Tonepub's Devialet Review

Interesting review. It's beautiful art just like the e-zine. Great piece of work. Thinking about the component though - while I am sure there will be some kind of small market for it, I for one can't imagine dropping $16K on a one box solution like this. It just wouldn't seem that much fun! Heck, I could have real shopping rampage with $16K. I could buy many high quality boxes - new and vintage - with blinking lights and lots of buttons and hook them all up with cool wire and put them in not one stand but two!. The mixing and matching possibilities could be endless.

 

The person that this is aimed at doesn't want a rack full of gear or a pile of wire on the floor.

 

Thanks. That's helpful. I would never have guessed.

 

The Majik DSi has a phono stage (MM standard, MC optional) and it's "pure class D" (or "chip amp") only at lower volume. Transistors take over when higher output is required. So it's also a hybrid, one of the ways in which the Devialet reminded me of the DSi.

Not defending it (I don't own one), but I believe you are mistaken on those two points.

http://www.linn.co.uk/files/0c7ba175/Majik_DS-I_Product_Information.pdf

http://files.computeraudiophile.com/2010/0418/linn-chakra-white-paper.pdf

You may be thinking of the $2500 Sneaky DS, which lacks a phono stage and is not based on Chakra.

 

That must have been the one I heard as it did not have a phono stage. Still not a fan of the Linn sound though. I've heard the big power amps and they just aren't my cup of tea.

It sounds like Linn takes a completely different approach with the traditional transistors handling the high current load, where the Devialet does the exact opposite.

 

Not sure if you are joking?!

Isn't the "fun" in listening to your favorite recordings played back at the highest fidelity possible? The future will not look like the present or the past. Shocking. Perhaps this new design is a sneak preview of where audio is going.

 

Yes, I was joking around a little - poking a bit of fun at my own predisposition towards little black boxes and many cables.

 

What I found refreshing in the current issue was the raving about the budget priced Polk loudspeakers.

 

Those little Polks are truly amazing for the money...

 

I have a set of larger Polks. I love them.

 

I thought the Devialet looked cool... but I won't rush out and buy one.

More importantly I just want to say the new E-zine version of Tone Audio is brilliant - just love reading it on my iPad using Zinio.... nice job Jeff!!!!!

 

I really liked the review, Tonepub. Wish I could hear one. I would like to hear from someone using one with Maggies!

 

Jim, I did have excellent luck with it driving my 1.6's... No prob driving MartinLogan either.

 

So far the verdict of the german audio mags see LINN at the very very top of the streaming universe - The Klymax getting superlatice ratibs kije 199% = Class Leader at STEREO the oldest mag and getting 140 % at audio - Means it sounds better than any CD player on the market, since the class leaders from from Burmester or NNAIM etc get a maximum of 130 or 135 with SACD.
The Akurate for 5.500 at half the price of the Klymax is not far behind and the MAJIK is in the range that others may reach atm for less than 3 grand. The surprise is the Sneaky for less than 1500 reaching reference class sound with 115% at audio...
They lead the field.
Bought the April issue of STEREO yesterday and that had a center review of the Devialet with lots of technical explanations and looks under the hood.
Did you know this is the first ever CLASS A/D amp !
Means the pre amp section works in pure Class A while the power amp is a ClassA Switch mode amp.
Measurements were extraordinary
Power 162/171 8/4 OHM typical for switch mode, since the amp automatically gets a feedback to the speakers impedance -
Musical Peaks up to at 4 OHM 384 watts (that is more like what the amp sounds like)
Damping factor 500 (100 more than the former leader the new PRIMARE 932 Class D amp)
THD from 0,0014 to 0,0012 at 1db under maximum !
with next siftware update they will rause the Sinus power outpot as well.
Normally ou could not build A/ D amps, so they used 8 amps in phase variation to lower the switch over and voila you get a wonderful sounding amp. tht is as green as can be, eating up less than 1/100 of the power a real CLASS A amp needs - up to 1 kilowatt hour /AMS 100 for example).
This amp is technical a sensation and sounds as good if not better than any other amp tested and reached the full 100% rating, that only one other amp reaches atm. The Dartzeel and all in all the verdict reaches towards the Devialet.

That mag had the real heavyweights inside this month :. A private listening at Hamburgs audio trade distribution the chied invited the Senior editor Mathias Böde to hear his Top Limited listening system - KRELL AVO Pre and SACD Players into those 300 Kilogram a piece the size of a cupboard costing 250.000 Euro a pair walk in Mono Blocks (also from KRELL and Limited) with Sonus Fabers 160.000 Reference speaker (30 pairs were built) with 15" bass sideways ib netal fit.
That looked awesome and sounded probably better than the real thing. spot each instrument in a large orchestra - check. speakers getting away and ionly keavung music - check

 

That is definitely not English. Can you speak more clearly?

 

Don't you recognize "Sheen" speak?

 

Have you heard any of this gear?

 

The Baron reads lots of magazines.

 

I need to buy some of this kit if it can make my CDs sound "better than the real thing" Nice!

 

Is my name Matthias Böde , am I the senior editor of STEREO mag ?
Did you measure the Devialet ?
What amazes me most is your snobbery vs Class D amps...
I thought you's like this amp ?

 

At least this is what we should exüect when we believe what the audio mags try to explaibn to us..lol !

This review concentrated on a private master recording from an unknown to me artist from last years Moers Jazz Festival and the guy was saying he was innediately familiar with the sound of that venue, he knows pretty well. )No surprose The Moers Jazz Festival takes place since 40years or so and Moers ain't far from Cologne, where Stereo mag resides) Anyway

I wonder why it takes electronics fir roughly half a million Euro to get the sound of a Live PA, that costs probably 10 tof this heavyweight set-up ?

But I must say this set up looked great and the room still had a decent living room flavor - wished I had a scanner. Those items are so limited they don't even appear on the web-sites...

Must I listen to all these "new" sensational pieces of gear I will never be able to afford (and would not even REALLY want - at least not in my house with a 5,15 by 4,85 meter sized room for music ..) ???????

Still Herr Böde looked as of he was having the time of his life and me being the son of an engineer just like the technical aspect of the game.
I do jave a problem thou with the audio talk about transients etv.
I always ask myself when they describe how real a drum set sounds - so what.My set up does that trick, too...lol
and then I ask myself that question "BETTER THAN THE REAL THING" ?

 

So do I.

 

Yeah, why read any of these rags, eh?

 

The Devialet isn't a class D amp.

There's no "snobbery" about Class D amps. I've never heard one I've liked. They never sound musical. And it's not about price either. I'd take a used Pass Aleph (about $900) over any class D I've ever heard.

Sorry, I'm not a measurements guy. I don't believe measurements reveal anything about the sound character of an amplifier. I think we just had a thread closed over this argument...

 

That's a hell of an issue. What happens when you try to play "music" through one? Does it all come out in bloops and bleeps with static and fart noises?