Absolare Integrated

GuillaumeB

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Sablon Audio

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+1 :)

Guillaume

In fairness, Fohlenfan said he was looking for a second amp which could be left on all day for casual listening and would presumably cost less than his NAF amps. My suggestion ticks those box and shares the same mosfet topology as the power stage of the Absolare.
 

GuillaumeB

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Devialet and Absolare are two very different concepts. First of all, Devialet is an integrated system which is meant to be used as a true all in one solution. The Absolare is a puristic amplifier using among the finest components on the market, carefully tuned to come as close as possible to the unique organic qualities of the best SET tube amplifiers.

Sonically and performance wise, the Devialet excels in areas of control, transparency, resolution and a very low noise floor. The Absolare is generous, balanced and fluid with the most natural and gorgeous timbre imaginable, as well as being very powerful and dynamic.

Based on your post and your choice of DeVore, I can almost guarantee that you will adore the Absolare integrated. It's among the most impressive, natural and engaging amplifier you will find.

Hope that helps.

/ Marcus

I totally agree with you Marcus. The Devialet is fantastic in some areas as you have described.

In contrast the Absolare is giving me a gorgeous midrange, richer tonal textures and overall as you say an incredibly natural sound. I find myself drawn into the music more. The Devialet in contrast is immediately more impressive however it is ultimately less satisfying. There is something in that perfect image they provide that perhaps doesn't sound quite so real and misses some of the "soul" of the music. With the Absolare/Exogal combo I feel as though the soundstage is a bit more interesting, the music a little more nuanced and the soundstage feels more expansive. Some of the tonal textures of voices and the timbre of instruments are extraordinarily life-like.

In truth the 900 and Absolare Integrated are both exceptional amplifiers. In some respects this might be a case of SET v SS, however what is surprising (or perhaps not if you look at its design) is that the Absolare seems to combine the best of both worlds. As I said in an earlier post it's almost a case of having your cake and eating it.

By the way I find that the Absolare runs cooler than the Devialet.

Cheers

Guillaume
 

Audiophile Bill

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Mar 23, 2015
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I totally agree with you Marcus. The Devialet is fantastic in some areas as you have described.

In contrast the Absolare is giving me a gorgeous midrange, richer tonal textures and overall as you say an incredibly natural sound. I find myself drawn into the music more. The Devialet in contrast is immediately more impressive however it is ultimately less satisfying. There is something in that perfect image they provide that perhaps doesn't sound quite so real and misses some of the "soul" of the music. With the Absolare/Exogal combo I feel as though the soundstage is a bit more interesting, the music a little more nuanced and the soundstage feels more expansive. Some of the tonal textures of voices and the timbre of instruments are extraordinarily life-like.

In truth the 900 and Absolare Integrated are both exceptional amplifiers. In some respects this might be a case of SET v SS, however what is surprising (or perhaps not if you look at its design) is that the Absolare seems to combine the best of both worlds. As I said in an earlier post it's almost a case of having your cake and eating it.

By the way I find that the Absolare runs cooler than the Devialet.

Cheers

Guillaume

Hi Guillaume,

Very interested in your views on the Devialet and Absolare. I concur with your views on the Devialet in terms of impressive but ultimately less satisfying and lacking soul. The Absolare is a beautiful product - enjoy.

I really enjoyed their "separates" rig with the Rockports and Kodo Beat TT a couple of Munich's back.
 

GuillaumeB

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Hi Guillaume,

Very interested in your views on the Devialet and Absolare. I concur with your views on the Devialet in terms of impressive but ultimately less satisfying and lacking soul. The Absolare is a beautiful product - enjoy.

I really enjoyed their "separates" rig with the Rockports and Kodo Beat TT a couple of Munich's back.

Hi Bill! With the 900 Devialet have really raised their game, and I am hearing anecdotal reports that the 1000 Pro takes things to another level. But as close as Devialet gets you to that perfect sound, almost like a desert mirage it is always elusive and leaves you wanting more.

