14-Jan-2016, 20:45
(This post was last modified: 14-Jan-2016, 20:53 by GuillaumeB.)
Hi guys
First of all a big thanks for Jon of OAC for trudging all the way down here with that massive wooden crate! Boy it's heavy, definitely a two man job decanting from car to house. (Ian - how on earth did you manage this on your own??)
Allen keys aplenty we proceeded to remove the wooden cover to find a beautifully presented Master and Companion in glorious copper gold. A very subtle colour I should add, definitely not bling. In some lights it was more of a shade of copper gold. Full marks for first impressions!
We got it connected up very quickly using my existing cables - sorry chaps but no reviews of the AQ cables here. The object was to try and create a level playing field in terms of the 800 v O d'A and make as few changes as possible.
Immediately you are aware of the crystal clear Devialet sound and presentation, nothing much has changed here. But upon playing more challenging pieces at high volumes I found myself being drawn into the music and almost forgetting about this review. At one point we realised that the Devialets had defaulted to 0% SAM. On turning this up to 100% some of the magic started to happen. Massive scale, incredibly realistic drums in terms of sound pressure and pure guttural effect... almost Phantom-like in their delivery but of course with much greater tonal density and refinement... the greater the dynamic swings in the music, and the more complex the pieces the more we could appreciate the improvement wrought by the O d'A. It just kept its cool - quite literally: after 2 hours of vigorous exercise the units barely registered high 20s.
I'm not sure I could hear more detail but rather greater coherence and of course musicality. The soundstage seemed greater, deeper perhaps. The instruments were a bit more spread out in the room and had a bit more air to breathe in. In that sense it was more realistic, just like a live performance. Some of the brass sounds were mad, I don't remember experiencing that kind of piercing directness with the 800.
I would say that the O d'A is a better, more accomplished 800. The same car with a bigger engine rather than a new dashboard and new steering wheel. A better engine sound and greater torque. More enjoyment.
I had a few hairs at the back of my neck moments.
Without wishing to gloat I have placed my order. This ones too good to pass up. I can't wait to revisit my entire music collection.
Guillaume
First of all a big thanks for Jon of OAC for trudging all the way down here with that massive wooden crate! Boy it's heavy, definitely a two man job decanting from car to house. (Ian - how on earth did you manage this on your own??)
Allen keys aplenty we proceeded to remove the wooden cover to find a beautifully presented Master and Companion in glorious copper gold. A very subtle colour I should add, definitely not bling. In some lights it was more of a shade of copper gold. Full marks for first impressions!
We got it connected up very quickly using my existing cables - sorry chaps but no reviews of the AQ cables here. The object was to try and create a level playing field in terms of the 800 v O d'A and make as few changes as possible.
Immediately you are aware of the crystal clear Devialet sound and presentation, nothing much has changed here. But upon playing more challenging pieces at high volumes I found myself being drawn into the music and almost forgetting about this review. At one point we realised that the Devialets had defaulted to 0% SAM. On turning this up to 100% some of the magic started to happen. Massive scale, incredibly realistic drums in terms of sound pressure and pure guttural effect... almost Phantom-like in their delivery but of course with much greater tonal density and refinement... the greater the dynamic swings in the music, and the more complex the pieces the more we could appreciate the improvement wrought by the O d'A. It just kept its cool - quite literally: after 2 hours of vigorous exercise the units barely registered high 20s.
I'm not sure I could hear more detail but rather greater coherence and of course musicality. The soundstage seemed greater, deeper perhaps. The instruments were a bit more spread out in the room and had a bit more air to breathe in. In that sense it was more realistic, just like a live performance. Some of the brass sounds were mad, I don't remember experiencing that kind of piercing directness with the 800.
I would say that the O d'A is a better, more accomplished 800. The same car with a bigger engine rather than a new dashboard and new steering wheel. A better engine sound and greater torque. More enjoyment.
I had a few hairs at the back of my neck moments.
Without wishing to gloat I have placed my order. This ones too good to pass up. I can't wait to revisit my entire music collection.
Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research
220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD
UK