Has anyone heard the Devialet D-Premier Integrated Amp/DAC
- Thread starter FrantzM
- Start date
They can't, but they do
Of course they shouldn't.The same with my comments right on Devialet's website.
Silence all around. No answer, no statement, no explantation.
No reaction whatsoever at all. Nothing.
Perhaps we’ve invested too much expectation in Devialet.
I started worrying when the site introducing new models appeared, and style seemed to rule over substance. This is not a Paris fashion show; it’s an electronic device that can function marvelously with proper implementation.
“One day, everyone will own a Devialet” --Really? What a dumb slogan for a manufacturer of costly products! Sorry, Devialet, but you'll never be a Ford Model-T or VW Beetle. Page after page, link after link of the cumbersome, amateurish, dysfunctional web site displays silly, extravagant claims in less than idiomatic English. Technical instructions for owners require head-scratching decipherment. Puffed up by past success, Devialet seems to be creating too much promotional and instructional material in-house.
I’m curious about the Oxford Audio introduction in the UK. Did no one attend to challenge the visiting engineer and representatives for a clear statement of problem and remedies? I suspect the event was mostly show, but no tell in the current Devialet manner. I know the company must be focused on and nervous about success of the new products. If Devialet hopes to sustain momentum, it should refocus on the technical excellence it attained with the introduction of the D-Premier--that’s what convinced me to buy the product.
What do I want? Lucid communication and reassurance that I should consider the upgrades promoted on the site. I live in the desert, 1000 miles from any Devialet dealer. At this point, would I ship in my D-Premier for upgrade? No, based on recent evidence of muddle-headedness and obfuscating customer relations.
Griping aside, the D-Premier is still a wonderful device. I’ve stopped worrying about Air2 and continue to enjoy great music and sound with a wired AES/EBU connection.
I started worrying when the site introducing new models appeared, and style seemed to rule over substance. This is not a Paris fashion show; it’s an electronic device that can function marvelously with proper implementation.
“One day, everyone will own a Devialet” --Really? What a dumb slogan for a manufacturer of costly products! Sorry, Devialet, but you'll never be a Ford Model-T or VW Beetle. Page after page, link after link of the cumbersome, amateurish, dysfunctional web site displays silly, extravagant claims in less than idiomatic English. Technical instructions for owners require head-scratching decipherment. Puffed up by past success, Devialet seems to be creating too much promotional and instructional material in-house.
I’m curious about the Oxford Audio introduction in the UK. Did no one attend to challenge the visiting engineer and representatives for a clear statement of problem and remedies? I suspect the event was mostly show, but no tell in the current Devialet manner. I know the company must be focused on and nervous about success of the new products. If Devialet hopes to sustain momentum, it should refocus on the technical excellence it attained with the introduction of the D-Premier--that’s what convinced me to buy the product.
What do I want? Lucid communication and reassurance that I should consider the upgrades promoted on the site. I live in the desert, 1000 miles from any Devialet dealer. At this point, would I ship in my D-Premier for upgrade? No, based on recent evidence of muddle-headedness and obfuscating customer relations.
Griping aside, the D-Premier is still a wonderful device. I’ve stopped worrying about Air2 and continue to enjoy great music and sound with a wired AES/EBU connection.
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What a good summary.
I wish they would just give things some thought.
Stunning product. Astounding sound from wired inputs and, pre-blipping, from wifi.
Three errors:
1. Ill-judged website in terms of design, content and marketing wording.
2. Software faults.
3. Lack of communication with customers generally and individually; and with dealers too.
They can fix 1. and 3. quickly and 2. needs acknowledging along with an indicative target date. I bet they have loads of people working on it ... and no one communicating it.
I gave in the help forum of devialet the link of this forum, so they can read what their customers think about devialet ( of course if they are interrested)
Maybe they want to be the Apple brand of audio !! I never understood why they have a Devialet 'boutique'in Paris, especially for a start up company.
I was in Paris on the weekend and hoped to pop into the showroom but sadly did not have enough time to see what the new products were like.
See HiFi News June 2013 - the boutique facility "was bequeathed to them by an audiophile property magnate".
The boutique is part of their marketing plan. Devialet is being sold with very low dealer margins in Europe and has a very different strategy from typical US audio companies. I was told that their space (La Maison) looks great.
Attachments
Marketing plan? Strategy? The get rich quick techno-hucksters have arrived. I see nothing but smarm and disarray on the manufacturer's web site, which is where I go for essential information on a product. As a consumer, should I care about dealer margins? Only if pursuit of profit lowers product and service quality.
