Devialet Gold Phantom Review | The Master Switch

specs Thebestwirelessspeakerever? PhotoCredit TheMasterSwitch Breadcrumb  / TheMasterSwitch  / In-DepthReviews  / Speakers&Subs  / DevialetGoldPhantomReview By: RobBoffard /about| LastUpdated:February19,2020 Weuseaffiliatelinksand mayreceiveasmallcommissiononpurchases.Readmoreaboutus. DevialetGoldPhantom($2,990) Power:4,500WattsConnectivity:Bluetooth,Wi-FiApp:YesWhatWeLike:Ridiculousbass,extremelycooldesign,45dayhometrial.WhatWeDon't:Ridiculousprice,soundstageissues.SeetheDevialetGoldPhantom 4.6 EverybodyalwaysforgetsaboutFrance.Whenpeoplethinkofhigh-endaudio,theythinkofGermanyandAustria(Beyerdynamic,AKG)GreatBritain(Chord,Bowers&Wilkins)andJapan(Audio-Technica).Theydon’tthinkabouttheFrench.ButDevialetareaperfectexampleofacompanyfromthatcountrymakingserious waves:theirPhantomtakestheveryconceptofawirelessspeaker,andlaunchesitintospace.Inthisreview,webreakdowntheGoldPhantom’ssound,design,packagingandaccessories,specsandmore.Toseehowitstacksup,seeourlistofthebestwirelessandBluetoothspeakers.   Sound Low-End(Bass) Beforewebegin,it’sworthnotingthatthisisaslightlydifferentreviewtowhatwenormallydo.WhenwecontactedDevialet,thecompanydidn’thaveanyreviewloanermodelsinstock–however,theysaidweweremorethanwelcometovisittheirstoreinNewYorkCityatanytime,totesttheirDevialetGoldPhantommodel.Asitsohappened,wewereinNewYorkforCanJam2018-ahugeheadphonesfestival–so,whenweweredonewiththat,wetookourselvestothecompany’sSohostoreforademo. Normally,thiskindofarrangementisn’tsomethingwelike.Weprefertotestspeakersonourterms,overalongperiodoftime,likeanyreal-worldlistenermight.Inthiscase,however,wearegoingtogiveDevialetapass,andnotjustbecausetheygaveusaverygraciousone-on-onedemo.WhilewemighthavelistenedtotheGoldPhantomintheirswankytestingroom,whichnodoubtcontainsomeflatteringacoustics,we’reprettysurewegotthefullmeasureofthisparticularwirelessspeaker.That’sbecausethere’snopossiblewaytofakewhatweheard,whichwassomeofthedeepest,mostunbelievablebassontheplanet. Youcannotbelieve–youreallycannotbelieve–justhowintensethelow-endonaGoldPhantomis.Thisis,afterall,aproductthatcanputout4,500wattswhenit’sturneduptothemaximum,andwhichuseswoofers(bassdrivers)thatfeelliketheyhavemoreR&DbehindthemthantechElonMuskislaunchingintoorbit.Thebassfeltlikeitextendedbackintoinfinity,swampingtheroomwithunbelievablevibrationandpower.Welovesubwoofers,butthiswassomethingelse.ThiswasaneighthofthesizeofanSVSPB16-Ultrasubwoofer(fullreviewhere),whichweconsidertobetheoneofthebestavailablerightnow,anditeasilyhelditsown. Veryfewexperiencesintheaudioworldleaveourjawsonthefloor.Wehearalotofgearthat’sverygood,evenoccasionallygreat,butwe’reprettyexperiencedatthispointandit’shardtoreallyknockoursocksoff.TheGoldPhantom?Thatknockedoffoursocks,pants,underwear,flesh,skeleton,andimmortalsoul.Thebassisthatgood.AndJesusChristBuddhaYahwehSatanVishnuFlyingSpaghettiMonster,wasitloud.   