27-Nov-2014, 07:19
Hi all
I was referred here from another forum.
I don't see a clear answer to my question tho. So I am posting it in this new thread.
History
I owned some mid-level Naim separates running high end speakers (Tidal Piano Diacera). Of course not a good match, with speakers under utilized.
I trialed at the time Devialet 170 then 250. 170 was not a clear step up from Naim but 250 was.
250 exhibited all the strength of 170 (clarity, power, bass control) without the obvious weaknesses of 170 (thin and somewhat bland).
So I went with 250.
Past few weeks
Having had the amp for a while, I know this is not the ultimate. The sound with this combo is below some of the best I had heard (within reasonable price). While I listen to music frequently, over time enjoyment faded somewhat.
E.g. one of the best sounding combo I heard ran a McIntosh monobloc 1Kw into similar speakers, with McIntosh pre and Esoteric CDP. That sound was quite unbelievable.
So 2 weeks ago I asked my Tidal dealer to bring Tidal amps to my house for a demo. Prisma pre and Impulse Monoblocs (overall close to their top combo).
Gap
The performances I have to say almost a magnitude difference, in terms of enjoyment.
Bass especially was amazing. Surreal texture. Punchy. High was no less impressive than 250, and if anything even clearer. Tremendous warmth like tube.
Question
The Tidal gears awfully expensive and huge (relatively). I would hate to fork out that money and even more to find space for those big boxes and cables.
So if 250 x 2 Devialet (or they call it 800?) is a big step up from 250, I would like to move in that direction. I don't think it would be possible for 800 to close the gap, but if small enough could settle....I think.
Could I ask feedback on 800 over 250 please? I think I only saw a couple of short comments about this comparison. I would be grateful if anyone could share more insights.
Thanks
KW
I was referred here from another forum.
I don't see a clear answer to my question tho. So I am posting it in this new thread.
History
I owned some mid-level Naim separates running high end speakers (Tidal Piano Diacera). Of course not a good match, with speakers under utilized.
I trialed at the time Devialet 170 then 250. 170 was not a clear step up from Naim but 250 was.
250 exhibited all the strength of 170 (clarity, power, bass control) without the obvious weaknesses of 170 (thin and somewhat bland).
So I went with 250.
Past few weeks
Having had the amp for a while, I know this is not the ultimate. The sound with this combo is below some of the best I had heard (within reasonable price). While I listen to music frequently, over time enjoyment faded somewhat.
E.g. one of the best sounding combo I heard ran a McIntosh monobloc 1Kw into similar speakers, with McIntosh pre and Esoteric CDP. That sound was quite unbelievable.
So 2 weeks ago I asked my Tidal dealer to bring Tidal amps to my house for a demo. Prisma pre and Impulse Monoblocs (overall close to their top combo).
Gap
The performances I have to say almost a magnitude difference, in terms of enjoyment.
Bass especially was amazing. Surreal texture. Punchy. High was no less impressive than 250, and if anything even clearer. Tremendous warmth like tube.
Question
The Tidal gears awfully expensive and huge (relatively). I would hate to fork out that money and even more to find space for those big boxes and cables.
So if 250 x 2 Devialet (or they call it 800?) is a big step up from 250, I would like to move in that direction. I don't think it would be possible for 800 to close the gap, but if small enough could settle....I think.
Could I ask feedback on 800 over 250 please? I think I only saw a couple of short comments about this comparison. I would be grateful if anyone could share more insights.
Thanks
KW