The Absolare Integrated does seem to get very close to the sound of Absolare separates; like you I also heard their separates rig at Munich in 2015 and was completely blown away. For me it was the best sound of the show.

Guillaume
 

Fohlenfan

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Aug 28, 2016
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Hi Guillaume,

thank's again for sharing your thoughts with us. I always missed the right timbre of voices and instruments with the Devialet. Voices sounded a bit rough and dull to me and Instruments haven't got the warm glow I were expecting with them. If you had listen to the Room of Thomas Mayer with his 211 Elroq Tubes in Munich 2016, I think you can Imagine the difference. But I can only judge the older Devialet-Models. If the Absolare has the Soundstage, Dynamic and Resolution of the Devialet with the timbre of a SET Amp it would be the Masterpiece to get old with...
Enjoy your musical journey.:cool:
 

bonzo75

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Hi Guillaume,

thank's again for sharing your thoughts with us. I always missed the right timbre of voices and instruments with the Devialet. Voices sounded a bit rough and dull to me and Instruments haven't got the warm glow I were expecting with them. If you had listen to the Room of Thomas Mayer with his 211 Elroq Tubes in Munich 2016, I think you can Imagine the difference. But I can only judge the older Devialet-Models. If the Absolare has the Soundstage, Dynamic and Resolution of the Devialet with the timbre of a SET Amp it would be the Masterpiece to get old with...
Enjoy your musical journey.:cool:

The way I do that is by adding Elrog 300b and/or KR audio valves in my Lampi dac - putting the best of valves in the front of the chain rather than later, though one should do both where possible. DHT SET technology in a dac.
 

Fohlenfan

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Aug 28, 2016
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The way I do that is by adding Elrog 300b and/or KR audio valves in my Lampi dac - putting the best of valves in the front of the chain rather than later, though one should do both where possible. DHT SET technology in a dac.

At this Point I'm absolutely with you. I use some PX4 Tubes of KR Audio in my Lite7 and it is a huge difference to all the Dac's I used before (Simaudio, Playback Design, Chord). Very Magical.
 

GuillaumeB

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Well... A good audiophile friend of mine has just been and gone. We spent about 3 hours playing a selection of music through the Absolare Integrated and Exogal Comet. About an hour in the magic happened... I can honestly say that... as we played lots of test tracks and other familiar material we literally could not believe what we were hearing. It's like another dimension of sound had opened up. It's really difficult to explain. It's not detail, it's not bass, grip, control, timing... yes it does all of that stuff... this was something ethereal that just drew us in and cast its spell. I have been doing this stuff for nearly 20 years and today was a serious milestone. This was serious musicality the like of which I had never really heard, certainly not in my own home. We were comparing what we were hearing back to some of our reference points such as the Constellation 3 box amp combo and Metronome C8+ DAC (which I had here for a couple of months last year), Vitus SIA 025 with MP-D201 DAC etc. This was something else!
We played some 2 xDSD too, OMG!! What a different presentation with some of the most life-like percussion sounds I have ever heard. Coming from Devialet this is new to me.
We mainly streamed from Qobuz so nothing fancy, using my Macbook AIR connected directly to the Exogal via USB. My totaldac d1 server still hasn't returned from France.
At one point almost to prove a point I put on Danny Tenaglia's Futurism intro, lots of thundering sub 100Hz bass. It was at least as good as the 900 and actually gave us something extra. More texture! This amp has so much power. 250W v Devialet's 1kW... Haha! Happy days! :)

