Devialet Expert 200 Amplifier, DAC and Streamer Review

[RigorDude]

There are separate review threads on their ADC performance. I am about to post another interface review and will show the latest rankings for all the ones I have tested.

Thanks, I'll stay tuned.

 

[anmpr1]

Interesting. I always thought Holt started Stereophile to counter what one could call the Julian Hirsch/Stereo Review Mentality - which is arguably closer to the prevailing philosophy of this forum.

My recollection is that Holt's reviews did not include measurements.

To be sure, Holt did not pull punches.

Holt's grievance was his claim that manufacturers (ie, advertisers) had 'too much' influence with magazine (Audiocraft and High Fidelity) editorial content. The original Stereophile was ad free, essentially a one man show, and you never knew when you would get it. Of course that was more or less the case with all of the small independents from those days.

Gordon did some rudimentary measurements, but nothing like you'd find in the pages of Audio, Stereo Review, or HF.

Holt eventually realized that it was impossible for him to 'go it alone', non-commercial. Let's face it, ads pay for the magazine, any magazine.

As far as the 'no bad reviews'? In Stereo Review's case, Larry Klein chose the gear to be reviewed and sent it to Hirsch. That's why almost all the gear in SR received pretty good reviews--everything was pre-screened. But even with Hirsch you could read between the lines. Often what was not said outright, but implied, was more interesting than what was. Occasionally Hirsch would say something semi-nonsensical within an overall review context, and you knew he was pushing it to say something, anything, nice about the component in question.

On the other hand, manufacturers had an incentive to produce well thought out gear because they wanted Hirsch, Len Feldman and the rest to offer a positive write up so they could place it in their ads. There was real competition among manufacturers back then. Some manufacturers refused to play the game, like McIntosh, thinking they had nothing to gain by sending gear in for review. McIntosh was not tweaky enough for the undergrounds, and spec for spec it was difficult for the mainstream mags to recommend them when the Pioneer receiver on page 45 outspec'd whatever Mac was selling for double the price. So McIntosh stayed away while their well established dealer network and word of mouth endorsements carried the water for them.

The exceptions to the usual types of cookie cutter reviews in the mainstream press were Audio's Richard Heyser (whose loudspeaker reviews remain examples of how it should be done), and possibly Bascom King, who was able to get away with 'subjective' comments--the latter questionable due to his lack of controlled method.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

I’m interested to see if Devialet respond to Amir’s queries.
One of the constant gripes on the devialetchat forum is that the company’s support and responsiveness is terrible

 

[Soniclife]

I’m interested to see if Devialet respond to Amir’s queries.
One of the constant gripes on the devialetchat forum is that the company’s support and responsiveness is terrible

I think it's worth separating how they respond to software bugs, and hardware issue, they are crap at software support, but I've found them great at hardware support. I expect them to support the hardware here.

 

[ChrisPa]

Just follow Jesse’s diet:

Jesse's first diet tip - my younger son mostly eats bourbon biscuits.
He's 27

 

[typericey]

Thanks for the review Amir. I've been waiting for a Devialet amp to be reviewed.

We've only scratched the surface of the world of audio jewelry. I bet there are myriads of amps out there that are more expensive and measure worse than this Devialet.

 

[amirm]

We've only scratched the surface of the world of audio jewelry. I bet there are myriads of amps out there that are more expensive and measure worse than this Devialet.

That is a given....

 

[AudioJester]

I’m interested to see if Devialet respond to Amir’s queries.
One of the constant gripes on the devialetchat forum is that the company’s support and responsiveness is terrible

Lots of sad news coming from France today. I would not judge any lack of response in current circumstances.......

 

[MZKM]

Thanks for the review Amir. I've been waiting for a Devialet amp to be reviewed.

We've only scratched the surface of the world of audio jewelry. I bet there are myriads of amps out there that are more expensive and measure worse than this Devialet.

Stereophile reviewed this $170,000 monstrosity:

Here is it’s THD (50Hz, 8ohm, 50W):

Here is the $3000 Benchmark with the same parameters:

Granted the Benchmark is 1/2 as powerful (100W vs 200W into 8ohm), but still.

To date, the only expensive power amplifier I have seen which is close to the Benchmark is the $99K Boulder 2150, but it does ~1kW into 8ohm. Their ~$200,000 flagship model though has these specs:

It’s a damn behemoth though:

Along with Sim/Moon, these guys focus too much on wattage, almost no speaker can handle more than 200W into 8ohm but it looks good on paper and some people think it’s better.

 

[AudioJester]

Stereophile reviewed this $170,000 monstrosity:

I need that case for my PC!

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

Lots of sad news coming from France today. I would not judge any lack of response in current circumstances.......

Agreed 100%.
My comment was completely unrelated to the current state of the world

 

[dtaylo1066]

A Deviant!

 

[gvl]

It’s a damn behemoth though:

What's the disposal strategy once bought? Probably need to include with your home sale when you move out. And, do you have to pay property taxes on these?

 

[anmpr1]

To date, the only expensive power amplifier I have seen which is close to the Benchmark is the $99K Boulder 2150, but it does ~1kW into 8ohm. Their ~$200,000 flagship model though has these specs: It’s a damn behemoth though.

Boulder began (at least as I remember them) with circuits based on Deane Jensens 990C opamp. Expensive, hand made, but generally affordable. The stuff they make today is really over the top. I'm sure it's first rate elctrically (at least I presume it is) but the modern-style angular asymmetrical design they've taken is off-putting. Not that I'm their customer, but if I could afford their stuff I'd buy Accuphase and with the saved cash buy a Porsche 718 Spyder. And then take a vacation with the rest of the pocket change (at least once things return to normal). LOL

 

[anmpr1]

I need that case for my PC!

What is that thing inside the amp? Looks like the hard drive from our old Burroughs B800 computer.

 

[bidn]

What is that thing inside the amp? Looks like the hard drive from our old Burroughs B800 computer.

View attachment 56690

It really looks like a grinder to me!
That would explain why these devices have such high wattage levels.
But what could be the purpose of such an electrical powertool like a grinder inside in an audio device????? Well simple, to cut off all these nasty amplitude spikes at unwanted frequencies shown in the FFT spectrum. This unique cutting edge (literally speaking!) design allows to pulverize THD+N, hence the huge, but well deserved audiophile price tag.
This also explains the need for the huge enclosure: to insulate from the terrible noise produced by the grinder when it is busy cutting out things.

 

[infinitesymphony]

The name Boulder jogged a memory -- turns out they made the second most expensive DAC in the "All the DACs Money Can Buy" thread I was maintaining on Head-Fi around 10 years ago. $35,000 and it came with 10x Burr-Brown PCM1704. Wonder if anyone still has a unit that could be tested.

 

[gvl]

What is that thing inside the amp? Looks like the hard drive from our old Burroughs B800 computer.

That's a flying saucer, they are pretty hard to come by, hence the price.

 

[AudioJester]

That thing looks like n arc reactor, and the case can turn into an ironman suit.. .....

 

[Prana Ferox]

Stereophile reviewed this $170,000 monstrosity:

I need that case for my PC!

There's even the perfect Windows theme to match: