Devialet Silver Phantom Review And Specifications ...

These Devialet Silver Phantom amplifiers already shone with new technologies, compact dimensions and a sound that made many an expensive product blush. SkiptoContent DevialetSilverPhantomReview TableOfContents Hide DevialetSilverPhantomReview DevialetSilverPhantomProsAndCons Pros Cons DevialetSilverPhantomAtAGlance DevialetSilverPhantomSecretIsTheBassRange SoundMachine SAM(SpeakerActiveMatching)monitorstheloudspeaker Inoperation Controlledsounddevelopment SoundQualityOfTheDevialetSilverPhantom DevialetSilverPhantomSpecifications GENERAL SPEAKERSYSTEM AUDIOSYSTEM POWERDEVICE NETWORK&INTERNETMULTIMEDIA MISCELLANEOUS SPEAKERSYSTEMDETAILS DRIVERDETAILS(1STSPEAKER) CONNECTIONS DIMENSIONS&WEIGHT ConclusionsForOurDevialetSilverPhantomReview FurtherReadings Devialetiscurrentlyoneofthehottestcompaniesintheaudioindustry.WiththeDevialetSilverPhantom,theywanttoreinventtheloudspeakerfilingaboutahundredpatents.Wehadatestunitforfourdaysandhereisourreview. TheParis-basedcompanyDevialetwantstomixupthesometimessomewhatconservativeaudioindustrywithaconcentratedloadofinnovations. TheDevialetSilverPhantom promisesnolessthantherevolutioninhigh-endHiFi.TheWLANloudspeaker,whichisonlythesizeofahead,isenteredforthetest. TheseDevialetSilverPhantomamplifiersalreadyshonewithnewtechnologies,compactdimensionsandasoundthatmademanyanexpensiveproductblush.NowtheDevialetPhantomiscausingasensationandcouldmaketheParisiancompanyknowntoawideaudienceveryquickly. DevialetSilverPhantomProsAndCons   Pros chic,extraordinarydesign hightechnicalstandard highflexibilityregardingpossiblemusicsourcesandapplicationarea Easymanagementthroughtheapp. Bassreproduction Softwaretohandleit Dynamicsound Potency AlsoNAS(network-attachedstorage)available(2020update) Cons Designthatneedsgettingusedto. highprice Getswarmeasily DevialetSilverPhantomAtAGlance WiththePhantomanditsstrongerbrotherSilverPhantom,theFrenchmanufacturerintroducesitsfirstownloudspeakerandpromisesthefinestHiFisound,asitotherwiseonlysoundsfromman-highfloor-standingloudspeakers.IsthePhantomaseriouscompetitorforaspace-consuming,classicHiFisystem? Devialetsellsthe750wattPhantomforafull1,690andthe3,000watts,otherwiseidenticalSilverPhantomfor1,990dollarseach.ItreceivesmusicviaBluetooth,WLAN,LANorviaopticaldigitalinputbymeansofaplayer. LotsofWattsavailable.Seehowtomakeamatchingbetweenanamplifierandspeakersinthiscompletearticle.ThereyouwillunderstandtheimportanceofWattsandOhms. IfyouwanttooperatetwoPhantomsasastereoensembleorindifferentroomsasamulti-roomsystem,youalsoneedtheaudioroutercalledDialogfor299euros.ThesmallwhiteboxcomplementsthePhantomwithonlinemusicservices,bringsaUSB,andafurtheropticaldigitalconnectionwithitandgetsalongonPowerlinewithoutanadditionaladapter–soitalsoreceivesmusicdirectlyfromthewallsocket.Youconnectittothehomerouter,anditdistributesthemusicviaWLANtotheDevialetSilverPhantom. WiththeDevialetSilverPhantom,theParisianhigh-techcompanywantstorevolutionizenothingotherthanloudspeakerreproduction.Tenyearsofdevelopmentandanincredible77newpatentshavegoneintotheproduct. Mostpatentsconcernmathematicalalgorithmsandappliedtechniquestocontrolthebehavioroftheloudspeakerininteractionwiththeelectronics. Canaloudspeakerthatissoclearlytrimmedtodesignalsosoundgood?Yes,itcan.EsteeLauder?No,whatlookslikeacreamjarisactuallythe149dollarsremotecontroltothePhantom. Aconventionalloudspeakerisessentiallyaveryfaultyconverterofelectricalenergyintosound.Duringtheconversion,highlevelsofdistortionoccur,whichfalsifytheoriginalmusicsignal.Devialetwantstochangethiswithinnovations. WiththefreeappcalledSpark,theDevialetSilverPhantomnotonlyplaysmusicstoredontheirsmartphonebutalsomusicfromonlinemusicservices.Qobus,Tidal,andDeezerareamongthem:thetwomostimportantservicesAppleMusicandSpotifyarenowpresent(update2020)too,usingBluetoothconnection. WiththeclearlyarrangedSparkapp,whichisonlyavailableinEnglish,thesystemcanbesetupandmanagedinnotimeatall.Thankstomeaningfulgraphics,thisalsoworkswithoutanyknowledgeofEnglish.Afeaturethatisnecessaryformanycountries. Nocreamjar:Thisfancyremotecontrolsnomorethanthevolume.Cost:200dollars.DevialetPhantomRemoteControl©Devialet DevialetSilverPhantomSecretIsTheBassRange THESKELETONOFTHEPHANTOM Athighvolumes,inparticular,mostpeoplehaveprobablyalreadyheardtheunwanted“backgroundnoise”fromloudspeakers.Veryfewloudspeakersarereally“party-proof”,oriftheyare,thenonlyloudspeakerswithgoodefficiencybutareducedbassrange.Inthelivingarea,however,oneusuallypreferssmallloudspeakersthatneverthelessreproducethefullextentofthemusicinformation.However,thebassrangeofaspring-masssystem–likeconventionaldynamicloudspeakers–physicallyrequirescabinetvolume. Aconflictquicklyarisesbetweenthedesireforasmallloudspeakerthatdoesnotdominatethelivingambianceandalow-frequencyreproductioninwhichnotoneortwooctavesofmusicinformationfallbythewayside. Whatmanymanufacturersneglect:Anextendedbassrangemakesitpossibletohearpleasantlyquietlyandstillperceivethefullmusicalinformation.Ifaloudspeakerconcealsthedeepestbasscomponents,theusertendsalmostautomaticallytoincreasethevolumeinordertocompensateforthemissingsoundfoundation. Ifaloudspeakerconcealsthedeepestbasscomponents,theusertendsalmostautomaticallytoincreasethevolumeinordertocompensateforthemissingsoundfoundation DevialetdecidedtoovercomethelimitationsofconventionalloudspeakersinthebassrangewiththeDevialetSilverPhantombyusingextensivedigitalsignalcontrol.Averyambitiousundertaking. Twentyengineersaloneworkedpermanentlyonthedevelopmentofelectronicsandsoftwaresolutions.Specialistsfromtheautomotiveindustrydesignedacompletelynewhousingthatcanwithstandextremepressures,suchasthoserequiredforinjectionpumps. Onlyinthiswaywasitpossibletoachievesuchdeepbassreproductionfromtheonly1.58galloons(sixliters)ofcabinetvolumethatonewouldotherwiseonlyfindinloudspeakerswithatleasttwentytimesmorevoluminouscabinets. Devialetspecifies16Hertzasthelowerlimitfrequency.Themeasurementsshowed25Hertzforminusthreedecibels.Stillanincrediblevalueforaloudspeakerwithsuchasmallvolume. SoundMachine