15-Jul-2018, 12:56
(15-Jul-2018, 12:45)Hifi_swlon Wrote: Seems like the newly appointed Devialet Expert team answered this pretty conclusively at the Oxford Audio event last week:@Hifi_swlon Thanks for this confirmation of what I had thought. Disappointing to say the least. I'll probably upgrade when the program re-launches but have not made a final decision.
There will be no further development for the Expert line other than for Core Infinity based Expert Pros.
That is, no further firmware or feature updates for even one generation back, despite it being sold as a product that would evolve with twice yearly updates. Also tallies with Quentin Sanniés comments in the CI factory tour video, where he stated that it was too expensive for them to develop for two platforms, hence the move to CI, to put the Experts on the same platform as Phantoms. So much for the EVO platform and the ‘no planned obsolescence’ mantra sold with all Experts.
Feel bad for Non-Pro Experts or D premier owners. Those that can afford it and want to stick with Devialet and want new features would be advised to upgrade when the program reopens. Might even be worth it for resale.
I’m sure some people will chime in with the old line of ‘the amplifiers still work and sound as great as they did when they were sold’. But that’s not really the point.
Devialet Expert 220 Pro Kinki EX-M7 power amp tethered to a fiber-fed Lumin X1 streamer via Grimm XLRs, Vivid B1 Decade speakers in Rosso Barchetta red (only 200 produced in a limited edition), Roon Nucleus with a Samsung 860 EVO 2TB SSD, etherREGEN switch fed by a Sonore opticalModule (and Sonore-supplied transceivers and 1M optical cable) with a SOtM dCBL-Cat7 cable to my Nucleus and a DH Labs Reunion Cat8 to my Lumin T2 streamer, Keces P8 linear power supply feeding a (to come) NUC and EtherREGEN switch with an external AfterDark OCXO clock., and opticalModule (5V/1A), AudioQuest Niagara 1000 power conditioner, ASI LiveLine loom (purchased directly from Franck Tchang when I lived in France), Less Loss Firewall for Speakers and Roon lifetime license with Tidal streaming.
