Remote mayhem with two Devialet Experts

[amaynard]

Anyone else had issues with remotes when running two Devialet experts in adjacent rooms?

I've just purchased a 120 for a second system, and have been using an Expert 200 for the past few years. However, the remotes do not uniquely pair and stay paired.

I've had various mis-pairings occur - the most common being that both remotes pair with the same amp (which is incredibly frustrating as you're trying to control the amp in one room, and whoever is listening in the other room has their amp volume/input changing outside their control)

I've also had remotes pair, then lose their pairing.

What I haven't managed to achieve is each amp with its own uniquely paired remote.

There must be a workaround to this - how otherwise do dealers demo multiple amps in the same facility.

[daniel.avasilichioaei]

Try to use "Remote count" from configurator.

   

[Pim]

I would also email Devialet. It's quite possible that the two remotes you have just happen to run the same code.

One thing to try to fix it yourself is maybe do a factory reset and re-pair.

[amaynard]

Try to use "Remote count" from configurator.

Thanks Daniel - both amps are set for one remote, and the problem persists!

[amaynard]

I would also email Devialet. It's quite possible that the two remotes you have just happen to run the same code.

One thing to try to fix it yourself is maybe do a factory reset and re-pair.

Thanks - have a request in to Devialet, and will try the factory reset and re-pair. I had assumed that each remote has a unique identifier, but I wonder if they do have the same one ...

[Pim]

I would also email Devialet. It's quite possible that the two remotes you have just happen to run the same code.

One thing to try to fix it yourself is maybe do a factory reset and re-pair.

Thanks - have a request in to Devialet, and will try the factory reset and re-pair. I had assumed that each remote has a unique identifier, but I wonder if they do have the same one ...

I used my KEF LS50W in the living room for a bit: when I turned the volume down, the TV went to Netflix. You wouldn’t expect it to happen within the one brand / product line but since you have a problem it’s worth investigating.

[amaynard]

Anyone else had issues with remotes when running two Devialet experts in adjacent rooms?

I've just purchased a 120 for a second system, and have been using an Expert 200 for the past few years. However, the remotes do not uniquely pair and stay paired.

I've had various mis-pairings occur - the most common being that both remotes pair with the same amp (which is incredibly frustrating as you're trying to control the amp in one room, and whoever is listening in the other room has their amp volume/input changing outside their control)

I've also had remotes pair, then lose their pairing.

What I haven't managed to achieve is each amp with its own uniquely paired remote.

There must be a workaround to this - how otherwise do dealers demo multiple amps in the same facility.

So, the plot thickens here, and lit looks like there may be a fundamental design flaw in the original Expert amps.

I reached out to Devialet for advice on the issue above, and am still in conversation with them, but this is where' we're at at the moment:

A Possible Configurator Fix

It was suggested I try setting each amp to accepting two remotes in the configurator.

All this did was ensure that both amps were controlled by both remotes -- slightly irritating when someone upstairs is changing your inputs and volume while you're trying to listen downstairs!!

Re-iterating the Problem

To help Devialet understand the nature of the problem, I sent them the attached diagram - I can't be the only person in the world who's had two Experts set up like this!

The Response

The response I got was this:

No solution for this on the non-Pro range.
The pairing can be locked on the Pro range but not on the Expert classic one.

Hope it's clear for you.

In other words, it looks like there is no way to have two fully functioning Expert/remote setups within a few meters of each other.

I'm still trying to get my head around the possibility that one of the most innovative audio companies in the world made such an embarrassingly basic design error, and hoping that there's something that's being missed here ... I haven't given up yet!

[Pleyel]

From your observations with both configurations (max 1 and 2 remotes/amp), it looks like pairing is occurring all the time despite the distance (more than 3.5 m), which is really weird – I thought pairing only occurred when using the remote very close to the amp (~1 m here: https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Two-remo...?pid=85912).
In 1 remote/amp configuration, you may be able to confirm the remote ID stored by each amp in the information display (accessible via a long press on one of the lower buttons, then short presses to navigate): it should alternate between both remotes.

As you say, there should be a solution, since such a setup can exist in shops (ideally w/o having to shield the remote or the amp to reduce the sensitivity). If possible, moving the remotes farther away from the amp they should not control should help…

[amaynard]

From your observations with both configurations (max 1 and 2 remotes/amp), it looks like pairing is occurring all the time despite the distance (more than 3.5 m), which is really weird – I thought pairing only occurred when using the remote very close to the amp (~1 m here: https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Two-remo...?pid=85912).
In 1 remote/amp configuration, you may be able to confirm the remote ID stored by each amp in the information display (accessible via a long press on one of the lower buttons, then short presses to navigate): it should alternate between both remotes.

As you say, there should be a solution, since such a setup can exist in shops (ideally w/o having to shield the remote or the amp to reduce the sensitivity). If possible, moving the remotes farther away from the amp they should not control should help…

That's correct - and yes, weird. You can indeed tell by looking at the address of the paired remote - it flips between them.

From Devialet's response, this is a design flaw they are aware of

[amaynard]

So I thought it worth posting an update here to the conundrum of operating two Devialet Experts one floor apart.

The final word from Devialet is ... you can't!  Or more specifically, you cannot use two Devialet Expert-remote pairs within a few meters of each other, as the remotes constantly un-pair and re-pair with the two amps.

To recap, my issue is that I have an Expert 120 and an Expert 200 a floor apart, and I was finding that remotes either stopped working, or (worse) randomly started to control the amp in the floor below/above -- making neither amp useable with the remote.

Devialet's response to this was:

No solution for this on the non-Pro range.
The pairing can be locked on the Pro range but not on the Expert classic one.

In other words, my only option was to upgrade. To their credit, the Devialet support person did conclude with "Hope it's clear for you. Have a lovely day" -- although it was presumably to e a lovely day sans fully operational amplifier!

My follow-up question therefore was asking whether upgrading the 120 to a 140 would resolve the issue. Sadly not. This is what I got back:

The Expert Pro will be able to be locked on a given remote but the remaining Expert amp will still pair to both remotes.
Thus it would only solve partly this issue.

So the bottom line is that, unless I fork out over $5,600 to upgrade both amps, I'm kinda screwed. The good news is that both amps work. But I can only control one of them with the finesse that is the mark of the brand.

As a coda to this, beyond the frustration I'm experiencing I'm fascinated that a company that stakes so much of its brand can have made such a basic design error in not ensuring the remotes and amps lock on to each other. My day job is as a leading expert on emerging technology and society (I'm a university prof). I'm also an author and write about tech. And this story is such a good illustration of how even the best company gets it wrong ... and then digs in rather than correcting the problem, that it'll probably find its way into an article somewhere.

Watch this space