I have some thoughts. Firstly, I understand the sentiments posted by many in this thread. If you feel let down by Devialet, with issues such as AIR, poor communication or whatever, then the thought of dishing out more cash for Devialet's benefit is not a good thought. I understand all of this and have no argument here. (and I have thought much of it myself!)
Having said that, there have been a few comments made that I am not so sure about. One is that there will be a lack of future support for the existing Expert models. OK, the streamer board will be Pro only, and for those that bought into the single box idea with AIR delivering the goods this is annoying. You could of course buy a microRendu or mR +Mutec for the price of the streamer board, but this does not mitigate the annoyance with AIR. However, for any other firmware updates that provide new features, I think these will be available for the non-Pro models. Looking back, we have seen the D-Premier supported, but new features that that work only on the Expert, and not the D-Premier. Think SAM, RAM or whatever. Why is this? The Expert has the ‘EVO platform’, the D-Premier does not. It is the EVO platform that allows ‘constant improvement via free, regular updates, for ever improved features and performance.’ The point here being is that the EVO platform exists on the Expert range and continues on the Pro, it is logical therefore to conclude that new features offered for the Pro will also work on the Expert, streamer board excepted.
Then we have many posts along the lines of the upgrade scheme trashing second hand values. OK, when a new model emerges it is only to be expected that the previous model is devalued to a degree, this is normal. But an upgrade scheme will serve to take second hand models off the market. So someone looking to upgrade, either up the range or to an alternative product, would look to sell his existing amp, hence putting second hand product on the market. However, anyone who upgrades, is effectively keeping his amp and removing potential second hand stock for a number of years. The rules of supply and demand apply. Also, some have mentioned the Pro models being more expensive, this puzzles me a bit, as the Expert and Pro prices at launch are more or less identical in the UK, but if true, higher new prices will bolster second hand prices. I did have a quick look around, and did not find much evidence of a massive drop in second-hand values, indeed, looking at the for sale section on this forum, it has been slim picking recently. I might be wrong, and if there is evidence of this I will stand corrected. This issue might be different in different markets / countries of course.
There is a flip side to this, if you are a D200 owner and values have plummeted, this is bad, but if you want to move to a D400, your companion is now a bargain. It is an ill wind that blows no good…..
I do understand that the upgrade scheme does look very different from the perspective of different models. The D800 to 1000 Pro upgrade looks like an absolute bargain I think, but in comparison, the D200 to 220 Pro, although arguably still worthwhile, for sure does not have the compelling value of the 800 to 1000 Pro. I understand how incredibly annoying AIR, Devialet’s communication and other issues have been, if you have the D200, which appears to offer the lowest value upgrade this is annoying too. I get this. So it’s a mixed bag, but perhaps not quite as bad as might be indicated in some posts in this thread. But if you have lost faith in the Devialet brand and want to move on, I understand and respect that.
Having said that, there have been a few comments made that I am not so sure about. One is that there will be a lack of future support for the existing Expert models. OK, the streamer board will be Pro only, and for those that bought into the single box idea with AIR delivering the goods this is annoying. You could of course buy a microRendu or mR +Mutec for the price of the streamer board, but this does not mitigate the annoyance with AIR. However, for any other firmware updates that provide new features, I think these will be available for the non-Pro models. Looking back, we have seen the D-Premier supported, but new features that that work only on the Expert, and not the D-Premier. Think SAM, RAM or whatever. Why is this? The Expert has the ‘EVO platform’, the D-Premier does not. It is the EVO platform that allows ‘constant improvement via free, regular updates, for ever improved features and performance.’ The point here being is that the EVO platform exists on the Expert range and continues on the Pro, it is logical therefore to conclude that new features offered for the Pro will also work on the Expert, streamer board excepted.
Then we have many posts along the lines of the upgrade scheme trashing second hand values. OK, when a new model emerges it is only to be expected that the previous model is devalued to a degree, this is normal. But an upgrade scheme will serve to take second hand models off the market. So someone looking to upgrade, either up the range or to an alternative product, would look to sell his existing amp, hence putting second hand product on the market. However, anyone who upgrades, is effectively keeping his amp and removing potential second hand stock for a number of years. The rules of supply and demand apply. Also, some have mentioned the Pro models being more expensive, this puzzles me a bit, as the Expert and Pro prices at launch are more or less identical in the UK, but if true, higher new prices will bolster second hand prices. I did have a quick look around, and did not find much evidence of a massive drop in second-hand values, indeed, looking at the for sale section on this forum, it has been slim picking recently. I might be wrong, and if there is evidence of this I will stand corrected. This issue might be different in different markets / countries of course.
There is a flip side to this, if you are a D200 owner and values have plummeted, this is bad, but if you want to move to a D400, your companion is now a bargain. It is an ill wind that blows no good…..
I do understand that the upgrade scheme does look very different from the perspective of different models. The D800 to 1000 Pro upgrade looks like an absolute bargain I think, but in comparison, the D200 to 220 Pro, although arguably still worthwhile, for sure does not have the compelling value of the 800 to 1000 Pro. I understand how incredibly annoying AIR, Devialet’s communication and other issues have been, if you have the D200, which appears to offer the lowest value upgrade this is annoying too. I get this. So it’s a mixed bag, but perhaps not quite as bad as might be indicated in some posts in this thread. But if you have lost faith in the Devialet brand and want to move on, I understand and respect that.
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
