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and it costs 3K USD
That was my hands-on introduction to Devialet, but I first heard about the company when John Atkinson reviewed their D-Premier integrated amplifier. It was a rave.
The D-Premier wasn't cheap, but compared to more traditional components at the same price point, you got a lot for your $16,000. Included was a DAC, preamplifier functionality, phono-playback capability, and a few other features no analog amplifier can provide. The D-Premier was differentand with its low-profile case and gleaming chrome finish, it looked the part.
A couple of generations of technology later, Devialet's Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH) amplifier topology has been refined, and new features have been added. It appears the company has also learned to build these amplifiers more cheaply: The Expert 140 Prothe least expensive Expert Pro and the one I'm reviewing herecosts almost $10,000 less, at $6490.
What is it?
A product as distinctive as the Expert 140 Pro takes a while just to absorb. It does a lot of things, all in a distinctive way. Designed by French engineer Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel, the Expert Pro, like the D-Premier before it, is conceptually similar to Peter Walker's "current-dumping" amplifier from the 1970s, which coupled a low-power class-A amplifier to a higher-power class-AB amplifier. In the Devialet amps, the current source is instead a class-D amplifier: The digital amp provides the oomph and the analog amp "corrects and completes" the signal, Devialet says.
The Expert 140 Pro is a 140W (specified into 6 ohms) stereo integrated amplifier with a streaming DAC built in. It also has phono preamplification capability; phono equalization and preamplification is done in the digital domain. Because of its onboard computerDevialet calls it Core Infinity, with the ubiquitous trademark symbolthe 140 Pro is set up to stream music from a variety of sources utilizing a variety of protocols and can be updated as new technologies emerge. It arrived at my house with "RoonReady," "Spotify," and "Airplay" among the preset input choices. Streaming services such as Qobuz and Tidal can be played via UPnP (as with the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge and the dCS Bartók) or Airplay.
The 140 Pro has a lot of connectivity options, and the narrow back panel has abundant digital connectionsone each for USB, Ethernet, TosLink, and miniTosLink, and two S/PDIF connections, alongside two other RCA jacks that can support a single analog source (line-level or phono) or can be set up as two more S/PDIF inputs. There's also a built-in antennafor Wi-Fi of course, not FM stereo.
The 140 Pro is compact and solid; it seems very well-made. Removing the bottom cover reveals beautiful circuit boardsalmost works of art. The chassis is carved from a chunk of aluminum, plated in a Dark Chrome finish that readily shows fingerprints; my review sample had been around the block enough times that some prints endured. (White cotton gloves are provided, and there's little need to touch the chassis after setup.) For controls, the chassis has but a single button, and there's a very small, round display screen on the top of the chassis, just above the power button.
Most simple adjustments utilize an unusual remote control. Also finished in Dark Chrome, its dominant feature is a large knob for adjusting the volume and certain other settings. The only other controls on the remote are four small buttons: one for power and three labeled source, Mute, and Tone; the Mute and Tone buttons can be reprogrammedindeed, at least one of them must be reprogrammed for certain setup options.
Also available is a control appDevialet Expert Remoteof similarly minimalist design, which runs on a tablet or smartphone and offers the same control functions.
I like the shape and the solid feel of the Devialet, and I admire the decision to make it chrome; it's somehow at once futuristic and retro. If memory serves, the D-Premier was also available in blackand I think the Expert Pro would look wicked in Vantablack.
The following factplus the pictures that accompany this reviewshould give you an idea of what kind of object this is: On its bottom side, adjacent to the four small rubber feet, are slots for mounting the Expert Pro flat on a wall, like a kind of decorative mirror, an objet d'art. A removable panel covers the cables coming out the back; you could run them right into the wall as you might do with a wall-mounted TV.
That's the outside. It's what's on the inside that makes the Devialet unique.
Close-minded analogphiles need not apply
The Devialet is a thoroughly digital device. Apart from its hybrid amplification technology, which is at once both digital and analog, its one concession to analog audio is a line input that can also be used with a turntablebut even if you make that choice, everything is handled internally in the digital domain. (Buthere's one more expression of this digital company's analog passion: They offer a series of expensive, well-produced vinyl records dubbed The Lost Recordings.)
Devialet's designers believein this they are correctthat analog signals deteriorate in ways that digital signals don't, as long as they (the digital signals) remain error-free, which technology itself can assure. For this reason, the Expert 140 Pro converts its analog inputs to digital as close as possible to the inputs and keeps the signal digital as long as it can, to within a few centimeters of the loudspeaker connections. This, Devialet believes, is the best way to optimize maintenance of signal integritya good strategy as long as those A/D and D/A conversions are done with great care. Handling signals digitally allows the Expert Pro to do some things an analog component can't do with easeor at all. The Devialet can adjust frequency and phase response to various ends, to implement:
bass and treble controls (but currently no room correction).
for phono, a choice of several equalization curvesRIAA alternativesto accommodate older vinyl (footnote 1).
Digital correction for select loudspeakers, allowing alignment of the bass frequencies with the midrange and treble, via a utility called SAM, for Speaker Active Matching. More on this later.
