Invitation to send your PRO to Paris

[baconbrain]

Just received this from Devialet Support in response to my question of plans regarding possible Phantom and Expert Line integration:

Thank you for your message and your interest in our products.

For now, Expert and Phantom are actually not compatible in a same setup.
Our goal is indeed to integrate all our products together but for now it is not the case.
I hope it will the case in a near future.

My personal summary of the statement being that I guess we can forget about any Dante functionality in the new streamer board ...

[SquiggFSM]

New update form the Devialet CEO no less...

Dear friends,

I know you’ve been patiently awaiting the arrival of our Core Infinity software update for some time now. We had initially slated it for release today, and I regret to inform you that we are not yet able to roll out the current version. Unfortunately, it remains incomplete and fails to meet our stringent quality and safety controls. I am only too aware of the disappointment this additional delay will cause you.

That’s why I want to be perfectly open with you and provide you with a detailed update on our software progress.  

Devialet OS is based on an audio Linux kernel that enables your Expert Pro to receive regular updates, providing you with various services and features. Our new hardware support and the system foundations have been fully tested and approved. However, the update mechanism has revealed certain weaknesses that we are in the process of correcting. This is vital to our product integrity, and we are now in the final stages of performing checks.

The other features we initially announced need more validation.

First and foremost, Devialet AIR, designed to stream your content in bit-perfect quality. Tailoring it to Core Infinity has required more adjustments than we first thought. We are still encountering issues with 192kHz HD files. Over the next few weeks, we should have a fully operational version of AIR 3 for Core Infinity via both Ethernet and WiFi.

The Roon team are working hard to make the necessary improvements to Expert Pro | Roon integration. We feel confident they will meet the same time frame.

As for Spotify Connect, we now have a functional first version, though there are still a few bugs to correct, including volume management. During trials, we met further complications, such as the need to limit volume control to -12dB from the Spotify app so as to protect both your ears and your systems. Once the next phase of development is complete, we will need to be fully Spotify-Connect.

AirPlay: I have been using AirPlay at home all weekend, and with significant stability. Here again, there are a few minor volume issues to resolve prior to becoming Apple-certified.

UPnP: We are a only few days from releasing UPnP internally. It will then move forward for final testing and approval.

Last but not least, automatic source-to-source switching continue to generate occasional software crashes. Our engineers are working tirelessly to correct them, one by one.

Software development is always a complex and lengthy process and often leads to overly-protracted delays in release dates. I can only imagine your frustration and hope you’ll trust me when I say that we’re doing everything in our power to provide you with software that meets your expectations as quickly as possible.

Here’s a quick recap of our roadmap:

By tomorrow, November 8, we will deliver a 2.2 Alpha version to our dealers and retailers so they can test it and let you request a demo should you so wish. This version features AIR, Spotify Connect and AirPlay. It is not yet sufficiently stable to be made publicly available.
On November 16, Core Infinity will be presented to the press, along with AIR, Spotify Connect, AirPlay and UPnP. Once again, this version will not be made public.
By the week commencing November 20, two versions will be made available. They will still be in Beta, without critical bugs but with a few residual bugs.
2.1 Release Candidate with AIR 3 and UPnP
2.2 Beta, with AIR, Spotify Connect, AirPlay and UPnP.
We aim to release the official 2.2 Version by mid-December.
For regular progress updates on Core Infinity, you can follow our logbook here and share your thoughts with us.
Please be aware that we consistently take into account your comments and suggestions shared across different channels. More new features will follow all throughout 2018.

We will begin installing your Core Infinity boards as a priority over the coming days and continue through to late December. We’ll be starting with the Original d’Atelier and Expert 1000 Pro, and then proceed to upgrade your systems chronologically by order date. You will shortly receive an email informing you of your Expert Pro collection date. You will then be able to choose from the 2.1 Release candidate and 2.2 Beta versions or wait for our stable release. It goes without saying that any physical removal of your Expert Pro system will remain on a needs-only basis.

You were among our earliest and strongest supporters and I know how much we owe you. We are doing our utmost to regain your trust. I shall make sure of it personally.

Warm regards,


Quentin Sannié
Devialet CEO

[SwissBear]

Just received a long and detailed message from Quentin Sannié, Devialet CEO, about the software upgrade. This will hopefully address part of the acrimony of certain contributors in this forum.

