After years of wondering I finally satisfied my curiosity and picked up a preowned Devialet. Strictly digital playback for me utilizing the ethernet connection on my home LAN. Source is a remote located headless Mac Mini running Audivana playback software - remote control from laptop via screen sharing. Only external connections are ethernet, power and speaker cables. Verdict... ? Awesome - I’m selling my other stuff - Pass, Vinnie Rossi, etc.
This was with entry level Devialet D120 - quickly upgraded to Expert 220 Pro (also purchased preowned). Love the minimalist setup and form factor (who doesn’t have room for a chrome-plated pizza box that can be mounted vertically on the wall). Terrific phono (if analogue is your bag), 220 has configurable pre outs for subwoofer connections. If you speakers have a SAM profile listed on the Devialet site you can take advantage for even better electro-mechanical interface.
If you want to forego all of the peripheral madness (ended years of expensive, needless and endless quest for the "latest and greatest" for me) check out Devialet as an all-in-one. Won’t appeal to the "more boxes the better" crowd and those that enjoy obsessive tweeking (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Also, not everyone will submit to the Devialet ecosystem. For those that do, prices on the preowned market offer ridiculous value at a fraction of the original MSRP.
Disclaimer: This suggestion comes from an individual in the twilight (heh - 64 years of age is not old) of his audiophile journey looking for simplicity and ease of use without sacrificing performance.
Best of luck on your search.