High-End(Treble)andMids Fortunately,theGoldPhantomdoesn’tjusthavethatonetrickupitssleeve.Whilethehigh-endandthemidsarenowherenearasimpactfulasthatunbelievablebass,theystillmanagetoimpress.Infact,theotherpartsofthefrequencyspectrumweresurprisinglysubtle,spikedwithdetailthatseemedtofloatonanoceanofwonderfulbass.Theyaren’treallygoingtocompeteinwithapairofdetailedfloorstandingspeakers,liketheBowers&Wilkins700Series(whicharealittlecheaperthanthetop-modelPhantom,at$2,300totheGoldPhantom’s$2,990),buttheyeasilymatchuptoothercomparablewirelessspeakers.Theoverallaudioqualitywasfantastic,withalmostnodownsides. Soundstage Wedidsayalmost.Ifthere’sonecriticismthatcouldbelevelledattheGoldPhantomanditsbrethren,it’sthatasinglespeakeroperatingonitsowndoesn’thavemind-blowingsoundstageandspacing.It’sgoodenough–itcertainlydoesn’ttakeanythingoffthetable–butitdoesoccasionallybecomedifficulttopreciselyplaceinstrumentsinaparticularsong.Devialet,ofcourse,havearatherconvenientsolutiontothis:justbuytwo.It’snotexactlythemostcost-effectivesolution–andwewillbetalkingatlengthaboutthecostofthisparticularspeakerinaminute–butitabsolutelydoesresolvetheproblem.Twoofthesethingsassaultingyoureardrumsatonce,fromtwodifferentdirections,isthekindofthingthatcancausereligiousconversions.It’sabsolutelymagical.If,bytheway,youdowantincreasedstereospreadandspacingfromasinglespeaker,youmightwanttotrysomethingliketheNaimMu-So2ndGeneration.It’saroundthanhalfthepriceofasingleGoldPhantom-ataround$1,599.Itdefinitelydoesn’thaveasmagnificentalow-end,butitmanagestodoafinerjobofreplicatingthespacinginthemusic. Design BassDrivers Youcan’ttalkaboutthedesignofthePhantomwithouttalkingaboutthethingsthatcausethatmagnificentbass.Thosewouldbethetwinwoofers,oneoneachsideoftheegg-shapedspeaker.They’repoweredbytechnologythecompanycallsHeartBassImplosion–itsoundscuteuntilyouseeitinaction,andhearitpoundingyourskullintoapaste.Thetwindriversactuallymoveinandoutasthemusicplays,visiblyvibrating,whichisalmosthypnotictowatch(youcanreadmoreaboutthetechhere-trustus,it’sworthalook).Itletsthecomparativelytinyspeakerputouthugelevelsofpowerandvolume,anditonlyworksbecausetheentirepackageissealedunderimmensepressure.WeaskedtheDevialetrepswhatwouldhappenifthepressurisedspeakerweretobebreached,andtheydiplomaticallysaidtheydidn’tknow,althoughtheysuspectedtheremightbeabitofabang. LooksandBuildQuality ItwouldbeveryeasyforDevialettopackageallthistechnologyinaveryordinary-lookingspeaker,buttheydidn’t.Whattheycameupwith–andwesuspectit’sashapethatwillendurelongintothefutureforthisparticularproductline–isasciencefictionegg.No,youknowwhat?ImagineafacehuggereggfromtheAlienmovies,turnedonitsside,andyou’vegotthegeneralidea.Itevenlooksvaguelyalive,withthecurvedaccentsandthegrilleonthefrontendthatresemblesaneye.It’sastrikinglook,andcombinedwiththewobblingbassdrivers,itmeansthatthisisn’taspeakeryou’regoingtohideaway.TheonlycomparabledesignwecanthinkofisthatoftheKEFEGG(fullreviewhere)whichisamarkedlyinferiorspeakerineveryway.   