06-Feb-2018, 22:37
(This post was last modified: 07-Feb-2018, 13:03 by Nakatomi63.)
"Devialet vs. McIntosh
I had on hand an original Devialet D-Premier integrated amplifier-DAC ($15,995, discontinued), and thought it would be fascinating to compare it with the McIntosh MA9000. Looking at these two components side by side, it’s hard to imagine how anyone drawn to one could also find the other attractive. The Devialet is sleek and modern, the McIntosh massive and retro. Yet I found myself appreciating both, just as I can appreciate a fine sports car and a rugged pickup truck -- the D-Premier and the MA9000 are both well designed, visually, and it was easy to like whichever one I had in the system at the time. Sonically, it was much the same: they were obviously different, but each had a sound I found enticing.
The Devialet D-Premier’s strengths were audible straight away: It was easy to hear the crystal-clear, dimensional sound that has always been the hallmark of Devialet amps with “Fruit Stand,” from the Onyx Collective’s Lower East Suite, Part One (16/44.1 FLAC, Big Dada/Tidal). Saxophonist Isaiah Barr’s menagerie pays tribute to New York City in this track, and man is it ever cool. The smooth sound of the recording was made even more so by the Devialet’s quiet, tactful delivery, Barr’s sax floating in space just to right of center, and the light percussion and double bass respectively adding rhythm and foundation. I was thoroughly impressed by how the Devialet let through the sound of the space around the instruments with dimension and nuance. The sound was transparent, with no sonic artifacts that led me to believe the music was recorded, not live.
The MA9000, by contrast, pushed Barr’s sax a little closer to my listening position, and “Fruit Stand” sounded a touch less smooth but more dynamic overall -- and, as a result, a bit more human. The percussion also sounded a tiny bit more forceful through the McIntosh, and the overall sound a smidgen less atmospheric than through the Devialet. The D-Premier’s perspective was farther away; with the McIntosh, I felt as if the performers were close enough that I could reach out and touch them. With “Fruit Stand,” the sound was definitely cooler with the Devialet. The McIntosh had more of a human touch.
“Let You Down,” from NF’s Perception (16/44.1 FLAC, NF Real Music/Tidal), was driving through the Devialet, the machine-gun lyrics delivered with all the disappointment and pain steely and intact. The D-Premier produced excellent senses of pace, rhythm, and timing, while keeping the voices clear and matter of fact. In addition, there was actually some semblance of a soundstage painted in my room, and an extra-firm bass foundation delivered right at track’s end. Such was the Devialet’s resolution that I could hear the compression in the recording -- it made me wish for a wider dynamic range that this recording just doesn’t contain. The MA9000, in contrast, sounded fuller and more solid, with less apparent emphasis of pace, rhythm, and timing, and more focus on the instruments. The piano sounded bigger through the big Mac, with the performer, again, closer to my listening position.
Overall, the Devialet D-Premier’s primary traits of transparency, resolution, and a slight coolness were fully revealed in comparison to the McIntosh MA9000’s closer, more intimate sound, the latter displaying denser, more tangible images. Which will you prefer? As obvious as were the differences between these sounds, the differences in how these two integrateds are styled and built are even greater. The Devialet is sleek, compact, and European; the McIntosh is substantial, bold, unabashedly American. I can appreciate either look, my preference depending on the day and my mood. Devialet’s amps have received many awards from the SoundStage! publications over the years -- and the McIntosh equaled them. High praise indeed."
It would be very interesting to compare the new McIntosh MA9000 vs currently Devialet models like a D220 Pro CI (similar price) or a D440 Pro CI (similar power).
You can read the McIntosh MA9000 full review in http://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php...lifier-dac
I had on hand an original Devialet D-Premier integrated amplifier-DAC ($15,995, discontinued), and thought it would be fascinating to compare it with the McIntosh MA9000. Looking at these two components side by side, it’s hard to imagine how anyone drawn to one could also find the other attractive. The Devialet is sleek and modern, the McIntosh massive and retro. Yet I found myself appreciating both, just as I can appreciate a fine sports car and a rugged pickup truck -- the D-Premier and the MA9000 are both well designed, visually, and it was easy to like whichever one I had in the system at the time. Sonically, it was much the same: they were obviously different, but each had a sound I found enticing.
The Devialet D-Premier’s strengths were audible straight away: It was easy to hear the crystal-clear, dimensional sound that has always been the hallmark of Devialet amps with “Fruit Stand,” from the Onyx Collective’s Lower East Suite, Part One (16/44.1 FLAC, Big Dada/Tidal). Saxophonist Isaiah Barr’s menagerie pays tribute to New York City in this track, and man is it ever cool. The smooth sound of the recording was made even more so by the Devialet’s quiet, tactful delivery, Barr’s sax floating in space just to right of center, and the light percussion and double bass respectively adding rhythm and foundation. I was thoroughly impressed by how the Devialet let through the sound of the space around the instruments with dimension and nuance. The sound was transparent, with no sonic artifacts that led me to believe the music was recorded, not live.
The MA9000, by contrast, pushed Barr’s sax a little closer to my listening position, and “Fruit Stand” sounded a touch less smooth but more dynamic overall -- and, as a result, a bit more human. The percussion also sounded a tiny bit more forceful through the McIntosh, and the overall sound a smidgen less atmospheric than through the Devialet. The D-Premier’s perspective was farther away; with the McIntosh, I felt as if the performers were close enough that I could reach out and touch them. With “Fruit Stand,” the sound was definitely cooler with the Devialet. The McIntosh had more of a human touch.
“Let You Down,” from NF’s Perception (16/44.1 FLAC, NF Real Music/Tidal), was driving through the Devialet, the machine-gun lyrics delivered with all the disappointment and pain steely and intact. The D-Premier produced excellent senses of pace, rhythm, and timing, while keeping the voices clear and matter of fact. In addition, there was actually some semblance of a soundstage painted in my room, and an extra-firm bass foundation delivered right at track’s end. Such was the Devialet’s resolution that I could hear the compression in the recording -- it made me wish for a wider dynamic range that this recording just doesn’t contain. The MA9000, in contrast, sounded fuller and more solid, with less apparent emphasis of pace, rhythm, and timing, and more focus on the instruments. The piano sounded bigger through the big Mac, with the performer, again, closer to my listening position.
Overall, the Devialet D-Premier’s primary traits of transparency, resolution, and a slight coolness were fully revealed in comparison to the McIntosh MA9000’s closer, more intimate sound, the latter displaying denser, more tangible images. Which will you prefer? As obvious as were the differences between these sounds, the differences in how these two integrateds are styled and built are even greater. The Devialet is sleek, compact, and European; the McIntosh is substantial, bold, unabashedly American. I can appreciate either look, my preference depending on the day and my mood. Devialet’s amps have received many awards from the SoundStage! publications over the years -- and the McIntosh equaled them. High praise indeed."
It would be very interesting to compare the new McIntosh MA9000 vs currently Devialet models like a D220 Pro CI (similar price) or a D440 Pro CI (similar power).
You can read the McIntosh MA9000 full review in http://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php...lifier-dac
Pro-Ject CD BOX RS--Roon--Qobuz Studio--Technics SL-1200GR--Synergistic Research Tricon Analogue 20th Anniversary--AT-OC9XSL--AudioQuest Niagara 1200--AudioQuest NRG-Z3--Devialet 220 Pro CI--Kimber Kable 4PR--Harbeth SHL5--Sumiko S.9 Subwoofers--Sennheiser HD 540 Reference Gold--IsoAcoustics GAIA II and Orea Graphite
Alicante (Spain)
Alicante (Spain)
