topoxforddoc
30-08-2011, 22:00
A good friend, Frank, brought his wife, Sheenagh, and his Devialet D-Premier amplifier around the other day to my home in Cheltenham and we spent the afternoon comparing my TRON Meteor pre/Voyager power amps with his new toy. Frank knows a lot about hi-fi, having worked at Garrard in their golden days, before becoming one of F1 Racing's best Engineers (he introduced wind tunnels to F1 in the late 1970s).
He normally has a stack of Goldmunds at home, but decided that he needed a new shiny chrome plated toy. My new toy was my TRON Voyager valve power amp sporting only an Emission Labs 20B valve on each side plus a single 5Z3 rectifier (www.tron-electric.co.uk). The TRON Meteor is the predecessor to the high end Syren tube pre-amp and has an on board valve phono stage. My unit is the personal demonstrator model used by the TRON designer, Graham Tricker (www.gtaudio.com), and has lots of extra bits, as well as a pair of 5687 valves in the line stage and ECC83 valves in the phono section.
Front end was my Platine Verdier with a GT Audio Battery PSU playing a Hadcock + Decca C4E. We all listened to the alternative arm/cart combo first (Schroeder Model 2/Allaerts MC1B), but Sheenagh asked me why I ever listened to the Schroeder/Allaerts! The Schroeder/Allaerts is a great combination, but the vintage 1968 Decca C4E is something else.
Phono stage was a World Audio Designs Phono 3 with PSU (as my TRON has a MC stage into which the Allaerts is plugged). The WAD Phono 3 fed either a line input on the TRON Meteor or a line input on the Devialet; that way, we couldn't attribute differences to alternative phono stages. Speakers were Avantgarde Duos 2.2 (with current 225 Subs) and cables by PHY-HP. Listening was augmented by numerous cups of tea (Very English - Earl Grey for Sheenagh and Builders' tea for Frank and myself). Music was mostly classical (as that's their preferred metier). Bishop Kovacevich playing the Grieg Piano Concerto in its entirety on a vintage Phillips pressing (given a rosette by the original Gramophone Classical Music Guide) with some jazz thrown in later.
Both were built beautifully. The Devialet is undeniably very sexy in the flesh compared to my man-like TRONs and it also has a beautiful remote control. I haven't found a remote for my TRONs yet, as my children refuse to answer to my call!
The Devialet is dinky, sylph like and sexy - just chic. It is beautifully presented with a small display on the short but wide front panel; unfortunately if you stand the Devialet upright, you can't see the display.
No worries about a display on the TRON. The Voyager has two massive glowing bulbs on the front and is resplendent in its stainless steel chassis and black transformer tops. The Devialet felt like a featherweight next to my TRONS. Even the Meteor pre-amp was massive compared to the Devialet. Each of the output transformers alone on the Voyager probably weigh as much as the Devialet. Next to the Devialet, the TRON Voyager looked burly in its stainless steel chassis and black transformer tops. If you have a bad back, just buy the Devialet and save a fortune in medical bills. However, if you like your tube amps big and beefy, then the TRONs are right up your street.
We didn't look inside the Devialet, but Frank admired the insides of my TRONs. They are impeccably and personally built by a fastidious designer, Graham Tricker. The components are of the highest quality and the case work is massive and mirror like.
First comment from Frank was that the AG Duo speakers certainly do bass - plenty of it and well controlled. That may surprise some who think that the Avantgarde horns are lacking in both bass depth and integration. They were certainly dynamic as well, which real music is. Sheenagh is a professional classical musician and liked them as they really sounded like music.
Turning to the ampifiers, the Devialet was very detailed, clean and precise - almost clinical. Separation was excellent with a wide soundstage. Placement was very discrete - easy to pick out the orchestral instruments. However, the Devialet didn't have great depth to the soundstage (at least IMHO).
The TRONs (Meteor preamp and Voyager power amp) were different. Not quite as clean and precise, but they had more tonal colour with better harmonics compared to the Devialet. This, of course, is what real music has - lots of tonal variation and harmonics. There was a real flow to the music when the TRON was playing. Frank may, of course, disagree. The TRONS also had a real sense of depth as well as width to the soundstage. Even Frank admitted that the Devialet was not as good front to back.
Both the Devialet and TRONS were equally dynamic when used with my horns. Timing and rhythm was excellent in both.
In summary, both were very good amplifiers indeed. In the interests of friendly harmony, we didn't vote, as we're actually good friends. I think we were all happy with our individual choices. To me, comparing the Devialet to the TRONs was like comparing CD to vinyl. I prefer vinyl and I prefer my TRONs - they just sounded more like music (my wife is a musician as well) to me than the Devialet did. The Devialet sounded more like an excellent hi-fi, as opposed to music,but maybe I'm biased. OK I am, as I parted with lots of cash for my TRONs (as did Frank for his Devialet).
