24-Jul-2020, 10:48
I haven't heard any of the double amps, just the single amp models, so I'm interested in your comments. I have one question.
Did you listen at matched volume levels, and by that I mean listening levels matched by reference to SPL measurements rather than the volume setting displayed by the amp?
0 dB on the Devialet's display is the level at which the amp is notionally outputting full power for a signal with a level of 0 dB so 0 dB on the 1000 would be 1000 W output for a 0 dB input and 440 W output for the 440 with an input signal of the same level. That means that for the same volume setting on the 2 amps, the listening level with the 1000 would be around 3 to 4 dB louder than the 440. Given that the ear becomes more sensitive to high and low frequencies as listening level increases, a 3 to 4 dB increase in level over the 440 would give thee impression of more bass in the low end and a hotter top end because increasing listening level acts to some degree like turning up the bass and treble tone controls. That's a large part of the reason why it's always recommended to use matched levels for A/B comparisons.
I don't doubt that the 1000 sounded as if it had more muscle, I would probably expect that even at matched listening levels, but if you were setting both amps to the same dB level on the volume control, a 3 to 4 dB difference in the 1000's favour would almost certainly make things sound brighter tonally and fatiguing.
Did you listen at matched volume levels, and by that I mean listening levels matched by reference to SPL measurements rather than the volume setting displayed by the amp?
0 dB on the Devialet's display is the level at which the amp is notionally outputting full power for a signal with a level of 0 dB so 0 dB on the 1000 would be 1000 W output for a 0 dB input and 440 W output for the 440 with an input signal of the same level. That means that for the same volume setting on the 2 amps, the listening level with the 1000 would be around 3 to 4 dB louder than the 440. Given that the ear becomes more sensitive to high and low frequencies as listening level increases, a 3 to 4 dB increase in level over the 440 would give thee impression of more bass in the low end and a hotter top end because increasing listening level acts to some degree like turning up the bass and treble tone controls. That's a large part of the reason why it's always recommended to use matched levels for A/B comparisons.
I don't doubt that the 1000 sounded as if it had more muscle, I would probably expect that even at matched listening levels, but if you were setting both amps to the same dB level on the volume control, a 3 to 4 dB difference in the 1000's favour would almost certainly make things sound brighter tonally and fatiguing.
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