Devialet Phantom I 108dB review | What Hi-Fi?

The latest flagship iteration of Devialet's Phantom wireless speaker has a big and bassy sonic ... Dimensions (hwd) 25.5 x 25.2 x 34.2cm. Skiptomaincontent WhatHifi WhatHifi WhatHi-Fi?THEWORLD'S#1TECHBUYER'SGUIDE Search Subscribe RSS UKUSCanadaAustralia WhatHi-FiMagazineSubscriptionWhysubscribe?ThebesthomeentertainmentbuyingadviceIn-depth,unbiased,expertreviewsIssuesdeliveredstraighttoyourdoorordeviceFrom£4.99View News Reviews BestBuys Deals Advice Features Awards Forum More Awards Subscribe Newsletter Sound+Image AustralianHi-Fi AboutUs TrendingBestportablespeakersSonyQD-OLEDBestTVsSpotifyHiFiiPhone14 WhatHi-Fi?issupportedbyitsaudience.Whenyoupurchasethroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnanaffiliatecommission.Learnmore Home Reviews (Image:©Devialet) OurVerdict Apowerful,strikingandtrulyone-of-a-kindwirelessspeaker,butnotthemostentertainingoneatthislevel For Big,broad,room-fillingsound Heart-in-your-mouthbass Strikingaesthetic Against Lackstransparencyandsubtlety Appisn’taUPnPcontroller In-appmulti-roomflakiness WhatHi-Fi?Verdict Apowerful,strikingandtrulyone-of-a-kindwirelessspeaker,butnotthemostentertainingoneatthislevel Pros +Big,broad,room-fillingsound+Heart-in-your-mouthbass+Strikingaesthetic Cons -Lackstransparencyandsubtlety-Appisn’taUPnPcontroller-In-appmulti-roomflakiness TODAY'SBESTDEALS£2,790atJohnLewis£2,790atSelfridges£2,790atMrPorterUKDespitehavingwelcomedmanyDevialetPhantomwirelessspeakersintoourtestroomsoverthepastfewyears,westillfindourselvesstruckbythebeautyandbassreproductionofthelatestiteration.ThisnewflagshipPhantomIbringswithitasimplificationandexpansionoftheiconic,brand-definingline:thecompactPhantomReactorisnow‘PhantomII’(in95dB,98dBandspecial-editionOpéradeParismodels),abovewhichsitsthe‘PhantomI’(in103dB,108dBandOpéradeParisvariants). Devialethasnowintroduceda£349($350)ArchconfigurableconnectivityhubforPhantomtoo,givingownerstheoptiontoaddsources(includingaturntable)eitherviaitsbuilt-inphonostageandRCAline-levelinputs,oralternativelytwocoaxialdigitalinputs.DevialetPhantomI108dBatJohnLewisfor£2,790Features(Imagecredit:Devialet)Withoutthataccessory,thePhantomIisreliantuponanetwork,withsupportforAirPlay2,SpotifyConnect,UPnPandRoon(bothupto24-bit/96KHz)overethernetorwi-fi,althoughthereisBluetoothonboard,aswellasanopticalinput(upto24-bit/96KHz)attherear.DevialetPhantomI108dBtechspecs(Imagecredit:Devialet)Poweroutput1100WAirplay2YesSpotifyConnectYesBluetoothYesRoonReadyYesDimensions(hwd)25.5x25.2x34.2cmWeight11.4kgThedecibelratingsattachedtothenamesrepresenttheirmaximumsoundpressurelevelatonemetre–somethingthatsetsDevialetPhantomsapartnotonlyfromoneanotherbutmostoftheircompetition,consideringtheycangobetweentheapproximaterelativeloudnessofalawnmowerandachainsaw. ThesampleontesthereisthePhantomI108dB,whichisavailableindarkchromeorwhite/goldfinishesandcoversaclaimedfrequencyrangeof14Hzto27kHz.ThePhantomI103dB,meanwhile,comesinlightchromeormatteblackandencompassesaslightlynarrowerbandwidth(16Hzto25kHz).ManyofDevialet’spatentedtechnologiesarepresentinthenewPhantomI,includingitsADH(AnalogDigitalHybrid)amplification,designedtocombinethebenefitsofClassAanalogue(highperformance)andClassD(highefficiencyandpower)designs.Attheriskofusingtoomanyacronyms,HBI(HeartBassImplosion)representsDevialet’seffortstoproducedeep,impactfulbassfromthecompactenclosure;itsACE(ActiveCosphericalEngine)designtakescareofoutputtingsoundevenlyinvariousdirectionsfromthesphericalchassis;andSpeakerActiveMatching(SAM)processingworkstooptimisethesignalandperformanceinreal-time. SuchpatentedtechnologieshavebeenpartofthePhantomline-upfromthestart,butthenewPhantomIaimstotakeperformancefurtherwithanext-generationsystem-on-chipandimprovedthermaldissipation(it’sfourtimesmoreenergy-efficientthanthepreviousmodel).Build(Imagecredit:Devialet)ThePhantom’siconic,visuallystrikingsphericaldesign,whichwe’velikenedtoan‘Alienbug’and‘StormTrooper’slunchbox’liveson,butnottotallyunchanged.It’snowlikeaminiaturejetengine,withamattefinish,newsignaturesidepanelsandLEDstatuslightsattherear–it’seye-catchinginthebestwaypossible.ThePhantomIcomeswithanewpuck-likeremotethat’sasother-worldlyandpremiumasthespeakeraestheticandpricedeserves,too.Welikehowyourotatethewholeouterringtochangevolume(youcanalsoplay/pauseandskiptrackswiththecentraltouchpad),althoughergonomicallyitdoesn’tfeelallthatnaturalinthehandtodoso.ThealternativeisDevialet’sdedicatedapp,whichprovidessimilarplaybackfunctions,aswellassettingssuchas‘AVsync’forreducinglatencyifyou’reusingthePhantomIwithyourTVviaitsopticalinput,and‘Nightmode’forsuckingsomeofthebassoutoftheperformance(whichitdoeseffectively,too). Somewhatdisappointingly,theappdoesn’talsoserveasaUPnPstreamingcontroller,sothosewantingtoaccesslocalornetworkedfilesormusicserviceswillneedtousethepaid-forRoonplatform(thePhantomIisRoonReady),ordownloadanotherthird-partyUPnPappsuchasBubbleUPnP(Android)andmconnectPlayer(Android,iOS),bothofwhichareperfectlyusablefreeapps. We’realsoalittleletdownbytheapp’simperfectmulti-roomandstereopairingexperience,whichinourtestingprovesoccasionallyflakybynotdisplayingtheconnection,ordoingsobutnotinitiatingthroughthespeakers.Ifyou’vespentseveralthousandsonamulti-roomwirelessspeakerset-up,youareperhapsentitledtoexpectseamlessness.Sound(Imagecredit:Devialet)Youalsoexpecta‘wow’performance,whichinsomeareasthePhantomIdelivers.Thisisoneoftheclearest,mostbassyandbroadest-soundingsingle-chassiswirelessspeakerswe'vecomeacrosssincethepreviousfull-sizedPhantomwetested.Forawirelessspeakerofitssize,Devialet’slatestcan,liketheiterationsbeforeit,excavateabassline.Thejauntyelectro-funklowsunderpinningChildishGambino’s19:10aredeepandimpactful–andvisuallyrepresentedbytheenthusiasticallypumpingside-firingdrivers.Playsomethingdensersuchas65daysofstatic'sRetreat!Retreat!,andit’snotafraidtogetdownanddirtywiththecacophonyofdrumsandelectricswhileensuringtheydon’tbogdownthewholepresentation. ThePhantomIproducesabroad,opensoundstagethatfarbeliesitscompactness.Ifyou'relookingforthebiggestsonicfootprintfromasmallphysicalone,asinglePhantomIcanoutputmorethanisnecessarytofillmostlivingrooms.But,whileoneoftheDevialet’suniquesellingpointsisitsspectacularpoweroutput,thepresentationultimatelybecomesharshand,consequently,lesslistenablewhenreallypushed.SuchistheDevialet’smidrangeclaritythatuponhearingitforthefirsttime,you’llwanttoqueueupsongsbyyourfavouritevocalists.Wefindourselvesdoingjustthis;NinaSimone,ArethaFranklin,BobDylan,ANOHNI,andTheTallestManonEarth’sKristianMatssoncomethroughwithpurityandpolish.Butitisn’tlongbeforewerealisethatsuchtangibilityisn’tcomplementedbythelevelsoftransparencywe’dexpectatthisprice–andespeciallyfromaPhantom.WhilethePhantomIcandistinguishbetweenasopranoandapiano,it’sonlyabletodrawthesilhouetteofavocalorinstrumentratherthanrevealanyofitscolourorshading.Itdoesn’triseandfallwithSimone’sdynamicdelivery,nordoesitgetunderMatsson’ssubtleinflections. WeplayLudovicoEinaudi’spiano-ledOltremare,andwhilethenotesfloatacrossasoundstagethat,ifyouclosedyoureyes,couldpassforonefromstereospeakersplacedclosetogether,thereisn’tthedynamicinsightorfinessenecessaryforyoutothoroughlyappreciatethevariationinhismasterstrokes. Wefindourselvescreepingthevolumeupinanefforttofeelmoreinvolvedinthepiece–asignofaperformancethatfallsshortofcaptivating.FortheDevialet’snotinsignificantaskingprice,weexpectmoreinthewayofsonicsophistication.VerdictDevialet’soriginalPhantomarrivedatatimewherewirelessspeakerswereslowlybutsurelymaturingintothehigh-endmarket.Today,thatpremiumspaceismorecompetitive,andwithit,thelevelofperformancehasimprovedtoo. You’llstruggletofindanotherthatcanfillaroomordigupabasslinequitelikethePhantomI,butyoursearchforawirelesssolution–single-boxorotherwise–capableofmoreinsightforthemoneywillbeeasier.ThePhantomIremainsaone-of-a-kindoptionwithundisputedtalents,butoverallitsperformanceleavesusalittlecold.SCORESSound3 Features4 Build4MORE:ReadourguidetothebestwirelessspeakersReadourDevialetGoldPhantomreviewTODAY'SBESTDEALS£2,790atJohnLewis£2,790atSelfridges£2,790atMrPorterUK WhatHi-Fi? WhatHi-Fi?,foundedin1976,istheworld'sleadingindependentguidetobuyingandowninghi-fiandhomeentertainmentproducts.Ourcomprehensivetestshelpyoubuytheverybestforyourmoney,withouradvicesectionsgivingyoustep-by-stepinformationonhowtogetevenmorefromyourmusicandmovies.Everythingistestedbyourdedicatedteamofin-housereviewersinourcustom-builttestroomsinLondonandBath.Ourcovetedfive-starratingandAwardsarerecognisedallovertheworldastheultimatesealofapproval,soyoucanbuywithabsoluteconfidence. Readmoreabouthowwetest Seeallcomments(5) 5Comments Commentfromtheforums ThemistakesomanypeoplemakeistoreviewonlyoneDevialet.Asastereo,theyaresomeofthemostentertainingspeakersaround. Isayentertainingnotaudiophile,butImyselfhatepureaudiophileandthinkitisboring. IhavemypairofphantomIIhookeduptoaTHXOnyxwhichgivesmorewarmthandlisteningtomusicthroughapplelosslessisgod-tier. Maybetherearemoreaudiophilesystems,somethatsoundbetterinalab,butasasnobfisticatedlistener,IhaveheardnothingIlovemorethanapairofDevialet. Thekickeris:Theysoundgoodonlowvolumewhileotherspeakersneedvolumetounleashasoundatall. Soifyoueverwenttoastorelistenedtothemostexpensive,bestandmostsophisticatedaudiophilesystemandstilldidnotlikeitthatmuch,ifyoulistenedtothecleanestrecordingofthebestartistanddidnotenjoyit,gofortwoDevialetpumpinsomehigh-qualitymainstreammusicandyouwillneverregretit. Reply