I have been looking, and listening, to the Devialet amps at my local dealer and I am very impressed.
However I have a question. It appears that the D-200 has analogue line out capability and can therefore be used as a pre-amp. I am thinking of buying an amp to drive electrostatic panels and I may need some monster power amps, greater than the on-board Devialet amplification. It appears that the D-120 does not have the capability to be used as a pre-amp, which means I would be paying a lot for unused amplification if I bought the D-200.
Can anyone please advise if my conclusion above is correct?
(08-Sep-2014, 07:39)nwhitta Wrote: [ -> ]I have been looking, and listening, to the Devialet amps at my local dealer and I am very impressed.
However I have a question. It appears that the D-200 has analogue line out capability and can therefore be used as a pre-amp. I am thinking of buying an amp to drive electrostatic panels and I may need some monster power amps, greater than the on-board Devialet amplification. It appears that the D-120 does not have the capability to be used as a pre-amp, which means I would be paying a lot for unused amplification if I bought the D-200.
Can anyone please advise if my conclusion above is correct?
The D-120 can be used as a pre-amp if you buy the optional Pre-out/headphone board.
See also
here
The pre-amp output is available as an optional extra for the 120. I don't know how much this costs. It's also worth noting that the 120 only has 4 in/outputs, whereas the 200 has 6, so if you have a TT and more than one digital source, the 120 might not be enough for you.
Have you tried a 200 with ESLs? I drive Martin Logan Montis with a 200 and find it works fine, though I know there are some people who prefer big SS or tube amps with MLs.
Matt
(08-Sep-2014, 07:39)nwhitta Wrote: [ -> ]I have been looking, and listening, to the Devialet amps at my local dealer and I am very impressed.
However I have a question. It appears that the D-200 has analogue line out capability and can therefore be used as a pre-amp. I am thinking of buying an amp to drive electrostatic panels and I may need some monster power amps, greater than the on-board Devialet amplification. It appears that the D-120 does not have the capability to be used as a pre-amp, which means I would be paying a lot for unused amplification if I bought the D-200.
Can anyone please advise if my conclusion above is correct?
Welcome to Devialet Chat!
Do you already have the electrostatic panels? Can you tell us more about them?
Cheers
Guillaume
Thanks for your responses.
It interesting to note that the D-120 can be fitted with a pre-out board, but I would prefer to have the functionality pre-installed as in the D-200. But the D-200 is very expensive if used only as a pre-amp.
I don't have electrostatics (yet!) but I have been listening to Martin Logan Montis. Astonishingly good.
(08-Sep-2014, 13:43)nwhitta Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for your responses.
It interesting to note that the D-120 can be fitted with a pre-out board, but I would prefer to have the functionality pre-installed as in the D-200. But the D-200 is very expensive if used only as a pre-amp.
I don't have electrostatics (yet!) but I have been listening to Martin Logan Montis. Astonishingly good.
Yes, the Montis are quite amazing. The stunning transparency and presence of the panel and a really well integrated dynamic sub.
I really do think that the Devialet is not right for you, if you think you need more power. For me the magic of the Devialet is its output stage: the little 1W Class A amp backed up by all that "invisible" Class D power.
But as I said earlier, I think the 200 drives the Montis beautifully. I'd suggest you try to do a comparative demo of the Montis using the 200 and something like a big Krell. That will point you the way forward.
Hi...
I used Devialet D-Premier with Quad ESL 2905's for a long time, and I should say, that was the best amp for the Quad for the many years I had electrostats. ( I owned McIntosh MC2000, MC275 and Pass XA30.3, and tried many others, tube or solid state). The sheer power of the Devialet amps actually have a very strong control on the ESL panels. If you love Electrostats, Devialet is a very strong contender. You will get all the potential of those panels...
I did not have Dual Mono then. But I heard couple of people loving the Dual Mono setup with their Quad's. So a D400 or if budget permits, a D800 would be a dream combination with Electrostats.
And with the subwoofer output option, you can always add a quality sub (difficult and expensive to find that can match electrostats) and have that last octave...
Cheers...
Kunter
Thanks again.
I have been receiving advice (from a seller of electrostatics) that they need 400-500W pc to drive them at their best without clipping and also many amps struggle with electrostatics because their impedance drops to below 2 ohms at high frequencies.
(08-Sep-2014, 16:05)nwhitta Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks again.
I have been receiving advice (from a seller of electrostatics) that they need 400-500W pc to drive them at their best without clipping and also many amps struggle with electrostatics because their impedance drops to below 2 ohms at high frequencies.
That advice does reflect a commonly held view, so I don't think the dealer is just trying to sell you a more expensive amp. However, I think in the case of Devialet it's an erroneous view. The key thing is that the amp's output impedance should be lower than the speakers' impedance, which, as you say, dips down below 1 Ohm with Martin Logans. In this respect Devialet makes the ideal partner because its output impedance is exceptionally low and remains low right across the frequency range.
I must admit I am smitten with the Devialet and also the Montis. However I am very wary of finding them incompatible and making a big mistake. Also I will not be able to buy both at the same time; the amp must come first.
One more question:
Is it possible to bi-amp with the D-200 by running the inboard amp into one set of speaker terminals whilst simultaneously feeding an external power amp from the line out sockets?