26-Jul-2017, 16:06
FWIW; I had the opportunity to extensively compare a 120 with a 220pro in the comfort of my own home.
I did this comparison twice, with a few weeks in between.
Second time, I held a 'listening party' and invited some fellow music/audio lovers to share opinions.
(We mostly listened to lp's via Wilson speakers, running the latest firmware on both models.)
General consensus was that the Devialet signature sound is basically quite similar, irrespective of the model; the difference is not as in-your-face as you'd expect.
The D120 has a smooth and very pleasing mid-range, whereas the 220Pro offers slightly more detail in the highs and lows and an increased sense of control/clarity.
Now here's the funny thing - in the end, nobody had a definite preference of one model over the other.
Personally, I liked the greater musical involvement I felt with the 120 over the 220Pro, but that might be me talking myself out of an (expensive!) upgrade.
(We all did feel that the D120 did better presenting voices, for some reason.)
In the end, both amps are excellent and a reference in their price range.
Buy whatever your budget allows you to, but don't get sucked into the maelstrom of "bigger is better".
That lil' ole D120 is one heck of an amp.
I did this comparison twice, with a few weeks in between.
Second time, I held a 'listening party' and invited some fellow music/audio lovers to share opinions.
(We mostly listened to lp's via Wilson speakers, running the latest firmware on both models.)
General consensus was that the Devialet signature sound is basically quite similar, irrespective of the model; the difference is not as in-your-face as you'd expect.
The D120 has a smooth and very pleasing mid-range, whereas the 220Pro offers slightly more detail in the highs and lows and an increased sense of control/clarity.
Now here's the funny thing - in the end, nobody had a definite preference of one model over the other.
Personally, I liked the greater musical involvement I felt with the 120 over the 220Pro, but that might be me talking myself out of an (expensive!) upgrade.
(We all did feel that the D120 did better presenting voices, for some reason.)
In the end, both amps are excellent and a reference in their price range.
Buy whatever your budget allows you to, but don't get sucked into the maelstrom of "bigger is better".
That lil' ole D120 is one heck of an amp.
Devialet 120 - Wilson Sophia - Technics SL-1000 - Rega Apollo - Chromecast
