Original d'Atelier

[kjwestone]

It really is stunning. 

We have just set it up again in our demo room.  For us, it has increased natural body of the sound, it is cleaner, well refined and sounds effortless.

   
   

[samurai7595]

It really is stunning. 

We have just set it up again in our demo room.  For us, it has increased natural body of the sound, it is cleaner, well refined and sounds effortless.

What a wonderful setup!

[Nakatomi63]

It really is stunning. 

We have just set it up again in our demo room.  For us, it has increased natural body of the sound, it is cleaner, well refined and sounds effortless.

What about D900 vs Naim Statement NAC/NAP S1?

[yabaVR]

Hi,

I've been to the "Norddeutsche Hifi-Tage (Northern Germany Hifi-Days)" at the "Holiday Inn" in Hamburg/Germany. The German distributor "audio components" had a big room to demo the Original d'Atelier playing with WA Sasha mkII and fed by an Aurender X100. They played on very high gains and the power/dynamic of the system was very impressive. Never heard "High End" at this high volume levels before and I wonder if they ever killed a bass-driver during demonstration...sometimes I thought they were just so near and I was await of this awful "nkack" when the voicecoil merges with the magnet gap. But of course the 900W of the Original d'Atelier never lost full control over the Sasha. Also the room had an extensive acoustical treatment so there was no booming or whatsoever. I found the room nearly perfekt for being a hotelroom.
But owning a D200 myself and a friend having a D250/WA Sophia MkIII, we were not that much impressed on the transperency/resolution/precision/naturalty of the sytem. Ok, our Devialets are both modified but we were assuming that an 29k Od'A in company with a Sasha would outperform our systems. For sure in instance of pure power the Od'A is fare ahead, but not in terms of sound quality. Maybe it was due to these high gains the Qd'A was playing at...? So beside the extraordinary color no tears to weep that the Od'As are supposed to be sold out. And I think nobody owning an Od'A would ever modify this precious art in hifi and therefor will never benefit of the soundquality that any refined Devialet can deliver.
gui

[Confused]

Hi,

I've been to the "Norddeutsche Hifi-Tage (Northern Germany Hifi-Days)" at the "Holiday Inn" in Hamburg/Germany. The German distributor "audio components" had a big room to demo the Original d'Atelier playing with WA Sasha mkII and fed by an Aurender X100. They played on very high gains and the power/dynamic of the system was very impressive. Never heard "High End" at this high volume levels before and I wonder if they ever killed a bass-driver during demonstration...sometimes I thought they were just so near and I was await of this awful "nkack" when the voicecoil merges with the magnet gap. But of course the 900W of the Original d'Atelier never lost full control over the Sasha. Also the room had an extensive acoustical treatment so there was no booming or whatsoever. I found the room nearly perfekt for being a hotelroom.
But owning a D200 myself and a friend having a D250/WA Sophia MkIII, we were not that much impressed on the transperency/resolution/precision/naturalty of the sytem. Ok, our Devialets are both modified but we were assuming that an 29k Od'A in company with a Sasha would outperform our systems. For sure in instance of pure power the Od'A is fare ahead, but not in terms of sound quality. Maybe it was due to these high gains the Qd'A was playing at...? So beside the extraordinary color no tears to weep that the Od'As are supposed to be sold out. And I think nobody owning an Od'A would ever modify this precious art in hifi and therefor will never benefit of the soundquality that any refined Devialet can deliver.
gui

I notice they were using a power conditioner, not the best idea with a Devialet in my experience.  Less is more sometimes.....

[Gentleman]

Hi folks.

@ Confused: I can asure you that a power conditioner is NOT the problem in general. But the Aurender for sure is a weak link.

@ yaba VR: what kind of modification did you perform on your D's? And do you offer this modification to others as well?

Kind regards

Jan

[yabaVR]

@Confused
 I've worked for years with a Hydra-Conditioner at a Hifishop and I think it belongs to the best of its kind. Not adding any harsh, disharmonics or intensive twist of phase. I suspect that for having to deal with all these polluted hotel-powerlines it's better than none.

