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Was Devialet a fad?

Lots of alternatives perhaps like Hegel, the Devialet's have become very expensive although there are lots of functions in each slab too and in my opinion a 250 is needed for top class amplifier performance. The phono amp is accepted in the community as being noisy and lots on their forum are using SUT's
 
novak said:
whilst the sound is impressive and powerful, I always feel it has a certain veil to it, unless you give it a bit of volume and then it all gets a bit too much.
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I totally agree with this from my experience, otherwise an attractive package and features
 
A friend of mine got rid of his huge Devialet kit as he found it boring and not lively enough for his taste.
He is now a very happy owner of a Naim NAP 300 with it’s ancillaries and very satisfied, a keeper for him as he says.
I may need to mention he is an electric guitar player and listen to rock, blues and jazz music.
 
booja30 said:
By who? If Devialet won't even try to open it to fix it, who's going to recycle it? I doubt a company that makes something like this would bother to use recycled plastic to make it unless it was cheaper. There's nothing sustainable about it IMO.

It's like selling a car with everything welded together and offering free replacement for 3 years if things go south. Then what?
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Are you making sure your kettle and toaster are repairable, your loo and tooth brushes made from recyclable/sustainable sources? If you are using vinyl and buying new how much of it is recycled and what content is fresh plastics?

We all produce endless amount of c**** that ends on landfill sites. I really don't think we need to worry about a small speaker made of plastic ...
 
RoA said:
Are you making sure your kettle and toaster are repairable, your loo and tooth brushes made from recyclable/sustainable sources? If you are using vinyl and buying new how much of it is recycled and what content is fresh plastics?

We all produce endless amount of c**** that ends on landfill sites. I really don't think we need to worry about a small speaker made of plastic ...
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If I paid almost £3k for my toaster I'd want it to be repairable.
 
I auditioned them a few years ago and eventually bought a 200.

It got sold when I moved to an active setup but I've often thought why such a well-reviewed and well-built amplifier as the 140 doesn't get mentioned when the Naim Nova or Hegel 360 etc. get discussed. It's not like it doesn't compete; indeed, far from it.
 
I think that for many of us hifi it's a hobby interest and a change of kit adds to the fun, so trends come and go no matter how good the kit is. I can remember when lots of people wanted a Nottingham Analogue turntable - right around the time TonyL got one. Then we've had the Well Tempered turntable thing and look how many members are buying lots of Rega kit. Then there's the superbly measuring chinese dacs trend...... The bashing cables trend.... It's all good audiophile fun.
 
RoA said:
Are you making sure your kettle and toaster are repairable, your loo and tooth brushes made from recyclable/sustainable sources? If you are using vinyl and buying new how much of it is recycled and what content is fresh plastics?

We all produce endless amount of c**** that ends on landfill sites. I really don't think we need to worry about a small speaker made of plastic ...
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Yes I consider these things with everything I buy... whether or not I’m in a position to afford the version I’d prefer is a different matter. I think repairable is more significant than recyclable...
 
Darren said:
I think that for many of us hifi it's a hobby interest and a change of kit adds to the fun, so trends come and go no matter how good the kit is. I can remember when lots of people wanted a Nottingham Analogue turntable - right around the time TonyL got one. Then we've had the Well Tempered turntable thing and look how many members are buying lots of Rega kit. Then there's the superbly measuring chinese dacs trend...... The bashing cables trend.... It's all good audiophile fun.
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In my part of the world used WTs crop up for prices a fraction of their new ones. I've listened to one and liked it, but I'd never buy one. Too fussy to set up, and their silicone-filled bearings must make them practically untransportable. Rega is the polar opposite in usability and serviceability.
 
