10-Jan-2016, 20:16
(This post was last modified: 10-Jan-2016, 20:30 by GTX.
Edit Reason: Missed a paragraph
)
I have the OdA home for a long weekend trial. As probably I won't be able to afford it I can share my initial impressions :-) My system is composed by a restored Lenco 75 (PTP) with Lyra Delos / Schiick arm, Aries, Devialet 250, Lawrence Audio Double Bass, speaker and power cables by Sablon, including their latest Reserva which are an absolute wonder with D. Listening room 10m x 6m, 3m high + Franck Tchang resonators.
Let me start by stating that I am very happy with my current system, the synergies between Devialet and Lawrence audio are many for my delight (I used to own Sophia 3 which pale in comparison). I had tried in the past the 800 with both the Sophia and Vivid audio g1 and g2. In both cases the 250 alone was the better choice (in the case of the vivid I did the trial in Lawrence Dickie's house - he's the designer of the G series and of the B&W Nautilius... and concurred with my assessment). Now here we are with the OdA, the look is stunning. Functionalities are the same as the 800 (including the software glitches: when I changed the phono setup the entire master configuration stopped working and I had to redo a full system setup).
So how does it sound? First, I concur with Ian that any assessment at this stage needs to be discounted by the newness factor. The one word that keeps coming to mind is NATURAL. The sound is more organic, the concept of separation is gone as there is a continuum across the soundstage and the different instruments, detail is as good as before in the mid-range but big improvements in the highs and the deep lows. Drums do benefit considerably, improving realism and overall musicality. Another important improvement is around authority and control. For lack of a better metaphor it seems that there is a better musician behind each instrument, giving the best of himself! Last, home cinema performance in 2.0 is significantly better, particularly in terms of voice clarity and dynamics management. Net, I am enjoying it a lot and have started counting pennies to see if I can get to the requested price. At a more macro level, this realization should reassure all of us on Devialet's future. I ignore how much of this technology can be applied to the current Expert setup but I am definitely optimistic that we should see some trickle down in the near future for everyone's pleasure. Vive la musique!
Let me start by stating that I am very happy with my current system, the synergies between Devialet and Lawrence audio are many for my delight (I used to own Sophia 3 which pale in comparison). I had tried in the past the 800 with both the Sophia and Vivid audio g1 and g2. In both cases the 250 alone was the better choice (in the case of the vivid I did the trial in Lawrence Dickie's house - he's the designer of the G series and of the B&W Nautilius... and concurred with my assessment). Now here we are with the OdA, the look is stunning. Functionalities are the same as the 800 (including the software glitches: when I changed the phono setup the entire master configuration stopped working and I had to redo a full system setup).
So how does it sound? First, I concur with Ian that any assessment at this stage needs to be discounted by the newness factor. The one word that keeps coming to mind is NATURAL. The sound is more organic, the concept of separation is gone as there is a continuum across the soundstage and the different instruments, detail is as good as before in the mid-range but big improvements in the highs and the deep lows. Drums do benefit considerably, improving realism and overall musicality. Another important improvement is around authority and control. For lack of a better metaphor it seems that there is a better musician behind each instrument, giving the best of himself! Last, home cinema performance in 2.0 is significantly better, particularly in terms of voice clarity and dynamics management. Net, I am enjoying it a lot and have started counting pennies to see if I can get to the requested price. At a more macro level, this realization should reassure all of us on Devialet's future. I ignore how much of this technology can be applied to the current Expert setup but I am definitely optimistic that we should see some trickle down in the near future for everyone's pleasure. Vive la musique!
