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Devialet with Harbeth / My first impressions.

I've listened yesterday the D1 with Harbeth 30.1. What i heard didn't impress a lot... the sound is clean but lifeless and also "shut in". The highs are not really accurate ( instrument like saxophone sound "edgy").
The seller replace replace D1 by MDAC+LFD PA2M power amp and the music came back. This combo put a smile on your face... i've bought the M30.1 and in the future i think i will buy LFD amp... it's so much better
It seems the new D170 is really better that the D1 but i've some doubts... I will try when the dealer will receive it
 
Most brass instruments sound edgy in real life.
Failing to reproduce the timbre of brass instruments accurately, including the harshness, is a common shortcoming of hifi systems.
I am a big brass band fan and find the Harbeth speakers very good for musical timbre.
We have music exams here at our house several times a year and the two things that always stand out when people are practicing in the room where my hifi is situated are how loud brass instruments are, and the harshness/edgyness.
Most hifi systems get nowhere near this. The Harbeths (I have active M40s on loan) get the edginess but not the loudness. My horns get both.
 
It is indeed a salutary lesson to come back from an orchestral concert for example, then listen to the same piece on your hifi. You realise what a travesty the reproduced version really is. Hifi never really catches that beautiful rasp that brass instruments can have.
 
Is there a list of UK dealers anywhere?

I have found a couple of companies advertising down South but nothing anywhere near me in Cheshire.

Thanks
 
Dan K said:
Devialet chaps,

Has anyone found a difference in playing tracks to their Devialet from either a Mac/PC/ other streamer?

According to Devialet it will make no difference what my source is as all data is transferred as the original file and then re-clocked and turned into music. My experience with DACs and a Mac/ AV+ tells me that there is something more going on. ie does my Mac and AV+ not just send the source file to my Metrum Octave 'as is' too? I thought it did??
Click to expand...

Yes. I prefer S/PDIF over USB (Mac with Bitperfect) or AIR (albeit Wired rather than wireless). My Naim NDX is the source. I'll try the Mac approach again but with a USB to S/PDIF converter. For now this is playing rather nicely so I'm tempted to leave well alone.

James
 
vln said:
Wow, active M40s? Quite rare beasts - IIUC they have rack mounted amps and electronic XOs?
Click to expand...

Yes, and I have been very slow returning them to their owner since they are really too tight a fit in my car and I need to coordinate transport and am an idle sod.
 
F1eng said:
Most brass instruments sound edgy in real life.
Failing to reproduce the timbre of brass instruments accurately, including the harshness, is a common shortcoming of hifi systems.
I am a big brass band fan and find the Harbeth speakers very good for musical timbre.
We have music exams here at our house several times a year and the two things that always stand out when people are practicing in the room where my hifi is situated are how loud brass instruments are, and the harshness/edgyness.
Most hifi systems get nowhere near this. The Harbeths (I have active M40s on loan) get the edginess but not the loudness. My horns get both.
Click to expand...

I've heard D1 with Harbeth but also other loudspeakers(sony SS-AR1) with the same "strange" result. i listen to it "cold" perhaps it needs maybe some time to heat up before revealing its best performance? the dealer doesn't seems to promote D1 very much so maybe the unit was not completely burned in?
It's not a bad amp, dynamic is really good and the sound is clean and not harsh but something is missing. As a piano player, the piano timber is not as accurate as other amp tested yesterday.
It seems to lack the ultimate transparency and lack emotional involvement.
But i want to try the new 170 before final judgment.
To have only one piece of equipment in my living room is still very tempting...
 
bensim09 said:
I've heard D1 with Harbeth but also other loudspeakers(sony SS-AR1) with the same "strange" result. i listen to it "cold" perhaps it needs maybe some time to heat up before revealing its best performance? the dealer doesn't seems to promote D1 very much so maybe the unit was not completely burned in?
It's not a bad amp, dynamic is really good and the sound is clean and not harsh but something is missing. As a piano player, the piano timber is not as accurate as other amp tested yesterday.
It seems to lack the ultimate transparency and lack emotional involvement.
But i want to try the new 170 before final judgment.
To have only one piece of equipment in my living room is still very tempting...
Click to expand...

