the new D220 received!

[yanc]

Much better bass control. Tighter and less boomy.
...

booming is the single issue I have with my 250. As a result I had to lessen bass by a few marks to make it go - but, I feel at the expense of SQ. My SAM is still on at around 40%. Although SAM contributes somewhat to the boominess, I find that its holographic rendering of the sound is part of the Dev charm.

So I went ahead with the upgrade.

But I feel it had more to do with keeping the investment value on and less to do with SQ (which I am very happy with anyway). Extending warranty, and a new leash of life, is probably worth it, in this highly addictive and mighty expensive hobby of ours

[Hifi_swlon]

Wouldn't bass booming be speaker and room related much more than amp/dac related?

[yanc]

maybe that's a thread in itself.

but yeah, I would agree mostly.
except that using the same speakers with the temporary replacement of my 250 (currently an ancient A&R A60 + DAC), there is no booming - albeit the sound doesn't reach anywhere near the bandwidth it does with the Dev.

So it could be that in addition to speaker + room combination, there may also be something in the way the amp handles those low (75 to 150Hz) frequencies that perhaps exaggerates the issue.

[Confused]

maybe that's a thread in itself.

but yeah, I would agree mostly.
except that using the same speakers with the temporary replacement of my 250 (currently an ancient A&R A60 + DAC), there is no booming - albeit the sound doesn't reach anywhere near the bandwidth it does with the Dev.

So it could be that in addition to speaker + room combination, there may also be something in the way the amp handles those low (75 to 150Hz) frequencies that perhaps exaggerates the issue.

Why not reduce the SAM % below the 40% you are using?  Maybe to zero?  This still gives you the full phase and timing corrections that SAM offers, but will reduce the 'bass boost' aspect of SAM.

and yes, Devialet amps do seem to dig much deeper into the lowest bass than many other amps, so I can well imagine that the booming issue is kind of inadvertently reduced with your A&R amp.

[Damon]

I'll just step in to support Confused's suggestion to try SAM at 0%. In my experience, there is still a sonic benefit; in my experience, the midrange gained clarity and 'space' with SAM on and set to 0%. Now back to pondering the 120 >220 Pro upgrade....

[mdconnelly]

Ok, I did it.  Couldn't stand waiting and dreaded the thought of sending my 200 off for upgrade without actually hearing a 220 Pro....

So I went and bought a 220 Pro!   Found an awesome dealer here in the US (Craig Shumer/Theatermax) that actually has a couple in stock.   So I bought one 3 days ago and FedEx just delivered it.  Yep, already hooked up and playing as I type.   Yep, sounds great right out of the box.  Nope, haven't got a clue to share (yet) about SQ of the 220 Pro vs the 200.  But I will.

I won't sell my 200 until after I'm sure the SQ improvement is worth the price difference.    I suspect it won't take long, but I'll give the 220 Pro a couple hundred hours to breakin before I start any real critical listening or comparison.

P.S.   If you're looking to buy a Pro or to upgrade yours, particularly if you're in the US, you might want to touch base with Craig at Theatermax (disclosure: no vested interest beyond just being a very happy customer).  Very knowledge Devialet dealer with a great understanding of what Devialet is up to (imagine that ;-).   You can find him by googling or just PM me for contact info if needed.

[Hifi_swlon]

Ok, I did it.  Couldn't stand waiting and dreaded the thought of sending my 200 off for upgrade without actually hearing a 220 Pro....

So I went and bought a 220 Pro!   Found an awesome dealer here in the US (Craig Shumer/Theatermax) that actually has a couple in stock.   So I bought one 3 days ago and FedEx just delivered it.  Yep, already hooked up and playing as I type.   Yep, sounds great right out of the box.  Nope, haven't got a clue to share (yet) about SQ of the 220 Pro vs the 200.  But I will.

I won't sell my 200 until after I'm sure the SQ improvement is worth the price difference.    I suspect it won't take long, but I'll give the 220 Pro a couple hundred hours to breakin before I start any real critical listening or comparison.

P.S.   If you're looking to buy a Pro or to upgrade yours, particularly if you're in the US, you might want to touch base with Craig at Theatermax (disclosure: no vested interest beyond just being a very happy customer).  Very knowledge Devialet dealer with a great understanding of what Devialet is up to (imagine that ;-).   You can find him by googling or just PM me for contact info if needed.

Nice. Maybe a first impression before you wait the couple hundred hours?!

You say you're hanging onto your 200. So can you return the Pro if you're not convinced?

[mdconnelly]

Ok, I did it.  Couldn't stand waiting and dreaded the thought of sending my 200 off for upgrade without actually hearing a 220 Pro....

