06-Nov-2025, 18:26
(06-Nov-2025, 11:17)ada Wrote: @KIBM I am very happy with your conclusion, and I am also glad to see that you have proven all the spec changes on paper are reflected well in your discovery. I see no surprises there. And if the almost doubled price is not an issue for you, of course it is a great amp. It carries the DNA of Expert Pros, just in a different fashion in its approach. Maybe more balanced for you, maybe more trimmed down for someone else, but there is no doubt that they inherit a lot from Experts.
Thank you. Actually, I don't agree about doubling of price. In the UK the RRP of the Astra is pretty much the same as the outgoing Expert Pro 250 at final production in 2024 i.e. £14,000 vs £13,500 respectively. That is pretty much unheard of in the High End, where normally a new model is introduced at a significantly higher price. What I find remarkable is that the price has hardly moved from the D-Premier (£12k) to Astra in 15 years!!
As I said in my post £12k in 2010 is the inflationary equivalent of £18,644 in 2025 - if that had been any other High end company they would price gouge you £25-30k for a new Astra! Devialet should earn some real respect for that.
I do think its great that you can get Nearly New/Open Box/NOS Expert 250/1000 for around £7/14k from dealers in UK (with some warranty provided too). That is a tremendous bargain and great opportunity to get one of the very best pieces of HiFi going - snap em up before they are gone!
