Devialet Reviews

[MightyMart]

Hi Jerry, Welcome to the forum.

MightyMart,
I was not suggesting that your post was off topic at all. I was being critical of myself, not others. I hope there was no offence taken as none was intended.

I think your points and questions above are all good. I just don't know if there are any definite answers. Certainly not all opinions are equally valid, at least not for all subjects. I want my audio salesperson to be knowledgeable about the equipment, and understand natural and recorded and reproduced sound; so I agree with you completely on that. Audio is not exactly like coffee or cake.

To your question, I would answer 'yes, Devialet does reproduce sound naturally'. I've listened to enough hi fi and enough live music that I feel pretty comfortable that I know what an instrument sounds like. Electric bass certainly but I also played trombone and bassoon earlier in my life. And I'm more likely to listen to baroque quintets or Opera live than rock music. But again, all those instruments sound different in the hands and lips of different performers. We all understand that- it simply means there is variation in natural, live sound.

I would guess that most members here like what the Devialet does for audio reproduction. The Devialet is sort of like the narrow part of the hourglass in that respect. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what others say in response to the question. After the amp, however, we all select sources and loudspeakers that we like, and then the whole thing blows up, with a huge range of different components.

Maybe the high end of equipment is a group or a sphere of equipment that has some overlap with the group of 'lesser' gear? Are there varying levels of quality? Certainly, but even knowledgable opinions will differ. I just don't buy the idea of a thin line that absolutely separates 'true hi fi' from the not hi-fi. We inevitably use our individual experiences and our individual preferences to decide what we want to have and listen to.

Hi Damon! 

Don't worry, no need to apologize at all.   I was simply acknowledging the fact that neither my post was really on-topic.

It really struck me that there is no thread to talk about music, hi-fi in general, high end etc. on this forum. Still I felt, after posting the link to that comment made by Mono & Stereo and getting some feedback from you and Jerry, that there is a need to talk about the difference about "good" sound and "true" (i.e. high fidelity") sound. This particular point has often been in the center of the criticism toward Devialet's products from some audiophiles not agreeing with the quality or nature of the sound.

I think the Devialet amplifiers sets a new standard when it comes to separation, clarity and effortlessness. In my view the amplifiers do however have a week spot when it comes to reproducing vibrant and organic sound with that particular luster and intimacy an acoustic instrument or a voice creates. This was impossible for me to disregard from when auditioning the Gryphon Diablo 300 a couple of weeks ago. When playing a high quality recording of piano music the Diablo created that vibration in the air that you also feel in your body when standing close to a grand piano. That effect was also clearly noticeable with other acoustic instrument (everything from drums to guitars).

The downside of the Diablo was that it is so incredibly powerful that I had the same feeling in my ears and head after 2-3 hours of listening to records that you have after leaving a very intense live concert. I experienced a fatigue that I never do with Devialet and ended up returning the Diablo. The Diablo could neither match the Devialet when it came to top end separation and playing complex sounds like when a group of viola are playing together (it was harder to actually hear each individual viola). I will sorely miss that live feeling though...