I got my Devialet 200 today and have had a few hours to play with and listen to it.
The biggest surprise was just how smooth the sound is. I'm used to sweet, lush, euphonic-sounding valve Amps and was not really expecting this level of easy-on-the-ear musicality coupled with massive amounts of detail. I had of course heard the D200 a couple of times at the dealers, but I often find equipment doesn't always sound that great in an audition room, it's only when you listen to something at home that you really get to hear it.
I have really enjoyed using my current Valve Amp - a Unison Research S8 (sadly no longer in production) with Focal 1008Be's. Focal often get a bad rap for being 'too bright' or 'forward'. - I don't believe they are, I think they're just 'honest'. Proof of this is in how they sound with the D200.
Anyway, in short, I'm very, very pleased with the D200 soundwise. Ploughing through many different albums this afternoon, I am delighted that whatever you play through it is always enjoyable. There are some albums that, for whatever reason, can sound a bit shrill or bright or 'congested'. Not now. I'm not really sure what's going on, but the combination of the onboard DAC and the ADH core seems to achieve some sort of synergy whereby the outcome is always highly listenable and often extremely musical. It mostly always sounds 'right'. After a few hours with it this afternoon, I stopped listening to the equipment and realised that I was just enjoying the music. I had begun to trust the Devialet to deliver the music properly. Vocals, in particular, are spookily realistic and strings (orchestral and chamber) are so detailed and silky smooth that you can almost hear each individual strand resonate! - Over the top? - I don't think so, the same effect happens with large choral works, where individual voices can be clearly heard. Detailed? -Yes. Sterile? -No. I was moved to tears on occasion by many singers in several genres. So yes, after a few hours of this, I was very happy. - And then came SAM.
My Focal Electra 1008Be's are SAM ready, so I thought I'd experiment. Reconfiguring the D200 was very easy and when done I sat down and listened again with SAM on.
It has been said before how much a difference SAM makes and I can only agree. I'd heard SAM before with Focal Diablo Utopia speakers and before I left the dealer today I listened to a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica I's. (great!) With SAM engaged, the sound expands in all directions, but not unnaturally or in a way that appears 'processed'. Bass goes deeper and is more powerful, whilst the upper midrange and treble are relatively unchanged. The sound is not brighter, but more present. Because of this, you crank up the volume and get totally lost in clean, clear, precise, sound. No wonder Devialet warn you about listening at high volumes for long periods. This stuff is addictive.
Any niggles? Yes, just one. - My remote works only intermittently, which is frustrating, and I have already contacted my dealer about replacing it.
Other than that, the thing is near-perfect. It's so small, for what it does, but Oh! so pretty and beautifully built and finished. And that sound....
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