Devialet Chat

(30-May-2016, 11:08)GuillaumeB Wrote: [ -> ]

(30-May-2016, 11:04)Nightmare Wrote: [ -> ]Why shouldn´t they?

No charge for e.g. a new board and maybe new power supply? For free?

I don´t think so.

Well of course you may be right, there is no way of knowing until Devialet make an announcement. Until then everything is simply conjecture.

Guillaume

Only me now having received invitation for an Expert upgrade? At "advantageous conditions" by the way. I have registered to be on the list.

//m4gnus

Just received the email from Devialet about the " permanent program of exclusive and free upgrades for Original d'Atelier owners"

Things are starting to move

(25-Jun-2016, 14:50)Mka Wrote: [ -> ]Just received the email from Devialet about the " permanent program of exclusive and free upgrades for Original d'Atelier owners"

Things are starting to move

I haven't received anything yet

Guillaume

(25-Jun-2016, 15:14)GuillaumeB Wrote: [ -> ]

(25-Jun-2016, 14:50)Mka Wrote: [ -> ]Just received the email from Devialet about the " permanent program of exclusive and free upgrades for Original d'Atelier owners"

Things are starting to move

I haven't received anything yet

Guillaume

Maybe it's only available to owners in EU countries?  

I have to say though, a permanent program of free upgrades sounds sounds absolutely fantastic!  Makes me want to seek out an Od'A.  Having said that, I'm guessing 'permanent' does not really mean what I'd want it to mean.

(25-Jun-2016, 15:14)GuillaumeB Wrote: [ -> ]

(25-Jun-2016, 14:50)Mka Wrote: [ -> ]Just received the email from Devialet about the " permanent program of exclusive and free upgrades for Original d'Atelier owners"

Things are starting to move

I haven't received anything yet

Guillaume

I also received the email, power upgrade to 1000 watts but no more details.

F

UPGRADE PROGRAM RESERVED FOR ORIGINAL D'ATELIER OWNERS

You have been pioneer of an unprecedented audiophile innovation. Thanks to you, the exclusive Original d'Atelier edition allowed Devialet engineers to push a step further the frontiers of extreme audiophile performances.

Original d'Atelier's inventions and technology now pave the way to the new Expert Pro line. Original d'Atelier is the ultimate product of the Expert line, which is why we decided to reserve a permanent program of exclusive and free upgrades to Original d'Atelier owners.

In the coming weeks, we look forward to offering you your first free upgrade with the release of the new Expert Pro line. In addition to the numerous advantages of this upgrade, the power of your Original d'Atelier will now reach 1,000 Watts.

http://en.devialet.com/original-datelier...-130544489

Interesting. Seems like Devialet is taking steps to ensure that OdA owners continue to feel special. "First free upgrades" implies that future upgrades will be gratis too. But how permanent and for how many product cycles?

Still, given that the EPro 1000, with the impending increase, will be close to the price of the OdA, that seems to make the OdA good value indeed.

(25-Jun-2016, 16:54)nicoludio Wrote: [ -> ]Interesting. Seems like Devialet is taking steps to ensure that OdA owners continue to feel special. 

I don't know I take a slightly different view of all this.

My understanding when I ordered the O d'A in early January was that I was buying a limited edition, anniversary edition, that represented the best that Devialet could make (within commercial constraints of course!). I was told that only 8 pairs of units would be making it to the UK and from this I inferred that demand was likely going to far outstrip supply. It was a big decision for me to make given the £23k price tag and the fact that I was already the happy owner of a D800. Following correspondence with Devialet and a home demo which impressed me deeply I placed my order in January.

My units did not ship until after the Easter weekend, so a bit of a delay. However within weeks (early May) rumours started to surface on the internet about a new, better 1000 model. Soon the rumour mill was in overdrive and it was clear that something major was going to happen with the launch of a better model. Since my dealer had signed an NDA he wasn't able to confirm or deny these rumours which only added to the frustration. 

I absolutely love my O d'A but had never imagined in a million years that it would become obsolete within months! On the issue of scarcity it transpired that 16 units arrived in the UK (as opposed to 8) and as of the 3rd June some remain unsold (according to a post by KJ West). In addition with the imminent launch of the 1000 Pro it appears that some dealers on the continent were offering discounts to shift O d'A stock.

So my feeling is that Devialet have effectively devalued the O d'A with the imminent launch of the 1000 Pro. And all this conjecture over the past few weeks and the lack of communication from Devialet has been quite unpleasant from an ownership perspective. And I'm not sure I really understand why Devialet feel the need to launch a better model quite so soon after the launch of the O d'A. 

Guillaume

(25-Jun-2016, 18:40)GuillaumeB Wrote: [ -> ]So my feeling is that Devialet have effectively devalued the O d'A with the imminent launch of the 1000 Pro. And all this conjecture over the past few weeks and the lack of communication from Devialet has been quite unpleasant from an ownership perspective. And I'm not sure I really understand why Devialet feel the need to launch a better model quite so soon after the launch of the O d'A. 

Guillaume

Guillaume's analysis is very fair - particularly from an Od'A owner who has enjoyed the "unique" delights of that unit for about a month before being told it is being subsumed.

I've enjoyed the Od'A prior to this announcement for four months but am otherwise in the same position.

That it took Devialet five (since D'Premier launch) or about three (since 800 launch) years to make something materially better, but then make something even better than the Od'A within four months, makes the cynic question what has really happened.

One might suggest that the Od'A was a commercial prototype for the 1000+, whose success or otherwise would determine the way forward for Devialet generally.

In the round, I don't criticise that, provided that Od'A owners are dealt with as a top priority, in terms of personal emails from Calmel (who signed the Od'A after all!), decent terms for transition to the 1000+, a full and fair explanation as to why this happened, and a speedy transition too. With a maximum of 97 known Od'A owners that is not a big job.

That has not happened and, in what is now typical Devialet style, different Od'A owners get different bits of news, some written, some verbal, with nothing from some very established dealers like Oxford Audio, who must feel thoroughly embarrassed.

In the end, I think the outcome will, in ownership and sonic and monetary terms, be fine. I think ...

But as one example, the signed baseplate of the Od'A (which will be quite important to some owners) is being replaced by something allegedly better. Or worse, depending on your view ...

Guillaume has not even received his personal upgrade invitation - and were I in charge of Devialet I'd make sure that, as a great advocate of the brand through his ownership of DevialetChat, he would be at the head of the queue.

I'll avoid using my luxury car analogy, as it relates to customer service, again, in respect of a luxury brand which has the head of luxury goods LVMH as one of its financiers and (one would expect) advisers. It is perverse that they repeatedly irritate customers and advocates by misjudged and mistimed communications, before launching outstanding class-leading products.

Great news guys! Congratulations.
Good to hear things will work out well for you.