@Gentlemen
Yes I do offer these modifikations and more. It's my business, but don't want to do advertising in a forum as I suppose it is not that, what the members here want to read.
Though I can give you the hint that we are "conditioning" the D's (and other equipment) directly on the circuits components. We have invented a special technique to minimize the electromagnetical effect (eSmog) of circuit components onto eachother and further conditioning these areas with a "beneficial information" (whatever that means . That provides optimized areasettings for the components and therefor they are working nearly as it was theoretical designed in the development-software. In result it is a more natural, genuine sound, that reveals even more of the sound our D's should sound like, if they were designed as an audiophile- and not lifestyle-product. I personaly think that the circuitboard-design is ingenious but the wrapping is the commercial downgrade. Allthough I like the looks they could have done a better job, i.e. no chrome-body but polishing/sealing it, better speakerposts and IEC...(how can I get back to topic now?)

Our empirical knowledge is that a modified D200 outperforms an original D250 with ease. It's kind of "...no way". On the other hand if the D250 is modified too the known distinction between the two is restored. I'm still confused how they add this sweetness, tender resolution/transparency to the D250 despite the D200/250 being circuitboardwise the same. I suspect they do it with some additional filter in the software that weakens the D200/D120 and/or with the inner surface of the D250 being painted black. I suspect this black paint being a shielding lacquer that protects the circuitboard to some amount from the bad chrome-nickel-el.mag.-effects of the whole surface.

So to say, it's easy to get a D800 outperform a Od'A when modified. Though this is my personal judgement reasoned for the D200/D250 tuning (was that back on topic :-)

@Gentlemen
You can PM me on further information. If you live in Germany or near by it is possibly to hear/compare a modified Devi if you like to.


gui

[GuillaumeB]

Hi,

I've been to the "Norddeutsche Hifi-Tage (Northern Germany Hifi-Days)" at the "Holiday Inn" in Hamburg/Germany. The German distributor "audio components" had a big room to demo the Original d'Atelier playing with WA Sasha mkII and fed by an Aurender X100. They played on very high gains and the power/dynamic of the system was very impressive. Never heard "High End" at this high volume levels before and I wonder if they ever killed a bass-driver during demonstration...sometimes I thought they were just so near and I was await of this awful "nkack" when the voicecoil merges with the magnet gap. But of course the 900W of the Original d'Atelier never lost full control over the Sasha. Also the room had an extensive acoustical treatment so there was no booming or whatsoever. I found the room nearly perfekt for being a hotelroom.
But owning a D200 myself and a friend having a D250/WA Sophia MkIII, we were not that much impressed on the transperency/resolution/precision/naturalty of the sytem. Ok, our Devialets are both modified but we were assuming that an 29k Od'A in company with a Sasha would outperform our systems. For sure in instance of pure power the Od'A is fare ahead, but not in terms of sound quality. Maybe it was due to these high gains the Qd'A was playing at...? So beside the extraordinary color no tears to weep that the Od'As are supposed to be sold out. And I think nobody owning an Od'A would ever modify this precious art in hifi and therefor will never benefit of the soundquality that any refined Devialet can deliver.
gui

I notice they were using a power conditioner, not the best idea with a Devialet in my experience.  Less is more sometimes.....

I'm pretty sure Devialet used a Shunyata Hydra Triton at Munich last year. It's essentially a power distributor with added passive filtering of high frequency noise... supposed to be best in class although I haven't tried it. I believe IanG-UK has one so might be able to comment.

Guillaume

[GuillaumeB]

I suspect they do it with some additional filter in the software that weakens the D200/D120 and/or with the inner surface of the D250 being painted black. I suspect this black paint being a shielding lacquer that protects the circuitboard to some amount from the bad chrome-nickel-el.mag.-effects of the whole surface.

Isn't it the case that the 250 chassis is different from the 200 and provides better thermal management by virtue of its physical properties, being machined from solid aluminium and providing better heat sinking? 

Guillaume

[Womaz]

Great review of this in the latest edition of Hi Fi news.