[Norman Tracy]

Waiting to hear impressions of anyone who attends. From others who've heard the Phantom at demonstrations, the summation seems to be that it sounds impactful and impressive, but they aren't sure it will play with the detail and subtlety that expensive separates will. If any of you can get any sense of this, I'd like to hear it.

Maybe just a little bit of feeding your surrogate listeners the answer you want?

[gregfisk]

If you are close to Seattle, head over to Definitive Audio for their special 40th Anniversary Celebration this Thursday from 5-9pm and hear the Phantoms. Stereophile and many other company reps will be there also. Check this one out.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/music-matters-10-seattle-thursday

Tom,

Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I just RSVP'd and will definitely spend some time with theses speakers.

I'm also finishing up my Super V's tonight and will have them up and running prior to the event so that will be fun as well.

Thanks again,

Greg

[gregfisk]

[/img][/img][/img][/img][/img][/img][/img][/img]

Waiting to hear impressions of anyone who attends. From others who've heard the Phantom at demonstrations, the summation seems to be that it sounds impactful and impressive, but they aren't sure it will play with the detail and subtlety that expensive separates will. If any of you can get any sense of this, I'd like to hear it.

I attended the Music Matters event last night and had a great time, went with a long time friend and neighbor that worked for Magnolia Hi Fi for 15 years well before they were bought out my Best Buy. Pretty much everyone who works for Definitive these days came from the old Magnolia.

Anyway, We did sit for the 30 minute demo. of the Devialet Phantoms. The founder  Manuel de La Fuente gave the presentation along with John Atkinson. The room is smallish at about 12'x14' and they packed us in our seats like sardines in a can.

First of all the speakers are a modern marvel, no question about that. While they are wireless you can also hardwire them which is how they were set up, Manuel claimed the sound would be the same either way.
The bass is very impactful and seemed pretty fast to my ears, they played very loudly without breaking up in the small room with good impact and separation. Also, plenty of detail with a good soundstage and all around a darn good speaker.

The one thing I noticed was they seemed like the music was forced out of them or maybe controlled, kind of hard to explain. I guess another way to put it is the music didn't flow out of them naturally or delicately if that makes since. I didn't hear long decay times or anything lingering I guess. I did liked them and considering all you need is the speakers, WiFi and a iPad they are a darn good deal at $2500.00ea. If it's of any importance the owner of Definitive told me he was buying a pair for his cabin and one of the sales management team who was a close friend to Hugh who I was with also said he was getting a pair. The owner Mark imagined people buying these speakers rather than walking out with an arm full of Sonos components which made since to me.

We also visited the Audio Research/Wilson room, they were demoing the new Sabrina 3 ways which are small for a Wilson speaker but can really punch way above their size. I have not been a fan of Wilson in the past especially for the money but was impressed with these. Again the room was small and they only had the speakers about 16" off the front wall. The room had huge 4" thick absorbers at first reflection points, carpet and dropped lid. The bass was very tight and fast and I found them to be smooth from top to bottom. The Wilson/AR system sounded much better than the Devialet Phantoms but for 15k for the speakers and $50k for the whole system it should have.

Thank You Tom for letting me know this was happening, my friend Hugh Gerrard also thanks you as this was a bit of a reunion for him, he must have known and worked with at least 12 of the people that were there last night, we had a lot of fun!

[img]

Greg

[Bemopti123]

That comment about the music having a feeling of being "forced out" sounds like a byproduct of the DSP correction as well as the amplifiers having to deal with the inefficient drivers.  In HT situation and casual listening, it might be a minor quibble BUT for critical listening, it may be a deal breaker.....Meaning for anyone used to a decent pair of speakers and excellent sources, it will fall below what is acceptable.  Nice first impression.  I think Devialet will sell a whole bunch of them.  I wish that their release will be successful as it will only bring the price point for this technology down for many of us. 

[gregfisk]

That comment about the music having a feeling of being "forced out" sounds like a byproduct of the DSP correction as well as the amplifiers having to deal with the inefficient drivers.  In HT situation and casual listening, it might be a minor quibble BUT for critical listening, it may be a deal breaker.....Meaning for anyone used to a decent pair of speakers and excellent sources, it will fall below what is acceptable.  Nice first impression.  I think Devialet will sell a whole bunch of them.  I wish that their release will be successful as it will only bring the price point for this technology down for many of us.

