Has anyone heard the Devialet D-Premier Integrated Amp/DAC
- Thread starter FrantzM
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I haven't made any arguments so it is unsurprising that you cannot follow them.
My experience is that:
I have owned a D-Premier since launch 2.5 years ago. (Replacing a Krell). Speakers QUAD 2905.
It is in use daily - with a large collection of classical music: CD; SACD; DVD-A; BluRay audio; (Downloads up to 24 bit, 192kHz - via Streamer as I am not, until now, happy with Air).
I visit international Opera and Concert houses monthly (for over 30 years)
I am a physicist with long experience of acoustics.
However, please don't take my word about Devialet firmware changes, ask someone senior at Devialet. They are (in my experience) 100% honest.
G
Audirvana features with AIR 2.1
gatomusik - I got home and checked my Aurdirvana preference. Exclusive access mode, Direct Mode and Integer mode are checked. I do not know whether the features are working properly or not. How do you know Devialet does not work with Audirvana with those features? Thanks for your help.
Hi Gorkitek,
on the old Devialet site they have stated with most new firmware / air versions that the sound quality has been improved. And even without these hints the differences were clearly audible. Also the perceived change in sound signature was the same for all users that have commented about it.
Even some testers who did a software update noticed the difference. 6moons e.g. has updated from 5.2 to 5.3. This was their comment:
After the upgrade the sonic difference was shocking.
on the old Devialet site they have stated with most new firmware / air versions that the sound quality has been improved. And even without these hints the differences were clearly audible. Also the perceived change in sound signature was the same for all users that have commented about it.
Even some testers who did a software update noticed the difference. 6moons e.g. has updated from 5.2 to 5.3. This was their comment:
After the upgrade the sonic difference was shocking.
However. You wrote
Where is this information from?
Devialet says that they have never changed anything in sound quality so far?
Sound depending on WiFi factors? Or computer software?
Most users should not have changed these things while updating their devialet.
On the other side: Always changing sound quality (in the sence of sounding) - even if it's getting better step by step - is a little bit disconcerting of course as it is not in demand. But as long as everything becomes clearer, better controlled und more dynamik it 'sounds' good to me and shows that they are always trying to improve things.
Looks like Devialet has waited sending out a newsletter until (most of) the problems were fixed. I received one early this afternoon about AIR2.1/fw 6.0.7.
There has definitely been sound upgrades with the different firmware versions, not between every single update but with some of them and Devialet has admitted this themselves and I completely agree that the latest 6.0.7 is superior to the previous versions.
Would anyone who knows care to explain how Amarra or Audirvana or whatever works with Air2?
My understanding originally was that these bits of software would not work with Air1 and that it was Devialet's design to get a "pure" iTunes file without any processing, modification or interference from the iTunes and/or Mac system.
I presume this remains Devialet's aim but now, with the virtual sound card, it seems that Amarra, etc, can be accommodated.
So presumably you chose Devialet's preferred architecture (iTunes/Air2) or another (iTunes"+"/Amarra/Air2"-")? What are the technical gains and losses?
My understanding originally was that these bits of software would not work with Air1 and that it was Devialet's design to get a "pure" iTunes file without any processing, modification or interference from the iTunes and/or Mac system.
I presume this remains Devialet's aim but now, with the virtual sound card, it seems that Amarra, etc, can be accommodated.
So presumably you chose Devialet's preferred architecture (iTunes/Air2) or another (iTunes"+"/Amarra/Air2"-")? What are the technical gains and losses?
Gorkitek: You mention using the D-P with Quads 2905. I am contemplating to get into "Quad country" after a stint with moving coil speakers. I had Martin Logan Sequels years ago and liked them very much.
How well does the D-P drive your Quads? Do you think the 2805 would be a reasonable choice? My problem may be space, as the 2905s are 140 cm high.
I took literally Devialet's assertion that any audio played on the computer does so by means of Devialet's virtual sound card Air2. This seemed a sensible claim.
However, the Audirvana and Audio Midi settings seem to complicate matters, and getting a bit perfect stream from Audirvana is not working for me. I have wearied of juggling settings that never work without hitches. I had similar complications using Pure Music. All of the alternate music players have peculiar ways of interposing between iTunes and the computer's output, evidently.
(It may be, from what I gather from an earlier poster's remarks, that OSX does not easily accommodate an alternate music player via Air2, while Windows may work well with one.)
Like you, I am hoping that someone with technical expertise can offer advice.
Just now, I've managed to get Audirvana playing through Air2 with the optimum settings you mention above. Seems to have something to do with the sequence of starting up player and Air2, but I've not figured out what that is for consistency of performance. Also, I'm still concerned that adjusting the Devialet remote moves the iTunes slider away from maximum volume, which the Audirvana manual suggests affects bit perfect playback negatively.
HiFi News used the QUADs in one of its D-P reviews with great success. I have had a series of QUAD' s right back to the 83 and the D-P is far away the most impressive driver including my previous Krell's . The D-P does control these speakers particularly well at low frequencies where the impedance modulus falls very low with perceived improved response. The accurate phase response also enhances imaging. However, I strongly encourage you to audition for a few days before deciding as I have not used the 2805's. I set the power to 150w max with the 2905's. Match the cable lengths if long and the speaker angles to less than 5mm relative distance to the wall. I use quite shallow toe in - around 10 degrees but obviously your preference.
