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Headphones and the Devialet
#21
is devialet selling Headphones in the US?
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#22
Hello again
I am resurrecting this old thread as I have reread it and I am still not sure what my Devialet actually does in my HP set up.
So my nucleus feeds the music to the 200 and this is connected to my Taurus amp by RCA cables .
If the Devialet is not doing the DAC then it may be possible that I am not actually using any DAC .
I am asking again as I am considering upgrading my HP set up. It may help me if I could eliminate the 200 from my headphone set up and introduce a dedicated DAC ?
Devialet 200 -- Roon Nucleus-- Sonus Faber Olympica 2 -- Tellurium Q Black Speaker Cables --
Chord Qutest -- Niimbus US5 Pro Headphone amp —HifiMan HEK, Abyss 1266TC
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
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#23
@Womaz - hello again!

It looks to me as though the Taurus only has analog input, so I expect you have configured your 200 to use two RCA sockets as a stereo analog pre-amp output. Since the 200 is receiving digital data from the Nucleus, it must be using an internal DAC to convert to analog. (Note: this is not the same DAC that drives the ADH power amplifier section to which the loudspeakers are connected.)

You could re-configure the Devialet to give you a digital (S/P-DIF) output on one of the RCA sockets instead of the analog output. That would enable you to connect an external DAC which could then send an analog signal to the Taurus.

The first question is whether the new DAC would sound better to you than the internal DAC the 200 uses to generate the analog pre-amp output. If so, is it worth the cost and extra box count? As usual I'd say that only you can decide, and probably only by getting a demonstration to compare the two ways of doing it.

Incidentally if you're thinking of buying another box, why not consider a headphone amp with a digital input? Or possibly a Roon-Ready DAC that would act as its own endpoint without depending on your Devialet?

I should have asked: is your Nucleus physically close to where you want your headphone amp to sit? For example, could you connect USB from the Nucleus to a DAC or digital-capable headphone amp?
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
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#24
(09-Apr-2020, 15:06)thumb5 Wrote: @Womaz - hello again!

It looks to me as though the Taurus only has analog input, so I expect you have configured your 200 to use two RCA sockets as a stereo analog pre-amp output.  Since the 200 is receiving digital data from the Nucleus, it must be using an internal DAC to convert to analog.  (Note: this is not the same DAC that drives the ADH power amplifier section to which the loudspeakers are connected.)

You could re-configure the Devialet to give you a digital (S/P-DIF) output on one of the RCA sockets instead of the analog output.  That would enable you to connect an external DAC which could then send an analog signal to the Taurus.

The first question is whether the new DAC would sound better to you than the internal DAC the 200 uses to generate the analog pre-amp output.  If so, is it worth the cost and extra box count?  As usual I'd say that only you can decide, and probably only by getting a demonstration to compare the two ways of doing it.

Incidentally if you're thinking of buying another box, why not consider a headphone amp with a digital input?  Or possibly a Roon-Ready DAC that would act as its own endpoint without depending on your Devialet?

I should have asked: is your Nucleus physically close to where you want your headphone amp to sit?  For example, could you connect USB from the Nucleus to a DAC or digital-capable headphone amp?

Ian you know me a lot of this goes over my head, i just rely on forums and my ears Big Grin

I decided to do a little test taking the Devialet out of the equation

I have been experimenting for the last 4 hours or so and I dont need to do it any more. I have no idea what the Devialet is actually doing in my HP set up but its bloody good. So yes the performance using the Devialet feeding the Tuarus is far superior to the Ifi Micro BL and it was quite noticeable too. I am not good at describing what I hear and using all the technical terms but I will try .

It was the clarity , the Devialet was much clearer, Instruments stood out , much better instrument separation. The ifi sounded muddled in comparison, but then the Devialet is a 6K product so maybe its not a surprise.

So i think the Devialet stays in the HP set up and its either a new HP amp or stick with the Tauris
Devialet 200 -- Roon Nucleus-- Sonus Faber Olympica 2 -- Tellurium Q Black Speaker Cables --
Chord Qutest -- Niimbus US5 Pro Headphone amp —HifiMan HEK, Abyss 1266TC
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
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#25
Great, thumbs up for the Devialet, then!
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
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#26
Well, now you've got me wanting to give it another try. When I did so about a year ago I was disappointed in what I heard using the pre-outs from my 440 Pro to my Senn HP650 headphones. I preferred the sound of my iFi headphone amp. Since then I've been using a Orchard Audio PecanPi Streamer as headphone amp which sounds very nice indeed. But I may just give it another go with my Expert Pro based on @Womaz 's feedback above.

What I'm not clear on is if any of the digital processing parameters have any impact on the pre-outs. For example, if I had DPM on at the time I tested last year, would it have had an impact on the pre-outs to the headphones or is that solely a Dev hybrid-amp setting? When I look back at my config from that time, it appears that I did have DPM. Since then I have turned DPM off and have been quite pleased at the benefits of doing so. But... could it also have affected the pre-outs?
Devialet 440 Pro (two 220s)- Oracle CD transport - Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi S turntable - Von Schweikert VR-35 speakers - JPS SC3 SCs - PI Audio power conditioning -
Triode Wire Labs ICs and PCs - Roon on NUC 8i7beh running ROCK
Durham, NC USA
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#27
(09-Apr-2020, 17:41)mdconnelly Wrote: Well, now you've got me wanting to give it another try.  When I did so about a year ago I was disappointed in what I heard using the pre-outs from my 440 Pro to my Senn HP650 headphones.  I preferred the sound of my iFi headphone amp.  Since then I've been using a Orchard Audio PecanPi Streamer as headphone amp which sounds very nice indeed.  But I may just give it another go with my Expert Pro based on @Womaz 's feedback above.