I think they said the drivers had something like 33kg of pressure so they would need a lot of power to get them moving and that's kind of what it sounded like to me.

Greg

[Russell Dawkins]

The mid range driver is key in a three way system and I have seen only one reference to that in the Phantom. I had presumed that the mid driver was a ring radiator of some sort around the tweeter, but behind the grill. I did see one illustration though where it appeared the arrow pointing to the mid driver went to what looks like a hard plastic ring about 5" diameter and about 1" wide surrounding the grill but flush with the outside surface, and looking superficially like an extension of the cabinet surface. If that's true, I'm not surprised that it at least sounds unusual.

I just re-visited a review site linked to earlier in this thread, I think, and there are some significant new comments added from people who have heard this speaker, starting around Feb 19:
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2015/01/the-devialet-phantom-is-a-new-frontier-best-of-ces-2015/

[firedog]

I don't think any "impressions" posted so far are worth too much. No one has had an extended listening session, and no in their familiar home environment.

I've also seen a few comments on the web from audiophiles owning multi $10K setups who said they thought the Phantom sounded better than what they own. Like the negative comments, I think those should be read as nothing more than an interesting bit of data. Apparently it will be late spring or summer before we start to hear reviews of the system or can actually audition one ourselves. That's what really counts.

The mid range driver is key in a three way system and I have seen only one reference to that in the Phantom. I had presumed that the mid driver was a ring radiator of some sort around the tweeter, but behind the grill. I did see one illustration though where it appeared the arrow pointing to the mid driver went to what looks like a hard plastic ring about 5" diameter and about 1" wide surrounding the grill but flush with the outside surface, and looking superficially like an extension of the cabinet surface. If that's true, I'm not surprised that it at least sounds unusual.

I just re-visited a review site linked to earlier in this thread, I think, and there are some significant new comments added from people who have heard this speaker, starting around Feb 19:
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2015/01/the-devialet-phantom-is-a-new-frontier-best-of-ces-2015/

[jonbee]

New "hype" article in Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/viviennedecker/2015/06/18/bernard-arnaults-passion-project-revolutionizing-home-audio/
Still waiting for some critical listening appraisals done in home environments.
I'm guessing this will end up being a high end "lifestyle" system, a la B&O, but who knows?

[Russell Dawkins]

New "review" from one of the worst 'audiophile' online magazines, in my view - "Mono and Stereo".

http://tinyurl.com/p4sor2j

[Speedskater]

Well "Mono and Stereo" does have some very good photos.  Most of the pages don't qualify as reviews. More like information sheets.

[Ultralight]

Marking.

[Russell Dawkins]

Well "Mono and Stereo" does have some very good photos.  Most of the pages don't qualify as reviews. More like information sheets.

I have yet to see a credible review from that magazine—just naive blather, if any text at all; it's mostly photos without caption. The focus seems to be on equipment designed to impress, visually—absolutely massive turntables, power cords as thick as your wrist and piano finish speakers— all de rigueur.

edited Jul 20. Reason: I decided it was not nice to provide graphic evidence of the Mono and Stereo main man's appalling taste in shoes, even if it is evidence of the quality of judgement applied to the stereo equipment under scrutiny in the rest of the magazine.

[Speedskater]

I should have written:
Manufactures marketing sheets.

[Atlplasma]

Here is a fairly detailed review from Wired Magazine: http://www.wired.com/2015/06/review-devialet-phantom-2/

[macrojack]

I'm very interested. The price isn't high at all. For less than $4500 you get stereo speakers, amps, DAC, bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc. and you don't need interconnects or speaker cables. All very neat and compact. Even if these don't outperform $50,000 worth of separates and speakers, they still certainly represent an unprecedented bargain.
If one of you guys buy my horns, I'm in.

[JLM]

I'm very interested. The price isn't high at all. For less than $4500 you get stereo speakers, amps, DAC, bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc. and you don't need interconnects or speaker cables. All very neat and compact. Even if these don't outperform $50,000 worth of separates and speakers, they still certainly represent an unprecedented bargain.
If one of you guys buy my horns, I'm in.

