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1000 Pro Review
#31
(02-Nov-2016, 00:49)Damon Wrote: I thought it is interesting that JF felt he had to spend $100,000.00 USD to equal the D120.... or finally better it. So I can sleep well, too!

It makes sense to me that the real capability of the 1000 Pro comes through with the best source material, and similarly, with more spacious and dynamic music than with most rock music. And I suspect that his system is very revealing of the small details in sound quality and characteristics. It may be that less capable systems may not show the differences as easily as his does.

I think also that he notes the Devialet 'house sound' is present in both amps, with the D1000Pro simply giving more of the subtleties and dynamics in the recording. There is not a perfect amp that will do everything for every listener, but if the Pro series competes with the very expensive Boulder and Soulution amps, then that is good company indeed. And it fits easily into the overhead storage compartment in most airplanes.

Yes, quite, considering the price of the reference kit, the whole basis of the review is incredibly positive.

This does make me think of the A/B test that I did with the D800 vs the 1000 Pro though.  The music used for this was about a 1 hour playlist, which included only one 24bit track, all the rest were 16/44.1.  Also, broadly speaking the music was 'rock / electronica', with tracks selected because they are representative of what I typically listen to, not because they were the finest source material.  Despite this, it was easy enough to discern that the 1000 Pro was a significant step up.  Refer also Mka's blind comparison of the O'dA vs the 1000 Pro.  To separate these two blind was a significant result I thought.  Maybe it's a quirk of the Magico's?  Or maybe Mr Fritz needs to try a bit harder or get his ear wax sorted! Sad

EDIT: I see Mr Fritz ends with 'The last-generation Devialets I’ve heard -- the 120, the 200, and the 400 -- are still super products. The Expert 1000 Pro is just a little bit better in ways that might mean more to some listeners than to others.' To be honest, I can't argue with that!
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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#32
(02-Nov-2016, 13:32)Rufus McDufus Wrote: The prices in the U.K. seem a bit different. I can see on eBay a few D200s have sold recently for £3395-3495. Upgrade price is £2995 so worst case that's about £6500 for a Used D200 to upgrade to a D220Pro.  New D220pros are £6990 on a couple of UK sites so not a huge amount more, and possibly a discount might be negotiated on that?

The D220 Pro is $14,000 in Canada or £8500.  D200 used is $4000 or £2420.  Sigh!

Upgrading to the D220 Pro ends up costing me $16000 in total. £9707  I could maybe sell it at that point newly upgraded in box for $11,000 CDN and come out 2k ahead of selling it as a D200.
Roon->HQPlayer->McIntosh C47->McIntosh MC301s>Transparent Super->Wilson Audio Sabrinas w/ Shunyata Denali, Rega RP8, Rega Apheta 2


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#33
(01-Nov-2016, 23:59)Dr Tone Wrote:
(01-Nov-2016, 23:47)moreno1973 Wrote: IMO...200 is just THE best Devialet product EVER regarding cost/performance ratio. 250 was better in SQ but price was very very High. And now with these new highend prices for PRO products from Devialet are not so interesting. But buying ex-demo 200 for 5000 Euro is still a good offer.

I agree the 200 in general,  but 5000 EUR isn't a good deal on a used 200.  In Canada I'd be very lucky to get 2800 EUR now that the Pro's and the upgrade pricing has been announced.  Basically the price of a used 120 is all they are worth now.  Sad

You almost have to spend money on a 220 Pro upgrade to make it sellable and worth something again.

Or wait until all 120's are upgraded.
Devialet Expert 200 (FW 7.1.3) / Magnepan 1.7i / Rel T5 / Foobar (WASAPI event 24bit) / AIR 3.0.1 public beta (best Air 3.x.x SQ by far)
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#34
(02-Nov-2016, 14:03)Confused Wrote: This does make me think of the A/B test that I did with the D800 vs the 1000 Pro though.  The music used for this was about a 1 hour playlist, which included only one 24bit track, all the rest were 16/44.1.  Also, broadly speaking the music was 'rock / electronica', with tracks selected because they are representative of what I typically listen to, not because they were the finest source material.  Despite this, it was easy enough to discern that the 1000 Pro was a significant step up.  Refer also Mka's blind comparison of the O'dA vs the 1000 Pro.  To separate these two blind was a significant result I thought.  Maybe it's a quirk of the Magico's?  Or maybe Mr Fritz needs to try a bit harder or get his ear wax sorted! Sad

I remember reading your posts about your tests, and I'm certain that your impressions are correct. I would certainly hope that the differences are real and discernible, and I know others here have made similar comments about the change in sound quality. I would also add that I personally valued your assessment as we too listen to a lot of 'rock' and electronica. Other stuff too, but contemporary music is in heavy rotation (As well as the fossils from the the oddball rock side).

BTW, here in Canada, there is a used D120 going for $3,800.00 CDN; I'm almost tempted to buy it and have two D120 systems! Someone else has a D120 and wants to trade it, plus $500.00, for a D200 as he wants the pre out and isn't upgrading.

