Devialet Phantom

[drummerman]

I know I made fun of these in a recent thread ... .

In a bout of boredom (rare) I trawled youtube for some devine inspiration and the phantom sprang to mind.

Youtube may not be the best reference for sound quality but there are some seemingly seriously impressive videos about the french eggs and they seem to be easily able to pressurize very large rooms (a hall in one instance) with what sounds like low distortion sound (given the limitations of youtube sound quality).

I can't say anything about refinement of sound but loudness and bass seems ... well, impressive.

Perhaps I shouldn't have made fun? Maybe I'll eat my words.

£4k is not exactly cheap (for two) but there are cables costing more than that. A Schmegel H360 without any speakers is about the same and I somehow doubt it could do the same thing unless the speakers are very, very sensitive plus perhaps a sub. Some very clever engineering has gone into these.

I still don't quite like the looks but that is my personal phobia about eggs (or more to the point, peeling them). However, they look peeled already so I'm good with that.

 

[CnoEvil]

Is this a "Grovel Thread"?

 

[drummerman]

Is this a "Grovel Thread"?

Yes it is

 

[CnoEvil]

Is this a "Grovel Thread"?

Yes it is

Fair enough....I still think you stick to your guns and keep making fun of them!

 

[drummerman]

I think they would look good and more purposeful in matt black ...

 

[CnoEvil]

The Phantom should be dressed in a dark purply blue.

 

[Infiniteloop]

I heard a pair of these in Devialet's Paris showroom a few weeks back and to be honest, after all the fuss, I expected more.

I know a showroom is probably not the best place to audition anything, but I wasn't exactly blown away.

They sounded pleasant enough, but I don't feel any compulsion to replace anything that I already have.

Impressive? - yes. Clever? - undoubtedly. A step forward? - absolutely. A high-end 'killer'? - not exactly.

 

[drummerman]

What did it/they (if two) lack in your opinion?

 

[CnoEvil]

What did it/they (if two) lack in your opinion?

The correct colour, perhaps?

 

[matt49]

The Phantoms are really quite remarkable. You need to hear them at home.

They do something I’ve never heard from any speaker before. They produce a bass beat of immense accuracy that’s fully integrated with the mids and highs. In that respect they make all other speakers (that I’ve heard) of similar size sound feeble and wishy washy.

I have mine in a big room (9 x 4m), and they fill the space brilliantly. I wouldn’t trade them in for my Martin Logans, but they certainly compete with my SAM-powered Vivids. Perhaps not quite so sweet at the top end, but so so juicy at the bottom end. And they cost one quarter of the RRP of the Vivid/D200 combo.

 

[Vladimir]

Youtube does a great job with audio, no significan't issues there. 99% of audio quality depends on the camera microphone and the recording settings. If you hear distortion, the mic is overloaded from the low frequencies. Some cameras normalize the loudness so no distortion happens, however it doesn't mean it gives a neutral FR of what is actually heard in the room. It is an unreliable way to audition sound quality unless a proper microphone is used. Example here. Very low audio and video resolution but because the creator used a proper microphone and not the cheapy inbuilt one, it sounds rather decent and you can appreciate the instrument's timbre. Some inbuilt ones these days can be good though, but still not with accurate representation.

 

[Andrewjvt]

hantom power

With space-age looks and futuristic tech that can be seen as well as heard, Andrew Simpson checks out Devialet’s new system
DEVIALET SILVER PHANTOM STEREO MUSIC SYSTEM £3,629

While all-in-one systems come in many shapes and sizes, generally they follow a similar set of conventions with smaller scale woofers, tweeters and amps packed together under the same roof, trading levels of sonic output for greater degrees of convenience. But as we saw with its Ensemble package last year (HFC 386), following conventions is not really the Devialet way.

m the outset the distinctive Silver Phantom’s egg-like case immediately challenges your preconceptions of what a hi-fisystem should look like. Each one houses its own internal amp, DAC, wi-fistreamer and speakers, allowing it to fly solo as a standalone system or work alongside more Phantoms as part of a two or more channel installation through Devialet’s free Spark app and Dialog wi-ficontroller (£249). There’s also a dedicated remote control (£109) and Branch speaker stand (£199) due for release later this summer, followed by a wall mount and carry case. At £1,690 each, the Silver Phantom’s higher £300 price tag gets you a full fat 3,000W internal amp in place of the standard Phantom’s already substantial 750W variant.