Guillaume
 

Fohlenfan

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Aug 28, 2016
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Well... A good audiophile friend of mine has just been and gone. We spent about 3 hours playing a selection of music through the Absolare Integrated and Exogal Comet. About an hour in the magic happened... I can honestly say that... as we played lots of test tracks and other familiar material we literally could not believe what we were hearing. It's like another dimension of sound had opened up. It's really difficult to explain. It's not detail, it's not bass, grip, control, timing... yes it does all of that stuff... this was something ethereal that just drew us in and cast its spell. I have been doing this stuff for nearly 20 years and today was a serious milestone. This was serious musicality the like of which I had never really heard, certainly not in my own home. We were comparing what we were hearing back to some of our reference points such as the Constellation 3 box amp combo and Metronome C8+ DAC (which I had here for a couple of months last year), Vitus SIA 025 with MP-D201 DAC etc. This was something else!
We played some 2 xDSD too, OMG!! What a different presentation with some of the most life-like percussion sounds I have ever heard. Coming from Devialet this is new to me.
We mainly streamed from Qobuz so nothing fancy, using my Macbook AIR connected directly to the Exogal via USB. My totaldac d1 server still hasn't returned from France.
At one point almost to prove a point I put on Danny Tenaglia's Futurism intro, lots of thundering sub 100Hz bass. It was at least as good as the 900 and actually gave us something extra. More texture! This amp has so much power. 250W v Devialet's 1kW... Haha! Happy days! :)

Guillaume

Congratulations! These are the Days we audiophile people are heading for.
Enjoy the magic. Thanks for sharing this moment with us.
 

NOA

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Sep 1, 2016
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Hi,
as I'm from Germany where there is no dealer for Absolare in the Moment, i only had the chance to hear it at the high end in Munich this year. I was totally impressed there but hearing at such a big fare is never like hearing at home. I once owned the first version of the Devialet in Mono Version, but after a while the Sound seems to my ears to clean. No emotional feelings came up to me. After that i turned my listening experience to some Tube Amps, which gave me a much more musical experience. I like to know if you can stretch out a bit more the differences between the Devialet and the Absolare. I would be very sad by getting an 35K Amplifier, which can not drive me to tears. I'm hearing more the accoustical Jazz Pieces and great Jazz Voices and Deep Bass is absolut not in my focus. Natural and warm mid's with great Soundstage and perfect Detail rendering are on my focus. I'm using a DeVore 0/96 in the moment, which is a very efficent speaker, that needs only a few Watt's.

Thank's for your help and still some wonderful Time with this beautiful looking Amp.

Cheers

Hi Fohlenfan,

I've just read your post and the Absolare Integrated discussion, and registered here, so I'm totally new to this forum.

Some weeks ago I've had the chance to listen to this amp at my home and I have been so impressed and thrilled that it's on order. As I live in Germany too I can offer you a listen once it will arrive around end of September.

Cheers
NOA
 

Fohlenfan

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Aug 28, 2016
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Hi Fohlenfan,

I've just read your post and the Absolare Integrated discussion, and registered here, so I'm totally new to this forum.

Some weeks ago I've had the chance to listen to this amp at my home and I have been so impressed and thrilled that it's on order. As I live in Germany too I can offer you a listen once it will arrive around end of September.

Cheers
NOA

Hi Noa,
thank's for that great offer. That is awesome.
I hope we will find some time and place for that. Amazing!

Kind Regards
Lars
 

NOA

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Sep 1, 2016
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66
Munich
Hi Noa,
thank's for that great offer. That is awesome.
I hope we will find some time and place for that. Amazing!

Kind Regards
Lars

Hi Lars,

no problem. You will need to make a trip to Munich, if you don't live nearby.
:)
 

Fohlenfan

Well-Known Member
Aug 28, 2016
51
13
138
Hi Lars,

no problem. You will need to make a trip to Munich, if you don't live nearby.
:)

Only 3,5 hours by Train. That will work. Always nice to be in Munich. It's a beautiful place to visit. Looking forward to it.

Viele Grüße:)
Lars
 

NOA

Well-Known Member
Sep 1, 2016
15
0
66
Munich
Only 3,5 hours by Train. That will work. Always nice to be in Munich. It's a beautiful place to visit. Looking forward to it.

Viele Grüße:)
Lars

Fine, will let you know once it's installed and playing.