Although a bit concerned about the potential loss of musicality which could result from the upgrade, as I was very happy with the tonality of my D900, I am sending my machine back to Paris today for upgrade.

I would like to underline that I am a really happy customer of Devialet, in part because I found ways to feed my machine with a close to perfect source via AES/EBU, following the steps of Antoine. This has allowed me to wait for the new developments with a great serenity.

I would also like to underline that Devialet's customer support is very friendly and efficient. I particularly appreciate the help provided by Océane who is a lovely and helpful lady.

To those who are constantly unhappy about Devialet, I would seriously suggest to work on raising their serotonin level, and stop complaining when they did not get their shot of dopamine with the latest toy/upgrade. Listening to  Pr Robert Lustig from UCSF gives some ways to achieve this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKkUtrL6B18

Just my 2c

[Axel]

New update form the Devialet CEO no less...

Dear friends,

I know you’ve been patiently awaiting the arrival of our Core Infinity software update for some time now. We had initially slated it for release today, and I regret to inform you that we are not yet able to roll out the current version. Unfortunately, it remains incomplete and fails to meet our stringent quality and safety controls. I am only too aware of the disappointment this additional delay will cause you.

That’s why I want to be perfectly open with you and provide you with a detailed update on our software progress.  

Devialet OS is based on an audio Linux kernel that enables your Expert Pro to receive regular updates, providing you with various services and features. Our new hardware support and the system foundations have been fully tested and approved. However, the update mechanism has revealed certain weaknesses that we are in the process of correcting. This is vital to our product integrity, and we are now in the final stages of performing checks.

The other features we initially announced need more validation.

First and foremost, Devialet AIR, designed to stream your content in bit-perfect quality. Tailoring it to Core Infinity has required more adjustments than we first thought. We are still encountering issues with 192kHz HD files. Over the next few weeks, we should have a fully operational version of AIR 3 for Core Infinity via both Ethernet and WiFi.

The Roon team are working hard to make the necessary improvements to Expert Pro | Roon integration. We feel confident they will meet the same time frame.

As for Spotify Connect, we now have a functional first version, though there are still a few bugs to correct, including volume management. During trials, we met further complications, such as the need to limit volume control to -12dB from the Spotify app so as to protect both your ears and your systems. Once the next phase of development is complete, we will need to be fully Spotify-Connect.

AirPlay: I have been using AirPlay at home all weekend, and with significant stability. Here again, there are a few minor volume issues to resolve prior to becoming Apple-certified.

UPnP: We are a only few days from releasing UPnP internally. It will then move forward for final testing and approval.

Last but not least, automatic source-to-source switching continue to generate occasional software crashes. Our engineers are working tirelessly to correct them, one by one.

Software development is always a complex and lengthy process and often leads to overly-protracted delays in release dates. I can only imagine your frustration and hope you’ll trust me when I say that we’re doing everything in our power to provide you with software that meets your expectations as quickly as possible.

Here’s a quick recap of our roadmap:

By tomorrow, November 8, we will deliver a 2.2 Alpha version to our dealers and retailers so they can test it and let you request a demo should you so wish. This version features AIR, Spotify Connect and AirPlay. It is not yet sufficiently stable to be made publicly available.
On November 16, Core Infinity will be presented to the press, along with AIR, Spotify Connect, AirPlay and UPnP. Once again, this version will not be made public.
By the week commencing November 20, two versions will be made available. They will still be in Beta, without critical bugs but with a few residual bugs.
2.1 Release Candidate with AIR 3 and UPnP
2.2 Beta, with AIR, Spotify Connect, AirPlay and UPnP.
We aim to release the official 2.2 Version by mid-December.
For regular progress updates on Core Infinity, you can follow our logbook here and share your thoughts with us.
Please be aware that we consistently take into account your comments and suggestions shared across different channels. More new features will follow all throughout 2018.

We will begin installing your Core Infinity boards as a priority over the coming days and continue through to late December. We’ll be starting with the Original d’Atelier and Expert 1000 Pro, and then proceed to upgrade your systems chronologically by order date. You will shortly receive an email informing you of your Expert Pro collection date. You will then be able to choose from the 2.1 Release candidate and 2.2 Beta versions or wait for our stable release. It goes without saying that any physical removal of your Expert Pro system will remain on a needs-only basis.

