30-Dec-2017, 19:56
Hi Folks,
Thought I'd give my impressions of the CI upgrade to my 1000Pro.
Service & Turnaround:
Stunning - 8 days door to door for a free upgrade. Most definitely not the usual High End experience - in the past it's taken me longer to get hold of dealers/distributers on the phone than that!
Streaming set-up:
Mac Mini with RoonServer control using Air Wifi (v 3.4). Devolo 1200 Powerline WiFi module situated 10 inches from receiving Devialet - this gives about -17dB signal. With Air WiFiI have found it essential to have no less than -30 dB signal otherwise you get constant dropouts, difficulty 'locking-on' and no chance of running higher resolution material. Surprisingly (to me) the Devolo powerline sounds better than taking the WiFi Router from the lounge to the hifi room and linking back to the Broadband Fibre Modem using 15 m of decent quality Cat6e. The former sounds clearer, more impactful and dynamic. The latter sounds a little bit smaller scale and duller. Don't know why but there it is. The Devolo links to a 5-port Gigabit switch so I can link to MacMini and also run the Devialet in Air Ethernet or Roon Air Ethernet modes. Mixture of Audioquest Vodka and MeiCord cables. Also linked to the Switch is a QNAP two bay NAS with about 700-800 CDs ripped to FLAC.
Core Infinity Sound Impressions:
Generally excellent. I would say overall the two things that stick out are (a) a general feeling of greater richness and (b) more air and layering to complex passages. This has all been via TIDAL streaming.
I think with (a) there is a significant shift in the mid and mid-bass tonality. I have always felt that prior to CI, Air WiFi could be a bit tonally lean/dry in the mid - perhaps coming across as extra definition in some cases but often rather clinical in others. I think now it sounds musically fleshed out without going down the path of mushy warmth. (b) is more tricky to explain but on a number of occasions now I have been listening to very familiar tracks where it has be come apparent that there are more than one background vocalists or subtle background studio noises that really add to the 3D illusion. None of this is 'extra information', just that these little musical clues seem to have more space to exist. I think (b) must be the result of significant jitter reduction - I heard something similar about 10 years ago when a DCS Masterclock was inserted between DCS Transport and DAC. Not a night and day change in sound but definitely messed with the spacial clues and microdynamics.
With a good TIDAL rip I feel compelled to state that CI/Roon/Devolo is now my best digital source. I most definitely would not have said that 6 months ago.
The other issues, which have almost stopped me swearing, is the great improvement in the stability of Air WiFi.
As stated above, for me at least, the key has been to get the signal up to -20dB or higher. But even then there would be locking on problems, temp dropouts, clicks, pops and farts that would really put a downer on a listening session. Normally I could get things stable for trouble free listening but occasionally things would screw it all up - e.g. Mac OS or Roon upgrades. With Roon the dreaded 'Transport device in use' could come up but that can be avoided, on Roon's, instruction to turn Devialet Air to 'never stream automatically' to it. Often it is best to switch Air off completely.
Post CI Air is rock stable even with 192 material - never been able to do that. The Air signal is 0dB !!!! That is military radar! However, I'm not so sure that it the real value as curiosity got the better of me and I put a metal kitchen colander over the Devolo transmitter (i.e. a homemade Faraday cage) and it still read 0dB. Anyway who cares, it is incredibly stable whether it is Devialet Air WiFi or Roon Air WiFi.
I too have had some issues with Devialet Air competing with Roon Air (WiFi and Ethernet) and I think it might be that CI remembers the input sources and so gets in a pickle when you try to swap sources. No problem on bouncing between Roon WiFi or Ethernet and likewise between Air Wifi and Ethernet, but if you try to have Air and Roon sources all enabled and then start going between the four option then 'transport in use' or inaccessible sources seem to become a problem. My advice is listen to Roon Wifi/Ethernet then disable them in Audio set-up before firing up Devialet Air.
Anyway, I'm very pleased - 8 days for a free and sonically positive upgrade that seems to have sorted out the last of my streaming issues.
Bravo Devialet.
Happy New Year!
Kevin
Thought I'd give my impressions of the CI upgrade to my 1000Pro.
Service & Turnaround:
Stunning - 8 days door to door for a free upgrade. Most definitely not the usual High End experience - in the past it's taken me longer to get hold of dealers/distributers on the phone than that!