The first thing that hits you is the surprising scale of the Phantom’s sonics

While the Phantom packs plenty of cutting-edge tech within its wire-free internals, perhaps the most radical part of the package is its air-moving hardware, made up of no less than four drive units, which are cleverly incorporated into its smooth skin. These include the two opposing silver domes flanking each cheek, which act as bass drivers fashioned from 0.4mm thick 5754-grade aluminium. As well as being light and rigid, this alloy is also strong, and it needs to be to withstand much higher pressures than your average woofers thanks to Devialet’s HBI (Heart Bass Implosion) system (see box out on page 16).

The Phantom’s HBI-powered 110mm curved white midrange ring that surrounds its tweeter in a coaxial arrangement is harder to spot. Formed from the same type of alloy as the speaker’s bass drivers, it’s actually 0.1mm thinner in a bid to reduce its moving mass. While the tweeter that sits at its core is a more conventional 25.4mm aluminium dome, recessed behind a fixed metal grille. Both the tweeter and midrange ring are angled upwards at 11.5°, to give a more even sound dispersion says Devialet, especially when combined with the Phantom’s sphere-like shape.

The power behind these drivers comes from more proprietary Devialet technology, which begins with its internal amp that’s built around the company’s firmly established ADH (Analogue Digital Hybrid) topology, which first put Devialet on the map back in 2010. This approach uses analogue Class A voltage amplification working in parallel with digital Class D current dumpers, blending the benefits of a Class A sound with Class D power. For the Phantom’s dedicated ADH chip, the analogue stages of each core have been miniaturised, while four channels of ADH amplification allow the Phantom to remain compact yet extremely powerful. The Phantom’s chip also incorporates Devialet’s Magic Wire typology, which links the DAC (a Texas Instrument’s PCM1798 24-bit/192kHz chip) to the amp while keeping noise and distortion to a minimum.

 

[Andrewjvt]

ETAILS

PRODUCT Devialet Silver Phantom

ORIGIN France

TYPE Modular music system

WEIGHT 11kg

DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 253 x 255 x 343 mm

FEATURES ● 3,000W internal ADH amplifier ● Internal DAC and wi-fistreaming up to 24-bit/192kHz ● Format support: MP3/AAC/ALAC/FLAC/WAV ● Ethernet and optical inputs ● Configurable for mono or stereo

DISTRIBUTOR Devialet UK

WEBSITE en.devialet.com

SAM in control

The final link in the chain comes courtesy of Devialet’s SAM (Speaker Active Matching), which processes the audio signal in the digital domain ahead of the DAC and power amp, tailoring it to take into account the real-world characteristics of the drive units and their acoustic load across the volume range. What’s more, SAM is applied to all of the Phantom’s drivers and not just the bass units, as we saw in the Ensemble package.

Unboxing the Phantom you immediately notice just how solid and heavy it feels, weighing in at 11kg, but thanks to an inset rubber base plate it is very easy to site and won’t budge when parked. Alongside an IEC mains inlet, physical inputs are limited to a single Ethernet port and S/PDIF (optical) socket. We’ve also specified a Dialog hub for our review so that we can run two Phantoms in stereo. This also adds a USB-A output alongside its own Ethernet and optical connections.
etting the party started is largely done in the virtual domain (the Phantom’s only physical control is an on/offbutton) and involves first connecting the Dialog to your router, before downloading the Spark app for desktop and tablet. With the speakers powered up, the app automatically finds them on your network at launch before asking you to touch them in turn to connect. You then need to identify them within a stereo or mono setup (5.1 and beyond is in the pipeline) by dragging and dropping into ‘left’, ‘right’ or ‘solo’ positions on the screen and watching their bass drivers flex in acknowledgement. You can control up to 24 Phantoms across identified rooms across your home.

Alongside the ability to stream music stored on devices in your network, Spark also integrates with streaming services including Deezer, Qobuz and Tidal with more set for the future as
well as Bluetooth wireless.