TheDevialetPhantomSilverismorethanjustaloudspeaker.Atthesametime,itisastreamerandaccommodatesa3000Wattamplifier. TocalltheDevialetSilverPhantomaloudspeakerisactuallyagrossunderstatement.Ratheritisacompletesoundsystemwithallmoderningredients.Itiscontrolledviathenetwork,beitviacableorWLAN.Ifyouwantittobefastandpractical,italsoconnectstoasmartphoneortabletviaBluetooth. YoudonotneedmorethanonesourceonwhichtheSparkmanagementsoftwarecanbeinstalled:itisavailableforallcommonoperatingsystems.Atabletorsmartphoneisidealforoperation.ThePhantomitselfonlyhasaPowerOn/Offswitch. Asuperchicadditionisthewirelessvolumecontrol,whichisavailableasanaccessoryandfitsperfectlyinyourhand.TheelectronicsoftheamplifierpartarealreadyhousedintheextremelycompactPhantom.Speakercablesorequipmenttowers,forgetit,allhistorywiththePhantom. TheDevialetSilverPhantomisavailableintwoversions,whichonlydifferintheamplifierpowerandthemaximumachievablevolume.Withthe3000Wattamplifier,thePhantomsilvercanalsosoundalargerloftwithoutanyproblems,whileformostlivingroomsthe750WattstandardPhantomisabsolutelysufficient. Themusicitselfmustbestoredonacomputerortabletavailableonthenetwork.Networkstorage(NAS)withitsownmusicserverisnowsupported(update2020). ApartfromAppleMusic,allwell-knownmusicservicessuchasSpotifyorDeezeraresupported.TidalandQobuzarecertainlyrecommendedforaproductinthequalityofthePhantom.BothoffermusicuncompressedinCDqualityandpartlyeveninHi-Res.Athree-monthfreetrialsubscriptiontoTidalisincludedwiththepurchaseofthePhantom. IfyoustillwanttoconnectaCDplayerorplaytheTVsoundviathePhantom,youcandosoviathedigitalinput.Analoginputswereomittedimmediately.SimilartoApple,youconcentrateonmodernapplicationsandsometimescutdownonthetraditional. Devialethasalsothoughtaboutmultiroomplayback.WiththeDialogdistributionboxforanadditional300dollars,upto24Phantomscanbesuppliedwithmusicindividuallyorinparallelpartymode.Somewhatpainfulisthatyoualreadyhavetopurchasethedialogrouterconnectedvianetworkcableforstereomode. Thedie-castchamberforthebassdriversandelectronicsoftheDevialetPhantom   WiththeADH(AnalogDigitalHybrid)amplifiertopology,DevialetcombinestheadvantageoussoniccharacteristicsofClassAanalogtechnologywiththepowerefficiencyofClassDdigitalamplifiers,whileavoiding,accordingtoDevialet,theirrespectivedisadvantages. Class-Aamplifiersarebasicallyextremelylowdistortionandareconsideredtheholygrailforgoodsound,butareverywastefulwithenergy.That’swhytodayyoucanhardlyfindpureClass-Aamplifiersoramplifierswithonlyafewwattsofoutputpower,whileClass-Damplifiershaveaveryhighefficiencyofupto90%andhavethereforebeenwidelyusedinrecentyears.WithoutClass-Dtechnology,itwouldbeimpossibletoprovide3000wattsofpowerinthedimensionsofthePhantom. ThesameprinciplewasalreadyappliedtotheDevialetamplifiersandcausedasensation.DevialethasnowsucceededinfurtherdevelopingtheAHDamplifierelectronicsforthePhantom,placingthemonaboardmeasuringjustlessthan7squareft(200squarecentimeters)andintegratingthemdirectlyintotheactiveloudspeaker. Devialetwentcompletelynewwayswiththeconstructionofthecase,wherebyonemustspeakratherofachassisoftheDevialetSilverPhantom.ThePhantom’sdwellingnolongerhasmuchtodowithatraditionalloudspeakercabinet.Theinteriorofthephantomconsistsofakindofdie-castspineonwhichthecoaxialmid-tweeterandthetwolateralbassdriversaremounted. Thetwowoofers,drivenbythepowerfuloutputstage,processahermeticallysealedpressurechamberwithlargedeflectionsinpush-pulloperation. SAM(SpeakerActiveMatching)monitorstheloudspeaker