It's hard to describe but the best analogy I can think of is playing the violin. The Devialet puts more weight on the bow for different results, whereas the Pass/PSaudio is just a bit lighter and has a silkier touch
Wow awesome description! Also I believe the Hi-Fi News & Record Review - is coming out this month with a big review of the Devialet 170 also comparing it to the original one.
I have been a bit quite on the forums as I have other issues, car got water inside after the huge storm in Toronto, running around trying to fix it is not fun, I stripped the whole inside myself including seats, center console and now trying to see if I can get a new carpet etc.
No no there was no damage as the carpets were dripping & soaked but not floating in water. I have cleaned out everything. So either the carpet will have to fully dry or I have to buy a new carpet. The problem is on the floor pan front of the driver seat there is an area cover in rust, mold and some white growth which I cleaned out, but the rust needs to be treated before the new carpet goes in.
No where else inside it is rusted, I am surprised how that particular area got rust, someone in the workshop or somewhere must have spilled water years or months ago and it sat there rusting that part before it dried out, I have had this car from new and I know its not me and no one else has ever driven my car except when it goes for servicing or other work.
I am really bummed but it needs to be fixed nevertheless before the carpet goes in though!
Oh it was crazy, it was so hot that I went for lunch and had the windows down little realizing the impeding storm. My theory is that’s how the water got in.
I was stuck in traffic for 4.5 hours as I had to drop a friend to the airport and also had to take the car through some flooded areas. But I am sure the water did not come from outside as it was not flooded inside, has to be through the open windows. Nevertheless Toronto looked like a war zone, no lights were working, cars stuck everywhere in the water and my car is extremely low and its a miracle that it did not stall in all that water as cars much higher than mine were stuck everywhere.
Good thing is I discovered that rust in the particular area as I would not have ever know unless I had taken out the carpet, I am still stumped how it happened but have to fix it which is not what I am looking forward to:(
I was initially visualizing the car sitting in water, with water seeping in the doors. This is a much better scenario.
Looking at it as an opportunity to address a previously unknown problem is a great mindset. It is a bit weird however. Occasional wet feet should not cause this problem. I’m sure you would have noticed if there is a water trail from the firewall or the like.
You can't compare Arcam to Pass Labs, can you? ;) They are way too different. I tried to use PWD plugged directly to the Pass (I've got x250), but the sound was terrible (muddy, congested, distorted, etc.), so I'm back to x1 pre.
Just in case: the cables are MIT Oracle v3 (all balanced).
That's really interesting. Both amps have the same input stage I believe. Right now I'm using super cheap RCA cables, it's very clear and tasty, perhaps only needing a touch of warmth to balance out a very bright room. I'm going to borrow a pair of XLR and see if it sounds different. I'll let you know how that turns out.
You can't compare Arcam to Pass Labs, can you? ;) They are way too different. I tried to use PWD plugged directly to the Pass (I've got x250), but the sound was terrible (muddy, congested, distorted, etc.), so I'm back to x1 pre.
Just in case: the cables are MIT Oracle v3 (all balanced).
That's really interesting. Both amps have the same input stage I believe. Right now I'm using super cheap RCA cables, it's very clear and tasty, perhaps only needing a touch of warmth to balance out a very bright room. I'm going to borrow a pair of XLR and see if it sounds different. I'll let you know how that turns out.
$ard
No offense but Arcam and Pass Labs are 2 totally different animals, the Pass Labs are in a different league to the British Arcam!
Heh, none taken. The only thing that offended me was the difference in sound quality. I had to turn the volume down so I could hear myself be outraged.
I do want a nice preamp in the chain though, the only catch is that it needs to handle all media inputs, but still have great analogue outputs for Audio. That will be the goal for this fall!
canto4me said: The Devialet puts more weight on the bow for different results, whereas the Pass/PSaudio is just a bit lighter and has a silkier touch.
Having spent many an hour with both, I couldn't have said it better! It's been wet down here in Ohio but not like Toronto. Sorry about your car. At least the bright spot is that you can ward off a floorpan rust-through that would have snuck up on you.
You can't compare Arcam to Pass Labs, can you? ;) They are way too different. I tried to use PWD plugged directly to the Pass (I've got x250), but the sound was terrible (muddy, congested, distorted, etc.), so I'm back to x1 pre.
Just in case: the cables are MIT Oracle v3 (all balanced).
That's really interesting. Both amps have the same input stage I believe. Right now I'm using super cheap RCA cables, it's very clear and tasty, perhaps only needing a touch of warmth to balance out a very bright room. I'm going to borrow a pair of XLR and see if it sounds different. I'll let you know how that turns out.
Yes, Pass Labs and PWD love to be used balanced. RCA does not let you hear the full potential. Also, please look around for any Pass Labs preamps. Probably you can borrow one as well. You will be surprised.
Last night I dusted off the Audiolab 8000P preamp I had in the garage, and hooked that into the mix. For a 25 year old box that was $800 back then, it still sounds decent enough.
I’d love to try a Pass preamp (reviews are glowing) but that won’t work with the overall needs in the living room. We have a satellite dish and the computer running every form of sound and video (ie, the most advanced and effective parenting tools available for a 4 year old). My hope is that something like the Cary Cinema will handle all the junk but still let me get nearly full potential out of 2 channel audio with tasty XLR in/outs.
Maybe I can just borrow one for a week or two… You need yours?
Pass Labs amps prefer Pass Labs preamps and the other way round. Just like Spectral, Naim, and probably lots of others. I tried to mix but with rather unlistenable results. Even with tunable cables like MIT Oracle.
So unless you know what you are doing or trying to achieve (e.g. a particular tube preamp with Pass Labs x350 and Martin Logans), I wouldn’t waste time with random 3d party devices.
Yes, if 5.1 is the A/V objective but with emphasis on 2 channel with balanced in/out the Meridian or the Krell HTS are still today the best value choices.
Thanks for the thoughts guys. I’ll try to knock Krell, Meridian and Cary off the list this fall and see if there is a winner! Used is definitely the way to go, price/quality/longevity of pre/pros make them a very bad piece of gear to buy new in my opinion…
I suppose the other option is to keep what I got, and buy a high quality XLR switch and a dedicated Pass preamp. Then Alekz can sleep at night and I’ll be wickedly happy.
Ok guys there is bad new the Devialet 170 is still back ordered, so it wont come in till minimum end of this month. If Paul had his proposed new amp ready, I would have bought that but now its too late as the deposits down for the Devialet. In the meantime for those who are interested there is the latest review which just came out on the 170, I have attached a file
You need yours?