The Opéra de Paris edition of the Devialet Astra integrated amp finds its chassis—which is carved from a single block of anodized aluminum—covered in 23-carat golf leaf that’s been laser engraved, brushed, and shot peened.
Shot peening for those not in the know (like me) is a ‘process used to add strength and reduce the stress profile of components’ by pelting, or bombarding if you prefer, the surface with tiny balls. Shots.
The Astra Opéra de Paris’s shot peened and brushed 23-carat golf leaf finish with laser engraving imparts a handsome old world vibe, which is a fun contrast to the high tech hiding inside. That tech includes streaming capabilities via Ethernet or WiFi and support for Airplay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, UPnP, and Roon Ready.
Speaking of tech, the Astra is powered by what the company calls their proprietary ADH (Analogue/Digital Hybrid) technology which mates an analog Class-A preamplifier with a Class-D power amp. Of course that’s the bird’s eye view as there’s DSP and D to A processing involved but I’ll save the finer grained details for the review proper. Output power is rated at 150 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and 300W into 4.
You’ll also find a MM/MC RCA input around back along with 2x analog RCA inputs, Coax and Toslink digital ins, Preamp out, and a set of binding posts that seem well suited for banana-terminated cables which is how I plan to roll as wrestling spade-terminated stiff as a frozen hose cables into those recessed posts is not my idea of a good time.
The matching remote, which matches better than this photo shows because getting the color just right, yer basic white balance in camera speak was not a point and shoot deal. I did my best. As I hope you can see, the remote has its own screen and it’s about as far from your typical generic black plastic wand as you can get. Nice. Recharging is done via USB-C.
The Astra measures roughly 15″ square and stands less than 2″ tall. As is the case with the Enleum AMP-54R that’s also in for review, when we say—”That looks like…”—we’re letting the world know the extent of our visual vocabulary and in my experience these kinds of comments typically represent a limited one.
My plan is to Roon and LP away through the Astra and I’m looking forward to hearing the Devialet ADH tech’s way with music. Stay tuned.
Devialet Astra Opéra de Paris Integrated System
Price: $25,000
Company Website: Devialet
Specifications
Range: Stereo
Streaming Services: Airplay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, UPnP, Roon Ready (RAAT)
Daisy Chaining: Up to 8 devices
Phono Stage: Advanced (MM / MC)
Pre-amplified Output: Yes (mono / stereo)
Finishes: Opéra de Paris : 23-carat gold leaf
Power Supply
100-240Vac – 50/60Hz
Power cable supplied, adapted to the country
Power: max 750 W continuous
Casing
Machined from a single aluminum block
Anodized, laser-engraved, brushed, and shot-peened
Opéra de Paris: Covered with 23-carat gold leaf
Exclusive technologies: ADH® next-gen, SAM®, RAM®, DAC Magic Wire®
Connectivity
Wi-Fi: WiFi 6 (b/g/n/ac/ax) 2×2 WPA3
Ethernet: RJ45 Ethernet 100/1000 Mbps
USB: USB-C 2.0 (data port)
Digital coaxial inputs: Up to 4x RCA 75Ω
Digital optical inputs: 2x TOSLINK®
Analog inputs
Up to 2x RCA stereo
MM/MC phono stage with 13 equalization curves and extensive cartridge loading possibilities
Speaker output
Connectors compatible with 4mm banana plugs, spade connectors or stripped cables.
Compatible with all speakers from 8Ω to 2Ω
Short-circuit protection
Active filtering available
Performance
Distortion at 10V: 0.001% (10 Wrms, 4Ω, 1kHz) | 0.0006% (100 Wrms, 4Ω, 1kHz)
Signal-to-noise ratio: -117dB
Output Impedance: 0.004Ω (1kHz)
Damping Factor: 2000 (1kHz)
Bandwidth
+/-0.1dB (DC to 20kHz)
+/-2.3dB (DC to 80kHz)
DC to 56.9kHz (+/-1dB)
DC to 88kHz (+/-3dB)
Output Power: 2×300 Wrms under 4Ω, 2×150 Wrms under 8Ω
Peak Power: 1000 W peak (1ms)
Crosstalk: -100dB (300 Wrms, 4Ω, 1kHz)
DSP: Audio processing: 192kHz / 32-bit
Inputs
Digital: Up to 192kHz / 24-bit
Network: Up to 192kHz / 24-bit
USB: Up to 384kHz / 24-bit
Dimension: Width: 386mm | Depth: 386mm | Height: 47mm
Weight: 7,2kg