Hello to all the forum members.
As in the subject i am a fresh owner of Devialet 200.Bought it ex demo for a good price.All would be ok but i am finding it say a truly agresive sounding ,sharp and too forward.As from all the desriptions found online none of it desribe it like that but actually the oposite.I've asked the dealer about its usage time so they say it had no more than 60 hours on it.My question is could it be all related to the burning time of the amp? or maybe the d200 sounds like this...
I've bought it after been very impressed with one d250 i had at home for a week with expectation of similar treats but slightly lesser soun quality but found the d200 completely oposite sound signature to the d250.
The rest of my system complies from a PMC OB1I SPEAKERS ,TELLURIUM Q ULTRA BLACK SPEAKER CABLES,AS A SOURCE USING A YOU TUBE direct from my tv through a QED glass optical cable.All help and sugestions will be greatly apreciated.I am in UK.
Hi and welcome,
I have not heard a D250 but I do not think that any of the Devialet amps are sharp (presumably a treble that is too bright). It is odd, especially as you had a D250 at home to try; the only difference, AFAIK, between the two is the casework, but that it allows the D250 to be set differently.
Are you saying that you are streaming YouTube videos, from your TV, to the D200? That is a new one on me, but I can't understand why the D250 would have been fine, and the D200 not right. Have you checked the tone controls? Could be that the treble is boosted on the amp.
Maybe do a reset on the software back to factory defaults. Based on my experience, the amps do settle down, esp in the treble after about 50 or 60 hours, but it is a mild difference.
What amp did you have before? Could it be that you are still 'hearing' the old amp presentation?
Seems quite unusual. Yes, there is undoubtedly some break-in period for it to sound its best, but the change is not that dramatic. If you liked the way the 250 sounded in your home, the 200 shouldn't be that different. Did you build your own config or are you just using what was already there? I would definitely update it to the latest firmware - 10.1.0 - and configure it yourself. The firmware and configurator are on the devialet.com site. You'll want to create an account and register it there as well if you haven't already done so.
Did you buy it from a nearby dealer? If so, get them to listen to it. Alternatively, contact Devialet support and they can walk you through the config settings.
Good luck!
Hi.Thanks for your input Damon.
I have tried to play a bit with a tone control settings but without much of a succes.
And yes the d250 i had on home demo played absolutely fine nice not forward sound even slightly warm.That's why i am surpriced with the diference with my d200 (very strange this).As for my previous amp i had one NORD NC500 UP with upgraded buffer boards and sonic imaginery opamps driven direct from a nad m51 dac which is a very analogue and good quality sounding dac.But have compared my system to the d250 at the time for a week and d250 has won it for me hands down so that's why my decision to buy a devialet but i did'nt expect it to be totally different so that is why i am here now asking experienced devialet owners.
Yes i have configured it and upgraded to the latest firmware 10.1.0 i think
The best change for les strident sound was when i have degraded the firmware to some 7.1.3 or so but it has taken away alot of bass control and speed from the sound.
Hmmm, this does sound strange. I think of myself as 'treble-sensitive' (bass player, after all) and I don't think there is any sharpness to the D200, or the Devialet line in general. Even the Pro series, which is much more.... articulate, in the treble is not sharp. That said, I'm stumped as to what could be causing this particular sound. Could you take it back to the dealer and do a listen there? At least then you could compare the 250 and the 200. I've never heard of your previous equipment; I just came from boring old Naim stuff.
But given that it is midnight where you are, perhaps you're listening to Metallica when you should be into some downtempo lounge-chill.... just thinking outside the (chrome) box.
Seriously, many here prefer firmware 7.1.3 above all others, and they are not shy about saying so. Still, I really think that the the 200 & the 250 should be quite similar in character. The amp must be upta' summit....
Please do let us know what you find out or what you decide to do.
Taking it back to the dealer is not an option and not practical at all as it's too far from me and they probably don't have d250 any more but i can borrow 250 from my brother in law and compare it.Allthough i am sure they're quite different anyway from my memory.
+1 on trying firmware 7.1.3.
It's the only firmware my treble sensitive ears can stand for over an hour.
It is incredibly difficult to resolve issue such as this via verbal descriptions on an internet forum, but I do have a few thoughts. The D250 is a better amp, but I do not think the differences should be a stark as you are describing, so it does look like something is amiss. However, it could be many things.
1. The D200 is in some way faulty or substandard. - Unlikely perhaps, but it would explain everything.
2. The D250 works well with the OB1i's, but the D200 does not. Unfortunately I do not know enough about OB1i's to know how likely this is, but there is a possibility that there is some aspect of the OB1i's specification that does not agree with the D200, maybe a slight dip in the impedance curve somewhere that the D250 is happy with but the D200 is not. Although unlikely, this is a possibility because the key difference between the D200 and D250 is how the power supply is configured, hence making the D250 a little more speaker tolerant on the margins. One of the key things with hifi is getting an amplifier that works well with the speakers, and when this goes wrong things can sound bad.
3. Phycology! I need to be careful how I write this, because it could come across as a little insulting, but it is not intended to be. In fact, I am describing something that has happened to myself on a number of occasions. You get you lovely new hifi item, it has cost a lot of cash, you set everything up and start to listen. You maybe here some little thing that you don't like, and then thoughts start running through your head, have I bough the wrong thing, have I made a mistake? In this Physiological state you start trying different things whilst listening out very carefully to the aspect that has started to worry you in the first place. I know from my own experience that this kind of stuff can drive you crazy! Although I think that Devialet amps do improve very slightly with a few hours use, I do wonder how much of this is in the electronics or in the mind.
OK, these are just my initial thoughts and may be very wide of the mark. I have some questions. It looks like you have been trying different firmware versions and finding some differences. In order to judge your original post, you state a significant difference between the D200 and D250, how would you describe the order of magnitude of this difference in comparison to the differences between different firmware versions on the D200. I think most posters on this forum are familiar with how much difference the firmware makes, so this might help gauge the issue described in your original post.
As a final thought, as Damon correctly points out, there are number of people who much prefer firmware 7.1.3. However, this is not an absolute, myself I much preferred the 8.x.x and 9.x.x versions with my Expert. I guess a case of personal preference and system matching, but it would be incorrect to think that there is an absolute best firmware.
Anyway, good luck getting this sorted, I know how frustrating this kind of issue can be.
There are certainly differences between firmwares, but I would not say to the extent you're describing.
Question - are you using any type of power conditioning? Or, by chance, do you have the Devialet plugged into a circuit shared with the likes of light dimmers or perhaps numerous switched mode power supplies? Perhaps even a real cheap power cord? In my experience, the quality of your electricity can turn the Devialet edgy and harsh, collapsing and smearing the sound stage. Now those words sound dramatic... it's not that bad - but definitely noticeable. I believe it's why many people say their system sounds best late at night - less load on the electrical grid. Just a thought...