Devialet 200 & 400 Review

Of course. How can someone make a judgement without first hand experience? I had it in my home for a week. The aesthetics and interface are beautiful. I liked the small footprint and the phono connectivity, but the amplifier and phono stage was coarse and lacked low level detail. I'm not good at describing sound, but the 200 was basically fatiguing with none of the associated micro detail. I may not have been so critical if the unit was half the price or if it made bad recordings sound palatable.

Very similar to my experience. I was drawn in by the beauty of the industrial design and had to have a listen. For me it was instantly fatiguing and it was a relief to switch the listening using the same source with a non-digital amplification.

Chris - Perhaps I should read between the lines better, but did you notice a similar difference between your Class A amplification and the ADH of Devialet?

1) The phono preamp is digital, thus the vast configurability.

2) This is the second time I've heard someone mention the loss of detail at lower volumes. The other person was on the devialet chat forum. He solved it by turning the maximum output power down. So I assume, less digital attenuation in the preamp/front end of the amp lets the detail come through.

I just lowered mine from 200watts to 150 watts max, as I have relatively efficient speakers and never get close to using the 200 watts.

I've often wondered why Devialet would offer the option to lower the output power. Maybe this is the exact reason, all the better to match speaker efficiency and finding the sweet spot.

And now I'm running it at 100 watts max and still have gobs of volume left to give me tinnitus.

I seem to have more bottom end now, I had to turn SAM down 10%.

And now I'm running it at 100 watts max and still have gobs of volume left to give me tinnitus.

 

I seem to have more bottom end now, I had to turn SAM down 10%.

Bass and dynamics are quite good on the 200 as expected. The difference was very subtle, but some of us noticed the change in the lower bass when playing with the amp output. Did you hear any difference in the midrange?

I'm curious what speakers you're using. I'm using very efficient 98db sensitivity/12ohm nominal impedence speakers. It's a VERY easy load, but can reveal warts. My friend likes the 200 on his B&W 802, but he also noticed the difference in midrange which was not subtle in a straight and blind comparison.

The 200 is so many things and does most of them well. It's hard to tell exactly what was affecting the midrange and how to fix it or even if it can be fixed. I suspect it's a step up for most people in sound quality, but if you already have a well thought out system, you may be disappointed as I was. Luckily the dealer network is good and some will even let you borrow a unit for in home auditioning. Many professional reviewers tend to see things through rose-tinted glasses.

Bass and dynamics are quite good on the 200 as expected. The difference was very subtle, but some of us noticed the change in the lower bass when playing with the amp output. Did you hear any difference in the midrange?

 

I'm curious what speakers you're using. I'm using very efficient 98db sensitivity/12ohm nominal impedence speakers. It's a VERY easy load, but can reveal warts. My friend likes the 200 on his B&W 802, but he also noticed the difference in midrange which was not subtle in a straight and blind comparison.

 

The 200 is so many things and does most of them well. It's hard to tell exactly what was affecting the midrange and how to fix it or even if it can be fixed. I suspect it's a step up for most people in sound quality, but if you already have a well thought out system, you may be disappointed as I was. Luckily the dealer network is good and some will even let you borrow a unit for in home auditioning. Many professional reviewers tend to see things through rose-tinted glasses.

My speakers are right there in my signature.

It was the end of the night last night when I started playing with the output power. I'd have to give it more time but going back and forth takes time with regards to reprogramming the SD card.

So you actually adjusted the maximum output or you noticed the bass difference at different volume levels set at the full 200 watts?

My speakers are right there in my signature.

 

It was the end of the night last night when I started playing with the output power. I'd have to give it more time but going back and forth takes time with regards to reprogramming the SD card.

 

So you actually adjusted the maximum output or you noticed the bass difference at different volume levels set at the full 200 watts?

I didn't hear any change in mid-range resolution when adjusting the amplifier output. Midrange does get better as volume increases. The mid-bass and bass sounds more dynamic as you lower amplifier output, but I thought the bass was good at pretty much every setting and volume. Mid-range just didn't sound good to me. I felt like I was listening to a piece of equipment and not music if that makes any sense.

I have a D250 but I have no problem with midrange resolution and tonality at low levels (65-70 dB at listen position with approximately 90dB/W speakers). As I am using Devialets cross-over function it is a different situation than how most use it!

I have a D250 but I have no problem with midrange resolution and tonality at low levels (65-70 dB at listen position with approximately 90dB/W speakers). As I am using Devialets cross-over function it is a different situation than how most use it!