To play, simply drag and drop albums or songs from selected sources into your central column on the desktop app, or hit the ‘+’ icon on a handheld device. While the app is slick and intuitive, the volume slider can be a tad slow to operate via desktop (a virtual dial would be much more responsive) and I’d also welcome more track info including file type, bit depth and sample rate, to identify the quality of the audio

 

[Andrewjvt]

Sound quality

Despite its modest size, the first thing that hits you about the Phantom is the surprising scale of its sonics. Planted atop a pair of Custom Design FS 104 Signature speaker stands, positioned 2m apart and 70cm/150cm respectively from my listening room’s side and rear walls, the pair of speakers is able to fill my generous 3.4m x 4.5m listening space with consummate ease.

Underpinning the sonic personality is the bass, and it’s fair to say that Devialet has exceeded its objective of creating a presence on a much grander scale than a box of this size should allow by some margin. Testing the waters with a 16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC of Little Dragon’s Paris via Tidal almost has me checking behind the sofa to see if a subwoofer has been installed while my back was turned, such is the unexpected depths that the bass reaches.
Equally impressive is the start/stop nature of the lower notes, which are controlled and without unnatural overhang. Taking this to the next level with a 24/44 ALAC of London Grammar’s Hey Now really gets the Phantom shifting some air, with its silver cheeks beating back and forth like wings as though the unit is preparing for lift off. Placing my hand on the casework with the music in full flight, however, reveals it to be firmly rooted to its stand. And despite the drive units getting a thorough workout that can be seen as well as heard, I can’t detect any vibration bleeding into the casework. During listening sessions I regularly call on this track to aid bass tuning, as its lowest octaves can serve to highlight where natural bass extension ends and unnatural boom and/or cabinet resonance begins.

While the Phantom won’t put up much of a fight at low volumes when placed close to walls, giving it as much breathing space as possible when winding the wick up pays dividends in terms of bass integration.

IN SIGHT

HEART BASS IMPLOSION

To achieve bass levels usually associated with much larger box designs, Devialet’s designers have gone back to the speaker design drawing board. Instead of using a vented or more traditional sealed box, HBI works by using a sealed chamber behind each drive unit combined with a strong woofer and diaphragm with an unusually long-throw capability, married to a very powerful amplifier.

To create this technology, Devialet turned to experts from the automotive, micromechanics and pro-audio arenas. The Phantom’s resulting bass drivers are intentionally opposed to reduce vibration and can generate and resist huge pressure and vacuum levels within their 3L chambers, which accounts for their whopping 26mm of travel peak to peak. The maximum air pressure inside the enclosure is 20 times higher than that of a conventional speaker box, which is an acoustic pressure level that’s more associated with a rocket launch than a hi-fispeaker!
You can control up to 24 Phantoms in identified rooms across your home

Moving on to a 16-bit/44kHz rip of Nick Cave’s Abattoir Blues, the Phantom renders the hard-hitting piano notes with enough slam to take me by surprise. Each strike on the ivory keys hangs in the air with all the sinister weight Cave intended, underpinning his understated vocals, which sound dense and rich.

Despite the all-aluminium driver array – a material that can sound harsh when compared with soft dome tweeters and drivers made from non-metallic composites, the Phantom is smooth and free from bright edges, thus toeing it in slightly towards your listening position won’t result in over-emphasised treble or sibilance. Having said that, the treble seems less sensitive compared with many speakers and I’m able to get the best out of it by firing the sound straight down the room, which really opens up the soundstage without sacrificing its focus.
Streaming a 16/44 ALAC rip of Björk’s Oceania from Medúlla, allows her vocals and the accompanying beatbox backing to be projected around my listening space in a manner that’s more akin to a top-spec omnidirectional speaker, than a traditional box design. There’s a strong sense of the music not being pushed at you from a vertical plane, instead the soundstage is more three dimensional, filling all corners of my room, which when combined with the smooth treble makes it appear less forward sounding than many, without trading clarity or imaging.

