Messages to Devialet

[Axel]

I think a reason that they won't want to release the configurator secret sauce is that the amps are all essentially the same and my suspicion is it'd be possible to turn a 120 into a 200 via the config file by editing the power settings that are in there.  If it's as I suspect, that's going to cannibalise their sales on the expert series and it'll be the beginning of the end.

The only way it's going to happen is if someone reverse engineers the configurator IMO... and that's only a matter of time.

If you really want to be adventurous however, it's an open secret that the config file is a simple text file. You can open it in an ordinary text editor and edit it yourself, any time you like. I got confirmation of that when my 130 got it's CI board upgrade.

Yes, you can open up the config file and edit it, but your amp won’t recognise it because the CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) won’t match. Unless you know a way to hack the CRC, the amp will reject the config file.
Sorry for the off topic post.

[IanG-UK]

You can judge Devialet's interest in the Expert range - and their commitment to customer communication - by looking at their Facebook page. In 2019 you have to go back past 55 posts on other things - mostly Phantom and Reactor - to mid February before you find a thread on the Expert.

[markush]

That is an excellent example showcasing their attitude and focus :-(

[Finn]

If expert Line. Is devialet Porsche. Why is it people have that feeling that it miss all the weels, and just stand there too die, we all put ney motor In the car , becorse devialet say it is the future, but What it helps When we miss the weels , and Devialet Don,t take our calling.

[musialsuspect]

In some ways, it's about perspective and purpose.

I walked into one of the three NYC Devialet stores last month...the one that advertised they carried Expert Pros. It turns out that they were no longer on display. I engaged the employees in conversation about the Expert Pro Line, and they had nothing new to offer.

I took a step back...asked to hear the Phantoms...got a demo. The conversation changed. It's clear. The Devialet retail stores are fit for purpose, that is, built around the more accessible Phantoms and designed for the walk-in trade and the curious. The marketing's all about Phantom buzz. The Expert Pro line is offered through audiophile dealers. Makes perfect sense, given the relative price ranges, but I hadn't actively thought about it.

The staff at the Soho store was friendly, helpful and answered some questions for me about Pro architecture. They also read 'Chat now and again. (Hi, guys. Nice meeting you last month!)

My message to Devialet is: I understand your marketing and sales approach. I also see that you've invested in getting Expert Pro product into the hands of some reviewers, and those reviews are beginning to appear. So it's clear you see a market for your product. But you need to better understand its needs and how to meet them.

If you want a more mutually productive relationship with your audiophile customers but don't feel it's effective to engage with us through your support network, perhaps you should consider leveraging your dealer network and sharing your 2020 plans and vision for the product line. It doesn't really help those who bought Devialets through second-hand sales, but it's a start. Your dealers and your customers would appreciate the effort and the information. And, idealist that I am, perhaps it would lead to more effective broader communication via your site or through leveraging the email information you have for us via our registrations.

...which leads to another thought. Perhaps you could use that email list to send us an 'opt in' communication for future product communication. Here in the States that's required. Perhaps not in the EU and elsewhere.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[DesertEagleAZ]

Opt-in? Oh yes, that's required in the EU (GDPR).

[Cylob]

Thanks for taking the initiative, @Confused.  Here's my first message to Devialet:

Devialet, please would you make it possible to configure the Expert series amplifiers without depending on a connection to your web site?  Some alternatives I can think of are:

• provide the existing configurator back-end software (e.g. as open source) so that it can be run on a non-Devialet web server
  
• develop and provide an off-line configuration tool (e.g. for PC, Mac, iOS and/or Android) that can generate a configuration file without needing an Internet connection
  
• document the complete format of the configuration file -- including all options, limitations, and the integrity check mechanism -- so that a third-party can develop an independent configuration tool
  

Thanks.

+1 on this one!
I'm afraid that some day I won't be able to configure my Devialet anymore for some reason. An offline (open source) configuration tool would come in very handy then.

