The Devialet thread

[Infiniteloop]

Just received a marketing e-mail from Devialet (quite why they're trying to sell me stuff I don't know ...).

I was interested by this teaser in the e-mail: "This year, once again, we are preparing an extraordinary surprise regarding SAM® for Munich." What on earth could this be? Extending SAM to the full frequency range? Enabling SAM for subwoofers via the pre-outs? Answers on a postcard please!

Yeah, just got that e-mail too. Maybe they'll announce "SAM+", or "STORM", the Speaker TO Room Matching?

Yes, room EQ has been mooted for Munich 2015, and I suppose it sort of makes sense to present it as a SAM-enhancement, even if it's doing something quite different.

STORM is very good BTW!

It does raise the question though what sort of system it'll be and how they'll implement it. My mind is slightly boggled by all the possibilities. I hope it's not too complex and that they don't mess it up; I don't want to end up turning my Devialet into a useless Active Room-Speaker Equalizer.

Could it be that the implementation is more specific?

Active Room Speaker Equalizer High Or Low Expander perhaps?

 

[Infiniteloop]

I'm sure they're very very good, esp. in combo with the Dev. However, pricewise they're in main-system territory for me.

I wouldn't want to seem envious that your non-main system comprises Vivid V1.5s driven by a Devialet 200 but ... well, just a touch of envy perhaps.

Actually, while I am at it, a second system comprising a Unison Research S8 and SF Cremona Ms, Mr Loop, is proving just a little envy-inducing too. That is a combination I would love to hear! and see too, I imagine - I am sure I am capable of superficiality too given half a chance.

Thank you James. The second system really happened by chance. I bought my Devialet 200 late last year and was going to move the S8 on, but when it came to it, I really couldn't bear to part with it. It is still in mint condition and sounds and looks wonderful - even visitors with absolutely no interest in HiFi find it fascinating. So it made sense to partner it with some speakers and locate it in a spare upstairs room. I'd had Sonus Fabers before and loved them. The Cremona Auditor M's have proven to be a great match for the S8. They also work very well with the Devialet, but there's something special going on with them and the S8.

 

[matt49]

Ah, my Silver Phantoms and Dialog have been shipped, in time for Spark 1.1!

I guess that they will likely be here on Monday, I have my pipe (without slippers) organ tracks ready.

Great, let us know how you get on. Fingers crossed, the new SPARK release yesterday will make the system stable.

... The second system really happened by chance. ...

I see a pattern emerging.

 

[EvPa]

My Silver Phantoms arrived today from colette.fr and are currently sitting on my ARTist6s:

Very impressive up to now, more so than when I heard them at La Maison Devialet in Paris (those were apparently still prototypes).

 

[matt49]

Nice work!

How well is the streaming software behaving? Is it stable? Are you using a Dialog to feed the Phantoms?

*drinks*

 

[DocG]

Hi Evpa, I'm sure we're getting an in-depth review as soon as they've settled down (you're morally obliged! *wink*). Did you order the Branch bases too? If so, any idea when those are to be expected?

 

[EvPa]

How well is the streaming software behaving? Is it stable? Are you using a Dialog to feed the Phantoms?

Spark seems to be behaving well up to now (absolutely no issues with Deezer Premium+).

I am indeed using a Dialog as one is required if you have more than one phantom and want to use them in stereo. The Dialog is connected via Ethernet to my modem/router and, apart from an optical cable connect to one of them, are only connected to power sockets.

Said optical cable is a bit of a special case... as neither my current TV nor my satellite receiver feature an optical out, I connected my satellite receiver's analog outs to my Sonos Connect and said Connect's optical out to one of the Phantoms!

It's actually working well, with almost-unnoticeable lipsync delay but the TV has been acting up lately (a "black" screen looks almost white...) so a replacement will likely happen in the near future.

The only problem that I faced was that, right after initial setup, the Dialog got disconnected from mains (don't let cats near plugs) and, once restarted, could only find one Phantom; the "missing" was actually still playing the TV's sound! A new setup procedure quickly solved this.

 

[EvPa]

Hi Evpa, I'm sure we're getting an in-depth review as soon as they've settled down (you're morally obliged! *wink*). Did you order the Branch bases too? If so, any idea when those are to be expected?

I will try to come up with some kind of review but please keep in mind that I am not a professional in that field...

I have not ordered the Branches, but I plan to; no news yet regarding their release date though (or that of the remote).

There is actually a small "hook-like" part of the aluminium chassis protruding under the Phantoms so I guess that it's where they will be "thermally connected" to those stands.

