Has anyone heard the Devialet D-Premier Integrated Amp/DAC

[LL21]

I have listened for a short time (one week) to the Devialet in my system. An impressive system and fantastic value for money in Europe. But is just confirmed the "Audiophile myth" - it really sounded very good, but it has a characteristic sound signature. It does not sound like other amplifiers that also measure very well, some people will love it, others will prefer another type of sound.

Something that is is not easy to understand is the great improvement you get in sound quality you get when you use two Devialet's in their Stack mode. How do you get perfection more perfect doubling it?

I agree...I also spent time with the Devialet and also with them in monoblock mode. Far, far superior in monoblock mode when driving Wilson Maxx's at the local dealer's room which i have spent many hours in over the years. I heard single and mono'd/stacked. I respect the Devialet tremendously. I dont love the sound but respect it...and particularly find a single changes dramatically when you crank it with a tough load like the Maxx's...it really starts to lose its composure and the sound destabilizes/hardens imho. The Dealer agreed to give him credit. Double Devialets were dramatically better at driving the Maxx's even at low levels...however the cost-benefit ratio of the 'all-in'one' Devialet starts to diminsh compared to separates then, imho.

 

[fas42]

t...and particularly find a single changes dramatically when you crank it with a tough load like the Maxx's...it really starts to lose its composure and the sound destabilizes/hardens imho. The Dealer agreed to give him credit. Double Devialets were dramatically better at driving the Maxx's even at low levels...however the cost-benefit ratio of the 'all-in'one' Devialet starts to diminsh compared to separates then, imho.

This echos what I said elsewhere on another thread, and I know I mentioned it earlier here, and Orb took me to task about the comments: it's all about the power supply, if sufficient engineering is not there to make sure it doesn't start to collapse under stress, by whatever means, then your experience will be the result. As a stark contrast, the essential reason why my "miserable" HT can do so well is because a lot of design effort has lifted its power supply abilities by a large amount ...

Frank

 

[Orb]

This echos what I said elsewhere on another thread, and I know I mentioned it earlier here, and Orb took me to task about the comments: it's all about the power supply, if sufficient engineering is not there to make sure it doesn't start to collapse under stress, by whatever means, then your experience will be the result. As a stark contrast, the essential reason why my "miserable" HT can do so well is because a lot of design effort has lifted its power supply abilities by a large amount ...

Frank

Frank, that is NOT entirely correct bud
Please look back at those discussions in full, and I mention them also in this thread, where I do feel a restriction not for dynamic loudness but dynamic swells-weight is possibly related to switched-mode power supply with the associated lower value in capacitance-power reserve - Devialet are NOT the only manufacturer of amps using switched-mode power supplies to do this BTW.

Regarding sound quality, yes two do improve sound and again I mention in this thread why I felt so.
However it is interesting the stereo Devialet D-Premier is now closer to the sound of using two in mono with the more recent firmware updates (and each update so far has subtly improved quality), so this is still using the same hardware and design in the power supply/input/output stages.
As I hinted at in past, I feel the improvements relate to better regulation of the supply-input stage via software, and also the behaviour-mechanisms of the output stage where the signal is split-error controlled-etc between Class A and D "current dumping" and also class a utilised at high frequencies, along with the DAC.
Check the patent designs and the circuitry they show, I have posted them in the past.

Going to let this go now and not going into technicalities so please appreciate the above is very brief summary without details (which could take many pages in itself).....
Micro/Lloyd glad your experience is matching everyone elses, and why I think prospective buyers must listen to both a single stereo and mono setup so they can see how the subtle difference in a single stereo affects them for long term listening.
Definitely a split between those who need (I was one of them) dual mono setup and those happy with just a single Devialet (such as Bernard), but from what I can tell chatting to dealers I know selling Devialet here in UK those most are content with the single Devialet.

Cheers
Orb

 

[bernardl]

Frank, that is NOT entirely correct bud
Definitely a split between those who need (I was one of them) dual mono setup and those happy with just a single Devialet (such as Bernard), but from what I can tell chatting to dealers I know selling Devialet here in UK those most are content with the single Devialet.

It probably depends on the speakers you have to drive with them. My Wilson Benesch Vector are a relatively easily load it seems. I did in fact have an opportunity to purchase a second D-Premier at a price I could probably have afforded (demo unit), but decided it was already good enough and did not proceed. On top of my current satisfaction with the sound, I am also increasingly pleased with the simplicity of my current set up and doubling the complexity with a second unit just doesn't seem right for me now. Besides, I am firmly convinced that the power chord used on the D-Premier does impact the sound significantly, and a second copy of the cable I use (Esoteric 7N PC-9300) is beyond budget.