What I'm not clear on is if any of the digital processing parameters have any impact on the pre-outs.  For example, if I had DPM on at the time I tested last year, would it have had an impact on the pre-outs to the headphones or is that solely a Dev hybrid-amp setting?    When I look back at my config from that time, it appears that I did have DPM.  Since then I have turned DPM off and have been quite pleased at the benefits of doing so.  But... could it also have affected the pre-outs?

I think you have misunderstood my post . I am using an Auralic Taurus amp connected to the pre-outs

I am the same as you I was not impressed with the pre-outs straight out to my headphones
Devialet 200 -- Roon Nucleus-- Sonus Faber Olympica 2 -- Tellurium Q Black Speaker Cables --
Chord Qutest -- Niimbus US5 Pro Headphone amp —HifiMan HEK, Abyss 1266TC
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
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#28
@mdconnelly I have often wondered the same thing.  Looking back at my stash of Devialet-related documents, I found this diagram (from a white paper on the D-Premier):

   

If that's accurate it shows that the pre-amp output is after the DSP has been applied.  Incidentally the same is true for the digital output, which is another question that's floated around now and again.

It's an assumption that this architecture has been maintained in the evolution from D-Premier through Expert to Expert Pro, of course.
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
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#29
(09-Apr-2020, 17:56)Womaz Wrote:
(09-Apr-2020, 17:41)mdconnelly Wrote: Well, now you've got me wanting to give it another try.  When I did so about a year ago I was disappointed in what I heard using the pre-outs from my 440 Pro to my Senn HP650 headphones.  I preferred the sound of my iFi headphone amp.  Since then I've been using a Orchard Audio PecanPi Streamer as headphone amp which sounds very nice indeed.  But I may just give it another go with my Expert Pro based on @Womaz 's feedback above.

What I'm not clear on is if any of the digital processing parameters have any impact on the pre-outs.  For example, if I had DPM on at the time I tested last year, would it have had an impact on the pre-outs to the headphones or is that solely a Dev hybrid-amp setting?    When I look back at my config from that time, it appears that I did have DPM.  Since then I have turned DPM off and have been quite pleased at the benefits of doing so.  But... could it also have affected the pre-outs?

I think you have misunderstood my post . I am using an Auralic Taurus amp connected to the pre-outs

I am the same as you I was not impressed with the pre-outs straight out to my headphones

Damn... need to learn to read all the posts before I respond.    Thanks for the clarification!

@thumb5 - thanks for the diagram.  Assuming it holds true with the Expert Pros and assuming, of course, it's accurate, it still may be worth trying the pre-outs again.
Devialet 440 Pro (two 220s)- Oracle CD transport - Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi S turntable - Von Schweikert VR-35 speakers - JPS SC3 SCs - PI Audio power conditioning -
Triode Wire Labs ICs and PCs - Roon on NUC 8i7beh running ROCK
Durham, NC USA
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#30
(09-Apr-2020, 18:10)mdconnelly Wrote:
(09-Apr-2020, 17:56)Womaz Wrote:
(09-Apr-2020, 17:41)mdconnelly Wrote: Well, now you've got me wanting to give it another try.  When I did so about a year ago I was disappointed in what I heard using the pre-outs from my 440 Pro to my Senn HP650 headphones.  I preferred the sound of my iFi headphone amp.  Since then I've been using a Orchard Audio PecanPi Streamer as headphone amp which sounds very nice indeed.  But I may just give it another go with my Expert Pro based on @Womaz 's feedback above.

What I'm not clear on is if any of the digital processing parameters have any impact on the pre-outs.  For example, if I had DPM on at the time I tested last year, would it have had an impact on the pre-outs to the headphones or is that solely a Dev hybrid-amp setting?    When I look back at my config from that time, it appears that I did have DPM.  Since then I have turned DPM off and have been quite pleased at the benefits of doing so.  But... could it also have affected the pre-outs?

I think you have misunderstood my post . I am using an Auralic Taurus amp connected to the pre-outs

I am the same as you I was not impressed with the pre-outs straight out to my headphones

Damn... need to learn to read all the posts before I respond.    Thanks for the clarification!

@thumb5 - thanks for the diagram.  Assuming it holds true with the Expert Pros and assuming, of course, it's accurate, it still may be worth trying the pre-outs again.

Do you mean going straight from the pre-outs going to the headphones ? Or do you mean the pre-outs feeding your headphone amp.
If it’s the second then yes definitely worth a try
Devialet 200 -- Roon Nucleus-- Sonus Faber Olympica 2 -- Tellurium Q Black Speaker Cables --
Chord Qutest -- Niimbus US5 Pro Headphone amp —HifiMan HEK, Abyss 1266TC
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
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