06-Aug-2016, 17:05
I'm bringing my D400 over to Sridhar in a few hours, so that should answer some of his questions, but I will post my opinion for others with similar questions (and because I'm interested in the opinion of others here).
I want to add to the chorus of distrust and distain for Devialet's dishonest marketing and poor communication. This forum provides much better support and more accurate information than does Devialet. Without this forum I couldn't recommend buying a Devialet, and I certainly wouldn't have done so.
However I also want to add another voice of assurance that Devialet makes excellent stuff. Their technology really is ahead of most others, and the sound quality is right up there with the best for the money (and that's a high benchmark given the expense) as long as you're seeking a sound more on the "accurate and detailed" side than on the "euphonic and smooth" side.
With a single exception (AIR fails for many people) most Devialet technologies really do work and sound great.
ADH is a great balance of Class-A sweetness and Class-D control. SAM gets closer to the accuracy of an active speaker than most others.
The integration of Devialet products goes beyond most competitors and whole really is greater than the sum of the parts: bettering a Devialet Expert the size of a bathroom scale is only possible by more than doubling the size and cost.
The range of configuration and control is impressive (even if I want more): you can combine and configure Devialet Expert in so many ways. Home theatre bypass: off course (with DSP for enhancing dialog). Want to tri-amp? No problem, they have an active crossover built in. Want to control the amount of bass or roll off treble? Sure, SAM is adjustable, there's an ultrasonic filter, and there are DSP tone controls with adjustable points and slopes. Got multiple sources? The Devialet takes almost anything (so many ports, and all configurable). If AIR works for you (as it does for me) you can play from your phone, computer, NAS, or whatever. Heck the Devialet can digitize records or work as an S/PDIF converter, so is a modern audio computer that plays well with whatever you have.
There are certainly features that Devialet has promised but not delivered (room correction for instance) but that's uncommon (unless AIR fails for you in which case streaming is a failed promise). An integrated streaming board is promised for 2017, but never buy a Devialet promise (buy only what works now).
There are a few annoyances like the lack of an off mode ("off" uses almost the same power as standby), but even so the Devialet are more efficient than most anything else with a Class-A amp and its great sound. Being computers, the Devialet have a boot up time greater than non-computerized amps, but that 13 seconds isn't too annoying. Like all computers, the Devialet have some bugs and compatibility issues. For example some USB streamers (Mutec) or cables (Mad Scientist master/slave link) have issues, but that's pretty rare.
Although Devialet is wrong about cables making no difference with their amps (as they are wrong that their firmware updates never change the sound), the amount of tweaking necessary to get Devialet Experts sounding their best is less than most. So if you love tweaking and replacing components the Devialet (and any other integrated amp) is not ideal. They are ideal for me because I need fewer expensive cables. Two power cords, one master/slave link, and I'm set (since AIR works for me), and I could cut that in half if I didn't want dual-mono Devialet units. However if you enjoy playing there's still room with streamers, input tweaks, and all the cables you could connect to a Devialet Expert.
Devialet lie/cheat by specifying power into 6-ohm (their flagship 900W into 6ohm would be specified as 690W into 8-ohm by anyone else). Even so, Devialet amps provide plenty of power at each price point, and can control difficult speakers with ease as long as the impedance stays above 2-ohm (they do have problems when the speaker impedance drops below that).
Overall I'm very impressed with the Devialet Expert, which sound better to me while providing more features that I want than anything else. I've heard sweeter-sounding amps, but compared to Devialet they lack detail which I miss more than I like the sweetness. I've heard other amps that approach the control and detail of the Devialet, but don't sound as beautiful as the Devialet. I've also heard some amps which work well with some speakers but not others, yet I've taken advantage of the portability of my Devialet to bring them to many speakers and have never preferred other amplification with any speaker I've tried.
As for Phantoms, If you compare the Phantom to other wireless lifestyle speakers the Phantom are significantly better (and more expensive). Comparing Phantom to the best speakers in the world is rather unfair to the Phantom, but that it is a serious comparison is quite impressive. When discussing quality for the money the Phantoms occupy a unique point. Try getting better full-range sound for less money. So although the Phantom don't meet my needs nor live up to Devialet's hyperbole they are amazing active speakers.
