Devialet Expert 200 Amplifier, DAC and Streamer Review

[fredoamigo]

You have direct experience with them?

not from direct experience but I know their "philosophies" and their "reputation" but I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Wow that really is a surprise, a lot of owners hold these in very high regard.
Keith

I am happy with mine, though nothing I use it for gets anywhere near the limits explored in any of these tests.

 

[BaaM]

Thanks a lot amir!

For french speakers only (sadly)...
@jipihorn deciphers and explains one of Devialet's patents.

 

[renaudrenaud]

One electronic, we just need a pair of "speaker", err just one in fact, and will have all the information we need about these new alchemists.

Alchemists because they are able to transform their in shit in gold, in a certain way.

 

[igufi]

There's a setting called, I think, DPM, which does some sort of power management. This might be switched on by default in your unit. I understand most owners prefer this setting off. It could be causing weirdies.

You may be onto something. I found the following description for DPM:

Dynamic Power Management: The amplifier’s input signal level and the current volume gain allow us to determine at any moment the maximum voltage to be applied to the speakers.For example, with a volume gain at -20dB, the maximum voltage to be applied to the speakers is ten times inferior to the maximum voltage the amplifier can deliver.The amplifier’s electrical consumption, and as a consequence its heating, is directly linked to the maximum internal power supply voltage (which is superior to the maxi-mum voltage required by the speakers) produced by the internal power supply of the amplifier.In order to further increase the amplifier efficiency, the value of the maximum internal voltage is adjusted according to the maximum voltage required by the speakers.Therefore, this supply voltage management allows to maintain the quality of the voltage applied to the speaker and to save energy at the same time.

Source: https://www.devialet.com/media/wysiwyg/docs/manual-8-1.pdf

 

[BDWoody]

not from direct experience but I know their "philosophies" and their "reputation" but I hope I'm wrong.

Trashing them in pile-on fashion may not be the best way to get them to participate.

 

[Soniclife]

You may be onto something. I found the following description for DPM:

Source: https://www.devialet.com/media/wysiwyg/docs/manual-8-1.pdf

Subjectively, and fully sighted, DPM on seemed to affect the treble with the 200 to me, it seemed softened when on.

You can see these settings by clicking the tone button on the remote to cycle through them all.

 

[Purité Audio]

I am happy with mine, though nothing I use it for gets anywhere near the limits explored in any of these tests.

I remember trying one of the early iterations here and it seemed fine, albeit used with efficient and sensitive horn loudspeakers.
Keith

 

[Feargal]

Another possibility is that Amir hasn't disabled SAM, but instead set it to zero on the remote? I'm not super-technical but I believe there are two elements to SAM - a phase alignment component, and a frequency one. I think then SAM is enabled, but the level turned to zero on the remote, the phase alignment (for the specified speaker) is still active. It has to be disabled in the configurator.

 

[Koeitje]

You may be onto something. I found the following description for DPM:

Source: https://www.devialet.com/media/wysiwyg/docs/manual-8-1.pdf

Why in God's name would you put something like this in an amplifier?

 

[FrantzM]

Underwhelming to say the least ... Could it be that this unit was/is defective/ The only way to know would be for Devialet to send a better (cherry-picked? ) one.

Devialet have been my dreams amp for a while and I might have pulled the trigger but in light of these measurements and general shortcomings: Stoooooopid software, issues with software revisions, pooe ergonomics, poor UI (that lame SD that has to be brought to a PC.... in these days and ages ) , lack of serious warranty. I won't buy a Devialet

with such great and through reviews ASR is establishing itself as one of the best audio related sites around. This kind of serious review can only help us. From what we know from the ASR review one can get much better performance at a better price... Even somting as inexpensive a Topping DX-7 + Some Hypex amps + streamer represent better performance and better value
Same price or less gets a Benchmark stack (AHB2 Amp + DAC 3 HGC) for the nec plus Ultra in amplification

 

[mhardy6647]

I think I missed one tidbit in the review: was this a brand-new, right out of the box specimen, or had it been in service for a while?
In either case, might the unit's failure have been independent of the testing regimen? I mean, correlation isn't causation, as all y'all know.

https://xkcd.com/552/

EDIT:

Underwhelming to say the least ... Could it be that this unit was/is defective/ The only way to know would be for Devialet to send a better (cherry-picked? ) one.

oops, sorry! I just saw this after I posted!