[Finn]

All that try too send message to devialet , i Think that all of you Are naiv , Devialet has a lot of chanches too say something , but where is the focus Right now , yes Phanthom Series . Why they say nothing too us , mabye becorse they Don,t Care, they show us nothing In the last month, as i say before they get ours euros , but we Don,t get there attention .But i hope i am wrong , but the historie In almost 1 year show how Devialet take Care about Expert owners . And they Promised too have better comunication With us, What you All Think about that. I am Wery dissapointet .

[Confused]

All that try too send message to devialet , i Think that all of you Are naiv , Devialet has a lot of chanches too say something , but where is the  focus Right now , yes Phanthom Series . Why they say nothing too us , mabye becorse they Don,t Care, they show us nothing In the last month, as i say before they get ours euros , but we Don,t get there attention .But i hope i am wrong , but the historie In almost 1 year show how Devialet take Care about Expert owners . And they Promised too have better comunication With us, What you All Think about  that. I am Wery dissapointet .

Looking back through the posts on this thread, I do not think anyone is being naïve.  What would be naïve would be to expect that this thread will cause some kind of sudden (or even gradual) change in Devialet's attitude, but not one person has posted suggesting that they expect this.  The purpose of the thread is simple, to allow a conduit for messages specifically posted for Devialet to read and take due notice of.  Personally, I do not think it is naïve to think that Devialet will at least read what is posted here.  In fact, I think that with a thread entitled "Messages to Deviaet", I think it is actually very unlikely that no one at all within Devialet would be tempted to read it.  If you were a senior Devialet employee, would you be able to resist reading this thread, if only every now and again?  As to what happens once Devialet read something here, that is anyone's guess, but I see to harm in the thoughts of Devialet owners on this forum being read by those within the Devialet organisation.

As for what is happening currently, it has been apparent for many years that Devialet prefer a policy of not communicating with customers, at least in terms of any kind of two way engagement.  As for the slow progress with some of the issues, we know that Devialet have some issues with recruiting and retaining suitable software engineers, this is a recognised problem, but I would be loathe to characterise this situation as "they don't care". 

I did want to keep this thread focused on posts that are truly messages from owners that they would Devialet to at least read and take notice of, but even my own reply here is taking things off topic.  So while I am at it, a final note to The General (@IanG-UK), if you think their Facebook page is bad, take a look at their Twitter feed.  I had to scroll back to May 2019 before I found anything Expert related, and this was just a lazy retweet.  The first Expert Tweet of substance, 18th February 2019, fully 11 months ago.

So having taken my own tread off topic, I shall now revert back to the threads intent:


My message to Devialet. 

Looking at your Twitter feed I get the impression that Devialet are a company that make the Phantom, Phantom Reactor, with a side-line of smart speakers.  If I did not know, I could read back through literally hundreds of your Tweets and have no idea that the Expert range even exists.  If I was interested in the Expert range, and looked at your Twitter feed for background information, I would quickly get the impression that Devialet have no interest in the Expert range, I would then start to wonder if it is now a legacy product.  So if you have the personnel with the time to post over 2736 Tweets in total, and hundreds of Tweets in 2019 alone, could you give at least one of them the time to post one Tweet explaining why you do not Tweet about the Expert anymore?

[Gerronwithit]

Well, if you Google Devialet it is evident very quickly that the company’s focus lies with the Phantom, from the £990 Reactor to the £2,490 Phantom Gold. For pure stereo the price range goes from approximately £2,000 to £5,000 which is probably a reasonable price range for many HiFi enthusiasts, especially when you consider that you have a straight out of the box HiFi system. My own 250 Expert Pro plus speakers is an eye watering £20,000 plus  “investment”.

There can be no doubt that the Phantom range will generate comparatively many more sales and the software development of that range one has to assume is universal to the whole range giving Devialet many more bangs for the investment buck. It also more than likely means that the Phantom range will have sucked in all available development resources to ensure satisfactory response to Phantom issues. 


I think that the Pro CI development must have burnt the fingers of Devialet in cost terms and may even make it a bit of an unloved orphan within Devialet’s stable. No news is definitely not good news for Expert owners as it probably equates to a debate within Devialet as to its future support and development.

This just popped up in my FB thread which highlights exactly where all the investment dollars are going within Devialet

https://www.whathifi.com/features/devial...r-speakers