I want to add to the chorus of distrust and distain for Devialet's dishonest marketing and poor communication. This forum provides much better support and more accurate information than does Devialet. Without this forum I couldn't recommend buying a Devialet, and I certainly wouldn't have done so.
However I also want to add another voice of assurance that Devialet makes excellent stuff. Their technology really is ahead of most others, and the sound quality is right up there with the best for the money (and that's a high benchmark given the expense) as long as you're seeking a sound more on the "accurate and detailed" side than on the "euphonic and smooth" side.
With a single exception (AIR fails for many people) most Devialet technologies really do work and sound great.
ADH is a great balance of Class-A sweetness and Class-D control. SAM gets closer to the accuracy of an active speaker than most others.
The integration of Devialet products goes beyond most competitors and whole really is greater than the sum of the parts: bettering a Devialet Expert the size of a bathroom scale is only possible by more than doubling the size and cost.
The range of configuration and control is impressive (even if I want more): you can combine and configure Devialet Expert in so many ways. Home theatre bypass: off course (with DSP for enhancing dialog). Want to tri-amp? No problem, they have an active crossover built in. Want to control the amount of bass or roll off treble? Sure, SAM is adjustable, there's an ultrasonic filter, and there are DSP tone controls with adjustable points and slopes. Got multiple sources? The Devialet takes almost anything (so many ports, and all configurable). If AIR works for you (as it does for me) you can play from your phone, computer, NAS, or whatever. Heck the Devialet can digitize records or work as an S/PDIF converter, so is a modern audio computer that plays well with whatever you have.
There are certainly features that Devialet has promised but not delivered (room correction for instance) but that's uncommon (unless AIR fails for you in which case streaming is a failed promise). An integrated streaming board is promised for 2017, but never buy a Devialet promise (buy only what works now).
There are a few annoyances like the lack of an off mode ("off" uses almost the same power as standby), but even so the Devialet are more efficient than most anything else with a Class-A amp and its great sound. Being computers, the Devialet have a boot up time greater than non-computerized amps, but that 13 seconds isn't too annoying. Like all computers, the Devialet have some bugs and compatibility issues. For example some USB streamers (Mutec) or cables (Mad Scientist master/slave link) have issues, but that's pretty rare.
Although Devialet is wrong about cables making no difference with their amps (as they are wrong that their firmware updates never change the sound), the amount of tweaking necessary to get Devialet Experts sounding their best is less than most. So if you love tweaking and replacing components the Devialet (and any other integrated amp) is not ideal. They are ideal for me because I need fewer expensive cables. Two power cords, one master/slave link, and I'm set (since AIR works for me), and I could cut that in half if I didn't want dual-mono Devialet units. However if you enjoy playing there's still room with streamers, input tweaks, and all the cables you could connect to a Devialet Expert.
Devialet lie/cheat by specifying power into 6-ohm (their flagship 900W into 6ohm would be specified as 690W into 8-ohm by anyone else). Even so, Devialet amps provide plenty of power at each price point, and can control difficult speakers with ease as long as the impedance stays above 2-ohm (they do have problems when the speaker impedance drops below that).
Overall I'm very impressed with the Devialet Expert, which sound better to me while providing more features that I want than anything else. I've heard sweeter-sounding amps, but compared to Devialet they lack detail which I miss more than I like the sweetness. I've heard other amps that approach the control and detail of the Devialet, but don't sound as beautiful as the Devialet. I've also heard some amps which work well with some speakers but not others, yet I've taken advantage of the portability of my Devialet to bring them to many speakers and have never preferred other amplification with any speaker I've tried.
As for Phantoms, If you compare the Phantom to other wireless lifestyle speakers the Phantom are significantly better (and more expensive). Comparing Phantom to the best speakers in the world is rather unfair to the Phantom, but that it is a serious comparison is quite impressive. When discussing quality for the money the Phantoms occupy a unique point. Try getting better full-range sound for less money. So although the Phantom don't meet my needs nor live up to Devialet's hyperbole they are amazing active speakers.