I don't think you will be disappointed - quite the opposite - as usual with QUAD's be sure of the source material. The D-P grip and stability of the image is remarkable. There is one downside with this excellent imaging that is particularly obvious with poorly miked solo voice - you can easily detect when the singer voices to the left or right and creates a phase error resulting in momentary image shift of the voice. Fascinating!
G
Like Gorkitek (who i think i know as GE through email correspondence) I used the D-Premier with Quad 2905s and can confirm there are no problems driving these speakers. Sound quality is wonderful. You do need to be fastidious with speaker positioning.
I had Quad 989s for 5 years and Quad 2905s for 7 years but eventually decided that they dominated my room too much - i think you need a room at least 14ft by 22ft pretty dedicated to listening. Getting a moving coil speaker that is close to the Quads is tough and probably more expensive than the Quads themselves. But if you have a small room it may be more domestically acceptable and you can get rid of most of the hifi by hanging the Devialet on the wall and placing your wireless laptop source next to you.
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Hi to all.
As an owner of two D-Ps I am reading this thread for a while with interest. And when I got the Air 2.0 problems I followed this thread with even more interest. I really appreciate this forum for it's communicative, international and helpful style.
I would like to give my comment to the ability of D-P to drive electrostatic loudspeakers. I am an owner of a pair of fullrange electrostatic speakers that are probably not known to the majority of people, as the company does not exist any more. However, this pair of speakers do have a tremendous sound. But they also do have a typical characteristic problem for electrostatic speakers as they go below 1 Ohm in a range above 16kHz with an additional phase change over there.
All over that means, they are very, very hard to control for any amp on the market. And I tried a lot.
When getting my first experience with D-P I was overwhelmed by the control and accurateness of this amp. It did not get hot or had any other critical problems over some days of intensive listening. But the enemy of the good is the best.
In this case it was a second Devialet-Premier in a dual mono amp use. More seriousness, more silence, blackness and control and the loss of what I call "crisp" in the middle regions.
All over I can recommend the D-Ps warmly to anyone having critical speakers.
I also would like to ask if anyone made some experiments with different power cables connecting to the D-Ps and could talk about his or her experience. And what about your comparison, Bernie? Any difference to hear in comparing JRiver with iTunes?
Is there any chance to get Air 2.1 to run with JRiver for MAC?
As an owner of two D-Ps I am reading this thread for a while with interest. And when I got the Air 2.0 problems I followed this thread with even more interest. I really appreciate this forum for it's communicative, international and helpful style.
I would like to give my comment to the ability of D-P to drive electrostatic loudspeakers. I am an owner of a pair of fullrange electrostatic speakers that are probably not known to the majority of people, as the company does not exist any more. However, this pair of speakers do have a tremendous sound. But they also do have a typical characteristic problem for electrostatic speakers as they go below 1 Ohm in a range above 16kHz with an additional phase change over there.
All over that means, they are very, very hard to control for any amp on the market. And I tried a lot.
When getting my first experience with D-P I was overwhelmed by the control and accurateness of this amp. It did not get hot or had any other critical problems over some days of intensive listening. But the enemy of the good is the best.
In this case it was a second Devialet-Premier in a dual mono amp use. More seriousness, more silence, blackness and control and the loss of what I call "crisp" in the middle regions.
All over I can recommend the D-Ps warmly to anyone having critical speakers.
I also would like to ask if anyone made some experiments with different power cables connecting to the D-Ps and could talk about his or her experience. And what about your comparison, Bernie? Any difference to hear in comparing JRiver with iTunes?
Is there any chance to get Air 2.1 to run with JRiver for MAC?
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Interesting what you say about the "crisp" middle, I would have called it a slight "grit" in the lower treble more noticable on some speakers and might explain the poor sound they had in Munich this year.
I look forward to this being improved by dual mono operation.
I look forward to this being improved by dual mono operation.
Thanks IanG and Gorkitek. As you say, panel speakers tend to dominate rooms a lot and this is also my concern with the Quads. The Martin Logans I had years ago were at least "half" transparent but the Quads seem to be black intransparent panels. It's just their sound that's sooo good.
Which moving coil comes to your mind as being plus/minus equivalent? I am Ayons with ceramic drivers right now, which are not bad at all, but some "something" is missing.
I got FW 6.0.7 and Air2.1 to work today - using iTunes on a Macbook Pro. Apart from 1 or 2 network glitches streaming was fine up to 192khz sampling rate - and wonderful sound!
However, the Configuration was a struggle - I am sharing in case this is useful:
- I started off using my existing config file (incl. the working Wifi setup) under 5.7.3, which is supposed to work also under the new firmware. Yet the Devialet simply did not connect to the network. It took me 2 hours to figure out that under the latest FW and Air2.1 apparently the network key gets truncated!! Admittedly I was using a pretty long key, yet it would be helpful if Devialet would inform us users about such issues. With a new, shorter network key it now works.
- Regarding the new 6.0 Configurator: I was unable to upload my old config file. It pretends it does, but after uploading the file it is being ignored. Then after going through the configuration again, it seems you cannot rename the Inputs, as it was possible under the old configurator...
- An easy workaround: Using the old 5.7.3 configurator to edit / update the config file, which then worked fine also with the 6.0.7 firmware. I hope the new Configurator will be fixed in future releases...
Cheers
Eric
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