As a side comment, I have to day I was a bit surprised by the improvement with wifi compared to the int202 that was already very good. Now I need to understand why my wifi connection is not as stable as I would like it to be (not a devialet problem), I might start by replacing my old aiport base station by the latest model.

Cheers,
Bernard

 

[Orb]

Good point Bernard.
I must admit I found the Devialet less speaker fussy though and used it with SF Guarneri and also WA Duettes at only moderate levels in a medium sized room, which ties in with the reviews as well that used it with various speakers (tough and easy ones).

Cheers
Orb

 

[fas42]

Hey, Orb, lets's not get into another round, just shake on it, OK ...

What I'm saying about power supplies relates to all gear, from the cheapest to the most expensive: whenever changing the power cord changes the sound, which bernard just mentioned, as have people using the most expensive setups, then we're talking about power supply engineering. If the latter was 100% sorted out, then substituting a cheapie from the local electrical shop would make no difference to the sound ...

Cheers,
Frank

 

[NorthStar]

Very well...

How did I end up here and started reading and reading?...

Beats me man! Very Impressive Design & Technological Tour-de-Force!

Solid connectors, beautifully organized in & out, and on and on and on ...

I just wish I could listen to it! :b

...And I just don't care how much it costs! ...Money is not important, only life is important.

 

[Orb]

The D-Premier is now also available in black or white (chrome still available as well).
I have to say the photos of the matt black D-Premier looks beautiful.

Cheers
Orb

 

[NorthStar]

This integrated amp (DAC) is simply a beauty of a design, in & out.

 

[egidius]

Thanks Ord.
...It is almost philosophical, why add romantism to the version chosen by the engineer who created the record?

Cheers,
Bernard

Why are we all so afraid? I do know, that one of the big audiophile mantras is neutrality. But - ask a musician (I am!) - neutrality has absolutely no significance in art (music is an art ;-)
And on a different level: I am Swiss, they are supposedly neutral, despite the bashing they got about how they got away from WW II , recently one of their most creative ministers finally resigned, being criticised for "active neutrality" (Mme Calmy-Rey's term)

But come on, don't be afraid: Every bit of the chain does their "cheating" *: ME (the musician), the recording chain, the engineer, the system, YOU (the listener): Just enjoy it.

* as in misunderstanding, i.e. passive cheating

Egidius

PS Sorry, normally I would refrain, but your statement as being "philosophical" ..

 

[fas42]

But come on, don't be afraid: Every bit of the chain does their "cheating" *: ME (the musician), the recording chain, the engineer, the system, YOU (the listener): Just enjoy it.

My form of "cheating" is to get a system to the point where every recording makes musical sense, allows you to get lost in, and enjoy the musical message. But for some strange, perverse reason this is considered an audiophile no-no by a few ... :b:b

Frank

(note, a 2 bob post ...)

 

[bernardl]

Why are we all so afraid? I do know, that one of the big audiophile mantras is neutrality. But - ask a musician (I am!) - neutrality has absolutely no significance in art (music is an art ;-)

This is not about being afraid, this is about getting consistent results.

There is simply no way any piece of gear can be smart enough to know how to compensate for whatever cheating was done upstream in the process. The best one can do is to be faithful because the only available reference for hifi equipment is the information that the engineer decided was needed to include in the recording.

My comment is in no way a general praise of neutrality. I am not sure why you consider relevant to compare the role of a political decision maker who is expected to apply judgement - his/her only important role in fact - vs a piece of audio gear whose role is just that of a messenger.

Cheers,
Bernard

 

[FrantzM]

This is not about being afraid, this is about getting consistent results.

There is simply no way any piece of gear can be smart enough to know how to compensate for whatever cheating was done upstream in the process. The best one can do is to be faithful because the only available reference for hifi equipment is the information that the engineer decided was needed to include in the recording.

My comment is in no way a general praise of neutrality. I am not sure why you consider relevant to compare the role of a political decision maker who is expected to apply judgement - his/her only important role in fact - vs a piece of audio gear whose role is just that of a messenger.

Cheers,
Bernard

A very wise reply Bernard. TOo many audiophile speaks of an equipment with "soul" ... I share your point of view. The quipment should be exactly that neutral with no soul at all. Plays music and be out of the way .. Once it starts having that "soul" .. It can only editorialize... that is apply its "soul" to the reproduction .. I'd rather avoid that. I do not see the point of a messenger who does that...