 

[Andrewjvt]

CONNECTIONS

But if this suggests the Phantom possess a laid back character, the rock onslaught of Max Raptor’s England Breathes from a 24/96 ALAC download tells me otherwise by sounding edgy and dangerous, without becoming too brash or aggressive as the volume level heads well into double figures. The music sounds raw and untamed, while at the same time my senses don’t feel as though they’re being pummelled into submission, making for an exciting yet fatigue-free listen. Drums have plenty of impact as they push back deep into the soundstage with a punch that’s firmly articulated. With each rapid beat I get a real sense of the power, as the air is sucked from the room ready for the next strike. Nor do the drums get lost or overwhelmed in the mix as the track becomes more congested with layers of guitars and vocals, demonstrating that the Phantom can handle the pressure when the going gets tough. Even though this is the hi-res version, I’ve known this recording to sound a tad muddy on rival setups, especially the guitars. But with the Phantom doing the honours there’s less blurring at the edges of each chord strike than I’m used to, and it is able to get inside the track and unlock the guitar’s energy as it pushes each heavy riffacross the soundstage.

Conclusion

Despite the lifestyle branding, the Silver Phantom is a genuine hi-fiproposition that’s firmly rooted in high-end audio. What’s more, as a complete music system that comes fully loaded with Devialet’s latest technology and wi-fistreaming to boot, it’s also exceptional value, especially given you could start with a single unit and add a second Phantom as funds permit. And pair them up you should, as being configured in stereo takes them up to the next level in the audio stakes, with a sound that’s open, full bodied and blessed with a bass quantity and quality that really pushes the boundaries of what you’d expect from a compact system

HOW IT COMPARES

A £895, Naim’s one-box mu-so (HFC 391) offers a range of streaming options including aptX, AirPlay and UPnP alongside digital and analogue inputs, outputted through a Class D amp and dual three-way internal speaker system. The mu-so images well for a compact unit, albeit on a smaller scale than that of the Phantoms.

For a more full-sized stereo experience, look to Dynaudio’s active Xeo range starting at £1,775 for the standmount Xeo 4, or £2,925 for the Xeo 6 tower (HFC 388). Both feature inbuilt Class D amps, room EQ settings and wireless streaming via a lightweight hub, and include analogue inputs.

 

[SteveR750]

Youtube does a great job with audio, no significan't issues there. 99% of audio quality depends on the camera microphone and the recording settings. If you hear distortion, the mic is overloaded from the low frequencies. Some cameras normalize the loudness so no distortion happens, however it doesn't mean it gives a neutral FR of what is actually heard in the room. It is an unreliable way to audition sound quality unless a proper microphone is used. Example here. Very low audio and video resolution but because the creator used a proper microphone and not the cheapy inbuilt one, it sounds rather decent and you can appreciate the instrument's timbre. Some inbuilt ones these days can be good though, but still not with accurate representation.

Really?

compare this to the spotify 320kbs version. Now, if HD Tracks had the same delta over CDA for just half of their Hi-Res catalogue they would be zillionaires

 

[SteveR750]

Back on topic...

Sometime soon, myself and Matt are going to meet at Colin (IQ Speakers / Boggit) house. I'll be armed with a Schmegel, Colin with a Bra Ham Son, and Matt with his Ghosts. Colin has enough conventional speaker boxes for us to have a good go at comparing the emporer's clothes. Drummerman, you should come along too...you will love the Norwegians

 

[Superaintit]

@Drummerman. Like you I was intrigued by the youtube videos and had a listen. The first thing that struck me is that they are well build. They also sound clear but compared to the best lack some detail refinement in my experience. What I mean by that is that you hear every note very clearly there seems to be missing something from the midrange that makes the difference between good and totally convincingly real. Also the imaging is more like you keep hearing two separate speakers, not a whole. In my experience they can be easily beaten on imaging and realism, but their strengths are clarity, convenience and a very good base. I think the concept is great but since the devialet amps with passive speakers are better it needs to be refined. Take a listen for yourself and see what you think.

