06-Mar-2019, 21:51
A very positive review in many ways but when you read: "Core Infinity is an outstanding step-change for Devialet, but I can’t help but think most people who will get to hear it will do so on an Expert model they may have bought half a decade ago. And if Devialet can’t get new people buying its product, who can?" it's difficult not to wonder whether this is more of a review of the CI board upgrade for those with older Devialets than a review of the 140 for those contemplating a purchase of a Devialet for the first time. I think it says a lot of useful things for those with older amps contemplating the upgrade but it's rather short on listening comments and impressions for those who don't have a Devialet and are contemplating one.
On AIR, the reviewer states: "Core Infinity also unlocks some new wireless technologies, most notably Roon across Devialet AIR, AirPlay, SpotifyConnect, and UPnP. Truth be told, AIR has always been something of a weak spot in the Devialet chainmail, and while drastically improved, it still remains perhaps the one part of the whole Devialet package that could benefit from some improvement. That being said, Apple went through a fairly hefty Operating System update mid-way through the review, and there are many companies playing catch up. AIR, to its credit, remained stable and unfazed by all of this." There isn't any discussion or mention of the integration of AIR into Roon and the final comment about the Apple OS update leaves me wondering whether the comment about AIR remaining stable with the update related to AIR as integrated into Roon or AIR via the Devialet AIR app for the Mac which would only be used if you weren't running Roon, or about both. This kind of confusion about AIR seems normal to Alan Sitcom who, in a follow up to a previous Devialet review just after Roon integrated AIR into its software, reported that change in Roon as the Devialet becoming Roon Ready, something it most definitely did not do until the very recent Devialet firmware/OS update.
And there's no mention at all of the CI amps now being Roon Ready but of course that wasn't the case with them at the time the review was published.
As I said, a very positive review in many ways but it's not really clear whether he intended to review the CI upgrade or a current model amp and there's a bit too much uncertainty/ambiguity in his comments about AIR, both as integrated into Roon and as run from Devialet's app for the Mac/Windows to make things as clear for the reader looking for a review of the actual amp rather than the CI board upgrade to leave me feeling that this is the kind of review the amplifier rather than the CI board upgrade deserves.
On AIR, the reviewer states: "Core Infinity also unlocks some new wireless technologies, most notably Roon across Devialet AIR, AirPlay, SpotifyConnect, and UPnP. Truth be told, AIR has always been something of a weak spot in the Devialet chainmail, and while drastically improved, it still remains perhaps the one part of the whole Devialet package that could benefit from some improvement. That being said, Apple went through a fairly hefty Operating System update mid-way through the review, and there are many companies playing catch up. AIR, to its credit, remained stable and unfazed by all of this." There isn't any discussion or mention of the integration of AIR into Roon and the final comment about the Apple OS update leaves me wondering whether the comment about AIR remaining stable with the update related to AIR as integrated into Roon or AIR via the Devialet AIR app for the Mac which would only be used if you weren't running Roon, or about both. This kind of confusion about AIR seems normal to Alan Sitcom who, in a follow up to a previous Devialet review just after Roon integrated AIR into its software, reported that change in Roon as the Devialet becoming Roon Ready, something it most definitely did not do until the very recent Devialet firmware/OS update.
And there's no mention at all of the CI amps now being Roon Ready but of course that wasn't the case with them at the time the review was published.
As I said, a very positive review in many ways but it's not really clear whether he intended to review the CI upgrade or a current model amp and there's a bit too much uncertainty/ambiguity in his comments about AIR, both as integrated into Roon and as run from Devialet's app for the Mac/Windows to make things as clear for the reader looking for a review of the actual amp rather than the CI board upgrade to leave me feeling that this is the kind of review the amplifier rather than the CI board upgrade deserves.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