So 'horses for courses', you might say. Certainly, the Devialet can drive speakers that my TRON Voyager with its puny 6W can only dream of. Anyway, as an aside, Frank also liked the Decca C4E a lot. We both agreed that the most important parts in a system are the transducers (and the room). So he went away with my Garrott Brothers Gold on loan to play with for a while. We'll be meeting up again soon.
He normally has a stack of Goldmunds at home, but decided that he needed a new shiny chrome plated toy. My new toy was my TRON Voyager valve power amp sporting only an Emission Labs 20B valve on each side plus a single 5Z3 rectifier (www.tron-electric.co.uk). The TRON Meteor is the predecessor to the high end Syren tube pre-amp and has an on board valve phono stage. My unit is the personal demonstrator model used by the TRON designer, Graham Tricker (www.gtaudio.com), and has lots of extra bits, as well as a pair of 5687 valves in the line stage and ECC83 valves in the phono section.
Front end was my Platine Verdier with a GT Audio Battery PSU playing a Hadcock + Decca C4E. We all listened to the alternative arm/cart combo first (Schroeder Model 2/Allaerts MC1B), but Sheenagh asked me why I ever listened to the Schroeder/Allaerts! The Schroeder/Allaerts is a great combination, but the vintage 1968 Decca C4E is something else.
Phono stage was a World Audio Designs Phono 3 with PSU (as my TRON has a MC stage into which the Allaerts is plugged). The WAD Phono 3 fed either a line input on the TRON Meteor or a line input on the Devialet; that way, we couldn't attribute differences to alternative phono stages. Speakers were Avantgarde Duos 2.2 (with current 225 Subs) and cables by PHY-HP. Listening was augmented by numerous cups of tea (Very English - Earl Grey for Sheenagh and Builders' tea for Frank and myself). Music was mostly classical (as that's their preferred metier). Bishop Kovacevich playing the Grieg Piano Concerto in its entirety on a vintage Phillips pressing (given a rosette by the original Gramophone Classical Music Guide) with some jazz thrown in later.
Both were built beautifully. The Devialet is undeniably very sexy in the flesh compared to my man-like TRONs and it also has a beautiful remote control. I haven't found a remote for my TRONs yet, as my children refuse to answer to my call!
The Devialet is dinky, sylph like and sexy - just chic. It is beautifully presented with a small display on the short but wide front panel; unfortunately if you stand the Devialet upright, you can't see the display.
No worries about a display on the TRON. The Voyager has two massive glowing bulbs on the front and is resplendent in its stainless steel chassis and black transformer tops. The Devialet felt like a featherweight next to my TRONS. Even the Meteor pre-amp was massive compared to the Devialet. Each of the output transformers alone on the Voyager probably weigh as much as the Devialet. Next to the Devialet, the TRON Voyager looked burly in its stainless steel chassis and black transformer tops. If you have a bad back, just buy the Devialet and save a fortune in medical bills. However, if you like your tube amps big and beefy, then the TRONs are right up your street.
We didn't look inside the Devialet, but Frank admired the insides of my TRONs. They are impeccably and personally built by a fastidious designer, Graham Tricker. The components are of the highest quality and the case work is massive and mirror like.
First comment from Frank was that the AG Duo speakers certainly do bass - plenty of it and well controlled. That may surprise some who think that the Avantgarde horns are lacking in both bass depth and integration. They were certainly dynamic as well, which real music is. Sheenagh is a professional classical musician and liked them as they really sounded like music.
Turning to the ampifiers, the Devialet was very detailed, clean and precise - almost clinical. Separation was excellent with a wide soundstage. Placement was very discrete - easy to pick out the orchestral instruments. However, the Devialet didn't have great depth to the soundstage (at least IMHO).
The TRONs (Meteor preamp and Voyager power amp) were different. Not quite as clean and precise, but they had more tonal colour with better harmonics compared to the Devialet. This, of course, is what real music has - lots of tonal variation and harmonics. There was a real flow to the music when the TRON was playing. Frank may, of course, disagree. The TRONS also had a real sense of depth as well as width to the soundstage. Even Frank admitted that the Devialet was not as good front to back.
Both the Devialet and TRONS were equally dynamic when used with my horns. Timing and rhythm was excellent in both.
In summary, both were very good amplifiers indeed. In the interests of friendly harmony, we didn't vote, as we're actually good friends. I think we were all happy with our individual choices. To me, comparing the Devialet to the TRONs was like comparing CD to vinyl. I prefer vinyl and I prefer my TRONs - they just sounded more like music (my wife is a musician as well) to me than the Devialet did. The Devialet sounded more like an excellent hi-fi, as opposed to music,but maybe I'm biased. OK I am, as I parted with lots of cash for my TRONs (as did Frank for his Devialet).
So 'horses for courses', you might say. Certainly, the Devialet can drive speakers that my TRON Voyager with its puny 6W can only dream of. Anyway, as an aside, Frank also liked the Decca C4E a lot. We both agreed that the most important parts in a system are the transducers (and the room). So he went away with my Garrott Brothers Gold on loan to play with for a while. We'll be meeting up again soon.