By the way, there is a hidden room in Spark but I cannot insert a screenshot or link to it because it is detected as spam...

 

[MattSPL]

The Phantoms look great

how does the bass sound/feel?

cheers

matt

 

[EvPa]

how does the bass sound/feel?

I haven't been able to test them thoroughly but I did play a few pipe organ tracks recorded in the gigantic Basilica of Saint-Sernin (the largest still-standing Romanesque church, located in Toulouse) where I have attended Mass and quite a few concerts; I dare say that I am therefore quite familiar with how its grandes orgues Cavaillé-Coll are supposed to sound.

My house is certainly not as good as the basilica from an acoustics point of view but what I hear and feel is very close to actually being there.

I can't seem to post links without triggering the spam filter, try searching youtube for "David Briggs Sernin" if you would like some examples.

I will try some Eurobeat later!

By the way, I haven't tried setting the volume over 75 yet...

 

[MattSPL]

how does the bass sound/feel?

I haven't been able to test them thoroughly but I did play a few pipe organ tracks recorded in the gigantic Basilica of Saint-Sernin (the largest still-standing Romanesque church, located in Toulouse) where I have attended Mass and quite a few concerts; I dare say that I am therefore quite familiar with how its grandes orgues Cavaillé-Coll are supposed to sound.

My house is certainly not as good as the basilica from an acoustics point of view but what I hear and feel is very close to actually being there.

I can't seem to post links without triggering the spam filter, try searching youtube for "David Briggs Sernin" if you would like some examples.

I will try some Eurobeat later!

By the way, I haven't tried setting the volume over 75 yet...

sounds very promising so far I will try and listen to some of the organ music later.

cheers

matt

 

[matt49]

EvPa, that's all very good news. There's been a fair bit of uncertainty (to put it mildly) about the software side, so the fact that you have your pair working stably is excellent.

Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[EvPa]

Quick update:

I finally ran into some Dialog/Spark issues, I couldn't start local or Deezer tracks without restarting Spark (the TV fed via TOSLINK was fine).

Nothing major but I hope that this will be adressed in upcoming updates though.

However, I just listed to some other songs, with volume set as 50 (which is already *quite* loud, with a quick pass at 75). the first thing that I would like to convey is that THEY SOUND F*****G AWESOME! *crazy*

 

[MattSPL]

Quick update:

I finally ran into some Dialog/Spark issues, I couldn't start local or Deezer tracks without restarting Spark (the TV fed via TOSLINK was fine).

Nothing major but I hope that this will be adressed in upcoming updates though.

However, I just listed to some other songs, with volume set as 50 (which is already *quite* loud, with a quick pass at 75). the first thing that I would like to convey is that THEY SOUND F*****G AWESOME! *crazy*

glad your enjoying them, I can't wait to hear a pair

 

[matt49]

Quick update:

I finally ran into some Dialog/Spark issues, I couldn't start local or Deezer tracks without restarting Spark (the TV fed via TOSLINK was fine).

Nothing major but I hope that this will be adressed in upcoming updates though.

However, I just listed to some other songs, with volume set as 50 (which is already *quite* loud, with a quick pass at 75). the first thing that I would like to convey is that THEY SOUND F*****G AWESOME! *crazy*

This seems to be the pattern unfortunately: Playing via Toslink is fine, but SPARK Loses contact with the network and needs rebooting. Are you using the 1.1 version?

 

[EvPa]

Are you using the 1.1 version?

Yes, both on Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4.2/5.0.1 (I also have one iPad 3 but Spark 1.1 is not available on iOS, probably because it's a beta version).

 

[matt49]

The latest news (perhaps only a rumour, though it comes from the mouth of a Devialet employee) is that the Dev amps will have room correction in Q3 this year.

Lots of questions, of course. Will it be an existing software package ported to the Dev DSP (e.g. Dirac)? What hardware will it require (e.g. microphones) and how will this connect with the Dev amps? How will it integrate with SAM? And will it actually work properly (unlike the SPARK software)?

I'm excited anyway. *wacko*

 

[Infiniteloop]

The latest news (perhaps only a rumour, though it comes from the mouth of a Devialet employee) is that the Dev amps will have room correction in Q3 this year.

Lots of questions, of course. Will it be an existing software package ported to the Dev DSP (e.g. Dirac)? What hardware will it require (e.g. microphones) and how will this connect with the Dev amps? How will it integrate with SAM? And will it actually work properly (unlike the SPARK software)?

I'm excited anyway. *wacko*

Blimey.

If it works as well as SAM, this could be very exciting indeed! - And like having a whole new Amplifier....