That sounds smart. Can you describe your setup?

Hope the link comes through OK, another perspective on the Devialet sound from MonoStereo. The writer (name?) draws the line at accepting the Devialet for Hi-End status mainly with the baggage from Class D heritage.

Only exposure I have to Devialet 200, in combo with B&W Diamond 803 and Naim media server front end. You could clearly hear the source deficiencies, which is 'good' attribute, but when fed with 96fs files of good quality, there's no magic. Class A or well designed AB has lasted well beyond maturity and for good reasons.

Hope the link comes through OK, another perspective on the Devialet sound from MonoStereo. The writer (name?) draws the line at accepting the Devialet for Hi-End status mainly with the baggage from Class D heritage.

 

Only exposure I have to Devialet 200, in combo with B&W Diamond 803 and Naim media server front end. You could clearly hear the source deficiencies, which is 'good' attribute, but when fed with 96fs files of good quality, there's no magic. Class A or well designed AB has lasted well beyond maturity and for good reasons.

That article was pretty accurate. OK sound for what it is, but nothing to write home about. Devialet seems to be selling a lifestyle and there's nothing wrong with that. Just think it can be done at a much lower price point and without all the purple prose.

I could not disagree more with your conclusion. I am using the Devialet 200 ( which replaced Audio Research and Auralic) and I find it to be an outstanding piece of gear. My conclusions are much more in line with the majority of those who have spent time with the device. I have been in the audio business for more than 40 years and it is not only a great sounding unit, but an astonishing technical achievement as well.

Hope the link comes through OK, another perspective on the Devialet sound from MonoStereo. The writer (name?) draws the line at accepting the Devialet for Hi-End status mainly with the baggage from Class D heritage.

 

Only exposure I have to Devialet 200, in combo with B&W Diamond 803 and Naim media server front end. You could clearly hear the source deficiencies, which is 'good' attribute, but when fed with 96fs files of good quality, there's no magic. Class A or well designed AB has lasted well beyond maturity and for good reasons.

That article is complete rambling drivel. Not a review at all but just ramblings of someone that feels sound quality is directly relational to price.

The Devialet is actually a Class A amp and will run without the supplemental Class D current modules. This chatter about Class D being the problem is getting long in the tooth and is a completely uneducated opinion.

If there is something someone doesn't like about the devialet: It is probably more related to the DSP processing used through out the amp not the Class D current driver portion of the amp!

Chris, thanks for the review. I have come to a similar conclusion. It is a really interesting product. Given all the great features, it just seems like a no brainier to want this product. But then you listen to it... and it dissapoints. The part that puzzles me is why so many people rave about it. I find the sound harsh and tiring, not what I would describe as musical at all. Looking at the rest of the thread I can see there will be many who don't agree with me.

Heard it and loved it. Detail without fatigue for me.

And it isn't a class D amp, so possibly those that hear class D "artifacts" are hearing something resulting from expectation bias. The audio signal reproduction is class A, the current is from a switching amp.

My local dealer called me in to hear their 800's after they came back in from an audition at one of their customers. They did not use SAM during my audition but we did try the unit(s) with both the digital connected directly to the unit and from the analog out of their MSB Dac. They sound was pretty good especially when you consider what you save on power cords and interconnects let alone the pricing of a separate DAC and pre-amp. That said based on MY audition the 800 is not yet capable of competing with many of the better separate set-ups available today. On that day the comparison was the Soulution integrated. If I was to consider a second 2-channel set-up Devialet would be considered.

That sounds smart. Can you describe your setup?

I am using the D250 for midrange/high as an amplifier but using older Kharma MP150 monos for bass via Devialet's analog pre out, crossover at 200Hz. The D250 alone is better than the MP150 but eliminating the passive crossover increases the resolution across the entire frequency spectrum compared to the D250 alone. The speakers are my own design using Accuton S280 woofers and a single bending wave driver for the rest.

I thought there was some fuzziness in the upper midrange with the deviate alone but that is gone no matter which level.

Picked up a spanking new Devialet 120 a few days ago and straight out of the box, it should pretty sweet. I did have a chance to do a home demo on two occasions beforehand and both times, the Devialet was clearly better at communicating details than my Naim Superuniti. Sold the Naim all-in-one to help fund the new purchase last week and I am now enjoying a new level of detail and rediscovering my music collection.