SAM(SpeakerActiveMatching)isasystemthatadaptsthebehavioroftheamplifiertotheparametersoftheloudspeaker.SAMnotonlylinearizesthesoundpressurecurveoftheloudspeakerbutalsomonitorsitsdeflectionsandinternalheatgeneration.Iftheloudspeakerapproachesanuncontrolledorevendangerousareaduringoperation,SAMadaptstheenergysuppliedfromtheamplifierandensurescontrolledanddistortion-freeconditions. AlthoughSAMwasdevelopedfortheDevialetSilverPhantom,itisalsoavailableasasupplementfortheDevialetamplifiersandinthenearfutureasacompletelyindependentunitfortheoptimizationofamplifierswithalreadyexistingloudspeakers.Forthispurpose,theloudspeakerisfirstmeasuredandthemeasuredvaluesarethenstoredintheSAMunitviaanSDcard. Inoperation TheSparksoftwaresetupwizardtakesyoustep-by-stepthroughthesetupprocess.IntheexampleaMultiroomSetupwiththreePhantoms. TheSparksoftwaresetupwizardtakesyoustep-by-stepthroughthesetupprocess.IntheexampleaMultiroomSetupwiththreePhantoms. TheSparkAppisthecentralplaceforoperatingthePhantom.Asetupwizardguidesyouthroughthesetupinjustafewsteps.Ifyouhaveseveralphantomsindifferentrooms,forexample,theassignmentismadeinthesoftwaresetupbylayingonhandswiththeloudspeaker.Extratouchsensorswereinstalledforthispurpose. Thereareotherwaystosolvethis,butitisjustsuchasmall,decorativedetailthatunderlinestheextravaganceofthePhantom.Thisalsoincludesthefactthateachstepduringthesetupprocedureisaccompaniedbyconstantlychangingsphericalsoundsfromtheloudspeakers. Themusicsourcewasa12inchMacBookAir,whoselocaliTuneslibrarywasdiscoveredandautomaticallyintegratedbySpark.Intheselectionandcompilationofmusicpiecesinplaylists,theSparkAppisstronglyorientedtowardsiTunes.Thewell-thought-outandclearlystructuredsoftwarearethereforeeasytouse. Forinstallationinastereotriangle,weplacedthetwoPhantomsonthesturdyfeetfromtheaccessoriesrange,whichwereadaptedindesign.Withitsslightlyupwardtiltedradiationpattern,theuncomplicatedPhantomcanalsobeplacedonasideboardthatliesatalowerlevel. Controlledsounddevelopment ThePhantomisaboutsettingup,gettingstartedandhavingfunINLESSTHANTENMINUTES. ImmediatelyaudiblewiththePhantomistheincrediblywidesoundrange.Itdeliverstheextremelydeepbassthatwaspreviouslythoughtimpossiblefromaspeakerofthissize.IfyoulistentotheKotoDrummersaboutthePhantom,youwillbeastonishedatthepoweranddynamicsofthesmallloudspeakers.ItisimpressivewhatDevialetcreatedwithalotoftechnicalesprit. ThePhantomconstantlymonitorstheplayback.Whentheloudspeakerchassisreachtheirloadlimits,thesensorsdetectthis,limitthedeflectionsandslowdowntheenergysupply.Thisensuresthatthephantomneversoundsunpleasantlydistorted. Thepowerlimitissetintelligentlyandthebassrangeisreducedwhenthevolumereachesthelimit.Atlowvolumes,itthenreproducestheentirebandwidthdowntothelowerregisters,whileathighervolumesthelowbassisreduced.Thisisnotleastverypleasantfortheneighbors. Inthemidandhigh-frequencyrange,thePhantomissurgicallypreciseandisemphaticinitsapproach.NomatterifMidnightSugaroftheTsuyoshiYamamotopianotrioisaboutimpulsivedynamicsinthediscantorSophieHungerimpressivelybringsusclosertoapieceoflifeexperience