My thoughts on Devialet

[griffithstrife]

Enjoy your Gryphon!
Can you share your first impressions?

Regarding your thoughts on Devialet, I agree with you, and at the same time I disagree.
This is because, as far as I can tell, we have different experiences, perspectives and personal evaluation criteria. And this is ok / normal...

The long version of my perspective is this:

• Hardware: excellent.
  
• Sound quality: excellent.
  
• Software: it offers functionalities far above any amplifier software I've seen. Indeed, it has bugs (and lack of functionalities), as most software have. I'm lucky, because I'm a "minimalist" user, and I found workaround on all the bugs that were important to me (some with help from the Devialet team).
  
• Software updates: lately, software updates are very rare, which is frustrating. Soon it will be 14 months without any update... Still, every software upgrade I've seen from Devialet, it was a good one: in terms of functionalities, they have brought much more than the upgrades from other software.
  
• Direct relationship with the customers (technical support): I have a dual opinion. On the one hand, it can be frustrating (but I've seen this at several companies). On the other hand, I saw that the support people are doing everything they can to help. At least in my case, they have done more than I expected, and more than I have seen before at any other companies.
  
• Dealers: for me this is not a criterion for evaluating the product or the manufacturer (dealer is a third party company). Maybe because I was lucky again, and I have a very good Hi-Fi dealer, and I use it in most cases.
  

The short version of my perspective is this: 3 weeks ago, I upgraded from "Expert 210 Pro" to "Expert 440 Pro".

I wish you to enjoy your new purchase, Gryphon to be above your expectations, and - most important - enjoy your music and wonderful audition!

Hey thanks, I really appreciate that, I think a lot of people on here is feeling like I attacked them. And I won't engage with that, I mean nothing I write will allow them to see I mean no animosity to anyone.

Well man look here is me being super honest, just my perspective.

When I bought my 200 I was in heaven, it was the best sound I had ever heard. It killed everything I heard at that time. 4 months later when I get the 220 it was even better.

But about 6 months after that I went to Iconic Audio here in Houston to hear some new gear. I told the owner about Devialet, he dismissed me, but I was honest that the 220 Blew away some amps he had for 20k

About 4 months after that I went back and he was now a Devialet dealer, but the disconnect was such a great vast between it made me feel even more dismissed.

I mean I bought this amp for sub 5k and now here is this dude I turned on to Devialet telling me it’s a 15k amp.

This just did not set right with me man, it made feel yucky, I just, let me try explaining it like this.

People are always welcome to hunt for a better deal, I don't feel bad for anyone for taking the first deal they got, or for someone who is bad at negotiating.

But I got into Devialet eyes wide open price wise, this dealer experience made me believe many others were not that lucky.

It's one thing to not get a discount on a new car from a dealership.

It's a whole other thing to find out the manufacturer is double dealing under the table. I mean I got nothing against the guys in Greece, I love them. But if they are allowed to sell new units at up to 80% off MSRP than so should all dealers.

But Devialet runs a crooked game in my eyes. Different rules for everyone, and everyone here keeps saying all manufactures are like this.

They are not, show me where to get Mcintosh new and half off, show me Gryphon half off that has warranty.

So after this bad taste was put into my mouth, I went soul searching. I went to a few audio stores.

I tried a few amps, Gryphon was not one of them, no dealers here. But man, D'agstino's stuff was mind blowing, and PassLabs was pretty amazing too. Vinni Rossi, I can't remember the model but it was bad ass.

But the more I heard the more I understood, the Devialet was great for its form factor and appearance. I mean please don't misunderstand, I am not saying the Devialet sound is crap.

I am saying the Devialet was not a breakthrough in audio performance, but a breakthrough in bang for the buck.

I mean even the advertising had it as that, You don't need separates, you don't need 50 cables, Devialet for the modern audiophile.

But now it was going against amps that had the same ease and much better sound for simply sacrificing some room for the foot print and height difference.

I myself chose the Gryphon when I realized, 2 drivers on one of my Sopra's had become busted. I took it to a speaker re-coning expert. Not to re-cone but to get his opinion, his opinion was that the amp I was using was under powered or something was causing clipping somewhere.

I came home ordered 2 new drivers and began experimenting, for the last few months the sound had become hollow on one side. Sedated if you will, I had now just realized the 2 drivers were busted but for the life of me I could not understand why there were no stress noises or popping.

I had to pump up the volume to minus 2 to get the speaker to distort or pop, I never listen past minus 10. This infuriated me what was occurring.

I unplugged the speakers from the Devialet moved them to my home theater Denon amp. Low volume pops and distortion immediately

Back to the Devialet just hollow again, until you crank it. I pop out the SD try it without SAM bamm pops and distortion.

Am I blaming the Devialet for my drivers? No, I blame myself for falling into verbiage. I mean the amp is called 220 for its 220 watts but who has 6ohm speakers. why not call it the 166.

But after my rage subsided, I pulled the trigger on the Gryphon Sound unheard. I loved the look of Mcintosh but thought the sound was shit. Loved the sound of D'agstino but his integrated was not announced yet, so I pulled the trigger on the Gryphon

And man Oh man I felt overwhelmed, that sound came out at me like oh I did not need this. I was shivering like I did something bad. It was just so much louder at the same decibels if that make sense.

But I was not happy, my wife said I should fix the speaker first, I admit she was right, but this was how I last heard the Devialet so I wanted to compare.

So I dropped in the new drivers, left roon and repeat and came back 2 days later. My first song was Chris Jones Going on a journey.

For the first time in my life I did not think about what anything else sounds like or what might be better. Honest to God maybe it was the amp, maybe it was not listening to a broken speaker for the first time since God knows when. Maybe the drugs or maybe the world ending all around me. It may just have been the deliriousness from not sleeping from our new born miracle from God.

But maybe it was simply not being angry with the company who makes the gear I was listening to, either way it’s been life changing.

The depth to the sound is so amazing, I remember back to when I first for got my 200. My wife and I sat in silence for a moment after listening to Death of a bachelor by Panic at the Disco. Neither one of us would speak first, but then as if some moment of clarity both occurred to us simultaneously. We Shouted "NOT MUCH AT LOW VOLUME IS SHE"

The 220 was better at low volume, but it was still lacking I remember thinking I don't to crank it to hear the details on numerous occasions.

Well with the Diablo it was breathtaking. The detail was their at every step on the volume and the bass delivered now is like a muzzle was removed.

I think a lot of that had to do with SAM, and please understand I did go back to the Devialet once the speaker was fixed to do a direct A B.  The wife and I both agreed the Gryphon was worth it, but now I am currious about D'agstino's new integrated amp but I can't see MQA being worth giving up a 100 watts per channel.

And before anyone comes to cut me. Yes the 220 is sold as a competitor to a Diablo 300 if you ask Devialet but I am willing to go further. I believe In my honest opinion from every time I heard a 1000 that the Diablo  300 eats it alive.

Everyone on here is acting like I came to gloat about my purchase, no one is grasping I was going to upgrade my amp.

No one is grasping that Devialet 220 and 440 is a marginal upgrade but yet its double the price. The 1000 and I have spent many hours with them is marginally better than the 440 but is 50k MSRP

I am simply saying Devialet as a business as a company is out of touch with reality and is believing their own BS.