 

[EvPa]

Lots of questions, of course. Will it be an existing software package ported to the Dev DSP (e.g. Dirac)? What hardware will it require (e.g. microphones) and how will this connect with the Dev amps?

Well, a microphone is a given if they are to implement room EQ, likely connected via USB.

On a related note, I was alone for some time this afternoon and played Bohemian Rhapsody on my Silver Phantoms at 100.

It was my first time over 75 and it might have been my last, the sound was sublime but way too loud for me.

 

[matt49]

Well, a microphone is a given if they are to implement room EQ, likely connected via USB.

On a related note, I was alone for some time this afternoon and played Bohemian Rhapsody on my Silver Phantoms at 100.

It was my first time over 75 and it might have been my last, the sound was sublime but way too loud for me.

Yes, my thought wasn't whether a mic would be needed, but what sort of mic, how it would be connected, and how it would be calibrated etc. There's lots of detail.

Good to hear the Phantoms are performing well.

I took delivery of the Vivids today. Rather disappointing to start with, not performing as I heard them in the shop. A quick close up listen confirmed that nothing was coming through the left tweeter. First thing to check: the jumper leads connecting the LF and HF terminals, and sure enough they weren't connected. Phew!

Now they're producing lovely clear and immersive sound. They're not ESLs, but they're as close to the ESL sound as I've heard from any electrodynamic speaker.

Currently they're in my study. I hope to move them down to the living room. One advantage they'll have over the Martin Logans is that their horizontal dispersion is miles better, which is important for family listening sessions in the living room.

Let's see what the family says about the Vivid look. *yahoo* or *bad* ???

 

[Infiniteloop]

Well, a microphone is a given if they are to implement room EQ, likely connected via USB.

On a related note, I was alone for some time this afternoon and played Bohemian Rhapsody on my Silver Phantoms at 100.

It was my first time over 75 and it might have been my last, the sound was sublime but way too loud for me.

Yes, my thought wasn't whether a mic would be needed, but what sort of mic, how it would be connected, and how it would be calibrated etc. There's lots of detail.

Good to hear the Phantoms are performing well.

I took delivery of the Vivids today. Rather disappointing to start with, not performing as I heard them in the shop. A quick close up listen confirmed that nothing was coming through the left tweeter. First thing to check: the jumper leads connecting the LF and HF terminals, and sure enough they weren't connected. Phew!

Now they're producing lovely clear and immersive sound. They're not ESLs, but they're as close to the ESL sound as I've heard from any electrodynamic speaker.

Currently they're in my study. I hope to move them down to the living room. One advantage they'll have over the Martin Logans is that their horizontal dispersion is miles better, which is important for family listening sessions in the living room.

Let's see what the family says about the Vivid look. *yahoo* or *bad* ???

Glad to hear you got sorted. I'm still really enjoying the SF's. There's something magical about the SF midrange. - Especially with valves.

 

[matt49]

Glad to hear you got sorted. I'm still really enjoying the SF's. There's something magical about the SF midrange. - Especially with valves.

Cheers, Andrew. Glad you're enjoying the SFs.

The irony is this week I've been trying to persuade someone over on PFM that they ought to buy a second-hand pair of Cremona Auditor Ms. The speakers have left a very strong impression with me.

I'm happy with the Vivids. In design terms, they seem totally different from the SFs and yet in some ways they're quite similar. The SFs use very high quality drivers, and the cabinets are beautifully made: solid and non-rectilinear, they don't seem to impart any colour to the sound. The Vivids' enclosures are also solid and curved.

There the similarities end. The Vivids use metal drivers which gives a more in-your-face sound. They don't have the warmth of the SFs. I'm not really a warmth person, so that's OK. They do seem quite a bit more transparent, and they get closer to the holographic ESL sound than the SFs, which is my gold standard.

 

[matt49]

Devialet has e-mailed DIALOG owners to inform them that their units are being recalled. Replacement units will be sent out (not sure when).

Presumably a problem with the networking hardware?

 

[EvPa]

No e-mail here...

 

[matt49]

Have you signed up for the special Phantom owners club? I did, even though I don't own any Phantoms, but I do have a Dialog in the cupboard waiting to be made compatible with my D200.

This is the e-mail:

Hello,

We have decided to replace your old DIALOG to improve the overall function and synchronisation of your PHANTOM setup.

You will receive your new DIALOG in the next few days and we will inform you on how to return in the simplest way your current DIALOG.
Our apologies for the inconvenience.

Best regards,

Customer care and R&D teams