 

[Infiniteloop]

@Drummerman. Like you I was intrigued by the youtube videos and had a listen. The first thing that struck me is that they are well build. They also sound clear but compared to the best lack some detail refinement in my experience. What I mean by that is that you hear every note very clearly there seems to be missing something from the midrange that makes the difference between good and totally convincingly real. Also the imaging is more like you keep hearing two separate speakers, not a whole. In my experience they can be easily beaten on imaging and realism, but their strengths are clarity, convenience and a very good base. I think the concept is great but since the devialet amps with passive speakers are better it needs to be refined. Take a listen for yourself and see what you think.

That's pretty much the conclusion I came to when I heard them in Paris.

 

[chebby]

We've had identically worded hyperbole before with all the bru-ha-ha over A certain brand of active loudspeakers.

I lost count of people who had ditched systems costing tens of thousands of pounds.

 

[gowiththeflow]

I've finally heard the Phantoms recently. Although I wanted to have an open mind, there was a large degree of expectation on my part after reading so much about them, not to mention the YouTube videos. I spent about 30 minutes listening to them with different genres of music, but the setting wasn't ideal.

Initial impression was that these are outstanding speakers, or should I say "system". It's not just their incredible bass performance though. They are very clean, clear and fairly open sounding. However, I also thought there was something missing. Some people say it's a weakness in the mid-band, but I thought they were reasonably OK in that department. The high treble seemed slightly recessed, or less pronounced though. Mind you, at the time, I had also been listening to some high-end systems costing from about £10,000 to £60,000 or more (not in my budget I hasten to add).

I'm planning to get a proper demo of the Phantoms in the next few weeks.

One things is for sure. With the Phantoms, we're not talking Naim muso type territory. The Phantom is going to blow away many of the conventional amp/speaker combinations costing up to a few thousands of pounds. Some say that they'll best most set-ups up to around seven or eight thousand £££'s.

Two Phantoms (standard version), plus a Dialog will cost £3029, or £2705 if bought in the Eurozone. The Silver versions would be £3629, or £3146 in the Eurozone. The matching Branch stands cost £299 each.

The other thing to think about, is that these are a mk1 product and it's just the beginning for this technology. Even though some improvements to the current Phantom's sound may be provided by future software updates (tonal balance, DSP etc,), any future replacement or updated model (mk2) will very likely take their sound quality up a notch or two.

z

 

[gowiththeflow]

We've had identically worded hyperbole before with all the bru-ha-ha over A certain brand of active loudspeakers.....

Indeed, and there's lashings of hype in this case; but many of the very positive reports are coming from owners of some pretty serious high-end gear, who have bought the Phantoms as second or third systems. These are guys with loudspeakers in the B&W 802 Diamond, Martin Logan, Magico, Goldmund league.

Very few, if not any, are saying that a Phantom set-up would replace their main systems, but they report that it comes remarkably close.

z

 

[drummerman]

Just look at those little pieces of round egg shell vibrating ... it's like a chick is trying to hatch.

Happy weekend children x

 

[SteveR750]

Just look at those little pieces of round egg shell vibrating ... it's like a chick is trying to hatch.

Happy weekend children x

Just ready to jump down your throat and subsequently burst out of your stomach several hours later.

 

[Andrew17321]

I heard the Phantoms first about two months ago, and couldn't believe my ears; I .bought a pair of white Phantoms and a Dialog (just over £3,000) a month ago. My Arcam amp and Spendor floor-standers are relegated entirely for TV listening, and my second music system has just gone to my son. I am totally committed to the Phantoms for listening to music, mainly classical, chamber and piano music. In the last fortnight I have been to three live concerts, a quartet and two cello sonata concerts; the Phantoms give me the best approximation to live music that I have come across. (I confess that I have not listened to a system costing more than £50,000.)

At present I use the Phantoms natively with Qobuz (CD and HD quality music), via a TOSlink from a Sonos Connect to access ALAC files on my NAS and internet radio, and over bluetooth from my iPad.

Warning: In my opinion the controlling software is still at a fairly embroyonic stage with limited connectivity and it occasional needs resetting. Hopefully the Phantom system should by next year have the same facilities and ease of control as Sonos, together with its current HD capability and amazing sound quality.

My advice is don't buy a new music system without listening to Phantoms. I set out to spend about £4,000 updating my amplifier and came back with the Phantoms (and some money left in my pocket).