I'm interested in the 120 series...

[Flm09]

I have narrowed  my choices down to the Icon Audio Stereo 30SE  or the D120.

I currently  have a Nad c390dd with Martin Logan motion Esl.

What is  the sound of the current 120 series.  I like a warm analog detail sound. Please help me sort out all the iterations. I have read past threads with owners upgrading  to newer models and now list warmth.  Please explain your experiences? 

Thanks!

[Damon]

Hello Flm09,

I'll respond, as I'm one who had a D120 and upgraded. I don't have any knowledge of the Icon Audio amplifier or your speakers.

My first point is that I upgraded because I loved the D120 and wanted to stay current in the amplifier line up; I was undecided for a long time, but reviews and comments by others as well as the additional power and interest in the future streaming board helped me decide to make the upgrade choice. I don't think the D220 upgrade has lost 'warmth' however, and some have commented that the new amps sound more 'analogue' than the Expert series. But I don't think you are interested in the upgrade or Pro series anyway.

The second point would be that I don't think many owners of Devialet amps think of the Devialet 'sound' as warm or analogue in character. At least not in an overt way. I personally find the sound quite 'correct' and neither notably warm or digital in any way. But the detail is absolutely there, both with the Expert amps and the Pro series. I have used several tube amps in the past, and I don't feel I'm missing warmth or emotion with Devialet Expert or Pro amps.

I actually have a NuPrime amp in my office, and it is certainly a more.... lean (?) sounding amp than the Devialet.

As the Icon Audio amp is a tube amp, it will almost certainly have a much different character. If you really want the sound of 'warm tubes' it might be the amp that suits your ears and preferences. If you have come down to these two contenders, you must have listened to both, and so should have a feel about the way the amps work, especially with your speakers.

[thumb5]

If you're looking for detail then a Devialet is likely to deliver it, in spades, with the right speakers. On the other hand if you're looking for warmth, I wouldn't say that's one of its main characteristics; rather, it's a rather tonally neutral amplifier in both the original Expert and new Expert Pro incarnations. That said, it does offer tone controls so you might be able to experiment and "dial in" some warmth to your taste.

Not sure how much reading around you might have done, but you might know that the Devialet is heavily based on digital technology. Even the analog inputs are immediately converted to digital and make their way through the amp in purely digital form. The power stage is a hybrid of analog and digital, which is claimed to give the accuracy of class A analog with the high efficiency of class D digital. Now, you said you like "analog" sound: I'm not sure what you really mean by that, but I can say that -- to my ears at least -- the Devialet does not suffer from the criticisms people often level at digital audio and class D amplifiers (whether or not they are justified in stereotyping such things as "digital sound").

Finally, it's easy to look at what is a rather slim and elegant "pizza box" and think it can't possibly have enough guts to drive big, power-hungry speakers to a decent level. I still find it surprising, even shocking, how much power they can deliver. That might be a factor to be aware of if you're auditioning against other amplifiers that look more imposing.

As always there is no substitute for listening, ideally in your home and with your speakers, before you consider buying. Where are you based? Is there a dealer near you?

[thumb5]

Another thing to think about is that the D120 is a very different beast to the Icon Audio amp you mentioned.  It has a much wider selection of inputs, built-in phono stage, built-in network streaming, and so on.  Maybe those are not of interest to you at the moment if you're considering the Icon, but it could save you a lot of additional boxes if you need those things now or later.

On the other hand, it is a fairly "technical" product, and might require a bit of configuration and "tinkering" to make it do exactly what you want.  The amplifier contains several microprocessors and Devialet periodically release updated firmware to support new features;   As you'll see from other threads on this forum, these updates can result in questions about how the updates work and may (arguably!) change the sound quality.  Fine if you enjoy that sort of thing, but if you're looking for a simple "fit and forget" item then it might not be your cup of tea.

[Hph6000]

hello Flm09

I sold my Lyngdorf tdai 2200 with roomperfect and went for D120 .
With SAM on my Martin Logan Electromotion (70%) its as having 2 subs in perfect timing with my esl.
I love the deep and fast bass .
Miss roomperfect ? I choose SAM before roomperfect .Maybe i will try Dirac someday
I can strongly recommend D120 for Esl

[Flm09]

Thanks for all the responses! I only heard the 400 model at a local dealer not sure what series.  They were driving Wilson Sabrinas.  I played my own dis and I knew these were digital amps but didn't sound like my Nad direct digital amp. Devialet had a more fluid airer sound with great focus. Only thing I noticed was the treble was not pristine. The center image had a freeness like the real thing.  Never gave it much thought as out of my price range. But now I can locate a D120 with a good price. I will try to ask if a 120 is avail to demo at home. Btw I listen to a tube amp cayin in triode mode with my speakers and certainly has a certain presence but losing some of the finer nuances of the music. Trying to achieve sound close to live music.

[Flm09]

Also I read somewhere that D120 owner and reviewer preferred firmware 7.13 vs the newer firmware which lost the fluid delicate sound.

[Flm09]

hello Flm09

I sold my Lyngdorf tdai 2200 with roomperfect and went for D120 .
With SAM on my Martin Logan Electromotion (70%) its as having  2 subs in perfect timing with my esl.
I love the deep and fast bass .
Miss roomperfect ? I choose  SAM before roomperfect .Maybe i will try Dirac   someday
I can strongly  recommend D120 for  Esl

What do you mean by 70%? So there is a profile for the entry level Motion Esl with one woofer?

[BoyScout]

The SAM mode can be adjusted from 0% tp 100% or disabled, depending on your taste.
I suggest a visit to the "SAM Ready speakers", to see if it´s available for yours and learn a bit about it.

https://en.devialet.com/sam-ready-speakers/list

I had a pair of Martin Logan, the Sequel ll or lll. Great sound.
I hope you´ll make the right decison. Enjoy.

[Flm09]

The SAM mode can be adjusted from 0% tp 100% or disabled, depending on your taste.
I suggest a visit to the "SAM Ready speakers", to see if it´s available for yours and learn a bit about it.

https://en.devialet.com/sam-ready-speakers/list

I had a pair of Martin Logan, the Sequel ll or lll. Great sound.
I hope you´ll make the right decison. Enjoy.

Oh now I see! Thanks!