However, there's also a dark side to this tale. Given no there's no UPnP implementation, had to also purchase a pre-loved Mac Mini and decided to use the AIR app. Computer, NAS and Devialet are all connected via ethernet to router. As much as I am smitten and taken back by the level of detail, I've been also dealing with crackling and noise during playback. Not all the time but in the three days since taken ownership, its happened more often that I expected. Seems there's some bug with OS X and latest version of AIR. Needless to say, the honeymoon was just about over and I was rethinking my decision.

Earlier today, I was informed that I could also use the USB and/or the Toslink input . So I disabled the AIR app, reconfigured the SC card and plugged the Mac Mini directly into the Devialet via the USB input. The custom configuration option is actually very cool and I can turn on/off features as needed.

So far so good...I am happy again and glad to have jumped from British to French hi-fi !

My local dealer called me in to hear their 800's after they came back in from an audition at one of their customers. They did not use SAM during my audition but we did try the unit(s) with both the digital connected directly to the unit and from the analog out of their MSB Dac. They sound was pretty good especially when you consider what you save on power cords and interconnects let alone the pricing of a separate DAC and pre-amp. That said based on MY audition the 800 is not yet capable of competing with many of the better separate set-ups available today. On that day the comparison was the Soulution integrated. If I was to consider a second 2-channel set-up Devialet would be considered.

The question isn't if the Devialet is the best sounding setup out there.The question is how competitve is it? If one of their models gives better sound than separates of a similar price or somewhat more, then the Devialet has accomplished quite a bit.

The question isn't if the Devialet is the best sounding setup out there.The question is how competitve is it? If one of their models gives better sound than separates of a similar price or somewhat more, then the Devialet has accomplished quite a bit.

That is not how many "reviews" are comparing the units. Even here in the Conclusion section it is noted: "The sound quality of a single stereo unit can be as good or better than many of the industry’s traditional behemoth systems." There is no indication that the comparisons are only against similarly priced units. I agree that the Devialet units are fine products and have accomplished quite a bit.

I have a Devialet 170 upgraded to a 200. It replaced a Transporter/Berkeley DAC/ARC Ref 3 system that was powering a pair of Wilson Duette's. It was a major upgrade that completely shocked me. I bought it after an in home audition. i was not in the market. The biggest surprise came with the addition of SAM for the Duette's. The bass upgrade for these speakers is insane. Best tweak ever by a factor of 10. In my very subjective opinion, I have never heard a better, more satisfying system. No, I am not kidding. Yes, I know my system can be beat, will be beat and can be improved. And I did not do a legitimate A/B with other systems and I only used a mac mini as a source. That is not the point.

The bass upgrade for these speakers is insane. Best tweak ever by a factor of 10.

Thank you for providing us with your impressions. I read your post with great interest as I have Duettes and a Berkeley Alpha. How does the resolution of the Deviatet compare to the Alpha? Also, how does the tone of the Deviatet compare to your old system? I am intrigued by this technology, but haven't been able to hear it under ideal conditions.

It is hard to describe. I think the DACs are similar. The difference mainly comes with the amplification and the elimination of cables and components. The system is so powerful yet noise and distortion free, everything seems to leap from darkness. Excellent resolution, and tone neutral. Effortless is a good word to describe it now.

I have a Devialet 170 upgraded to a 200. It replaced a Transporter/Berkeley DAC/ARC Ref 3 system that was powering a pair of Wilson Duette's. It was a major upgrade that completely shocked me. I bought it after an in home audition. i was not in the market. The biggest surprise came with the addition of SAM for the Duette's. The bass upgrade for these speakers is insane. Best tweak ever by a factor of 10. In my very subjective opinion, I have never heard a better, more satisfying system. No, I am not kidding. Yes, I know my system can be beat, will be beat and can be improved. And I did not do a legitimate A/B with other systems and I only used a mac mini as a source. That is not the point.

Hi RobertSF

From my own similar experience, I highly recommend moving on / up from the mac mini as your source or renderer. See if you can get a demo of one of the new Aurender units, or even an Auralic Aries. The minis can sound decent, but need a lot of work and software work arounds.

Ciao

Kenreau

@ AllanF... The latest firmware update (8) may have taken care of this. According to Devialet,

This continual updating is one of the more compelling features of a Devialet unit.

I do agree to all the comments made above. What Devialet delivers when it works is outstanding.

Over the last couple of weeks - unfortunately - I came to experience the other side: customer support is nowhere where it used to be.

I have an issue with the speaker output, flagged to Devialet weeks ago; all I hear is that they are working on it.

I bought an amp about 1/10 of the price of my Dev, and it performs flawlessly.

Dieter