You were among our earliest and strongest supporters and I know how much we owe you. We are doing our utmost to regain your trust. I shall make sure of it personally.

Warm regards,


Quentin Sannié
Devialet CEO

It’s this paragraph that worries me. What are the guys who have already sent their O d’As to be fitted with the Core Insanity board going to end up with? A buggy, frustrating version of what should be a fully functioning board, or something more stable? Is Quentin Sannié referring to the board or just the software? If he’s talking about the board, then are we going to end up with three (or more) different versions, with varying levels of operation? If he’s referring to the board, then there’s no way I’ll be upgrading until they’ve got everything properly sorted. 
To be honest guys, I’ve nearly had enough of this total bollocks and am considering selling up and buying something more reliable, sadly.

[baconbrain]

Just received a long and detailed message from Quentin Sannié, Devialet CEO, about the software upgrade. This will hopefully address part of the acrimony of certain contributors in this forum.

Although a bit concerned about the potential loss of musicality which could result from the upgrade, as I was very happy with the tonality of my D900, I am sending my machine back to Paris today for upgrade.

I would like to underline that I am a really happy customer of Devialet, in part because I found ways to feed my machine with a close to perfect source via AES/EBU, following the steps of Antoine. This has allowed me to wait for the new developments with a great serenity.

I would also like to underline that Devialet's customer support is very friendly and efficient. I particularly appreciate the help provided by Océane who is a lovely and helpful lady.

To those who are constantly unhappy about Devialet, I would seriously suggest to work on raising their serotonin level, and stop complaining when they did not get their shot of dopamine with the latest toy/upgrade. Listening to  Pr Robert Lustig from UCSF gives some ways to achieve this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKkUtrL6B18

Just my 2c

Hmmm, I would also consider myself a Dev Fan but honestly their communication methods are extremely poor. Waiting almost a year to find out that the functionality of the streamer board will be limited to Spotify, Airplay, and UPNP (really?) is more than disappointing ...   Not being able to deliver as communicated makes it even worse.  For me it is all about customer expectation management, and in this area Devialet fails miserably ...    

[petrik]

First and foremost, Devialet AIR, designed to stream your content in bit-perfect quality. Tailoring it to Core Infinity has required more adjustments than we first thought. We are still encountering issues with 192kHz HD files. Over the next few weeks, we should have a fully operational version of AIR 3 for Core Infinity via both Ethernet and WiFi.

I have my biggest doubts on this. AIR or Roon/AIR has *never* worked for me (not even 16/44.1 kHz). There has been always some problems with it.

I have one Roon Ready device and it works perfectly fine in comparison.

[watchnerd]

Warm regards,


Quentin Sannié
Devialet CEO

AirPlay and Roon Ready endpoint with RAAT I can implement on Raspberry Pi for $100.

No room correction / convolution / PEQ. (which I can do in Roon anyway).

No passband crossover.

For me, I don't see any reason yet to go for the new board.

[pjlarge]

.....Core Insanity....

[petrik]

Warm regards,


Quentin Sannié
Devialet CEO

AirPlay and Roon Ready endpoint with RAAT I can implement on Raspberry Pi for $100.

No room correction / convolution / PEQ. (which I can do in Roon anyway).

No passband crossover.

For me, I don't see any reason yet to go for the new board.

I would recommend contacting support and request these as new features. I did this yesterday for Roon Ready/RAAT and digital room correction. Today I got a nice reply that they these are now in consideration, and they will check on monthly basis how many Roon RAAT / other feature demands they got and prioritize accordingly.

So please, request new features by using official Devialet communication channels.

[G51]

What happened made me think of the fairy tales written by Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Andersen. In this fairy tale, Dev, the main character, once created something so good and successful. But rather put more effort to further develop the 1st product and to clear all the bugs, Dev started to put most of its effort to do something else. It still believed that it could manage to deal with all the problems in the end and meet all the target. More and more, it lost focus. At last it failed.

All I wanted to say is - I hope Devialet would learn a lesson this time. It will re-think what it has gone through and again focus on what it should do in the future apart from success (if so) of the Phantom. I wish Devialet would put Expert line back on focus (maybe we can see the photo of a 1000 Pro when going to the official website ; always a phantom there is really boring). All in all, I hope the business of Devialet is substainable and the company would put more concern on customer communication, technical innovation , sound quality rather than to make more and more and more money.