Setup is complex
If you're accustomed to putting a component on a shelf, plugging in some wires, pushing the On button, and playing music, then you may find Expert Pro setup somewhat involved. But not to worry: Devialet says your dealer will support you. You can also submit support requests via their website, and a phone number is provided for setup help.
and it costs 3K USD
Keep in mind that’s just a power amp. But yes, you can get better measured performance for cheaper.
The Outlaww RR2160 that Stereophile measured is <$1000 and has excellent measurements for the price, and it has subwoofer crossover filters, pre-out/main-in for DSP, tone controls, balance controls, etc.
...is no more valuable than when a tossed off opinion invalidates all prior work. When in the market I always dive straight to comments!
Even with pre-amp it is cheaper and MUCH MUCH better.
It would be interesting to see, the in-room frequency response measurements of Devialet Expert Pro with SAM, from the listening position of JCA (if, possible), with and without SAM engaged :-) ........
TAS also reviewed one of the models of Devialet Expert Pro with SAM ....... That TAS reviewer also had similar listening experience with his speakers as JCA ....... That TAS reviewer discussion about the significance of bass frequencies on the overall sound quality is an interesting read :-) .......
The wave length of 20 Hz frequency is 56 feet ...... The wave length of 40 Hz frequency is, half of that, 28 feet ....... No wonder, JCA's windows 40 feet away rattled with loud 20 Hz frequency ...... It also goes to show the bass capabilities of the Revel Salon2 :-) .......
Some of that 'too much bass' JCA heard when playing bass guitar, could be due to 'Allison effect' ........ Another good reason for obtaining in-room FR measurements of JCA's listening room :-) ........
Seems like this Devialet Outfit is showing us what the future will be for us Home Music Reproducers. ( from now on )
I've been building Music systems for a very long time, getting not so good results, spending exaggerated sums of money, trying to have fun doing it and constantly searching for "NEEDED" improvements.
Back 1963ish, when I owned a Mcintosh MC40, I'd kinda thought that Audio Gear needed to be bigger to be better. Ideas like a Devialet Amp would be SciFi exaggerations .
Egads..
Now, Devialet is reality. Pinch me, I lived to see it, I won! ( we're all winning )
Tony in Venice
ps. from now on, Home Audio Systems are probably better than my hearing.
Seems like this Devialet Outfit is showing us what the future will be for us Home Music Reproducers. ( from now on )
I've been building Music systems for a very long time, getting not so good results, spending exaggerated sums of money, trying to have fun doing it and constantly searching for "NEEDED" improvements.
Back 1963ish, when I owned a Mcintosh MC40, I'd kinda thought that Audio Gear needed to be bigger to be better. Ideas like a Devialet Amp would be SciFi exaggerations .
Egads..
Now, Devialet is reality. Pinch me, I lived to see it, I won! ( we're all winning )
Tony in Venice
ps. from now on, Home Audio Systems are probably better than my hearing.
It also has a built-in DAC, plus about the same power output as this Devialet unit - but at one-quarter the price.
https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/wzmacniacze-stereo/2855-denon-pma-1600ne
The Denon product also won a Hi-Fi Choice group test:
https://files.hifiklubben.com/4a500a/globalassets/tester/denon/2017/pma-1600ne-hfc-group-test-verdict.pdf
Can it rattle the windows? ....... It doesn't have SAM and DSP ....... It does't have built-in Wi-Fi access capabilities :-) .......
... is it "liquid and unperturbable"?
Denon PMA-1600NE does keep the analog signal in analog domain ....... So, if you are an analog fan and use tube phono pre-amp, then the Denon could be 'liquid and unperturbable' :-) ......
Wow. Given the hype behind Devialet's products, I expected this box to measure a lot better than it did.
I agree with the first poster about the AHB-2. Also, Bruno Putzeys' work with nCore & Purifi show that you can have Class D with vanishingly low levels of noise and distortion.
I'd be interested in you guys getting a NAD M32 on the bench. It's a very similar product.
It would seem to me that having this much noise (-80dB @ 1 watt) in a product regardless of its linearity and lack of distortion would leave a veil of haze on everything.
A decade ago, I owned a Sony TA-E9000ES digital pre-amp. In spite of it's fantastic tone controls, listening modes and alleged lineage from Sony's Oxford mixing board (which I seriously doubt), the unit was really noisy. Just like this unit. And then, one day, it just died.
I could never truly enjoy my listening experience because of the constant noise which was about 85-90dB below maximum output.
For a little less money, you can get Benchmark's AHB-2 amp & DAC3 as well as a MiniDSP Dirac processor. That will give you everything the Devialet offers, but the phono pre. You will, though, gain room correction on top of speaker correction. So long as you don't need analog inputs, you'd be getting much better performance.
Stereophile has already reviewed NAD M32 :-) .........
Bench-racing technophiles are never gone long. Too much correcting of the legions of rubes in audio remains to be done.
It's audio virtue signalling. Its ultimate expression is to reduce all audio down to about six components, none of which actually need to be experienced, much less enjoyed.
NAD M10 ($2,750) ...... Stereophile review coming soon :-) .......
