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Hifi+ 140 Pro review
#1
Some interesting comments in this one:

https://www.hifiplus.com/articles/devial...amplifier/


The last paragraph reads:

Existing Export owners should make sure their system isn’t pitched into brightness before committing to an upgrade, because they will find the amount of detail on offer an intense experience. But, many will make the change, and make changes to the system because that’s how good the Expert 140 Pro really is.
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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#2
In the middle of the article we read the following paragraph

Core Infinity also unlocks some new wireless technologies, most notably Roon  across Devialet AIR, AirPlay, SpotifyConnect, and UPnP. Truth be told, AIR has always been something of a weak spot in the Devialet chainmail, and while drastically improved, it still remains perhaps the one part of the whole Devialet package that could benefit from some improvement.

Seems the reviewer did not like AIR that much. I guess he is in the roon camp.
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#3
A very positive review in many ways but when you read: "Core Infinity is an outstanding step-change for Devialet, but I can’t help but think most people who will get to hear it will do so on an Expert model they may have bought half a decade ago. And if Devialet can’t get new people buying its product, who can?" it's difficult not to wonder whether this is more of a review of the CI board upgrade for those with older Devialets than a review of the 140 for those contemplating a purchase of a Devialet for the first time. I think it says a lot of useful things for those with older amps contemplating the upgrade but it's rather short on listening comments and impressions for those who don't have a Devialet and are contemplating one.

On AIR, the reviewer states: "Core Infinity also unlocks some new wireless technologies, most notably Roon across Devialet AIR, AirPlay, SpotifyConnect, and UPnP. Truth be told, AIR has always been something of a weak spot in the Devialet chainmail, and while drastically improved, it still remains perhaps the one part of the whole Devialet package that could benefit from some improvement. That being said, Apple went through a fairly hefty Operating System update mid-way through the review, and there are many companies playing catch up. AIR, to its credit, remained stable and unfazed by all of this." There isn't any discussion or mention of the integration of AIR into Roon and the final comment about the Apple OS update leaves me wondering whether the comment about AIR remaining stable with the update related to AIR as integrated into Roon or AIR via the Devialet AIR app for the Mac which would only be used if you weren't running Roon, or about both. This kind of confusion about AIR seems normal to Alan Sitcom who, in a follow up to a previous Devialet review just after Roon integrated AIR into its software, reported that change in Roon as the Devialet becoming Roon Ready, something it most definitely did not do until the very recent Devialet firmware/OS update.

And there's no mention at all of the CI amps now being Roon Ready but of course that wasn't the case with them at the time the review was published.

As I said, a very positive review in many ways but it's not really clear whether he intended to review the CI upgrade or a current model amp and there's a bit too much uncertainty/ambiguity in his comments about AIR, both as integrated into Roon and as run from Devialet's app for the Mac/Windows to make things as clear for the reader looking for a review of the actual amp rather than the CI board upgrade to leave me feeling that this is the kind of review the amplifier rather than the CI board upgrade deserves.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.

Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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#4
(06-Mar-2019, 19:54)Stino Wrote: In the middle of the article we read the following paragraph

Core Infinity also unlocks some new wireless technologies, most notably Roon  across Devialet AIR, AirPlay, SpotifyConnect, and UPnP. Truth be told, AIR has always been something of a weak spot in the Devialet chainmail, and while drastically improved, it still remains perhaps the one part of the whole Devialet package that could benefit from some improvement.

Seems the reviewer did not like AIR that much. I guess he is in the roon camp.

I read this as more of a criticism of Devialet's AIR application which certainly has been a big problem of the years and still, to this day, has not been fully fixed.    Roon's integration of AIR was a lifesaver.

My guess is that Devialet is still "evolving" the potential of the Core Infinity but given their limited communication, it's hard to say what additional potential be coming.
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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#5
"Cazals fantastic Cello Suites [Archiv LP]" (sic)
That's where I stopped reading.
Geez, audio reviewers sure ain't music lovers... Big Grin
Devialet 120 - Wilson Sophia - Technics SL-1000 - Rega Apollo - Chromecast
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#6
I've never held HiFI+ in very high regard; I personally find the reviews poorly written. But I was pleased to see that in this case, they did not rehash the entire history and marketing script that seems to be part of most Devialet reviews. I'm OK with the 'brightness' discussion, though I don't feel that is the case.

I wonder what 'the wrong speakers' would be. I can think of several speakers that are 'wrong' or bad with any amplifier. As well, I think we've all had a sense that some loudspeakers just don't do what we want with certain amplifiers; whether a function of tone or power, there are good and poor matches for all products. I am very pleased to read that AS is working to dismiss the typical Class A/Class D character stereotypes. It is a bit of a relief not to have that dead horse dragged out for another beating.

I do, however, wonder about AS's linking of 'the sort of detail the Expert Pro puts out.' with SAM. SAM is a 150Hz down software feature, and so probably not related to brightness or the dangerous detail capability of the amplifier.

If we made a list of all the speakers used by DC members. Harbeth, Sonos Faber, Totem, Magico, YG Acoustics, Vivid etc; the list would be long and varied. Somebody here must be using the wrong speakers (not me, obviously).

Come on, show yourself! Step forward now and the punishment will be light.
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
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#7
(11-Mar-2019, 01:28)Damon Wrote: I've never held HiFI+ in very high regard; I personally find the reviews poorly written. But I was pleased to see that in this case, they did not rehash the entire history and marketing script that seems to be part of most Devialet reviews. I'm OK with the 'brightness' discussion, though I don't feel that is the case.

