27-Apr-2018, 12:51
Salam amabrok, it is good to have you back!
I was interested in your comment regarding the improvement you have perceived from going from 7.1.3 to 10.1.0. The point here is that there is a proportion of Expert users that claim 7.1.3 (or 7.1.3beta) was (and still is) the best sounding firmware. Not everyone agrees, and for me I preferred 8, 9, and then 10 the best. What I would say is that the upgrade from Expert to Pro is an order of magnitude bigger than that yielded by a firmware change.
So is the Pro better? I would say it is, but there is no need to take just my view, let's have a vote!
https://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?tid=3761
I think the result of the above poll fairly compelling. Of course, since the vote we have now had the CI upgrade. This is an interesting one. Personally, I was optimistic that an integrated streamer board would offer a decent increase in sound quality. From what I hear, it has not. At a fundamental level the sound quality from the CI board is no better than was obtained from the Pro with AIR, so it is a bit disappointing in this regards. The good news is that the CI upgrade appears to have elevated the overall quality of the Pro, so everything sounds better. In other words, the CI Pro sounds better with an external streamer via AES/EBU, even fed analogue via vinyl. There is some speculation that this is due to new and improved clocks in the CI board. To be clear, not everyone has noticed this, so it is a relatively small improvement, but for me the CI equipped Pro sounds a little smoother and more realistic than the Pro, without any loss of resolution.
As for the upgrade scheme, this has been paused whilst the CI upgrade is in progress. There have been some reports that Devialet will re-start the Pro upgrade scheme later this year, but no official announcement. It may happen, it may not, and timing is anyone's guess with Devialet.
Regarding the upgrade. The upgrade price for the 400 was very similar to that for the much more expensive D800. There is good reason for this, as the internal electronics are very similar, and this is what gets upgraded. Now, I have no idea of the market or pricing in the UAE, but in Europe I know that it is possible to get discounts and deals on the Pro. In fact, I reckon it would be possible to get a part exchange deal that would be no more expensive, or even cheaper, than the upgrade cost. So for no more money than the upgrade, you could get a shiny brand new 440Pro with the CI board already installed. (It is included in new Pro's now) Maybe such a deal is not possible locally for you, I have no idea, but it would be worth making a few enquiries. Beware of dealers that might tempt you towards the 1000Pro though, it is easy to get carried away! (although the 1000Pro is rather good)
I was interested in your comment regarding the improvement you have perceived from going from 7.1.3 to 10.1.0. The point here is that there is a proportion of Expert users that claim 7.1.3 (or 7.1.3beta) was (and still is) the best sounding firmware. Not everyone agrees, and for me I preferred 8, 9, and then 10 the best. What I would say is that the upgrade from Expert to Pro is an order of magnitude bigger than that yielded by a firmware change.
So is the Pro better? I would say it is, but there is no need to take just my view, let's have a vote!
https://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?tid=3761
I think the result of the above poll fairly compelling. Of course, since the vote we have now had the CI upgrade. This is an interesting one. Personally, I was optimistic that an integrated streamer board would offer a decent increase in sound quality. From what I hear, it has not. At a fundamental level the sound quality from the CI board is no better than was obtained from the Pro with AIR, so it is a bit disappointing in this regards. The good news is that the CI upgrade appears to have elevated the overall quality of the Pro, so everything sounds better. In other words, the CI Pro sounds better with an external streamer via AES/EBU, even fed analogue via vinyl. There is some speculation that this is due to new and improved clocks in the CI board. To be clear, not everyone has noticed this, so it is a relatively small improvement, but for me the CI equipped Pro sounds a little smoother and more realistic than the Pro, without any loss of resolution.
As for the upgrade scheme, this has been paused whilst the CI upgrade is in progress. There have been some reports that Devialet will re-start the Pro upgrade scheme later this year, but no official announcement. It may happen, it may not, and timing is anyone's guess with Devialet.
Regarding the upgrade. The upgrade price for the 400 was very similar to that for the much more expensive D800. There is good reason for this, as the internal electronics are very similar, and this is what gets upgraded. Now, I have no idea of the market or pricing in the UAE, but in Europe I know that it is possible to get discounts and deals on the Pro. In fact, I reckon it would be possible to get a part exchange deal that would be no more expensive, or even cheaper, than the upgrade cost. So for no more money than the upgrade, you could get a shiny brand new 440Pro with the CI board already installed. (It is included in new Pro's now) Maybe such a deal is not possible locally for you, I have no idea, but it would be worth making a few enquiries. Beware of dealers that might tempt you towards the 1000Pro though, it is easy to get carried away! (although the 1000Pro is rather good)
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