Streaming set-up:
Mac Mini with RoonServer control using Air Wifi (v 3.4). Devolo 1200 Powerline WiFi module situated 10 inches from receiving Devialet - this gives about -17dB signal. With Air WiFiI have found it essential to have no less than -30 dB signal otherwise you get constant dropouts, difficulty 'locking-on' and no chance of running higher resolution material. Surprisingly (to me) the Devolo powerline sounds better than taking the WiFi Router from the lounge to the hifi room and linking back to the Broadband Fibre Modem using 15 m of decent quality Cat6e. The former sounds clearer, more impactful and dynamic. The latter sounds a little bit smaller scale and duller. Don't know why but there it is. The Devolo links to a 5-port Gigabit switch so I can link to MacMini and also run the Devialet in Air Ethernet or Roon Air Ethernet modes. Mixture of Audioquest Vodka and MeiCord cables. Also linked to the Switch is a QNAP two bay NAS with about 700-800 CDs ripped to FLAC.
Core Infinity Sound Impressions:
Generally excellent. I would say overall the two things that stick out are (a) a general feeling of greater richness and (b) more air and layering to complex passages. This has all been via TIDAL streaming.
I think with (a) there is a significant shift in the mid and mid-bass tonality. I have always felt that prior to CI, Air WiFi could be a bit tonally lean/dry in the mid - perhaps coming across as extra definition in some cases but often rather clinical in others. I think now it sounds musically fleshed out without going down the path of mushy warmth. (b) is more tricky to explain but on a number of occasions now I have been listening to very familiar tracks where it has be come apparent that there are more than one background vocalists or subtle background studio noises that really add to the 3D illusion. None of this is 'extra information', just that these little musical clues seem to have more space to exist. I think (b) must be the result of significant jitter reduction - I heard something similar about 10 years ago when a DCS Masterclock was inserted between DCS Transport and DAC. Not a night and day change in sound but definitely messed with the spacial clues and microdynamics.
With a good TIDAL rip I feel compelled to state that CI/Roon/Devolo is now my best digital source. I most definitely would not have said that 6 months ago.
The other issues, which have almost stopped me swearing, is the great improvement in the stability of Air WiFi.
As stated above, for me at least, the key has been to get the signal up to -20dB or higher. But even then there would be locking on problems, temp dropouts, clicks, pops and farts that would really put a downer on a listening session. Normally I could get things stable for trouble free listening but occasionally things would screw it all up - e.g. Mac OS or Roon upgrades. With Roon the dreaded 'Transport device in use' could come up but that can be avoided, on Roon's, instruction to turn Devialet Air to 'never stream automatically' to it. Often it is best to switch Air off completely.
Post CI Air is rock stable even with 192 material - never been able to do that. The Air signal is 0dB !!!! That is military radar! However, I'm not so sure that it the real value as curiosity got the better of me and I put a metal kitchen colander over the Devolo transmitter (i.e. a homemade Faraday cage) and it still read 0dB. Anyway who cares, it is incredibly stable whether it is Devialet Air WiFi or Roon Air WiFi.
I too have had some issues with Devialet Air competing with Roon Air (WiFi and Ethernet) and I think it might be that CI remembers the input sources and so gets in a pickle when you try to swap sources. No problem on bouncing between Roon WiFi or Ethernet and likewise between Air Wifi and Ethernet, but if you try to have Air and Roon sources all enabled and then start going between the four option then 'transport in use' or inaccessible sources seem to become a problem. My advice is listen to Roon Wifi/Ethernet then disable them in Audio set-up before firing up Devialet Air.
Anyway, I'm very pleased - 8 days for a free and sonically positive upgrade that seems to have sorted out the last of my streaming issues.
Bravo Devialet.
Happy New Year!
Kevin
Devialet 1000 Pro; Magico A5 loudspeakers; Metronome T3a Signature CD Transport; dCS Network Bridge; Kuzma M turntable; Kuzma 4Point14 tonearm; Koetsu Sky Blue; Benzmicro LPS; Audioquest Vodka Ethernet; Transparent Reference Digital RCA-RCA; Transparent Reference XL MM2 speaker cable; Transparent Reference mains cable; PS Audio P5 PowerPlant; Artesania and Finite Elemente equipment racks
North Somerset, UK
