05-Feb-2022, 11:55
I can share my own experience, however keep in mind the differences.
As you can read from my signature I went from a 120 non pro to a 220 pro.
It is therefore difficult to distribute the perceived improvement between the added 2dB of power and the upgraded ADH of the pro versus the non pro.
In addition, there was a couple of weeks during which I did not have the Devialet and I had switched back to my secondary system, so auditive memory is to be taken with a grain of salt.
This being said, I ended up listening to my new 220 with attenuation 2dB higher than with my 120, which probably means that the limiting factor is the room, or that I have reached adequate levels to my ears. (Typically when I’m listening to well recorded classical pieces I am at -8dB with the 220 while I was at -6dB with the 120.
So did the additional power brought benefits?
Actually the answer is yes, and that’s especially because of SAM. With the 220, SAM got almost twice as the power headroom to do its magic and that was noticeable (with the caveat that I was not able to do a proper double blind test).
So I would say that, especially if you are using SAM, more power can really brings a big benefit.
Now is it worth the investment, is a question that each of us answers differently based on our income, priorities etc… determining when the marginal return on investment is not longer worth it is very personal.
Jean-Marie
As you can read from my signature I went from a 120 non pro to a 220 pro.
It is therefore difficult to distribute the perceived improvement between the added 2dB of power and the upgraded ADH of the pro versus the non pro.
In addition, there was a couple of weeks during which I did not have the Devialet and I had switched back to my secondary system, so auditive memory is to be taken with a grain of salt.
This being said, I ended up listening to my new 220 with attenuation 2dB higher than with my 120, which probably means that the limiting factor is the room, or that I have reached adequate levels to my ears. (Typically when I’m listening to well recorded classical pieces I am at -8dB with the 220 while I was at -6dB with the 120.
So did the additional power brought benefits?
Actually the answer is yes, and that’s especially because of SAM. With the 220, SAM got almost twice as the power headroom to do its magic and that was noticeable (with the caveat that I was not able to do a proper double blind test).
So I would say that, especially if you are using SAM, more power can really brings a big benefit.
Now is it worth the investment, is a question that each of us answers differently based on our income, priorities etc… determining when the marginal return on investment is not longer worth it is very personal.
Jean-Marie
MacBook Air M2 -> RAAT/Air -> WiFi -> PLC -> Ethernet -> Devialet 220pro with Core Infinity (upgraded from 120) -> AperturA Armonia
France
France
