Devialet 170

[DaveF]

Review from Absolute Sounds

http://www.absolutesounds.com/pdf/main/ ... _D-170.pdf

[Claus]

One part of me can see the attraction in trading in/selling cdp, amp and dac. Keep NUC for htpc . Rip all my cds. Hang this thing on the wall next to a turntable and play more music and tweak less... but is that a hobby? Hmm.....

[Diapason]

Hmmm, 15 minutes of non-classical listening would suggest that my earlier post might have been hasty. The fight isn't over yet! I'm out tonight so I'll have no more time, but this really is an impressive machine.

[KenMoran]

FWIW, I found the sound changed quite a bit over the 3 days I had the 170 on loan. Either that, or my appreciation of it grew as I forgot what my previous system sounded like. It somehow managed to sound less clinical, yet more detailed than my existing Linn gear - quite an impressive balancing act.

It also took a little time to come on song every time I started playing music, even though I had it on standby constantly. So, the obvious solution is to keep playing music 24 hours a day ....

ATB, Ken

[block]

Hmmm, 15 minutes of non-classical listening would suggest that my earlier post might have been hasty. The fight isn't over yet! I'm out tonight so I'll have no more time, but this really is an impressive machine.

Really interested in hearing more.

Was thinking of spending around 2k on a dac and streamer withing 12 mths but may just sell or trade in everything for a dev 110 if possible before end of september to get the airplay upgrade presuming I can get the funds in time that is.

Quite a good bit of money but my only gripe is it would not be upgradable in any way other than speaker and speaker cables in case you get an itch.

[Claus]

Hmmm, 15 minutes of non-classical listening would suggest that my earlier post might have been hasty. The fight isn't over yet! I'm out tonight so I'll have no more time, but this really is an impressive machine.

Really interested in hearing more.

Was thinking of spending around 2k on a dac and streamer withing 12 mths but may just sell or trade in everything for a dev 110 if possible before end of september to get the airplay upgrade presuming I can get the funds in time that is.

Quite a good bit of money but my only gripe is it would not be upgradable in any way other than speaker and speaker cables in case you get an itch.

But on the plus side it seems the firm ware will be upgradable as it improves. But I am sort of in the same situation: The thought of not having much tweaking options is both a blessing and a curse. I do think it makes sense economically if the DAC is as good as everyone says. With the 170 a good phono stage adds even further to the value and simplicity of the system... Very wife friendly as well if that is a concern ;)

[Diapason]

Well this isn't getting any easier. A bit more listening reveals more areas in which the Devialet continues to shade the valves in terms of performance. Now, I still find myself pining for that valve fatness and magic, but this has its own magic of a different kind. My head is really turned, and I'm only using a fraction of its functionality.

One thing's for certain: this is one of the finest pieces of kit that's ever been through the house, and I could live very very happily with it. If you're thinking in this price range at all I'd urge you to give it a listen. Leave your prejudices at the door, though.

I'll try to share specifics tomorrow when I'm not logging in from my phone.

[DaveF]

Sounds great Simon. Any hint of fatigue at all after an extended listening session? It's one problem I had with the Kharma monos although I appreciate the Devialet is a different type of machine altogether.
Whenever I decided to get back into hifi this will probably be my first audition.

[Diapason]

With the caveat that it's hard to test fatigue when I keep chopping and changing tracks every couple of minutes, I wouldn't consider it to be a problem here. It's certainly not as "lush" sounding as other components, and it's so clear an open that you *could* feel overwhelmed, but it never actually happened. Everything is kept in check and sounds very controlled.

Initially my sense was of a tonal balance on the "lighter" side of the spectrum, but the more I listen the more I think that's unfair. Ultimately, the sound is very clean but bass comes through with bite and body when it's ACTUALLY there, and the whole sound is smooth and balanced. Even with the notorious Kharma voicing, I didn't turn off even one single track due to brightness, and I tested with stuff that can cause problems in my system. Biting soprano that can sometimes get OTT in higher notes stayed just the right side of the line. Older jazz recordings that can be somewhat bass-light were so open that the bass could come through easily, while nothing got unpleasantly shrill up top (this is a triumph in my system). Genuinely new little details normally buried in the mix or below the noise floor were suddenly clearly audible. I don't say that often because it's not often true, but there it is.

So what's stopping me from pulling the trigger? At their best, I still think the valve monos are better at making things sound "lifelike". Little spatial cues that lead to more realistic imaging and sense of place are *somewhat* lacking in the Devialet. Sometimes the valves sound more immediate too, with leading edges just that bit crisper where they need to be (the bite of a guitar string for example). They're really small differences, and they vary from disc to disc if I'm honest, but that's the sense I have at the moment.

In addition, the warmth and bloom added by the valves are very useful with the Kharmas in my room so I'm slightly reluctant to let go of that. The thing is, the Devialet suggests very strongly that such things are colourations rather than a faithful representation of the disc, so again it can benefit some of the time but be detrimental some of the time. In the broadest sense is seems that classical listening is better on the valves, non-classical is better on the Devialet.

Bottom line: if I had the money I'd buy it and keep the valves too. I'd be interested in configuring the Devialet as a preamp to see if that gave the best of both worlds somehow, but I don't want to go messing with the configuration on Cloney's loaner machine. Given the flexibility it offers in terms of its use as a DAC etc., I really think it might be the perfect place for you to start getting back into hifi, Dave. Certainly, it let me listen happily to every disc I threw at it.

Oh, there's one other thing. I can't help but wonder whether some of the "disimprovements" I'm hearing are due to the necessity of running the Wadia single-ended. I've long since considered that it sounds better from the balanced outputs (as I use with the GRAAFs) but that's not an option with the Devialet. I must test the valves with single-ended input this evening to see if that clarifies things.

I'll be sad to see this go back to the shop.

[DaveF]

Nice write up Simon.
I can't help thinking though that Kharma's really do need some extra bloom that your valves deliver. Certainly it has been my experience not to feed Kharmas with anything with straight-line-gain-ideal. I'm betting this is why the Graafs still have the edge for you in your setup and even then it's just marginal as you say.
It must be coincidence as I've just arranged a listening session with a pair of Audioplan Kontrast V's being fed with a Devaliet 110/170 in the next week or two.
I may find myself perched on top of another slippery slope soon........again.