Devialet Chat

Hi everyone, I'm looking to upgrade my setup and have found your great forum here.  My proposed setup will include:

1. Phono (Clearaudio emotion running modified DL103)
   
2. Digital audio (Spotify)
   
3. Optical (CD)
   
4. Pre-out from an AV receiver, such that the Devialet device handles the front left/right channels, allowing me to use the Devialet device as both a two-channel stereo and also integrate into a home theatre system where the AV-receiver drives the centre and surrounds
   

I am not much of a tinkerer and I do not upgrade often - I am replacing amplifiers that I bought form new 15 years ago to make this upgrade (Myryad MP100 and MA240).  Outputs for now would be to Totem Hawk speakers and a REL q150e sub; would like to, in the next 5-7 years, replace the Totems with KEF Blade 2s.

I have found the following options on the market and I'm not sure what my best move is.  Would love your input.

1. Devialet D Premier with optional ceramic white finish, new in box, 5 year warranty, from a dealer.  $4,400 USD.
   
2. Devialet Expert 130 Pro with factory CI and pre-out board, new dealer demo, 5 year warranty.  $4,400 USD.
   
3. Devialet Expert 120 Ensemble with Atohm speakers, used market.  $3970 USD, could potentially recoup $1500 from re-selling to speakers to make this net $2470 USD.
   
4. Devialet Expert 120 Pro with pre-out board, used market.  $2,865 USD, avoids the hassle of re-selling speakers.
   

What would you think is my best option here?  Obviously the used options are better prices but I'm not in a position to pay retail prices to replace these should there be issues, so at this price bracket, a warranty has great appeal.  The D Premier has more inputs, more power, and a nicer finish.  Many reports on the forum that the D Premier is about as good as the 250, so certainly should be sonically superior to the 120/130.  However, this would come with from-factory firmware (5.6.0), would not be upgradeable, and would lack the SAM function which is compatible with both my current and planned future speakers.  Stepping down to the 120/130 options would get me SAM, but would substantially decrease the power available AND the number of inputs the unit can accommodate.

To confuse this more....

I could pre-out the 120/130 to a separate power amp if power was an issue in the future, though I think this undermines the excellent Devialet amp.  Some positive reports of this however on this very forum.  Additionally, I could increase the number of sources into the unit by running sources through my AVR which will pre-out into the Devialet, treating the AVR as a source switcher.

I'm obviously over-thinking this a great deal;  tell me what to do!  Would you go for new D Premier, new 130 Pro w/ pre-out, or look to the used market?  Thanks.

Hello and Welcome!

You have an interesting set of options; now that Devialet has been on the market for a few years, there are used, demo, and new in box old stock choices.

I have some familiarity with Totem speakers, and I think the Devialet Totem combination will be very good, so I'd offer that thought as a starter. I have not heard a D Prem, so I can't give any advice about that except that you understand the power it offers as well as the lack of SAM and further software updates.

I had a D120 and I think they are a bargain; if you were staying with the Ensemble or the Hawks, that would be an option though I would still personally recommend the D130 Pro CI.

If, however, you are planning on KEF Blade 2's (which I've never even seen) I think that more power will be part of your future agenda. The 130 can become a D140 with the current firmware update, and then dual mono D210 (or whatever it is) would be an option- you could probably find a used D130/140 in time. Or a separate power amp, as you also suggest.

Anyhow, I can't offer much reliable advice but I wanted to step in to say 'welcome' and to give you a first reply. Others here can give much better advice on the amp choices now and for the blades as well as future options.

Thanks for the welcome! Lots of great info here.

In reading further tonight, I think I can cross the 120 with Atohms off my list - this is a non-Pro model. If buying a lower end model for its ugradeability, it probably makes sense for those prices to start with a Pro.

The other thing I was thinking is that my plan to run the Devialet from a pre-out from the AVR may be challenging. Is there a way to do this without having 2 independent volume controls? I don’t want to have to set the volume for my mains and surrounds separately and be forever trying to balance things. If I can’t integrate the Devialet into a surround system then it may not work for me - I only have so much listening real estate in my home, and want to keep the audio stuff confined to the “theatre” room without having two totally duplicated systems.

(03-Sep-2018, 20:59)Damon Wrote: [ -> ]Hello and Welcome!

You have an interesting set of options; now that Devialet has been on the market for a few years, there are used, demo, and new in box old stock choices.

I have some familiarity with Totem speakers, and I think the Devialet Totem combination will be very good, so I'd offer that thought as a starter. I have not heard a D Prem, so I can't give any advice about that except that you understand the power it offers as well as the lack of SAM and further software updates.

I had a D120 and I think they are a bargain; if you were staying with the Ensemble or the Hawks, that would be an option though I would still personally recommend the D130 Pro CI.

If, however, you are planning on KEF Blade 2's (which I've never even seen) I think that more power will be part of your future agenda. The 130 can become a D140 with the current firmware update, and then dual mono D210 (or whatever it is) would be an option- you could probably find a used D130/140 in time. Or a separate power amp, as you also suggest.