(inmytesting),theDevialetSilverPhantomdoesnothideandalwayscreatesauthenticity.Itcertainlydoesnotbelongtotheflatterersofsound,butrathertothesomewhatoffensiveanddynamicsoundingloudspeakers. Theanalyticsareexcellent.JeanMichelJarreandVangeliswouldcertainlybedelightedtoheartheiretherealsynthesizersoundsthroughthecrispandimpulsivePhantom.Butthenuanceofaharpsichordisasfinelyfanoutasthetimbresofwindinstrumentsandclarinet.Oneofhisstrengthsiscertainlyalsoastablespatialreproduction,whichismoresymphonicbutactuallybeneficialforanykindofmusic.Itisbeautifulhowitfansoutcomplexpassages,thusrevealingthetonalviewintothedepths. Ofcourse,thereareevenmoresubtleandbeautifulsoundingloudspeakers,buttheyoftenrequiretheusualhigh-endaudiogimmickslikechoosingtherightamplifierandcableuntiltherightplaybackchainisfound. ThePhantomisaboutsettingup,gettingstarted,andhavingfuninjustfiveminutes.Withouthavingtoworrytoomuchaboutintegrationintothelivingenvironment.Youcanforgetthewholenonsensicalcablemagic.Welcometothenew,slimaudioworld. Devialetmaynothaverevolutionizedmusicreproduction,butwiththePhantom,ithasredefinedthemodernloudspeaker.Theinnumerableinnovativesolutionsleadtoanewtypeofloudspeaker. ThePhantomdoesnotandcannotreplaceafull-grownhigh-endaudiospeaker.Realphysicalmembranesurface,whichworkswithsmalldeflectionsonastatelyhousingvolume,cannotbetoppedbyevensuchanintelligentelectroniccontrol. Butwhowantstoplacesuchtitansofloudspeakerconstructioninthelivingroom?Smallloudspeakerswithbroadbandsoundinthebassrangeareonlyavailablepimpedwithdigitalsignalprocessorsandintelligentalgorithms. Forexample.ShouldyoureplacethespeakersofaSmartTVoranolder“dumb”TVofstill1080pforyourlivingroom?Theanswerisno.Thosespeakerscanbesufficientforalivingroom.Youcanalsodetachtheminmanycasesandplacetheminadifferentlayoutasyouwish. ThePhantomshowsimpressivelywhatispossible.Itismorethanjustaloudspeaker,itistheperfectplaypartnerformodernplayersfromthenetwork,beitviaoneofthecurrentmusicservicesorthepersonalmusicarchive.Asadesignobject,itwouldalsolookgoodinthebackdropofaLukeSkywalkermovie. SoundQualityOfTheDevialetSilverPhantom Ifyouturnitupproperly,theextremeexcursionofthesidewooferconesmayseemstrained. Intermsofsound,however,thePhantomalwaysdemonstratescalmnessandsovereignty:thesilverhemispherespumpevenultra-deepbassesfrom16Hertzintotheroom,whichperceptiblypenetratestothediaphragm,powerfullyandcleanly. Thebassblendsharmoniouslyintothebalancedoverallsound,whichbreaksdownmusicalpiecesintotheirindividualpartswithimpressiveprecisionandpresence,especiallyinthemidsandlows.Thehigh-frequencyresolutionunderlinesthefinesseofthePhantom’ssound,evenifthetreblecouldtakeatouchmorebrilliance.However,aslighttrebleboostcannot(yet)besetduetoamissingequalizer. Ifyouturnituptowardsthestop,theotherwisesotightandsovereignbassreproductionappearssomewhatlesspreciseandcooler.However,thisreferstovolumelevelsthatcanconfidentlyberegardedasacousticterror.Inthetest,theSilverPhantomreachedanalmostpainful103decibels.AsrichasthePhantommaysound:Perhapsthisisexactlywhytheytemptyoutolistenmoreanalyticallythantoenjoytherelaxedpleasureofawell-wovencarpetofsound. Theexplodedview–hereofthesmallerSilvermodel–givesaninsightintotheimmenseengineeringachievementsoftheFrench.Greatartinthesmallestofspaces.heexplodedviewshowstheextremelycomplexconstructionofthethree-wayloudspeaker.InsidethereisalsothereceptiontechnologyformusicplaybackviaWLANandBluetooth. DevialetSilverPhantomSpecifications