Integrated amplifiers — Devialet Expert 220 Pro

The Expert 220 Pro is the central member of the three-model Expert Pro series from the French company Devialet, placed between the 140 Pro and the 250 Pro, the latter listed at USD 18,990. Devialet presents it as a replacement for a traditional hi-fi system, since it combines preamplifier, power amplifier, DAC, network streamer and phono stage in one flat chassis carved from a single aluminium block and finished in dark chrome. The US list price was USD 9,990, and UK pricing was GBP 6,990.

Key specs that matter

Rated power is 220 W RMS per channel into 6 ohm, while a pair of units in bridged mode reaches 440 W RMS per side. Devialet quotes THD+N of 0.0005% at full power into 6 ohm and THD of 0.00025% at 10 W, a signal to noise ratio of 130 dB, an output impedance of 0.001 ohm and a damping factor of 8000. The case measures 383 x 383 x 40 mm and weighs 5.9 kg.

Engineering and use context

Power comes from ADH, Devialet's hybrid topology in which a class D current source supplies the power while a class A voltage stage corrects and completes the signal. Digital conversion is handled by the Magic Wire DAC built on a Texas Instruments PCM1792 chip, and every input is processed at 24 bit and 192 kHz. Digital inputs cover asynchronous USB, coaxial S/PDIF and Toslink, with PCM up to 24 bit and 192 kHz on USB and coax, 24 bit and 96 kHz on optical, and DSD64 from USB and coax. One RCA pair can work as a line or phono input, and a further RCA pair can serve as analogue or digital input. Wi-Fi and Ethernet provide network playback through the AIR application. The MM and MC phono stage works in the digital domain and offers 256 load combinations of resistance and capacitance plus 13 equalisation curves for older records. SAM, short for Speaker Active Matching, draws on a database of more than 800 measured loudspeaker profiles and adapts the signal to the chosen model.

Pairing

Given its power reserve and near-zero output impedance, the Expert 220 Pro can drive most passive floorstanders and standmounts, and choosing a pair included in the SAM list lets the owner use speaker matching. Phono equalisation and preamplification take place after digitisation, so a turntable connects directly, and a computer or network storage covers digital playback without a separate DAC or streamer.

Alternatives

The Devialet Expert 140 Pro is the junior all-in-one unit of the Expert Pro range, delivering 140 W per channel into 6 ohm at a US price of USD 6,490.