Found a worthwhile review at Slashgear.com with lots of images.  Most intriguing, lots of features to like (active, coaxial, opposing woofers, etc.) but my concerns are:

1.) How well the electronics hold up to those incredible sound pressures inside the cabinet and microphonic feedback issues.

2.) Ideal room position for generating bass is not the same as for mids/highs and how would it accommodate additional subs (swarm)?

3.) The built-in DAC becoming obsolete long before the rest of the speaker.

[rajacat]

Many of the reviews over on Computer Audiophile aren't particularly positive. They're impressed with the bass coming from such small boxes but the musicality and scale don't impress. BOSE on steroids.

[Russell Dawkins]

Found a worthwhile review at Slashgear.com with lots of images.  Most intriguing, lots of features to like (active, coaxial, opposing woofers, etc.) but my concerns are:

1.) How well the electronics hold up to those incredible sound pressures inside the cabinet and microphonic feedback issues.

2.) Ideal room position for generating bass is not the same as for mids/highs and how would it accommodate additional subs (swarm)?

3.) The built-in DAC becoming obsolete long before the rest of the speaker.

Frankly, I don't think they are aimed at those who would be interested in the Swarm. Moreover, they are probably one of the few speakers in the world for which the Swarm would not be appropriate. I'm thinking the main weakness in the design might be the relatively small size of the midrange driver, given the frequency down to which it must perform due to the limited HF extension of the bass drivers in the interest of making them strong enough to withstand the forces to which they are subject.

I think they are a bit of a novelty and talking point for the potential owners, and might well be a practical solution for many who can easily afford them. They are not unattractive, are small, provide better bass than most people have ever had in their homes— or even heard, if they are flat to 18Hz and don't need a lot of wiring. These are strong considerations for all but the most ardent audiophiles, but I don't think Devialet is expecting purists to be a significant part of their intended market.

[Russell Dawkins]

Here is a fairly detailed review from Wired Magazine: http://www.wired.com/2015/06/review-devialet-phantom-2/

I passed this link on to a friend who is mesmerized by the Phantom but who, like me, would probably never buy a pair—not to say that they are not significant harbingers of design trends to come. This was his response:

"That is the same author who wrote this review
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/mrice-e300/

I ordered a pair of them and they are pure garbage. The treble is so boosted that it literally gave me tinnitus for two days after listening for 5 minutes to a CD played at speaking volume. The bass is very weak and muddy. I tested them out along with my granddaughter, age 15, who has very good hearing and is a music fan. We both agreed that a pair of Apple buds were remarkably better. I then got out the ones I regularly use, a pair of JVC HAB75. http://www.amazon.es/JVC-HA-EB75-A-E-Auriculares-clip-azul/dp/B003CQFVFI?  Apparently not available in US.
We were both startled at the clarity of these when compared with the other two. Apparently Mr Chun knows not of what he speaks or he is a shill."

[jonbee]

I finally got a chance to hear it today. I say "it" because according to the dealer, Atlas Audio/video in Victoria, BC, there are only 7 prototypes "on tour" in North America. They will not be released into production until 9/7, so they had only one prototype to show for a couple of weeks before sending it on.
The showroom was quite a large space, maybe 30x30x20, and with only one speaker it is hard to generalize this into a normal room.
With that said, I must say it sounded at least very promising. The mids and highs are smooth, detailed, open and uncolored, with very good depth and layering. There was little obfuscation.
Needless to say Devialet put most of the $ into the bass range, getting quite deep and powerful bass in a very small package. Even at fairly modest volume the radiators on the sides moved very visibly from 10 feet away. I only could hear it for 15 minutes, but my wife and I were favorably impressed. This is not just a Bose or B&O lifestyle product on steroids, but a legitimate attempt at quality sound.
I came away thinking that with the copious bass output from one speaker in such a large room that two could easily overload a moderate sized space, but that's for checking out.
I also felt that while the bass was deep, pretty flat, well defined and powerful, it sounded like it was working hard at moderate volumes.
Anyway, my wife and I liked it quite well after a short demo. It's frustrating that by sending single units around for demoing makes pre-ordering these, which it what Devialet is doing, is a bit more risky than with more conventional designs.
I'm sure more reviews will be forthcoming, but I found it to be better than I expected, and an interesting piece of work.