28-Apr-2024, 18:44
Many thanks to Ian who brought his 250 round this afternoon.
What did we find?
1. The Devialet is much cleaner than the Lavardin, while still being sweet and musical, but I would say less dynamic. I thought it might sound mechanical after the Lavardin but it doesn't
2. Its deep bass is very good with SAM enabled, but not quite in the same league as the Lavardin with my REL Studio
3. The phono input is good, not noticeably worse than my Cyrus Signature. I hear hiss at high volumes but it wouldn't be audible above the music and I've had valve phono amps that were noisier.
4. I wouldn't swap just for the amp's performance. It's different but not comprehensively better
5. Nevertheless, my wife is very attracted by the opportunity to reduce the box count: phono amp, subwoofer, and mount the amp on the wall.
I've been online looking for comparisons between 220 and the 250 I heard today. There are few comments but in general it seems the 250 is considered better than the 220. Not surprising considering the difference in list price. Given my experience this afternoon, I would expect a 220 to be a step backwards.
So it seems I'm probably looking for a s/h 250 pro ci rather than 220 pro c/i.
Thanks again, Ian!
What did we find?
1. The Devialet is much cleaner than the Lavardin, while still being sweet and musical, but I would say less dynamic. I thought it might sound mechanical after the Lavardin but it doesn't
2. Its deep bass is very good with SAM enabled, but not quite in the same league as the Lavardin with my REL Studio
3. The phono input is good, not noticeably worse than my Cyrus Signature. I hear hiss at high volumes but it wouldn't be audible above the music and I've had valve phono amps that were noisier.
4. I wouldn't swap just for the amp's performance. It's different but not comprehensively better
5. Nevertheless, my wife is very attracted by the opportunity to reduce the box count: phono amp, subwoofer, and mount the amp on the wall.
I've been online looking for comparisons between 220 and the 250 I heard today. There are few comments but in general it seems the 250 is considered better than the 220. Not surprising considering the difference in list price. Given my experience this afternoon, I would expect a 220 to be a step backwards.
So it seems I'm probably looking for a s/h 250 pro ci rather than 220 pro c/i.
Thanks again, Ian!
Peter Ward
Warwick, UK
Warwick, UK