So I went and bought a 220 Pro!   Found an awesome dealer here in the US (Craig Shumer/Theatermax) that actually has a couple in stock.   So I bought one 3 days ago and FedEx just delivered it.  Yep, already hooked up and playing as I type.   Yep, sounds great right out of the box.  Nope, haven't got a clue to share (yet) about SQ of the 220 Pro vs the 200.  But I will.

I won't sell my 200 until after I'm sure the SQ improvement is worth the price difference.    I suspect it won't take long, but I'll give the 220 Pro a couple hundred hours to breakin before I start any real critical listening or comparison.

P.S.   If you're looking to buy a Pro or to upgrade yours, particularly if you're in the US, you might want to touch base with Craig at Theatermax (disclosure: no vested interest beyond just being a very happy customer).  Very knowledge Devialet dealer with a great understanding of what Devialet is up to (imagine that ;-).   You can find him by googling or just PM me for contact info if needed.

Nice.  Maybe a first impression before you wait the couple hundred hours?!

You say you're hanging onto your 200. So can you return the Pro if you're not convinced?

Sure, I won't deny listening some last night, but I do remember how the 200 changed after a week or so, so any thoughts at this point are not likely to be consistent with end result.

I was reading and not critically listening, but it would occasionally grab my attention away.  I noticed two things...

1) base definition and depth.  Just more there there.  Not boomy or muddy... just very well defined, deeper and more realistic.  I don't use a subwoofer and this almost felt a bit like the benefits of a very well integrated sub.
2) natural top-end extension.  Things like cymbal shimmers were just a bit more magical.

I would say the sound stage may have seemed just a bit closed in but that is precisely what I remember changing/improving most with the 200 so I do fully expect that to open up although it certainly wasn't bad by any means.

So I'm hanging on to the 200 for at least a week or two in order to fully compare it to the 220 Pro.   To be honest, I didn't (and don't) expect to not like the 220 Pro and   returning it is not really an option (well, not without a cost ;-) but I rationalized it by figuring I could flip it if needed since it is in high demand.   I just didn't want to plunk down the upgrade cost without having first heard it.  I unfortunately lost my local Devialet dealer and therefore any chance of hearing one without at least a several hundred mile drive.   So when I found a US Devialet dealer that actually had a few 220 Pros in stock, I jumped.    Even with shipping costs (he's in Florida, I'm in North Carolina - 600+ miles away), buying a 220 Pro and selling my 200 will likely end up being close to a wash compared to the cost of upgrading.   This way I got the ability to compare them (my home, my system, my ears) and not have to wait weeks without one while it's upgraded.   
 
If I can't sell the 200 at a reasonable price, then who knows, maybe I'll upgrade it to end up with a 440 Pro.  Not sure how I'll finagle that past my wife, the accountant, so hopefully selling the 200 won't be too hard.  It is still an awesome integrated amp and at the price they're going for in the used market, a pretty awesome entry point into the world of Devialet.

[Theatermax]

Ok, I did it.  Couldn't stand waiting and dreaded the thought of sending my 200 off for upgrade without actually hearing a 220 Pro....

So I went and bought a 220 Pro!   Found an awesome dealer here in the US (Craig Shumer/Theatermax) that actually has a couple in stock.   So I bought one 3 days ago and FedEx just delivered it.  Yep, already hooked up and playing as I type.   Yep, sounds great right out of the box.  Nope, haven't got a clue to share (yet) about SQ of the 220 Pro vs the 200.  But I will.

I won't sell my 200 until after I'm sure the SQ improvement is worth the price difference.    I suspect it won't take long, but I'll give the 220 Pro a couple hundred hours to breakin before I start any real critical listening or comparison.

P.S.   If you're looking to buy a Pro or to upgrade yours, particularly if you're in the US, you might want to touch base with Craig at Theatermax (disclosure: no vested interest beyond just being a very happy customer).  Very knowledge Devialet dealer with a great understanding of what Devialet is up to (imagine that ;-).   You can find him by googling or just PM me for contact info if needed.


MD , Thank you so much for the kind words.. I am very happy to have helped you and so glad your enjoying the 220 so far. Once broken in I have a strange feeling you will be upgrading your other 200 or just buying another 220 .. 

I have my new Set of KEF Blade 2 on the way down to us and hope in the next 7-10 days to have my 440 system setup with my Blade 2's..I will follow up with pics of course.

So far the customers running 220's are noticing some very exciting sonic improvements. It's still early and they haven't shipped that many 220's yet but soon enough lots of people will have them and hopefully report back what I am seeing so far.

Thanks
Craig Shumer
Theatermax.com
20 years of Audio Excellence.

[Cosmosound]

update:

The Demo unit has been burnt for about 40 hours only. (didnt have much time to use it in the store - too busy I guess )
Got a good first impression but I prefer to have it burnt a little longer before posting my final thought here