18-Feb-2016, 11:16
(This post was last modified: 18-Feb-2016, 11:19 by Hifi_swlon.)
Womaz was close(ish) Nick, but…..
AIR is useless, and so the Devialet/AIR combination didn't work as advertised and was a huge disappointment. I'm not calling the hardware useless per-se, but since they were marketed and sold as a 'package' and I intended to use the D200 in that way - clearing out all hifi from my lounge except the beautiful D200 which i could allegedly stream to - it's hard not to lump them together in that sense and in my particular case.
Compared to many frequenting this forum, I'm not quite so evangelical about the D200 itself. I was drawn to its looks, its feature set, its 'upgradeability', the remote, its streaming capabilities, the lure of modern tone controls, and its technical innovation. More than anything, I loved the all-in-one idea, and so I actually bought it without demo (a lot of the time I demo, but not always, and have never really been disappointed). AIR we've covered, but since owning it I've found few of the key features really lived up to my expectations. The EVO platform 'upgradeability' seems more a marketing exercise in acronym creation than anything else, I hate the fact that I can hear 'chattering' from the PSU (I mean, my Naim was actually quiet), I love the remote as a device but since it lacks buttons you're also reliant on the iPhone ap which again looks beautiful but isn't very functional and seems like its long been forgotten, and the tone controls actually aren't really very well designed. I also don't like the fact that if I want to do something simple like enable an input, I have to go through a long-winded process with an online Configurator and SD cards. There are other niggles, but I'm sure other devices have similar issues...
How does it sound? In my opinion I think its 'good'. 'Very good' probably. I find the Devialet sounds 'different' to anything I've heard before though, and something about it bothers me. But this could be for so many reasons so just to be clear I don't blame the unit in any way for the way it sounds - it does what it does and its up to the user to decide if its something that suits them. I decided to keep it, but the key factor there was getting rid of things that looked like hifi from the lounge rather than anything else, and this was a decision that had been made based on the Devialet's looks and streaming capability - the faults with AIR I foolishly assumed would be fixed in no time and I figured the issues I'd read on forums must have been exaggerated….. after all, its a £5000 device. How wrong I was.
So, removing AIR (which is hard for me) it's a nice DAC/amplifier, but the frustration it's caused - exaggerated by Devialet's arrogant stance - has massively overpowered any positives. I'll replace it in a heartbeat as soon as there's a suitable candidate and I'm in a position to do so.
Now I make sure I send the message about AIR far and wide. I don't want anyone else to get suckered into buying one thinking they can reliably stream to it, if thats how they intend to use it. Sure if it's a bonus feature then fine, take a chance, but if you need/want to use to that way steer clear - the world in this area is evolving fast and there are loads of other options out there, even more if you assume you have to connect via USB or whatever.
AIR is useless, and so the Devialet/AIR combination didn't work as advertised and was a huge disappointment. I'm not calling the hardware useless per-se, but since they were marketed and sold as a 'package' and I intended to use the D200 in that way - clearing out all hifi from my lounge except the beautiful D200 which i could allegedly stream to - it's hard not to lump them together in that sense and in my particular case.
Compared to many frequenting this forum, I'm not quite so evangelical about the D200 itself. I was drawn to its looks, its feature set, its 'upgradeability', the remote, its streaming capabilities, the lure of modern tone controls, and its technical innovation. More than anything, I loved the all-in-one idea, and so I actually bought it without demo (a lot of the time I demo, but not always, and have never really been disappointed). AIR we've covered, but since owning it I've found few of the key features really lived up to my expectations. The EVO platform 'upgradeability' seems more a marketing exercise in acronym creation than anything else, I hate the fact that I can hear 'chattering' from the PSU (I mean, my Naim was actually quiet), I love the remote as a device but since it lacks buttons you're also reliant on the iPhone ap which again looks beautiful but isn't very functional and seems like its long been forgotten, and the tone controls actually aren't really very well designed. I also don't like the fact that if I want to do something simple like enable an input, I have to go through a long-winded process with an online Configurator and SD cards. There are other niggles, but I'm sure other devices have similar issues...
How does it sound? In my opinion I think its 'good'. 'Very good' probably. I find the Devialet sounds 'different' to anything I've heard before though, and something about it bothers me. But this could be for so many reasons so just to be clear I don't blame the unit in any way for the way it sounds - it does what it does and its up to the user to decide if its something that suits them. I decided to keep it, but the key factor there was getting rid of things that looked like hifi from the lounge rather than anything else, and this was a decision that had been made based on the Devialet's looks and streaming capability - the faults with AIR I foolishly assumed would be fixed in no time and I figured the issues I'd read on forums must have been exaggerated….. after all, its a £5000 device. How wrong I was.
So, removing AIR (which is hard for me) it's a nice DAC/amplifier, but the frustration it's caused - exaggerated by Devialet's arrogant stance - has massively overpowered any positives. I'll replace it in a heartbeat as soon as there's a suitable candidate and I'm in a position to do so.
Now I make sure I send the message about AIR far and wide. I don't want anyone else to get suckered into buying one thinking they can reliably stream to it, if thats how they intend to use it. Sure if it's a bonus feature then fine, take a chance, but if you need/want to use to that way steer clear - the world in this area is evolving fast and there are loads of other options out there, even more if you assume you have to connect via USB or whatever.
>>> 1st Place Award: Devialet, last decades most disappointing technology purchase. <<<
