno1973]

[quote pid='52703' dateline='1479307389']
female voices lost the magic. I heard song after song and and i don't feel touched. It sounded clear with a beautiful bass and soundstage, but my D-Premier had a magic in voices that the 250 pro can't deliver. 
[/quote]

Well, I wrote before that IMO firmwares and ,,Devialet's sound" is evolving towards better bass, more details and bigger soundstage. All of this is offering You a spectacular listening for a great demo sound. But Devialet lost nice, natural timbres which offered before. 

And for some people there is no pleasure without natural midrange.