Anyhow, I can't offer much reliable advice but I wanted to step in to say 'welcome' and to give you a first reply. Others here can give much better advice on the amp choices now and for the blades as well as future options.

+1.
I have exactly the same point of view.
The 130Pro CI is a good and upgradable option, considering the need of more power in the future.
Welcome to the club.

Hello @Zedeff , welcome to the forum. One key point I would make relates to your plan to run the KEF Blade 2 in the future. I have the original KEF Blade, which I ran for a long time with a Devialet Expert 240, which then became a 250 following firmware update. So your plan to buy a D-premier now and eventually use it to power the KEF Blade 2, should work fine and produce excellent sounding results.

So far so good. One problem I see is with the option to use a 140Pro to power the Blade 2 in the future. This might work fine, but I do have some doubts. I once tried the original Blade with a Devialet 170, and whereas the 240 worked fine with the Blades, the 170 did not. There was a complete collapse in bass accuracy and definition. The 240 sounded great, I could find nothing better for the Blades for the money, in stark contrast, the 170 sounded horrible. For all I know the 140Pro might work fine with the Blade 2, I have never tried it, but based on my bad experience with a 170 and the original Blade I do have some serious doubts.

This then begs a question, could you add a companion and run the 140Pro as a 210pro dual mono with the Blade 2? Again, this might work fine, but it might be a bit marginal, you would need to try it to be sure.

I can see from your OP that you are budget conscious, so what follows next may not be welcome advice, but if it was me, I would be tempted to see if I could find a second hand or ex demo 220Pro. This would allow for a future upgrade to the 440Pro, which would pretty much drive anything, and give you SAM with the Blade 2. In fact, much like the 210Pro, a 220Pro might just work fine with the Blade 2, but if it didn't, at least you have the option to go 440Pro.

Another option might be to seek out a second hand 250 Expert. It is a fine amplifier, it would drive the Blade 2 without issue and give you SAM. Of course, the Devialet D-Premier would offer almost identical performance for less cash, albeit you would not have SAM.

Personally, I think the separate power amp idea is a bad idea. The reason why a Devialet sounds so good is the ADH technology, and with the ultra short signal path between DAC and amp. So to use the Devialet as a pre-amp is a waste of good money in my view. Plus, I have tried the Blades with big Bryston and Chord power amps, and neither sounded as good as a single Devialet 240, so why bother?

So based on your options as listed, I would go with the D-Premier, but maybe there are other options to consider? (Plus the D-Premier looks cool!)

(04-Sep-2018, 04:52)Zedeff Wrote: [ -> ][...]

The other thing I was thinking is that my plan to run the Devialet from a pre-out from the AVR may be challenging. Is there a way to do this without having 2 independent volume controls?  I don’t want to have to set the volume for my mains and surrounds separately and be forever trying to balance things. If I can’t integrate the Devialet into a surround system then it may not work for me - I only have so much listening real estate in my home, and want to keep the audio stuff confined to the “theatre” room without having two totally duplicated systems.

Yes this is easy to do. You can configure an input (either analog or digital) as ‘pass thru’. 
In that case the volume control on the Devialet does not apply anymore. But in the configuration you can setup the exact attenuation so that your main and surrounds are matched. 

This is how much people do both an AV and Audio combined system with a Devialet. 

Jean-Marie

One follow up question: are all Devialet units able to run on 120v and 220v provided the proper power cord is used? I’ve finally got what sounds like a committed offer to purchase for a D Prem unit, but it will ship from Europe. If I replace the IEC cord with a North American one will I be good?

Thanks!

(23-Sep-2018, 02:37)Zedeff Wrote: [ -> ]One follow up question:  are all Devialet units able to run on 120v and 220v provided the proper power cord is used?  I’ve finally got what sounds like a committed offer to purchase for a D Prem unit, but it will ship from Europe. If I replace the IEC cord with a North American one will I be good?

Thanks!

The D-Premier will auto adjust to whatever voltage it is supplied with, so your European model will work fine in North America.

Thanks for everyone's assistance. I ended up purchasing something not listed above - I bought two D Premier units to run as dual-mono (D500) configuration. My cost for these was $5440 USD including shipping and taxes and I will have to add another $50-300 for either a Schuko to North American power adapter or new power cables.

I think that for the price - $2720 for each D Premier "all in" with a 1 year warranty from the seller - I could not do better. I'm sure that shipping to me will take a few weeks but I am very much looking forward to trying out this new former-top-of-the-line setup!

One additional note worth pointing out is that I contacted Devialet who confirmed that upgrading a D Premier to a D250 Expert Pro CI is still available and that the price of this upgrade is the same as upgrading a D240. Therefore with this setup, I can upgrade to a D1000 for an addition $9,990 - total cost $16,430 - which will come with a full 5 year warranty, and which is a savings of $18,470 plus taxes compared to buying new. I will plan to pursue that upgrade in a couple of years, after Devialet unveils whatever is the "next" upgrade-stage so that I can get the then-current models at a substantial savings.

Whoa! Nice. That's a whole lot of audio-bang for the buck!