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Devialet Expert Pro 220 -- sonics & connectivity
I’m thinking about adding a Devialet integrated to my system, most likely the $10K Expert 220 Pro. But I don’t have any way to see or hear this product before purchasing. So I’m relying on reviews and the kindness of Devialet owners to help me come to a decision.
The issues at play are complicated, so pardon my length:
1) I’ll need to drive loudspeakers, an active sub, and headphones (or an external HP amp). Sources include a turntable, USB or SATA storage, an Oppo disc player (both analog & digital outputs), and the FL / FR channels of a multichannel receiver. The SQ of the FL/FR signal path is less critical than the rest b/c it’s already compromised by being decoded by a $2500 A/V processor.
2) The bad news: Devialet rep tells me that the 220 has no HT bypass capabilities, and can somehow be configured to output either variable or fixed line-level output, but not both.
The Expert Pro has so many unique strengths, such as its automatic speaker-matching & cartridge-matching functionality and a jaw-dropping form factor (1.5" high, 12 lbs, 220wpc), and it’s been praised so highly in the Stereophile/TAS world – including the SQ of its internal DAC & phono stage -- that I’d still like to figure out how to incorporate it into my system
One idea is to front-end it with an analog preamp. I haven’t explored this too deply yet, but HoloHolo & Benchmark preamps immediately come to mind.
Before I fall too far down that rabbit hole, I need to resolve a # of questions that Devialet documentation & support haven’t answered. If any of you have first-hand experience with the 220 -- or any other Devialet electronics -- I’d certainly be interested in your feedback:
3) Obvious first question is SQ. Are the adaptive/component-matching DSP functions as terrific as they say? I own Harbeth speakers and an Ortofon cartridge, both of which are included in Devialet’s component-matching database. I’d be comparing overall sound quality with $10K alternatives from the likes of Hegel, Simaudio Moon, Levinson, & Ayre.
4) What about the 220’s integrated phono stage & DAC/streamer? For comparison purposes, if I was buying external components, I’d be considering a $1000-1500 phono preamp & $2-3K DAC. I generally shy away from embedded modules, but I’d be willing to take a chance on phono & DAC modules that have been praised as highly as the 220’s.
5) Has anyone published a chart comparing the specs & functionality of the various Devialet models? If another Devialet integrated offers more of the functionality I’m looking for, I’d consider it. But so far, I haven’t found a straightforward spec sheet that concisely compares all the Dev. integrateds.
6) Does the 220’s USB (computer) input allow it to access content stored on USB standalone storage, like an SSD drive or SD card?
7) I don’t have Roon and would likely connect the 220’s DAC to a simple WiFi Internet connection. Has anyone published a description of what type of streaming/transport functionality the Devialet provides when deployed without Roon or UPnP? If I can just get Tidal, that would be enough for now.
8) Does the Logitech Harmony universal remote support Devialet products and, if not, do the Devialet codes match those of any other company that does enjoy Harmony support?
9) And if anyone can suggest a complementary analog line preamp – preferably small, light, & costing not more than $3000 – that would let me add HT bypass & both variable & fixed line outs, and that does not significantly compromise the Devialet SQ, I’m open to suggestions.
Whew! I may actually have a few follow-up questions, but that’s the crux of it. Thanks for any help you can provide.
5 responses Add your response
@cdorval1 Actually, I wound up going with T+A's new R 2500 R, a more expensive unit, but one that had all the functionality I needed, as well as superb sonics. I loved the idea & the aesthetics of the 220, but in the end, the T+A was just a better fit. |
@audiotroy Thanks for the first-hand advice. The lack of HT bypass is particularly troublesome. Front-ending the Devialet would not resolve that particular issue, obviously, so I’d have to rig up a kludge, most likely manually set the individual channel volumes (in the A/V processor’s settings) to a value that works with the Devialet’s default start-up volume. And that only works if it's possible to configure the Devialet’s to automatically default to a specified start-up volume. In fact, that sounds like question 10): Does the Devialet let you set its default start-up volume level. When you listened to the gear, what speakers & cables were you using? Some say the Expert Pro simply doesn't care about loading & cabling, others claim that it's more sensitive than most to cable choice. I think that, aside from the 220’s great form factor, what really got me excited about the tech is SAM. Bob Greene’s analysis in TAS focused on an unidentified stand-mounted speaker (which sounded a whole lot like my Harbeths), that normally rolled off at around 40Hz, but dove deep into subwoofer territorty when fed with a SAM-processed signal. He also mentioned a demo in whch a larger system (also with a nominal ~40Hz -3dB point) that produced output down to 5Hz w/SAM. Can I contact you directly to discuss alternatives? Again, I’m looking in the $5-10K range, and need to power loudspeakers, an active sub, & headphones (or HP amp), and am not physically able to lift gear that gets into the 40-50 pound range. I'm mainly an analog guy, but am ready to spend some bucks to add a decent digital setup.
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personally i would pass no ht bypass
we were a Devialet dealer for years impressive gear but not musical at all, we found after listening foe a while the temptation was to turn off the system and do something else streamer was awful and never worked
buy a naim dac streamer and amplifier far more musical superb streamer ht bypass works with remotes, Roon ready Dave and Troy audio intellect NJ former Devialet dealer no the harmony or any remote will not work with it their remote is Bluetooth.
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