FeaturesandApp Itstillfascinatesusthatthisisawirelessspeaker.Itshouldn’t–standardsinwirelessspeakershavebeengettingbetterandbetter–butitgenuinelyfeelslikeitshouldbefullywired.Thesoundisthatgood.Still,wirelessitis.YougetbothWi-Ficonnectivity,andaptXBluetooth(thereisnegligibledifferenceinaudioqualitywhenswitchingtothelatter),andaccesstoafullrangeofservices.ThisincludesSpotify,Soundcloud,Deezer,Tidalandmanymore-thespeakerevencomeswithafreeTidalsubscription.Youcanalsoconnectviaanethernetcable,aswellasoptical. AllofthisismanagedthroughtheverycapableDevialetSparkapp(iOSandAndroid).Whileitisn’tquiteaswell-designedoraseffectiveastheSonosapp,whichremainsthestandardforthissortofthing,itstillmanagestobeverygoodindeed.Categoriesaresensiblyordered,andnavigatingaroundtheappfeelssmoothandintuitive.Althoughwedidn’ttestthisparticularfeature,there’salsotheabilitytocreatecollaborativeplaylistswithyourfriends,whichweimaginecouldbeprettygoodfun. Price Andonthatnote,perhapsit’stimewedidtalkabouttheprice.Becausemakenomistake:youwillpaydearlyforaGoldPhantom.Thattopmodel–theoneunderreviewhere,the4,500wattmonster-costsasmoking$2,990.Evenifyoubuytheslightlylesspowerfulmodels,you’llstillbepartingwithfourfigures.TheSilverPhantom(3,000wattpeak)goesfor$600less,at$2,390.The1,200wattbasemodelrunsalittlecheaper,at$1,690.Outsideofthosewattagefigures,therearehugedifferencesbetweenthemodels;theyhavethesameconstructionandinternals,althoughyouwillgetmoresoundpressurelevelthemoreyoupay. This,then,isperhapsthebiggestproblemwiththeentireDevialetline.It’sunquestionablyoneofthebestBluetoothandwirelessspeakersevermade,perhapsthebest.Butit’spricedforaudiophiles–peoplewhohaven’t,historically,beenthatkeenonwirelessspeakers.Ifanybodycanchangethatparticularviewpoint,it’sDevialet.Wehavenodoubtaboutthat.Butitdoesmeanthatbuyingevenoneofthesespeakerscanbeamajordecision.Ifyoudowantaspeakerthatoffersalittlebitmorevalueformoney,thenyoucouldtryeithertheaforementionedNaimMu-So,orsomethinglikeaMartinLoganCrescendo.Youdefinitelywon’tgetthesamequality,buttheyaresignificantlycheaper–theCrescendoretailsfor$439,comparedtoeventhebasePhantom’s$1,690. NewerDevialetPhantomModels Devialetseems,fromtheoutside,tobeconstantlyrebrandingitsline.WhilethePhantomnamehasremainedconstant,theGoldPhantomisnowpartofthePhantomPremierproductline,whichalsoincludestheClassicPhantom,a2,000wattspeakerinbrightwhite.Itcosts$2,190,significantlylessthantheGoldPhantom.There’salsotheGoldPhantomOperadeParis,aregularGoldPhantomthatisedgedinliteralgold.Priceonapplication-andbestoflucktoyouifyouhavethemoneytobuyone. There’salsothecomparativelyaffordableDevialetPhantomReactor.It’ssmaller,lesspowerful,anddoesn’thavebassthatgoesquiteasdeep.Isthatabadthing?Noway.TheGoldPhantomissuperb,butit’soverkill(inthebestpossibleway,ofcourse).ThePhantomReactorisanodtothosewhocan’tactuallyjustifybuyinga$3,000beast.Itdelivers900watts,versus4,500fortheGoldPhantom,andhasalowersensitivityof98dB.Buthonestly?Itstillsoundsfantastic.Anditshouldbeclearwhoit’saimedat!   