To put Devialet’s latest product into proper perspective, I feel compelled to give my take on the company’s history. The beginnings of the French brand were straightforward enough, but over the years, the company became weirder, more confusing, and more mysterious. But let me emphasize, the following history is given from my perspective.
In 2010, Devialet began showing the D-Premier amplifier, which featured the first iteration of the brand’s groundbreaking Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH) amplifier architecture. ADH was the brainchild of cofounder Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel. In a nutshell, ADH combines class-A amplification on the voltage side with class-D amplification on the current side under sophisticated computer control. This enabled the D-Premier to deliver high power with extremely low distortion and noise—the measurements were cutting-edge at the time. Other amps using various topologies have since matched the D-Premier’s outstanding measurements, but 14 years ago, the D-Premier seemed like a significant step forward. It also came in a light, low-profile, shiny-gold-colored case that made it look like a luxury hi-fi piece.
The Devialet D-Premier
The D-Premier was more than just an amplifier. It had a built-in preamplifier, making it an integrated amplifier, plus a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and a digital signal processing (DSP) engine. The DSP enabled phono EQ and other functions. One notable function was Speaker Active Matching (SAM), which could improve the bass output of loudspeakers whose measurements were included in Devialet’s Configurator database. Many companies sent their speakers to Devialet for SAM inclusion. Some designers later regretted this decision because, unbeknownst to them at the time, Devialet was in the midst of designing its own speaker, as I’ll outline below.
In 2011, I received one of the first D-Premier amplifiers to review and found it to be spectacular, as did others. But there were also naysayers who had little good to say about it, though their opinions were typically biased—they were often old-schoolers who couldn’t wrap their heads around how this compact, attractive all-in-one amplifier could be so good. They wanted their bulky separates to continue to rule the roost.
All told, Devialet was off to a flying start with the D-Premier. That amplifier was eventually replaced by next-generation models that became the Expert series. These had a similar but more refined look and incorporated more advanced versions of Devialet’s tech.
The Devialet Paris headquarters in 2014
Then things started getting a little weird, at least from an outsider’s point of view. I remember hearing about a massive influx of staff, with most of them working in Devialet’s downtown Paris headquarters. We’re not talking a few people—we’re talking at least a couple of hundred new hires. “What can they all be doing?” many of us asked.
In 2014, Devialet introduced the Phantom and the pricier, more powerful Phantom Silver active loudspeakers. Each looked like a canister vacuum without the hose. That was my first thought when I saw them at the company’s headquarters that year. Both Phantoms sported some utterly original design ideas, making them as revolutionary as the D-Premier was. And like the D-Premier, they spawned follow-up Phantom models as well. Marantz’s just-introduced Horizon speakers obviously draw inspiration from the original Phantoms—ten years after the fact!
Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel in 2014 with the original Phantom Silver loudspeaker
The D-Premier and Phantoms should have kept the company flying high, but then things began to get weirder. Around the time of the Phantoms’ launch, whoever was running Devialet decided to give the heave-ho to many of the distributors around the world who had partnered with Devialet from the start. I knew some of the owners of these companies, and they were pissed about helping to launch this new brand and then getting the boot.
Then Devialet opened boutique-type stores in many major cities around the world and pulled their product from traditional hi-fi dealers. With all the new company stores, which were in very expensive locations, and the huge boost in headcount, I and others would often ask, “Where is the money for all this coming from?” That’s still a mystery to me.
Then there was the issue of staff turnover and the chaos that caused. I experienced this firsthand in 2016 when I was invited, along with our chief videographer, Chris Chitaroni, to shoot videos at Devialet’s Paris headquarters. As the date of our visit got closer, my contacts at the company kept changing. The people with whom I had recently discussed the project disappeared. On the night of our arrival, the hotel didn’t have our reservations. We got that sorted. The next morning, an employee I had never met, or even heard of, took us for coffee and then to the company’s headquarters. When we arrived in the front lobby, we were asked why we were there. Our jaws dropped. We still found a way to shoot the videos we had planned.
Devialet Astra
I could go on about other weird aspects of the brand’s history, such as its forays into the earphone and soundbar markets. But apparently, that’s now water under the bridge. In Devialet’s display room at Audio Video Show 2024, I talked to some staff members who told me that the company is now in its “reboot” phase. One of those staffers has been with Devialet right from its start, and another has been there for ten years. Devialet, I was told, is taking a back-to-basics approach with the introduction of a new amplifier called the Astra. The Astra is available in two finish flavors, but it still looks a lot like the D-Premier and Expert amps.
The standard Astra carries a retail price of €16,000 in Europe, including VAT. It comes in a finish called Light Bronze. There’s also an Opéra de Paris version with a real gold-leaf finish, which adds a €4,000 premium.
Devialet Astra Opéra de Paris
Any differences between the two are purely cosmetic. Both are rated to deliver up to 150Wpc into 8 ohms or 300Wpc into 4 ohms. Like the D-Premier and Expert models, the Astra can be bridged, so two amplifiers will operate as monoblocks for a system with double the power of a single Astra.
Of course, the Astra is based on Devialet’s ADH amplifier technology. All the original features of the D-Premier and Experts are there: the phono stage, DAC section, SAM, etc., plus other features to satisfy modern needs, such as a built-in Roon Ready streamer that supports Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect. Like the D-Premier and succeeding amplifiers, the Astra has a snappy-looking remote control. I was told that Devialet still has over 200 people on staff at its Paris headquarters, though the location has changed. I have no idea what Devialet’s plans are for retail distribution of the Astra, but it will be sold directly from the company’s website.
Inside Astra
All this makes me wonder if Devialet can recover its D-Premier-era glory with these two versions of the Astra. Time will tell. Despite all the weirdness, confusion, and mystery surrounding the brand, if offered a review sample, I would certainly grab one—the D-Premier wowed me in 2011, and I’d like to see if the Astra can do the same in 2024.
Doug Schneider
Founder, SoundStage!