GENERAL BluetoothProfiles AdvancedAudioDistributionProfile(A2DP),Audio/VideoRemoteControlProfile(AVRCP) Manufacturer Devialet SPEAKERSYSTEM CrossoverChannelQty 3-way Max(RMS)OutputPower 3000Watt FrequencyResponse 16–25000Hz OutputLevel(SPL) 105dB OutputFeatures HeartBassImplosion(HBI) AudioAmplifier integrated ConnectivityTechnology wired,wireless SoundEffects ActiveCosphericalEngine(ACE) Built-inDecoders SBCdecoder AUDIOSYSTEM AudioFormats AAC,AIFF,AppleLossless,FLAC,HE-AAC,MP3,OGG,OggVorbis,WAV,WMA,apt-X Type speaker POWERDEVICE NominalVoltage AC120/230V FrequencyRequired 50/60Hz PowerSource ACpoweradapter NETWORK&INTERNETMULTIMEDIA ConnectivityInterfaces Bluetooth,IEEE802.11a/b/g/n,IEEE802.3(Ethernet),IEEE802.3u(FastEthernet),IEEE802.3z(GigabitEthernet) MISCELLANEOUS Color RAL9016,sand-blastedstainlesssteel,silver,white ColorCategory silver,white BodyMaterial ABSplastic,glass-filledpolycarbonate BluetoothProfiles AdvancedAudioDistributionProfile(A2DP),Audio/VideoRemoteControlProfile(AVRCP) SPEAKERSYSTEMDETAILS SpeakerType Bluetooth DRIVERDETAILS(1STSPEAKER) SpeakerType speaker DriverType mid-rangedriver,tweeterdriver,wooferdriver DriverQty 1,2 DriverMaterial aluminum CONNECTIONS Type LAN,digitalaudioinput(optical) ConnectorType RJ-45,TOSLINK DIMENSIONS&WEIGHT Width 10in Depth 13.5in Height 10in Weight 23.15lbs ConclusionsForOurDevialetSilverPhantomReview Viewedfromthefront,theloudspeakerlookslikeabowlingball,fromwhichatransducerisdirectedtothefront,whichreproducesthemid-highrange.Twofurtherbassconvertersarelocatedonthesideandplayonacomparativelytinyvolume. Anythingthathappensbeforethatwillbedonebyanarmadaofelectronics.Upto3000wattsofpeakpowercanbereadimpressivelyinthebrochurebutshouldneitherbeachievablenordemandednornecessaryinanormallivingroom. Aproposlivingrooms:Withthesupportofthe300dollarsnetworkcenter,whichiscalledDialog,thePhantom,whichcanbecontrolledviaBluetooth,WLANoraclassicopticalconnection,accessesalmostallrelevantmusicsources:Smartphone,Tablet,PC,AppleMusic,WebRadio,Spotify,Deezer,TV,Airplay,Netflix,CDPlayer,NAS–tonamebutafew. TwoSilverPhantomsthenalsobecomeastereocouple,andifyouhavetoomuchmoneyorrooms,youcandistributeanother22Phantomsarbitrarilyintheseatofpowerandinterconnectthem.Youcouldalsoaddfriendstothelist,withwhomyoucancreateplaylistsusingtheSparkapp. AnyonewhomaliciouslysuspectedpuredesignbehindtheDevialetsmustsoonadmitdefeat:OfbassesthatarecontrolledviaDSP,simultaneouslyround,warmandyetcontrolled,asiftherewerenostopping.WhattheSilverPhantomflaresonasurfaceof25by35centimetersataheightofonly25centimetersaremorethanimpressive.Impressiveyes,excessiveno. Becauseincombinationwiththeverytidymidrangeandpointedtreble,theDevialetclearlymovedfrompuresoundreinforcementtosophisticatedhi-fi.Alreadyonefilledtheroomtosuchanextentthatweenvyallthosewhocanaffordtwo. Withitsunitprice,theSilverPhantomcertainlycan’tgetapricetip.Itssound,itsdesignandtheconsistencyofitsimplementation,however,putitonthewishlistofallthosewhoappreciateitsexceptionalquality. Operatingitwithoutinstructionsisnotsoeasy.Onthebackabovetheconspicuouscableisabuttontoswitchon.Firstpressitonce,thenthreetimesinarowtomaketheloudspeakeraddressable.ThesimplestconnectionisviaBluetooth.The“Spark”app,withthehelpofwhichthephantomisintegratedintothehomenetwork,makesthingsalittlemorecomplex.SincetheappcanalsostreamserviceslikeTidal,DeezerorQobuz,youonlyhavetoregisterandcanplaymusicdirectlyfromtheapp. Butunfortunately,thisdoesnotworkaslongasyoudonotbuyanotherdevice.Devialetallowstheintegrationofstreamingservicesonlywiththehelpofthe“Dialog”for300Euro.Thisisastationtobeconnectedtotherouter,whichmanagestheseservicesand,ifnecessary,integratesanotherPhantom,thatcanbetheGoldmodel,sothatbothbecomeastereopair. Devialet’sPhantomisthereforenotonlyanactiveloudspeakerbutcanalsobeexpandedintoamulti-roomsystem.Thereareplentyofthemnow,especiallymarketleaderSonos.Inordertodifferentiateitselffromthoseproducts,Devialethastakenthehigh-endpath.Thismeansthehighestqualitytechnology,butalsohighprices.APhantomequippedwith3000Wattcostsalmost2000dollars. Buttheegg-shapedthingwiththeshinywhiteplasticsurprisesasecondtimewhenyoumakeitsound.Assoonasvolumeandbasscontentincrease,thetworoundsilverelementsjumpoutofthecabinetandbackagainparalleltothebeat.Itisanaluminumbassdiaphragmthatjumpsleftandrighthere. Nowitgraduallybecomesclearwhythe10.5-kilogramPhantommustbesuchaheavyweight.Thechassissuspensionissofiligreeandthesoundpressureinsidetheclosedhousingsohighthatanyvibrationcouldupsetthediaphragm.Putyourhandonthecaseandyouwillnotfeelanymovement.Theremainingfrequenciesarehandledbyamidrangeandtweeter,whicharearrangedcoaxiallyonthefront.Thedomeisbehindadecoratedgrille,arounditthemidrangedriverworksaccordingtoasimilarprincipleasthewoofer.Thearrangementofthethreedriversessentiallycorrespondstotheprincipleofapointsource. Thethree-waysystemisdrivenbyanamplifiertechnologythatistypicalforDevialet.TheFrenchcompanyhasmadeanameforitselfinthehigh-endscenewithitsamplifiers,whoseapproachisacombinationofClassAandClassDswitchingelements. ThedeveloperstryquitetrickytocombinethetonaladvantagesofClass-AtechnologywiththeefficiencyofClassDswitchingamplifiers.Whatisimmediatelynoticeableonfirsthearingaretheperformancereservesofthesystem.LoudisnoproblemforthePhantom,butratherforthelistenerwhenthevolumeispushedtothelimitbecauseyouarethefirsttoleavetheroombeforethespeakerreachesitslimits. SothePhantomcanmakeloudsoundswithoutdistortion,thatisnoquestion.Isitverygoodatit?Honestly,no. Ifyouwanttomakeiteasyforit,youfeedhimahip-hopsong.Thenhecanplayoutthelow-frequencyresponse,whichhesupposedlycanreproduceupto16Hertz,withpower.Eventechnoisrattlingalot.Ifthelistenernowpullsupalevelbyselectingmorecomplexrockandpopnumbers,thefirstdoubtscome.Voices,bothmaleandfemale,usuallysoundveryclearandpleasant,butleavetheirintendedplaceandalwaysstepafewmeterstoofarinfrontoftherestofthebandtopushthemintothebackground. Uncertaintyisspreadingonstage.Guitarssometimesfalldowninthebackorlosetheircontour,bassrunsfallsilent