Is the Devialet bad at low volumes?

[mirekti]

I found some people complain about the Devialet's performance at low volumes.
Is this acknowledged by Devialet?
Is the issue there on all models or it is related to a certain one?

Can you share your experience, please?

[thumb5]

In my system, I don't have any problems at low volume with either my original 200 or the 400 it's now become.  It's well known that the ear's sensitivity changes with volume such that low and high frequencies sound proportionately quieter than they "should" at low volumes.  I haven't heard anything with my Devialet to make me think it's behaving any differently to other amplifiers in that respect.

If anything, the 400 sounds better than the 200 at the same volume setting (dB) but I suspect that might be partly because it's actually playing a bit louder (just guessing, as I haven't measured it).

[Womaz]

Its a great question though as i too have heard this banded about. I just dont listen to music at low volumes. I can have background music at low volumes, but when I listen to music its probably at too high a volume really. But there is nothing better! If i cant listen to it at a decent volume level I turn to my headphones.

[f1eng]

Mine are fine at low volume.
Don't forget that your ear's frequency sensitivity varies with loudness, so unless you listen at the same volume as the recording engineer who mixed it, you will not be listening to the same frequency response as he/she was either, but that is the case with any amp.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher–Munson_curves

Back in the day there were amps with an attempt at compensation built in, in as much as their frequency response varied with volume control setting, but since there is no way to know at which volume to make the FR flat this was not satisfactory.

[Pim]

I prefer to listen later in the night because there's less background noise around so you can hear more of the music. And because there's less back ground noise I tend to play at much lower volumes. And I've never thought it sounded worse, only better.
So maybe those who say there's a problem have too much background noise?

[Damon]

I found some people complain about the Devialet's performance at low volumes.
Is this acknowledged by Devialet?
Is the issue there on all models or it is related to a certain one?

1. Yes, some persons complain about everything, including 'performance' at low volume. That does not mean there is a problem, just that they are complaining, or perhaps expressing their expectation that music will sound the same at all volume levels.
2. I'm sure that Devialet will acknowledge that some persons are complainers.
3. What issue? Fingerprints on the case? The need for small connection ends on alternative power cords? I think the fingerprint issue is the same on all models.

Seriously, the link posted by Thumb5 and IanG-UK in relation to what we hear at various sound pressure levels is worth noting. Ian's point about the volume used during the recording is interesting also, and one which I had not thought of. I've been in recording studios a few times, while others were doing early mixes, and so I can see how that would be the 'reference' volume.

At this moment I'm listening to some Bach violin concertos, and the volume is -40.0. I may have a bit of a hangover, which would be a factor in this low volume listening. But in any event, the music is very pleasing at -40.0. In fact, I find the way the Devialet reveals the details of the music, and the excellent dynamics,  makes it better than my previous Naim equipment for low level listening.

And I've also found that since the Devialet has come home, the trend has been to listen at lower volumes generally than with the Naim. My take on things is that the Devialet is very good at low volumes.

[Atomjohan]

I find my 400 better than the 200 at low volumes, but still not as good as my old Plinius Hautonga. 
This might be due to more distortion but I remembered it to have a little more "omph"  at low volumes, especially in the bass region. And by low I mean 2-3 on a scale from 1-10.
But in almost every other aspect the Devialet is superior the Plinius. 

I still wouldnt call it bad at low volumes though, just not as good as the Plinius. 

[Morten]

I think that the 200 is excellent at low volumes—when I demoded the 200 it for sure was superior to the Plinius SA-103 and PS Audio perfect wave DAC.

In fact, it was one of the reasons that I changed to old combo to the 200...

I also use it when I watch TV, when used to this it is extraordinary in revealing details, also at low volume...

Kind regards Morten

[jjo]

1. Yes, some persons complain about everything, including 'performance' at low volume. That does not mean there is a problem, just that they are complaining, or perhaps expressing their expectation that music will sound the same at all volume levels.

Also, I've found that some people belittle the experiences of other people, just because they have not run into same things as they have. Thinking that your own experiences can somehow be considered universal truths and absolute way things are, may lead to problems in life.

There is a problem with Devialet and low volumes. It manifests itself when you have _sensitive_ speakers (I think mine are 8 Ohm and 90dB) and the Devialet is configured in a way that the volume dial for normal listening is way below -40.0. What happens sounds a bit like speakers that require a certain level of volume to really open up, except it's the amp this time.

Last time I was in the market for speakers, one of my criteria for the speakers work well at low volumes and they do. Now I used to own Audio Research DSi200 and Audio Research DAC8. The volume scale on the amp was 0-99 and at nights I used to play music with the volume set to 1-2. That's low and it sounded wonderful.

The first time I tried out Devialet I found myself listening to music at volumes that were higher that I really felt comfortable with. I realized that the reason was, the music didn't sound good with the volume I was used to. I almost gave up on Devialet, but luckily I didn't. When I configure the device output power so, that the normal listening volume is roughly -40.0, there is still some room to lower the volume a bit, but not too much. With these settings Devialet is way superior amp than the ARC and loses only slightly to the ARC DAC.

At this moment I'm listening to some Bach violin concertos, and the volume is -40.0. I may have a bit of a hangover, which would be a factor in this low volume listening. But in any event, the music is very pleasing at -40.0. In fact, I find the way the Devialet reveals the details of the music, and the excellent dynamics,  makes it better than my previous Naim equipment for low level listening.

-40.0 you say, on the range of -97.5 to 30. Wow, that is really low. If it doesn't sound bad that low, it must not sound bad at -60.0 or even -70.0. So it must be sufficient proof that Devialet does not sound bad at low volumes. Fact! Anyone who disagrees with this flawless proof must be a whiner. No other explanation.

[johnsap]

When I configure the device output power so, that the normal listening volume is roughly -40.0, there is still some room to lower the volume a bit, but not too much. With these settings Devialet is way superior amp than the ARC and loses only slightly to the ARC DAC.

Can you please provide more details on how you configured the device output power.
How did you use the configurator to achieve this?

Thank you