I found the 170 as you describe like Class D amps lacks natural sound despite misleading reviews.
 
Disbeliever said:
Another who can not stand the truth especially when his pride & joy has been faulted for SQ, never believe ANY review or anyone ,always listen for yourself.
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"The truth"? Gosh we are in the presence of someone truly special. Quick Tony, sign him up, this is what we've been waiting for.
 
Disbeliever said:
Another who can not stand the truth especially when his pride & joy has been faulted for SQ, never believe ANY review or anyone ,always listen for yourself.
Click to expand...

What truth - It's just your opinion. You didn't like it before you'd heard it. Then you tried one and still didn't like it. I tried one, liked it and bought one and really enjoy what it does. I really don't understand why you spend so much time on this personal crusade across a number of forums.

Very strange.
 
bensim09 said:
I've heard D1 with Harbeth but also other loudspeakers(sony SS-AR1) with the same "strange" result. i listen to it "cold" perhaps it needs maybe some time to heat up before revealing its best performance? the dealer doesn't seems to promote D1 very much so maybe the unit was not completely burned in?
It's not a bad amp, dynamic is really good and the sound is clean and not harsh but something is missing. As a piano player, the piano timber is not as accurate as other amp tested yesterday.
It seems to lack the ultimate transparency and lack emotional involvement.
But i want to try the new 170 before final judgment.
To have only one piece of equipment in my living room is still very tempting...
Click to expand...

It needs 20 minutes of being powered up and connected to the speakers to bring the Class A circuits to their correct thermal operating conditions. When auditioned before that, the sound is 'chimey', like an electronic piano rather than a real piano. That settles down fairly quickly.

I sort of understand the emotional involvement thing, but disagree strongly with the ultimate transparency. It is the least amplifier-sounding amplifier I've ever used, although I've heard a couple of weird and wonderful things (like the David Berning amps) that sound even more transparent (at the expense of noise floor). After listening to other amps after the 170, 'emotional involvement' sounds more like the amplifier 'tampering' with the sound to me now. Although it must be said that sometimes the tampering is enjoyable.
 
Evil Emperor said:
It needs 20 minutes of being powered up and connected to the speakers to bring the Class A circuits to their correct thermal operating conditions. When auditioned before that, the sound is 'chimey', like an electronic piano rather than a real piano. That settles down fairly quickly.

I sort of understand the emotional involvement thing, but disagree strongly with the ultimate transparency. It is the least amplifier-sounding amplifier I've ever used, although I've heard a couple of weird and wonderful things (like the David Berning amps) that sound even more transparent (at the expense of noise floor). After listening to other amps after the 170, 'emotional involvement' sounds more like the amplifier 'tampering' with the sound to me now. Although it must be said that sometimes the tampering is enjoyable.
Click to expand...

I agree with you re the warm up time after which the piano sound improves but you are then still left with artificial tampered Class D sound which I am unable to tolerate (The Devil in the Devialet ha.) CLASS AB sound is more natural , no listening fatigue. It will be interesting to learn what the Piano player says after he auditions the 170.
 
Disbeliever - how many threads, how many posts about the Devialet being rubbish, Class D rubbish, etc etc, yada yada, so on and so on.
We have all heard it many times and it is now so repetitive, boring and completely uninteresting.
People will hear it for themselves and some will buy it, some won't.

Where is the moderation on here to stop this loser constantly carping on about this amplifier and generally being a complete pain in the arse and spoiling threads?

PFM isn't the site it used to be.
 
muzzer said:
I was thinking the same thing, maybe Mr Disbeliever should do a bit of Goggling and get his facts right first.
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indeed. As I understand it the tech they have deployed is similar to that in the NCore nc400 modules which has a rep for Class A performance (which is my preference over most AB) but Class D heat levels.
 
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