Viele Grüße zurück :)
NOA
 

NOA

Well-Known Member
Sep 1, 2016
15
0
66
Munich
Well...

...My totaldac d1 server still hasn't returned from France. ...

Guillaume

Hi Guillaume,

has it returned already? If yes, what are your findings?
I think I've read somewhere that you have a d1-six.

I'm just eager as I
- have ordered the Absolare Signature Integrated
- plan to update the d1-server with the 2nd PSU
- am a happy owner of a d1-twelve with additional reclocker, so 4 box.

Despite different speakers, we have/will have a quite similar setup.

Cheers
NOA
 

GuillaumeB

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Hi Guillaume,

has it returned already? If yes, what are your findings?
I think I've read somewhere that you have a d1-six.

I'm just eager as I
- have ordered the Absolare Signature Integrated
- plan to update the d1-server with the 2nd PSU
- am a happy owner of a d1-twelve with additional reclocker, so 4 box.

Despite different speakers, we have/will have a quite similar setup.

Cheers
NOA

The d1-server + d1-six with Absolare Integrated is an amazing combo.

I should be getting the additional PSU for the d1-server in the coming weeks, this will be very interesting indeed! Vincent has already modified my unit for this. As to the improvements to the d1-server from the latest hardware upgrade it's a bit difficult to tell since I've been running the d1-six for the first time, I would need to revert to the Devialet 900 to be able to evaluate this properly...and... I've been enjoying the Absolare too much! ;)

My Absolare Integrated is now on its dedicated stand, a beautiful piece of Rosewood with bronze feet. It's still a bit of a mess with cables but this is temporary :) Oh.. and I should have removed the rings, it's much prettier without!

IMG_5444.jpg

Guillaume
 
Last edited:

NOA

Well-Known Member
Sep 1, 2016
15
0
66
Munich
The d1-server + d1-six with Absolare Integrated is an amazing combo.

I should be getting the additional PSU for the d1-server in the coming weeks, this will be very interesting indeed! Vincent has already modified my unit for this. As to the improvements to the d1-server from the latest hardware upgrade it's a bit difficult to tell since I've been running the d1-six for the first time, I would need to revert to the Devialet 900 to be able to evaluate this properly...and... I've been enjoying the Absolare too much! ;)

My Absolare Integrated is now on its dedicated stand, a beautiful piece of Rosewood with bronze feet. It's still a bit of a mess with cables but this is temporary :) Oh.. and I should have removed the rings, it's much prettier without!

Guillaume

Thanks, looks great! Understand that you cannot tell which improvements come from d1-six and which from the d1-server upgrade. But Vincent has demo'd the new d-1 server with the 2nd PSU at my home, and I can tell you that it makes a difference. It's not day and night as all these small improvements at this level, but it was noticable. Just a bit darker background and all these things associated to a cleaner power with less noise. Also waiting to get the upgrade done and the 2nd PSU in the upcoming weeks.

How much is the stand MRSP, and which speakers do you use?
:)

Cheers
NOA
 

GuillaumeB

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Mar 10, 2014
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Thanks, looks great! Understand that you cannot tell which improvements come from d1-six and which from the d1-server upgrade. But Vincent has demo'd the new d-1 server with the 2nd PSU at my home, and I can tell you that it makes a difference. It's not day and night as all these small improvements at this level, but it was noticable. Just a bit darker background and all these things associated to a cleaner power with less noise. Also waiting to get the upgrade done and the 2nd PSU in the upcoming weeks.

How much is the stand MRSP, and which speakers do you use?
:)

Cheers
NOA

The stand is $2,500. Quite pricey but absolutely stunning in the flesh.

I'm running a pair of Wilson Sasha 2 speakers.

Guillaume
 

NOA

Well-Known Member
Sep 1, 2016
15
0
66
Munich
Thanks!

Yes that's pricey. Is it worth the money in terms of SQ? Flesh = related to SQ?

I'm running a pair of Wilson MAXX 3, so we're really quite close.

NOA
 

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