Durmbo said:
In my part of the world used WTs crop up for prices a fraction of their new ones. I've listened to one and liked it, but I'd never buy one. Too fussy to set up, and their silicone-filled bearings must make them practically untransportable. Rega is the polar opposite in usability and serviceability.
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Fussy to set up? You are kidding surely . Not quite as plug and play as a Rega but not far off, and once set up it stays set up forever. Transport is maybe an issue if you want to take them a long distance. As for sound, Regas don’t get close
 
Darren said:
I think that for many of us hifi it's a hobby interest and a change of kit adds to the fun, so trends come and go no matter how good the kit is. I can remember when lots of people wanted a Nottingham Analogue turntable - right around the time TonyL got one. Then we've had the Well Tempered turntable thing and look how many members are buying lots of Rega kit. Then there's the superbly measuring chinese dacs trend...... The bashing cables trend.... It's all good audiophile fun.
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Undoubtedly some of us are serial box-swappers. I used to be one. On reflection, in my case, there was an underlying dissatisfaction with my listening experience, which was almost entirely due to a poor room.

A much lower motivator (for me, at least) is FOMO. Despite being 99.9% satisfied with my hifi now, I contemplated buying a new amp. Now that I have the funds to buy one, I've come to my senses and reminded myself that happiness is liking what I have and not necessarily having what I like.
 
runforfree69 said:
Lots of alternatives perhaps like Hegel, the Devialet's have become very expensive although there are lots of functions in each slab too and in my opinion a 250 is needed for top class amplifier performance. The phono amp is accepted in the community as being noisy and lots on their forum are using SUT's
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Actually I think the phono amp is a strong point of the Devialet; it easily bettered the standalone unit I was using previously. The one thing I could never get working was the Air play thingy. It would be OK, then suddenly not be OK, and eventually I gave up on it altogether. But as almost all of my listening is either LP or CD, it's no big deal.
 
A few thoughts from a Devialet (Expert) owner of multiple years:
  1. I bought it to replace a 12-box (plus speakers) system, including tubed phono stages and SUTs. Not once have I regretted the move;
  2. The phono stage is easily up there with the very best. You do need to spend some time to tweak the individual settings and fit within the gain structure. On one tonearm, I use a SPU (0.18mV) and it has absolutely no noise issues. I cannot attest to why people might feel it's noisy and/or use a SUT - I know I will never use a SUT with it as it will drag me back to the situation I escaped from in the first place (see #1);
  3. DevialetAir has never worked flawless for me via WiFi - which is why I have it turned off;
  4. There has been an issue where "wifi standby" caused intermittent noise on the phono inputs - but a non issue for me as I prefer wired networking to hifi anyway (but may yet be another issue that users have with the phono).
The company's innovation momentum seems to have shifted towards lifestyle components which is not surprising, but given how radical the Expert range has been (is?) I wonder if there is anything they can do there to still be considered innovative, and not derivative.

I haven't spent a lot of time with the Phantom range, if at all. But I am curious about a possible future B system with 2 x Phantom II's and an Arch + Remote.
 
James said:
Undoubtedly some of us are serial box-swappers. I used to be one. On reflection, in my case, there was an underlying dissatisfaction with my listening experience, which was almost entirely due to a poor room.

A much lower motivator (for me, at least) is FOMO. Despite being 99.9% satisfied with my hifi now, I contemplated buying a new amp. Now that I have the funds to buy one, I've come to my senses and reminded myself that happiness is liking what I have and not necessarily having what I like.
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Yea.... I get all that and good luck to you. But it's also not a crime to enjoy the hobby and to fancy a change or a step up. As long as you keep it affordable for yourself. I hate to see people worrying about their system and, even worse, the patronising advice to 'stick to what you have' and 'buy more music'. Most of us are drowning in music! We want to enjoy it through an ace system!
 
I think when I first heard the Devialet 1000 Expert/ Pro? I was struck by its subtlety. I described it as a fist in a velvet glove.I’ve heard it with ML CLX anniversaries. I find the sound powerful, subtle and I detected no veil. It is the best sound I’ve heard from any hifi I’ve listened to. And it is equally adept in its integrated systems. I think they are a classic and beautifully put together. They have a level of engineering and sophistication that is admirable really.It won’t necessarily satisfy Naim listeners but it is a different sound profile so that’s no real surprise.
 
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