 

[NorthStar]

No soul no reason to live! :b

 

[bernardl]

The version 1.4 of the Devialet Air software for iTunes and the corresponding firmware 5.6 are now publicly available. They enable native playback up to 24/96 and downsampled playback for the higher frequencies, support for IR remote controls and tone tuning.

Devialet has also released an iPhone/iPad app making possible to control the amp volume, source,... over wifi. The level of responsiveness is the same already present with the wireless remote... touch the ipad screen and the volume changes magically on the amp without any noticeable delay. Combined with the usage of Remote on the ipad to select tunes, it makes for a truly seamless user experience.

In combination with the Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, the level of clarity, punch and dynamic of the HD files is simply unbelievable.

This release brings the D-Premier incredibly close to the ideal music reproduction system.

Cheers,
Bernard

 

[murrayp]

yep - same here - all loaded and running perfectly. Streaming from my laptop on my knee to D-Premier directly as I type this - no wires - incredible sound - -4dB off the bass to suit my rather too close JBL Everests. Pretty cool! Tone, dynamics and slam to burn. When I need an extra dose of resolution I have a pair of TAD CR-1s to pop in - completely different sound - not as warm but bringing out much more of the natural voice/instrument tone/overtones. Am having a hard time figuring out which is right or the more fun..... does it matter? The D-Premier amazes me at just how well it performs. Speaking as one who was previously using a dCS Paganini / Burmester 911 set up - in my experience here - the D-Premier is definitely in the same league.
best
Murray

 

[microstrip]

I have been playing with a borrowed Devialet for the last two weeks. It is really an impressive amplifier - the most detailed thing I have ever listened to - I have never counted so many cars during the playback of track 8 (Frojda Dig, du Kristi brud) of the Proprius FIM CD of the Cantate Domino.

One delicate point of this amplifier - I have never seen (sorry, listened ) to an amplifier so sensitive to cables. Change the power or the speaker cables and you get a different amplifier - from unacceptable thin and edgy to great sounding. Unhappily, when picking from the too small selection I tried, I only got great sound using some cables costing twice the price of the amplifier.

The remote is great. I have been missing this type of rotating knob volume button in remotes since the Quad 66 preamplifier is gone. The two button press type remote must be an invention of martians. With a rotating knob in your hand in the sitting place you just rotate clockwise and anti-clockwise two or three times as the whole musical scene gets in focus and listen. I must get such a remote for my preamplifier.

Just one detail - my dealer tells me that for the Aida's I will need at less two Devialet's. It seems it is the minimum for them.

 

[NorthStar]

----- ...Both of them.

 

[bernardl]

cables

One delicate point of this amplifier - I have never seen (sorry, listened ) to an amplifier so sensitive to cables. Change the power or the speaker cables and you get a different amplifier - from unacceptable thin and edgy to great sounding.

I have been using an Esoteric PC-9300 power cable (expensive at 2.500+ US$ but one of the best power cables at any price in my view) and Viard Audio Design HD20 speaker cables. Costing less than 800 US$ for a pair, this is one of the very best deal available on the market today in my view.

These speaker cables let a huge bandwidth go through, pretty amazing amount of bass, clearer than live highs, right and palpable mids.

Cheers,
Bernard

 

[Orb]

I have been playing with a borrowed Devialet for the last two weeks. It is really an impressive amplifier - the most detailed thing I have ever listened to - I have never counted so many cars during the playback of track 8 (Frojda Dig, du Kristi brud) of the Proprius FIM CD of the Cantate Domino.

One delicate point of this amplifier - I have never seen (sorry, listened ) to an amplifier so sensitive to cables. Change the power or the speaker cables and you get a different amplifier - from unacceptable thin and edgy to great sounding. Unhappily, when picking from the too small selection I tried, I only got great sound using some cables costing twice the price of the amplifier.

The remote is great. I have been missing this type of rotating knob volume button in remotes since the Quad 66 preamplifier is gone. The two button press type remote must be an invention of martians. With a rotating knob in your hand in the sitting place you just rotate clockwise and anti-clockwise two or three times as the whole musical scene gets in focus and listen. I must get such a remote for my preamplifier.

Just one detail - my dealer tells me that for the Aida's I will need at less two Devialet's. It seems it is the minimum for them.

Heya Micro,
worth trying it in dual mono setup IMO as well.
Personally I think two are worth the money for the improvements, albeit subtle but important in terms of preference IMO.

As background info I used reference Transparent, Yter, and reference Crystal Cable in the setup.
Cheers
Orb