27-Apr-2017, 14:23
I was disappointed with Devialet when they announced the upgrade program for the Expert range. I paid what I think is a lot of money for my 120, and within 3 years here they were touting an upgrade. I held off, and only recently acted, when I received an email proclaiming "Last chance to upgrade".
Off I went to my dealer, who kindly said "take a 220 Pro home and try it out in your system". Damn him, he knew what the result would be. The 220 Pro for me, is miles ahead of the 120, in just about every criteria. That much was easy to discern pretty much straight away. I would describe the sound as offering much better placement of instruments and vocals, and those features seem to be much more in focus. On the 120, placement was fine, but the instruments seemed to run into each other, smearing the sound quite noticeably. Also noticeable for me was the control, depth and precision of the bass, which was phenomenal. I agree with some who say the treble on the 220 Pro might be a bit edgy, but a tone control adjustment around 5-6kHz would sort that out I'm sure.
The bottom line for me was that I committed to the upgrade. I had to. In A/B'ing the 120 vs 220 Pro, I simply couldn't listen to the 120 alongside the 220 Pro. I knew if I didn't upgrade I would be forever sorry. That's quite a surprising thing to say, given how much pleasure the 120 has given me. My 120 is in a box somewhere headed to Northern France. Roll on 3 weeks when I should get a 220 Pro back.
Off I went to my dealer, who kindly said "take a 220 Pro home and try it out in your system". Damn him, he knew what the result would be. The 220 Pro for me, is miles ahead of the 120, in just about every criteria. That much was easy to discern pretty much straight away. I would describe the sound as offering much better placement of instruments and vocals, and those features seem to be much more in focus. On the 120, placement was fine, but the instruments seemed to run into each other, smearing the sound quite noticeably. Also noticeable for me was the control, depth and precision of the bass, which was phenomenal. I agree with some who say the treble on the 220 Pro might be a bit edgy, but a tone control adjustment around 5-6kHz would sort that out I'm sure.
The bottom line for me was that I committed to the upgrade. I had to. In A/B'ing the 120 vs 220 Pro, I simply couldn't listen to the 120 alongside the 220 Pro. I knew if I didn't upgrade I would be forever sorry. That's quite a surprising thing to say, given how much pleasure the 120 has given me. My 120 is in a box somewhere headed to Northern France. Roll on 3 weeks when I should get a 220 Pro back.