The new D130Pro is getting virtually no press or comment, but it retails for $10,000.00. I'd love to see a comparison of the D120 & the D130 Pro as the closest siblings at the bargain end of the line up.
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
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#35
(01-Nov-2016, 10:12)Pim van Vliet Wrote: I sent an email to Jeff asking whether he has thought of trying a different source and if he used SAM or not. I've sent him an email in the past and he replies much quicker than Devialet Wink

Maybe it's better to write here http://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/feedback if you have not yet received an answer
Pro-Ject CD BOX RS--Roon--Qobuz Studio--Technics SL-1200GR--Synergistic Research Tricon Analogue 20th Anniversary--AT-OC9XSL--AudioQuest Niagara 1200--AudioQuest NRG-Z3--Devialet 220 Pro CI--Kimber Kable 4PR--Harbeth SHL5--Sumiko S.9 Subwoofers--Sennheiser HD 540 Reference Gold--IsoAcoustics GAIA II and Orea Graphite
Alicante (Spain)
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#36
(01-Nov-2016, 16:28)Dr Tone Wrote: The speakers definitely played a part in this one.

Not sure why the input used is such an issue to some.  As long as he used the same input on both amps is all that matters.  His computer driving the amps might be well be optimized with battery power etc etc.  Calling him out for not using AIR is silly.

What I deduce from the review is:  If your speakers are easy to drive upgrading might not be that big of a change.  If you listen to red book or less mostly, upgrading might not be that big of a change.  Some of the upgrade user reviews on this site after being away from their amps for 2+ weeks, might just contain a little expectation bias.  Ducking for cover on that last comment.

I completely agree with you.
The speakers characteristics play an important role in whether you'll hear a significant increase in SQ by upgrading to a more powerful amp. I experienced this when I upgraded from my 250 to the 800. My Gauder Cassiano are not an easy load, so the effect in SQ was great. I doubt, that it's the marginally better parameters like distortion and signal-to-noise ratio of the 800 compared to the 250, which I perceived as an improvement. I guess it's just the higher damping factor due to the increased power.

Expectation bias you'll find everywhere in the hifi business. Ask people who just have spent several thousand Euros/Dollars if it's worth the improvement. Guess the answer...
Recently experienced by me when it came to upgrading my Gauder speakers (mainly the crossover). I heard praise from all users who did the upgrade and from the dealer of course, too. I took the time (half a day) to listen to the upgraded version on my own D800. Nearly no difference - and I tried hard to discover significant changes. That saved me a lot of money.
I'll do the same with the upgrade D800-D1000 as soon as I have the chance. If there's a significant improvement for me I will not hesitate. If it's only minor I will wait until some specs of the new streamer board come up. Until now the streamer board appears to be just "vaporware", since nearly no facts have been stated by Devialet. The suspense continues...
Mac Mini - HQPlayer 4 - USB - D1000 - Gauder Akustik Cassiano
Isolated cables made from conductive material
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#37
Expert to Expert Pro doesn't revolve solely around the power output increases we see in the model numbers. In fact I think it's the least impacting change, especially a 20W increase for 200->220 Pro is completely insignificant. Also there's people enjoying improved SQ from a 250 Pro versus the 250.

http://www.devialet.com/assets/V3/pdf/Wh...Pro-EN.pdf
PS Audio P3, Shunyata ΞTRON Alpha Digital and HC/Furutech power cables, Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4, DIY Roon Server & Roon Endpoint running AudioLinux Headless, Phasure Lush^2 USB cable, Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet, Uptone Audio etherREGEN, Mutec MC-3+ USB, Shunyata ΞTRON Anaconda Digital XLR AES/EBU, Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI, Nordost Tyr Reference LS cables, Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary Edition, Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0, JL Audio Fathom F112. More detail here.

The Netherlands
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#38
(11-Nov-2016, 11:35)Antoine Wrote: Expert to Expert Pro doesn't revolve solely around the power output increases we see in the model numbers. In fact I think it's the least impacting change, especially a 20W increase for 200->220 Pro is completely insignificant. Also there's people enjoying improved SQ from a 250 Pro versus the 250.

http://www.devialet.com/assets/V3/pdf/Wh...Pro-EN.pdf

Agreed!  And I'm listening to mine now.  From what I'm hearing, detail, resolution, shear realism, I think the new ADH is contributing a lot.  Maybe the power helps, new PSU and so on, but I'm convinced the new ADH contributing significantly to the Pro performance.
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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#39
(11-Nov-2016, 11:35)Antoine Wrote: Expert to Expert Pro doesn't revolve solely around the power output increases we see in the model numbers. In fact I think it's the least impacting change, especially a 20W increase for 200->220 Pro is completely insignificant. Also there's people enjoying improved SQ from a 250 Pro versus the 250.

http://www.devialet.com/assets/V3/pdf/Wh...Pro-EN.pdf

I don't deny that there's a significant improvement of the Expert Pro compared to the "old" Expert, which is not related to any power increase. To be honest, I hope there is (although I'm already very satisfied with my D800, but if you can get more...) However, I need to hear the difference before I spend money for that.
Mac Mini - HQPlayer 4 - USB - D1000 - Gauder Akustik Cassiano
Isolated cables made from conductive material
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#40
The review concludes by saying: 

"As to how the Expert 1000 Pro stacks up against other Devialet models, I can say without hesitation that it’s better -- but not night-and-day better. It’s a refinement of the Devialet sound, not a departure from it or a great leap forward. The last-generation Devialets I’ve heard -- the 120, the 200, and the 400 -- are still super products. The Expert 1000 Pro is just a little bit better in ways that might mean more to some listeners than to others."

Exactly what I anticipated when I bought a quad stack of highly discounted D400s, instead of waiting for the 1000 Pros. I expect that the newer units will produce a refinement, but not an outright difference. It would be subtle, and whether that's worth $35 grand is something only each of us can individually assess. In my analysis, it was not, so I chose to stay with the older line, and benefit from the massive discounting. 
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