 

[Aaron Garrett]

Trashing them in pile-on fashion may not be the best way to get them to participate.

I own a Devialet 220. Sounds great. But Devialet is notorious for being unresponsive to emails and in keeping customers out of all loops. They are really terrible in this regard and I have personal experience, and have seen the testimonials of many others. I agree with don't pile on, but I too would be surprised if Devialet responds.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Amir, are you using the AUX-0025 filter?

I don't understand the "Class A with a Class D current source". How much of this amp operates in Class A? I'm guessing not much.

Tom

The topology is unique to them. It is similar in concept to Quad's "current dumping" but in the digital age.
The class A amp controls voltage up to full power with class D stages (4 each channel iirc) supplying the current under DSP control, the idea was to have the lack of crossover distortion of a class A amp without the size and power wastage.

a lot of people in France like me don't have any sympathy for this brand ....their marketing, their very high opinion of themselves

They were fine at first. The web site was simple but technical and easy to navigate, then the LVMH bloke bought shares and the web site became completely hopeless screen candy very hard to navigate.
If they had had the web site they have today I would never have investigated the technology or bought the original.

I don't expect DSP can be "switched off" without switching the amp off since it requires DSP for the Analogue-Digital Hybrid circuit to work and the power output is configurable (up to maximum) - I don't think that would be possible if DSP could be switched off.

There is no doubt the analogue noise level went up between the D-Premier and subsequent models. They changed the power supply and added more powerful DSP to allow SAM (originally developed for the Phantom) to be implemented and added this model which has the same pcbs but less heat sinking than the bigger one and has a lower rated power max.
I am therefore quite sure that the power is thermally limited on this model and intended to be protected by the DSP. The bigger one may well be thermally limited too, just getting to higher power before the controller steps in.

 

[Thomas savage]

Style over substance, fur coat no nickers ( though that one has its up side )..

 

[RayDunzl]

If it is still unresponsive, feed it some of this and see if it will wake up.

 

[Frank Dernie]

that lame SD that has to be brought to a PC

Unless you are a journalist or like dicking about it isn't that big a deal and really harks back to the original device which was configured by and SD card but not over the internet.
The interface is pretty clunky having changed little in 8 years.
I don't imagine the sales volume makes frequent pcb and firmware updates practical when most of the employees are working on the profitable Phantom line.
It is definitely a disappointment for users who do want to change configuration a lot.
FWIW it is over 2 years since I used the configurator.

 

[fredoamigo]

The topology is unique to them. It is similar in concept to Quad's "current dumping" but in the digital age.
The class A amp controls voltage up to full power with class D stages (4 each channel iirc) supplying the current under DSP control, the idea was to have the lack of crossover distortion of a class A amp without the size and power wastage.


They were fine at first. The web site was simple but technical and easy to navigate, then the LVMH bloke bought shares and the web site became completely hopeless screen candy very hard to navigate.
If they had had the web site they have today I would never have investigated the technology or bought the original.

I don't expect DSP can be "switched off" without switching the amp off since it requires DSP for the Analogue-Digital Hybrid circuit to work and the power output is configurable (up to maximum) - I don't think that would be possible if DSP could be switched off.

There is no doubt the analogue noise level went up between the D-Premier and subsequent models. They changed the power supply and added more powerful DSP to allow SAM (originally developed for the Phantom) to be implemented and added this model which has the same pcbs but less heat sinking than the bigger one and has a lower rated power max.
I am therefore quite sure that the power is thermally limited on this model and intended to be protected by the DSP. The bigger one may well be thermally limited too, just getting to higher power before the controller steps in.

what divides them the most is their lack of humility ... if they make good products with real innovations their marketing speeches ruin it all ...

"Founded in 2007 and based in Paris, Devialet is the world's most award-winning start-up company for its inventions of excellence in the field of sound. At the origin of the Devialet epic, the ADH, a patented invention that revolutionized the world of amplification. This innovation, which borders on the impossible, has made it possible to combine analog and digital technologies to restore a sound quality never before achieved".
https://www.devialet.com/fr-fr/presentation-entreprise/

 

[Ron Texas]

For $9 grand it should be able to clean the house too.

 

[mhardy6647]

... fur coat no <k>nickers ( though that one has its up side )..

Darned tootin'.