(I am not defending typical US companies' marketing style: beer bellies standing next to monolithic boxes on ugly carpet in hotel rooms, with potted palms to soften the edges. Absurd.)
It was the originality and clear-sightedness of Devialet when the D-Premier was introduced that attracted me, and, I think, the reviewers and critics who admired the product. I do not doubt that the showroom is sleek and shiny, in the fashionable Apple-induced style.
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The showroom was, as i understand it, given to them. Maybe on condition that they used it as they are doing.
The Devialet partnership is, I believe, the same as when the company started.
But I agree with you that the new website is a mess. I suspect you will see it changed soon. Lots of customers have told them the same thing.
Do you really have the impression that their activity depends on what the costumers say
Turning to matters technical, I have questions about the 240 upgrade that Devialet will offer later in the year.
What do the new RJ45 and USB inputs suggest about new capabilities? I do use the HDMI input to play SACD files converted to PCM by an Oppo universal player. Would it be worthwhile to give that up in favor of the new inputs?
Wasn’t there mention somewhere about a ten degree lower operating temperature in the new products, which I think was also part of the upgrade of the D-Premier innards? There must be a reason for this change. I’ve worried about the heat the D-Premier produces in a sealed box.
The prices originally quoted for upgrades, which I see Devialet has now revised with a to-be-determined-later hedge, seemed reasonable, if the quality of the D-Premier were maintained. There was also mention of owner's door to factory and back to owner’s door upgrade service via FedEx which I can no longer locate. Will this still stand?
What do the new RJ45 and USB inputs suggest about new capabilities? I do use the HDMI input to play SACD files converted to PCM by an Oppo universal player. Would it be worthwhile to give that up in favor of the new inputs?
Wasn’t there mention somewhere about a ten degree lower operating temperature in the new products, which I think was also part of the upgrade of the D-Premier innards? There must be a reason for this change. I’ve worried about the heat the D-Premier produces in a sealed box.
The prices originally quoted for upgrades, which I see Devialet has now revised with a to-be-determined-later hedge, seemed reasonable, if the quality of the D-Premier were maintained. There was also mention of owner's door to factory and back to owner’s door upgrade service via FedEx which I can no longer locate. Will this still stand?
Nobody - exept Devialet - will know. But why should they cancel or change all this? What I was told befördert the Highend in Munich was, that the price for the hardware upgrade will depend to the age of your D-Premier. For a relatively new one, you will just have to pay the price difference between D-Premier and Devialet 240. For older ones more. That was my information. But I could not find it on the sites after Munich. Don't know why.
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It is here:
http://en.devialet.com/blog-en-us/my-d-premier-forever./
There was mention somewhere of the 240 running cooler than the D-Premier. I don't recall the ten degree figure.
At Munich they told me the hot running does not matter. I've dual mono and my upper unit reaches 56 degrees. Apparently it feels really hot because the casework is so smooth. It is protected to shut down if it gets too hot. And there is a five year guarantee anyway - well, just for five years ...
There was to be a cheaper upgrade price for those who bought their D Premier in 2013
I did find this quote from a Devialet press release that is no longer on the site:
"New USB and Ethernet inputs, improved jitter control for digital inputs, new line and phono inputs, new signal processing unit, ever more reactive and more powerful (peak) power supply, support to integrate room correction in the future, and an operating temperature reduced yet again, by 10°C, ensuring enhanced reliability and lower electrical consumption."
The part about "enhanced reliability" suggests a concern about heat build-up.
Sent a mail to the south subsidiary of the german distributor Audio Components which is in Hamburg. They told me, that Devialet is already delivering new Devialets but only a small number of pieces. They seem to have a Devialet 170 and 240 in stock right now.
In addition to availability I also asked about the bug with the software 6.0.6 and actuel information concerning it, of course. They did not answer to that in their first mail. I broached the subject again right after getting their first mail, when they ignored my question. Had to ask some more things about cables and closed with the bug-question again. What shell I say: They did not defer to it at all.
I am not going to ask a third time
In addition to availability I also asked about the bug with the software 6.0.6 and actuel information concerning it, of course. They did not answer to that in their first mail. I broached the subject again right after getting their first mail, when they ignored my question. Had to ask some more things about cables and closed with the bug-question again. What shell I say: They did not defer to it at all.
I am not going to ask a third time
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