Different price classes - Devialet Astra costs roughly 1.7x what T+A PA 2000 R does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether you will hear the difference through the speakers you own.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Power | B | Devialet Astra has more power - 150W against 100W into 8 ohms. That is about 1.8dB, which is a small step in loudness but real headroom on peaks. |
| Room size | depends | We rate T+A PA 2000 R the better fit for a small room, and Devialet Astra for a large room and a very large room. Match the amplifier to the room you actually have, not the one you want. |
| Built-in DAC | B | Devialet Astra has a DAC on board; the other needs an external one, which is another box, another power lead and another purchase. |
| Analogue inputs | A | T+A PA 2000 R takes more analogue sources - 5 against 2. |
| Phono stage | depends | Devialet Astra has a built-in phono stage (MM/MC with 13 equalization curves and adjustable cartridge loading) and T+A PA 2000 R does not. Decisive if you own a turntable, completely irrelevant if you do not - and an outboard phono stage is easy to add later either way. |
| Headphones | depends | Only T+A PA 2000 R has a headphone output. Worth something if you listen late, nothing if you never do. |
| Amplifier class | depends | T+A PA 2000 R is Class A/B and Devialet Astra is ADH (Analog Digital Hybrid). Class A/B runs warm and is the long-established mainstream choice. Modern examples of both measure well - judge by the rest of the page. |
| Shelf space | depends | Devialet Astra takes up about 20% less shelf area (1490cm² against 1863cm²). |
| Price | A | T+A PA 2000 R costs less - $11,490 against $20,000 at list. |
A T+A PA 2000 R B Devialet Astra
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both amplifiers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Devialet Astra is ahead, but on only 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 74% more. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin - T+A PA 2000 R is the sensible buy unless a specific feature above decides it for you. If you play records, Devialet Astra saves you buying a phono stage; if you do not, ignore that row entirely. If you already own a DAC or a streamer, the built-in one is money you are paying twice for, and T+A PA 2000 R becomes the more rational buy.
What a spec sheet cannot show: how either sounds with your speakers, how the interface feels day to day, and what the app is like to live with - which is where most all-in-one amplifiers are actually won or lost. Power figures are the manufacturers' own and are not measured to a common standard, so treat small differences as noise. If you can hear both, that will tell you more than any row above.