While Paris-based audio manufacturer Devialet doesn’t have a suite at the Paris Hotel during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014, it does have one at the Venetian, where it is showing off its striking radical aesthetic industrial design for its amplifiers and remote controls.
The software-upgradeable Devialet 240, Devialet 170 and Devialet 110 are sold through authorized dealers only at MSRPs of $17,495, $9,495 and $6,495, respectively. Made in France and milled from single blocks of aluminum, the rectangular amplifiers and their sleek square remote controls are distinctively shaped and polished to a Black Chrome mirror-finish.
The systems support a broad range of speakers, CD players, turntables and digital music sources and components as well as Internet-based programs and services. Among the features are:
- A patented core called Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH)
- Floating-point integral digital processing of Devialet’s 192-kHz/40-bit signal.
- A short circuit path between its systems’ built-in and patented Digital Analog Converters (DACs) and loudspeaker connections.
- A lossless current path between the DACs and built-in Class-A amplifiers.
- A patented 600-watt switching supply with a peak value of 2,500 watts.
The Devialet 240 amplifier is the flagship of the series. It has a Class-A amplifier with a built-in DAC. The amplifier serves two channels at 240 watts each, with the power adjustable down to 50 watts through an online configuration tool. It can also be configured as a 500-watt monoblock amplifier, and daisy-chained together with up to seven additional Devialet 240s.
An asynchronous Wi-Fi streamer permits Devialet AIR-Bit streaming of data stored on or played by a computer, a smart phone or a tablet using any format up to 24 bit/192 kHz. Additional features include the ADH core, a low-jitter, precision clock, and a switchable mode power supply.
Connections include Ethernet, digital S/PDIF, RCA, XLR, HDMI, USB, Toslink, an RS-232 trigger, phono (both standard and configurable types) and analog line connections, plus a subwoofer output.
The Devialet 170 serves two channels at 170 watts each. It is software upgradeable and accommodates streaming audio services like Pandora, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz, Wolgang’s Vault, Tunein and Opeo.
With similar features to the 270, the Devialet 170 serves two channels at 170 watts each. The more affordable Devialet 110 serves two channels at 110 watts each. All three Devialets can also access free software applications that further expand their capabilities.
The key app is Devialet AIR, the company’s Universal Wi-Fi streamer for MacOS and Windows-based systems. It plays any content or live stream from a computer and is compatible with all player formats, including iTunes, VLC, WMP and the like, and all Internet radios and online services like Pandora, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz, Wolgang’s Vault, Tunein, Opeo and thousands more. A second free program, the Devialet Remote App, adds volume and source control, and music file streaming for iOS and Android-based smart phones, tablets and other devices.