Accessories&Packaging Popoffthesealsonthebeautifully-designedboxtheGoldPhantomcomesin,andyou’llfindthatitopensupintotwodistincthalves.Nestledinthemiddleisthespeakeritself,cocoonedinwhitefabric,restingonaspecialplinth.Whilethere’snothingparticularlyspecialaboutthispackaging,itdoessuittheoveralleggaesthetic:youreallydofeellikeyou’veextractedalivingthing.Beyondthat,youactuallygetveryfewaccessorieswiththespeaker.Apowercable,andthat’syourlot.Thereareseveralaccessoriesyoucanbuy,includinganexcellentremote,andvariousflavorsofstand,butyouwillhavetopayextraforthese.Whilethisshouldn’tbeaproblemifyou’rewillingtospendfourfiguresonasinglespeaker,itdoesstrikeusasalittlebitcheeky. WhatWeLike TheDevialetGoldPhantomhasthebestbassofanywirelessspeaker,ever.Thatisafact. Theoverallsoundqualityisexcellent,especiallygivenwhatyoupay. Thedesignisjustincredible,andtheleveloftechnologywillputasmileonanyone’sface. Yougetaverygenerous45dayhometrial,aswellasfreeTidalsubscription. ​ WhatWeDon’t Thesoundstageofasinglespeakercouldbealittlebitbetter. TheDevialetGoldPhantomis,shallwesay,atouchexpensive. Youwillneedtopayextraforanyadditionalaccessories,includingstandsorremote–althoughtherearepackagesavailableonAmazon.   ComparisonTable Speaker Price Power* Conns.** App Drivers Sens.*** DevialetGoldPhantom $2,990 4,500Watts Bluetooth,Wi-Fi Yes 4(UnknownSizes) 108dB NaimMu-So2ndGen. $1,599 450Watts Bluetooth,Wi-Fi Yes 2(UnknownSizes) Unknown KEFLS50Wireless $2,200 230Watts Bluetooth,Wi-Fi Yes 2x1",1x5.25" 106dB TotemKINPlay $1,250 120Watts Bluetooth No 1x1",1x5" Unknown DevialetPhantomReactor $1,350 900Watts Bluetooth,Wi-Fi Yes 4(UnknownSizes) 98dB *Power=AllfiguresgivenasRMSpower. **Conns.=Connections ***Sens.=Sensitivity TheCompetition ThereareplentyofalternativesavailabletotheGoldPhantom,andthebiggestchallengecomesfromtheBritishbrandNaim.TheirNaimMu-So2ndGenerationisahigh-watermarkforwirelessspeakers.Whileitmaynotbequiteaseye-catchingasthesingularPhantom,itdeliverssoundthatisalmostasgood,andatasignificantlyfriendlierprice.We’retalking$1,599,comparedtothe$3,000fortheDevialet.Thelowerpricetagshouldn’timplythatthesoundisworse-it’sjustdifferent,withlessemphasisonbass.Ifyouwanttogoevencheaper,youcanbuyasmallerversion,theMu-SoQB,for$799. OnecriticismwehadofthePhantom’saudioqualitywasthesoundstage,andyoucandealwiththatbybuyingapairofKEFLS50Wireless.Thissetofstereowirelessspeakerslookliketraditionalbookshelfspeakers,andmanagetodeliversoundqualitythatisbothdetailed,andpowerful.Thebassisn’tgoingtomatchapairofPhantoms,Butyou’llbemorethansatisfied.ApairarecheaperthanasingleGoldPhantom,too,at$2,200tothePhantom’s$2,990.AswiththePhantomReactor(moreonthisbelow)KEFhavereleasedawalletfriendlyversionoftheLS50:theLSX,apairoffabric-covered$1,100stereospeakers.Inourreviewofthismodel,wesaid,“TheKEFLSXsoundgood.Reallyfreakinggood.You'dexpectthispairofwireless,stereobookshelfspeakerstofortheirstatedretailpriceof$1,100,sure.Butevenifyou'rethekindofpersonwhorevelsinfive-figureamplifiersanddedicatedlisteningrooms,you'dhavetoadmitthatfortheirsizeandprice,theLSXsoundextraordinary.” WerecentlygotachancetotestouttheTotemKINPlay