NAD M10 has 2 subwoofer output connections :-) .......
The streamer functionality belongs on a separate device than can be replaced or upgraded separately from the longer life hardware (DAC, control preamplifier, power amplifier, etc.).
See Stereophile review and measurements, January 2020 issue :-) .........
Likewise I'm surprised by that 1W distortion result of ~0.2%.
Not saying this is audible of course, just that there are many amps in the Class D world capable of better than that from an engineering perspective for less money.
Well ....... Better than twice as expensive BorderPatrol power-amp :-) .......
If you consider integrated amps between $5k and $10k, more powerful 220 Expert Pro with SAM ($9,990) is also available ...... 220 Expert Pro was TAS 2019 'Golden Ear' award winner :-) ......
More powerful 300 WPC McIntosh MA9000 integrated amp is $10,500 (reviewed by Hi-fi News) ........ MA9000 has 8 band parametric EQ :-) .......
"analog signals deteriorate in ways that digital signals don't, as long as they (the digital signals) remain error-free, which technology itself can assure."
This is a ridiculous statement,particularly the final part.
Is ridicule necessary or appropriate?
Audio engineering in France has been at a consistently high level.
Tony in Venice
and self-apparently so. Very simply, digital signals have dual "natures". They exist as an analog electrical signal and as data--information. The latter aspect of their nature is of course the "digital" part; "digital", used this way, refers to the fact that each piece of information exists in one of two levels, up or down, 1 or 0, 0V or 5V, or what have you. The integrity of their digital nature can be assured with error checking--as anyone who has ever copied a CD with EAC, or done a bit-perfect test on a digital audio stream, can attest.
So while all analog signals degrade--including those representing digital data--the digital aspect of their nature in general "remain error-free," even as that degradation occurs. It is of course possible for those signals to degrade to the point where the integrity of the digital data is compromised, but this rarely happens in a properly functioning audio system.
And before you start lecturing us about jitter, bits not being just bits, and all that, please know that I'm aware of it, but it in no way contradicts what I wrote. And please notice this phrase from the review: "as long as those A/D and D/A conversions are done with great care."
Jim Austin, Editor
Stereophile
Excellent summary of the situation and clarifying the true nature of digital.
...was not addressing the equipment under review. The language I quoted distinctly reminds me of the "perfect sound forever" line we were sold by companies and reviewers way back when. It was not true then and remains untrue.
What I wrote--what you called "a ridiculous statement--was true, and it remains true.
Jim Austin, Editor
Stereophile
What you stated is a theoretical ideal - one that is never fully attained.
Jim's sentence: "Devialet's designers believe — in this they are correct — that analog signals deteriorate in ways that digital signals don't, as long as they (the digital signals) remain error-free, which technology itself can assure."
It's obviously true on a routine basis due to digital error detection and correction. If this were not, we would not be communicating with confidence that the Internet is conveying the same message across thousands/millions/billions of screens, your computer would not be able to run at >1GHz, the gigabytes of RAM would be unreliable, and terabytes of music on hard drives would be suspect.
Enough with the hand wringing and nonsense unless you have evidence to show that this were not so.
If you have been brainwashed by Pastafarian cultists into believing in the existence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, it will be very difficult to reprogram your thinking and convince you that your deep dish plate of frutti di mare fra diavolo is merely the main course of your dinner and not the Pastafarian Holy Eucharist. ...perhaps more especially when the eating feels much like some sort of reborn religious experience.
Man, you are making me hungry :-) ......
...perhaps I should have reworked that to utilize bouillabaisse, loaves and fishes instead.
Sorry .... We will just settle for either country ham and grits or, fried chicken and grits ....... Or, may be just Buffalo wings and Budweiser :-) .......
Country ham and grits is the secret to success, the Alabama Crimson Tide had all these years ....... Alabama native Tim Apple also owes his success to country ham and grits :-) ........
Well, while I didn't exactly grow up in Alabama--we left when I was 4--most of my family was still there so we visited often, several times a year. But I did not discover true country ham--salt cured--until we started vacationing in North Carolina and Virginia. So I feel comfortable saying that it's not so much an Alabama thing.
Jim Austin, Editor
Stereophile
True .... Lot of southern states restaurants serve country ham and grits, and shrimp and grits :-) .......
If you like seafood, shrimp and grits is also excellent :-) ........
Is that French baguette with that bouillabaisse? ....... Actually, JCA likes French baguette ....... Now we know how Devialet got a favorable review :-) .......
I think the owners of the Devialet gear and the Benchmark gear should gather together with said gear and have a small party. Bet everyone comes away happy.
Now, the reference to Pastafarians got me. I recall a few years back a dispute in the local media of a Western Canadian city - the Province was refusing to issue a drivers licence to an individual because of his photo.
The official photo was of the individual wearing of his religious headgear that consisted of a plastic colander (!). Personally, I was good with it, it showed his features, and apparently a willingness to cope with linguini at any moment.
Hope he got his licence.
M2Tech Joplin Mk III DSP-based phono stage. It's possible that this is a remarkable phono preamp based on the architecture. A thorough bench test and audition would have real value.