25-Apr-2017, 01:45
apichetk,
I think that solid state amps are durable and most last a very long time. One advantage of the Devialet, IMHO, is that it runs fairly cool...cooly... er, at cool temperatures relative to some other types of solid state amps. I would expect that the less severe heating and cooling cycles will be good for the product's durability. Also, few solder joints to become brittle and break, and no tubes is certainly a maintenance bonus.
There have been very few hardware problems reported here; some but very few. A few issues with the remote, but again, not many.
To your original question, and without ever having heard an 800 or 440, I would go for the 440 Pro. The sound quality is different in the Pro series, and personally, I think it is better. I think the new amp architecture is more important than the power difference from the 440 to the 800; they both have plenty of grunt, I'm sure (the D220 Pro has a lot of power already). With the 440, you will have current generation hardware, and future software updates will be available. You'll get the advantages of dual mono either way. Plus, the warranty is there if you do need it.
These are just my opinions; the older amps are great, and certainly great bargains as time goes by. But I would feel more comfortable staying with the most current hardware and the improvements it brings.
I think that solid state amps are durable and most last a very long time. One advantage of the Devialet, IMHO, is that it runs fairly cool...cooly... er, at cool temperatures relative to some other types of solid state amps. I would expect that the less severe heating and cooling cycles will be good for the product's durability. Also, few solder joints to become brittle and break, and no tubes is certainly a maintenance bonus.
There have been very few hardware problems reported here; some but very few. A few issues with the remote, but again, not many.
To your original question, and without ever having heard an 800 or 440, I would go for the 440 Pro. The sound quality is different in the Pro series, and personally, I think it is better. I think the new amp architecture is more important than the power difference from the 440 to the 800; they both have plenty of grunt, I'm sure (the D220 Pro has a lot of power already). With the 440, you will have current generation hardware, and future software updates will be available. You'll get the advantages of dual mono either way. Plus, the warranty is there if you do need it.
These are just my opinions; the older amps are great, and certainly great bargains as time goes by. But I would feel more comfortable staying with the most current hardware and the improvements it brings.
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