,apairofwirelessstereospeakersthatarejuststupendous.TotemareaCanadiancompany,basedinMontréal,andtheKINPlayrepresentednewdirectionforthem.Thebasscertainlyisn’tasdeepasthatoftheDevialetSpeaker,buttheKINPlaydeliversuperbstereoimageandridiculousdetail,aswellassomeseriousvolume.Theyaresurprisinglyaffordable,too,at$1,250forthepair. We’vealreadymentionedtheDevialetPhantomReactor,butit’sworthrevisitingit.Ontheonehand,it’salesspowerfulversionofthemothership,somethingthatcanonlydreamofgettingthatdeepintothebass.Ontheother,it’sanentirelysensiblechoice.OneofthebiggestreasonsfornotbuyingtheGoldPhantomisthattheamountofmoneyyou’llpayforitisquitefranklyabsurd,evennow.Asmuchasweloveit,wefullyadmitthat.SothePhantomReactormakestotalsensetous.It’sonlybudgetinthesensethatit’scheaperthantheoriginal,butit’sstillanabsolutelyfantasticalternative,andworthconsideringifyouwantaspeakerfromDevialetbutdon’twanttoremortgageyourhouse. Andreally,that’swhatitcomesdownto.Thesound.Ifaudioqualitywastheonlythingweevaluated,thentheGoldPhantom–andprobably,ifwe’rebeinghonest,theentirePhantomline–beatseverysingleotherwirelessspeakerontheplanet.Wecan’tquitegothatfar–thepricing,foronething,meansthatthisisdefinitelynotthefirstoptionformostpeople.Butitwillalwaysholdaveryspecialplaceinourhearts,andwecanabsolutelyconfirmthatitwasworthtravellingtoNewYorkCityfor. SeetheDevialetGoldPhantomSeetheBestWirelessSpeakers PoweredbyDrupal LearnMoreAboutHi-FiAudio WirelessandBluetoothspeakersarethebomb.Whetheryou'reusingaportableBluetoothspeakeratthebeach,orlisteningtomusicinthekitchen,you'revirtuallyguaranteedsolidsoundqualityandagreatexperience. AsimpleDACupgradecandowondersforyouraudioplayback,asforexample,a4K-capableTVmightchangeyourmovieviewingexperience.Sowhynottakethejump? We’vegatheredsomeofthemostexcitingconverterscurrentlyonthemarket. Anampshouldbethecenterofyourhi-fiworld.Itshouldbethefocuspointforallyourefforts,thepieceofequipmentthatcanmakeorbreakyoursound.Everythingflowsintoit,andeverythingflowsoutofit... Eversincetheglorydays,whenhi-fisystemswereintegratedandevencolor-matchedtothefurniture,bookshelfspeakershavebeenthebeatingheartoftheparty... Floorstandingspeakershaveoneofthemostrecognizableprofilesofallspeakertypes.They're designedtoslotinnexttobookcasesandTVcabinets,andtheirshapehastwomajoradvantages... FLAC,WAV,AIFF,DSD…There’snodenyingthatpickingtherighttypeofaudiotolistentocanbecrazyconfusing.Fortunately,we'reheretohelp,withourfullguidetothisaudiotopic. Everythingyouneedtoknowaboutheadphonespecs.ifitdoesn’tinvolveanyofthefollowing,youprobablydon’tneedtoworryaboutit.Considerthistheultimateexplainer. Settingupahometheatersystemcanbedauntingashell.Notonlydoyouhavetocontendwithmilesandmilesofspeakerwire,aswellasfiguringoutwhereexactlyyou’regoingtoputthedamnthingsandwhetherornotyouneedtodrillholesinyour... Thereareveryfewspeakersthataskyoutoperformaninterpretivedancebeforeyoucanusethem.ButtheSONOSPLAY:3boldlydelvesintothisnewterritory... 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