Thisis100%true.IhavebuiltrecordingstudiosandlistentoastereopairoftheflagshipPhantomsinatreatedroom.Comparedtomainmonitorsystemsandhighendconsumerstereos,IwillalwayscomebacktothePhantoms.Theyareintheirownleagueincertaincategoriesandcompetitiveinalltheothers.Ican'tnitpickaspeakerthatdigsupaudiointhelowestoctavesthatotherspeakersaren'tevencapableofreproducingatall.ThatismusicalinformationthatthePhantomssimplyownalltothemselvesanditmattersalot.Socalled"audiophile"bassisajustification.Wealllovedmassivebassandweknowit. Reply Wow,twonewmembersfromDevialethavearrivedtobiguponeoftheworstspeakersit’sbeenmymisfortunetoeverclapearson.Pray,newmembers,whatsystemdoyouhaveathome,andwhatisyourinterestinDevialet? IwasabigfanofDevialetamplifiersbutthisPhantomstuffhasturnedmeofftheminabigway. Reply nopianosaid:Wow,twonewmembersfromDevialethavearrivedtobiguponeoftheworstspeakersit’sbeenmymisfortunetoeverclapearson.Pray,newmembers,whatsystemdoyouhaveathome,andwhatisyourinterestinDevialet? IwasabigfanofDevialetamplifiersbutthisPhantomstuffhasturnedmeofftheminabigway. Thatissotypically"Audiophile"-justbecauseyouhavetakenprobablyhoursandhourstofindthesystemthatistheperfectmatchofyourbudgetandYOURtasteyouthinkithastobeperfectforanyone becauseitiseither A-cheaperandhasbettersoundthanapairofoverpricedmainstreamspeakers B-isequallypricedandmuchsuperiortoapairofoverhypedmainstreamspeakers C-ismuchmoreexpensivethantheonlythinganyonewhoeverwantstospendmoneyshouldeverconsider allobviouslyinyouropinionasallthatIstatedwasinmyopinion. Iamnofanboy,Iamjusttellingmyjourneytowhatmypersonalchoiceforthebestsoundisandwhyyoushouldtrustyourearsandpersonalchoicemorethantheopinionofothers. Totakethisonestepfurther:AudiophileSystemsaremadeforaudiophilemusic.Formepersonally.Idonotlistedtoanyofthesealbumseverforexample:50ofthebesthi-fialbumsforaudiophiles|WhatHi-Fi?(whathifi.com)eveniftheymaketheperfectsystemshine. Sointheendisnotonlywhatyoulike,andwhatyouenjoymost,butalsowhatasystemwasmadeforandmaybeagoodexplanationwhynoteveryonehastobeanaudiophiletoshareapassionformusic. Reply Ah,theravingsofsomeonetryingtojustifyspendingtoomuchmoneyonadevicethatisn’treallythatgood. Justmyopinion,butgoon,say“Audiophile”again. Reply ViewAll5Comments Showmorecomments WhatHi-Fi?Newsletter SignupbelowtogetthelatestfromWhatHi-Fi?,plusexclusivespecialoffers,directtoyourinbox! ContactmewithnewsandoffersfromotherFuturebrands Receiveemailfromusonbehalfofourtrustedpartnersorsponsors ThankyouforsigninguptoWhatHi-Fi?.Youwillreceiveaverificationemailshortly. Therewasaproblem.Pleaserefreshthepageandtryagain. 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