Initially I tried the BAC-800 conditioner after reading a glowing review of the product by another
Devialet user. Before the BAC-800, my Devialet was hooked to two daisy-chained DA&T filters, which
are connected directly to a Oyaide R1-outlet on a dedicated power line. I was slightly concerned that
the BAC-800 wasn’t sufficient for my playback volumes and genre (R&B and rock) but James was ind to offer a trade-in program to upgrade it to a BAC-1200 should I choose to. So the first part of the review is on the BAC-800.
The immediate change out of the box with the BAC-800 was noticeable. Even with the 2 daisy chained
DA&T filters, it was clear that instruments were better separated from each other and there was a
greater sense of purity especially to the midrange in my system. It did however sound a little restricted
and I would put that down to the conditioner being tested right out of the box. So I left it to run in but
over time I realise that the conditioner started to run a little warm. After consultation with James, we
decided to upgrade to the BAC-1200 instead.
On the night that I took out the BAC-800 to do a swap with James, I listened to my system with the
Devialet plugged into the wall outlet again via the 2 DA&T filters. My god I could not bear to listen to
it anymore. It was as though the life had been taken out of the music passages and it was just mindnumbing
sound coming from my system. I actually turned off the system when I would’ve listened
longer normally It was then that I really valued the impact the conditioner made to my system so I
really looked forward to trying the BAC-1200.
In went the BAC-1200 and… it’s never coming out again. As soon as I plugged the BAC-1200 in, that
purity and dark background came back. But much more than the BAC-800 did, there was a much
greater sense of ease and flow to the music. It could have been that I requested for the power switch
and fuse to be removed from the conditioner, or the extra power that the Devialet benefitted from.
Regardless, it improved every aspect of my system without taking anything away. This final point is
very important in my evaluation of a tweak to my system, which is why I simplified my system and
downsized to an integrated like the Devialet. Like the DA&T filter before it, the BAC-1200 elevated my
system to another level without any deleterious effects. At this price point for a power conditioner, I
struggle to think of a similar product that gives the same bang for buck. Highly recommended for the
quality and even more so, credit to James for making such an excellent product affordable. Bravo!
- Shaun, with his Plixir BAC 1200