I wonder what 'the wrong speakers' would be. I can think of several speakers that are 'wrong' or bad with any amplifier. As well, I think we've all had a sense that some loudspeakers just don't do what we want with certain amplifiers; whether a function of tone or power, there are good and poor matches for all products. I am very pleased to read that AS is working to dismiss the typical Class A/Class D character stereotypes. It is a bit of a relief not to have that dead horse dragged out for another beating.

I do, however, wonder about AS's linking of 'the sort of detail the Expert Pro puts out.' with SAM. SAM is a 150Hz down software feature, and so probably not related to brightness or the dangerous detail capability of the amplifier.

If we made a list of all the speakers used by DC members. Harbeth, Sonos Faber, Totem, Magico, YG Acoustics, Vivid etc; the list would be long and varied. Somebody here must be using the wrong speakers (not me, obviously).

Come on, show yourself! Step forward now and the punishment will be light.

I recently set up my Dynaudio C1's in our bedroom for a laugh. It's a much better sounding room and the detail you get from this combo in that room is out of this world. What it didn't do is tame the brightness of most of my bad recordings. The C1 and Od'A combination is a bit too 'in your face'. So for my ultimate system I will be looking for speakers elsewhere.

This 'in your face-ness' was less obvious with the D200 and I contribute that to the Od'A getting every last ounce of detail from the source to the speakers. It's a typical case of the recordings being too harsh, the source (Mac mini) being not good enough and the amp/speaker combo needing to tame it down a bit. I can understand that there are people out there who use tubes, even though they're nowhere near as accurate as solid state.

Don't be too hard on me  Confused
                                                    Lifetime Roon, Mac mini, int. SSD, ext. HDD, tv as monitor, key board and track pad on bean bag as remote,Devialet 200, Od'A #097, Blue jeans speaker cable,                                     
                                                                                                                                                                            Dynaudio C1 MkII.
                                                                                                                                                                              Jim Smith's GBS.
                                                                                                                                                                        Northern NSW Australia.
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#8
@Pim ,

How far do you have the C1s from the wall behind them?

Prior to getting my Sopras, I used a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.3SEs for close to 16 years and they were the speakers I was using when I got my Devialet. Dynaudio recommended placing my 1.3SEs around a metre to a metre and a half from the wall behind them. When I originally bought them I was living in a house with a relatively small room and couldn't get them that far out from the wall but when I shifted to my current house I could get them out that far and actually ended up with them a fraction under 2 metres from the wall behind them. I expected when I pulled them out from the wall in the new room that I would loose bass but actually I lost very little. What I got was a lot sweeter top end which lost a bit of brightness and no longer sounded "in your face". When I replaced the amp I was using with my Devialet a couple of years ago I got more detail because the Devialet was a brighter amp than my previous amp but even so, once it had "burned in" I found I was getting more detail but not any return to the "in your face" feeling.

I'd suggest trying to pull your C1s out a bit further forward into the room than you currently have them. I think you can eliminate a lot of the "in your face" feeling by getting the speakers a bit further out into the room than where people normally seem to think of placing them.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.

Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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#9
(06-Mar-2019, 13:46)Confused Wrote: Some interesting comments in this one:

https://www.hifiplus.com/articles/devial...amplifier/


The last paragraph reads:

Existing Export owners should make sure their system isn’t pitched into brightness before committing to an upgrade, because they will find the amount of detail on offer an intense experience. But, many will make the change, and make changes to the system because that’s how good the Expert 140 Pro really is.

This is an interesting comment! I am debating for a long time if I should upgrade my Expert 120 to the 220 Expert Pro. One local dealer discourages me from updating as he believes that the 220 Expert Pro tends to sound clinical (although he gives no details concerning speakers, etc.). I contacted another Devialet dealer and he thinks it is a must to upgrade as the amp sounds much better!

I guess I have to ask him for a 140 Pro loaner (he has no 220 Expert Pro) so that I can get a feel of how the 140 Pro sounds with my ATC SCM 19s.

I also must say that I am very happy with my Expert 120. They sound fabulous with my ATC SCM 19s (first generation). My only motive to upgrade is to have the newest, software upgradeable machine.
SonicTransporter i5 - AirPort Extreme - Devialet Expert 120 - ATC SCM 19 v1
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#10
Just a thought; If I’m not mistaken this is the second review of the new Pro CI platform that mentions this brightness. It is something that I also noticed back in December after I received my 250 Pro back with the CI upgrade. I actually blamed it on being new and later my SR-7 PSU (feeding some devices in my system) since that had developed a defect. I also wasn’t sure it wasn’t there before the upgrade and I had not seen reports of others mentioning this.

I hear this brightness/glare/upper mids resonances in certain recordings (but too many to blame it on the recordings themselves) mainly in womens voices.

I’ll search the forum again later for similar reports and will also read the reviews, had not done that yet. Smile
PS Audio P3, Shunyata ΞTRON Alpha Digital and HC/Furutech power cables, Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4, DIY Roon Server & Roon Endpoint running AudioLinux Headless, Phasure Lush^2 USB cable, Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet, Uptone Audio etherREGEN, Mutec MC-3+ USB, Shunyata ΞTRON Anaconda Digital XLR AES/EBU, Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI, Nordost Tyr Reference LS cables, Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary Edition, Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0, JL Audio Fathom F112. More detail here.

The Netherlands
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