,nobodyreallyknowswheretogo.ThePhantomsometimesdoesnotkeepthebandtogetherwiththeirinstruments.Thenitfallsapart.Andsometimesthereissuchacrowdasifthemusiciansweresittingconfinedinthecase.Whenthephantomsortstheinstrumentsinitsownway,itsoundsuniqueandtakesgettingusedtoit.Nowonecouldstillclaimthatithasoccasionalpeaksinthehighsandsoundsslightlytinny.Let’snotdothis. Allthiscanbeimprovedwithasecondphantom,andthenbothcanbedefinedasastereopairthroughdialogue.Thenthesoundrisessignificantlybyonelevelhigher,butsodoestheprice.Thisisthenaround4300dollars.That’salotofmoneyforafewactiveboxeswithastreamingconnection. ThenyoushouldpreferspeakersliketheNuproA-300fromNubertfromtheHiFirange.Theycost1050dollarsapair. Expensive?No–evenasinglePhantomisworthitsprice,measuredbyitssound.ThesizeofasoundsystemcanbethedecidingfactorwhenbuyingaPhantom,andthat’sexactlywherethePhantomisarevolution:itplaysinacompletelydifferentleaguethanthesizeofthesystemsuggests.Itistheperfectspeakerforthosewhohaveaseriousinterestinhi-fisoundclosetoperfection,butnointerestinspeakertowersandamplifiers. FurtherReadings Wehavesomeotherinterestingarticlesforyoutoread,wehaveselectedourtoparticlesbelow,andtriedtokeepthislistshort. Wehaveatechnicalvademecumwherewediscussindustryterminologyandhowitcanbeusefulforyou.SelectedexamplesarethedefinitionofPCMaudio,thencomesthecomparisonbetweenPCMandBitstream,thecomparisonbetweenDTSNeo2.5andDolbyDigital,andtheprocesstomatchamplifierstospeakers. Also,wehavereviewedsomeinterestingDAC:TheElgarPlusfromdCS,andtheSchiitstack.wheretheModi3behavesasanentry-levelDAC. InourreviewsofAVreceivers,wecanrecommendyoutoreadsomeofourfavorites,theonesthatwelikedthemost,andtryingtomakethelistshort,wehavetheDenonAVR-X2500H,theOnkyoTX-NR686.WealsohavereviewedcompletelytheDenon8Kreceiverswherewehavestudiedthe8KDenonAVR-X2700H, theDenonAVC-X6700H,theAVC-X4700H,andtheAVC-X3700H. Ifyouareintoamplifiers,myfavoriteistheMcIntoshMA9000,andthatiswhyIwouldliketorecommendyoutoreadthatreview.MysecondfavoriteamplifieristheMarkLevinson5805. Regardingspeakers,wehavereviewedtinybookshelf-speakerdevicestolargetowers.Myfavoriteswere:theDevialetGold,theDevialetSilver,theProAcResponseDT8,theBowersandWilkins805D3, Wedonotreviewmanyheadphones,butifyouwantaSennheiserheadphoneforlessthan100dollars,wehavethisSennheiserHD595review. WehavesomeTVandmonitorreviewsandherewerecommendtheSamsungNU8000(forgamers!)andmyfavoriteisthereviewoftheclassicalPioneerKuro. Ourhometheateraficionadoswanttoknoweverythingaboutvideodefinitionsandconfigurations.Sowestudied720p,howtoscaleitto1080ptherightway,andcompared1080pwith1440panddemonstratedwhy1440pisnotalwaysbetter.Likewise,wehadtheurgetocompare1440kwith4Kandtrytofindouthowmucharewegainingwiththechange.   B.LudwigIamBob.Iworkasanaudioengineerandaudiotechnician.Iworkinmasteringandarrangingbridgesinexistingsongsandthearrangementandorchestrationofthechorus.InPlanetHiFiItestgearforacoupleofdaysandwriteareview.IalsowriteaboutAVtopics,amplifiers,speakers,andheadphones. Postnavigation MatchingAmplifierToSpeakersGuidePioneerKuroPDP5090 Clickheretocancelreply. Δ ADVERTISEMENT reportthisad ADVERTISEMENT reportthisad PLANETHIFI xx