Has anyone heard the phantom yet?

[nonsns3]

Please provide your initial impressions of the sound.

[sleach]

Please provide your initial impressions of the sound.

I only have one and I'm playing through wifi without Dialog so the effect is probably a bit limited. I've had it for maybe a day now so this is just preliminary observations.

As the early impressions from others suggest, the speaker sounds very big. I find myself looking at it with surprise because to me the appearance hints at a different sound than I hear. The design leans a towards the 'lifestyle' so I find myself primed to hear that compressed sound with the artificial mid-bass hump that one gets from "lifestyle" audio products. However what I hear - even from a single speaker - is clear, airy sounds with space and separation so I can hear the elements of the music properly. The response seems to be fairly flat and goes very low - no artificial emphasis, but very solid response.

The most impressive thing to me is the dynamic range. It goes very loud without any hint of distortion and the bass is both deep and fast. However it stays balanced at low volumes too.

Because there is proper bass, some consideration needs to be given to placement. You will get room resonances and nodes, and all that stuff. I initially plonked it on a cupboard, and the whole structure started to resonate. The opposing woofers mean that the machine is not vibrating much, but it is producing a fair bit of energy anyway. So getting a proper stand or the branch would be a good idea.

[McChicken]

Thanks nonsns3 for a "I actually own one" review.
I've been hessitant to buy phantoms as I today have a Multi-room Sonos system ( not Sonos plastic speakers) that can not only play from my NAS but also Wimp / Spotify / Deezer and more.
I don't want to move away from the Sonos App as I listen 95% to streaming music ( Wimp/Spotify/deezer / Soundcloud) (Qobuz not available here in Sweden).
Called Devialet Support and asked if it was possible to connect the Phantoms via the Toslink connectors, even though the Phantom manual says Toslink digital OUT only...the guy on support said that it may be possible if set-up was made in Spark...he was going to get back tomorrow....and now tomorrow is 3 days ago.

[alandbush]

Thanks nonsns3 for a "I actually own one" review.
I've been hessitant to buy phantoms as I today have a Multi-room Sonos system ( not Sonos plastic speakers) that can not only play from my NAS but also Wimp / Spotify / Deezer and more.
I don't want to move away from the Sonos App as I listen 95% to streaming music ( Wimp/Spotify/deezer / Soundcloud) (Qobuz not available here in Sweden).
Called Devialet Support and asked if it was possible to connect the Phantoms via the Toslink connectors, even though the Phantom manual says Toslink digital OUT only...the guy on support said that it may be possible if set-up was made in Spark...he was going to get back tomorrow....and now tomorrow is 3 days ago.

Well, I never!  The manual does indeed specify the Toslink as output.

However, despite the surprising lack of knowledge from Devialet support, it is safe to assume that it really is an input, especially reading the appropriate section in the manual as well as watching the videos.  Undoubtedly, the Spark app will be required to select the appropriate input.

[alandbush]

Please provide your initial impressions of the sound.

I only have one and I'm playing through wifi without Dialog so the effect is probably a bit limited. I've had it for maybe a day now so this is just preliminary observations.

As the early impressions from others suggest, the speaker sounds very big. I find myself looking at it with surprise because to me the appearance hints at a different sound than I hear. The design leans a towards the 'lifestyle' so I find myself primed to hear that compressed sound with the artificial mid-bass hump that one gets from "lifestyle" audio products. However what I hear - even from a single speaker  - is clear, airy sounds with space and separation so I can hear the elements of the music properly. The response seems to be fairly flat and goes very low - no artificial emphasis, but very solid response.

The most impressive thing to me is the dynamic range. It goes very loud without any hint of distortion and the bass is both deep and fast. However it stays balanced at low volumes too.

Because there is proper bass, some consideration needs to be given to placement. You will get room resonances and nodes, and all that stuff. I initially plonked it on a cupboard, and the whole structure started to resonate. The opposing woofers mean that the machine is not vibrating much, but it is producing a fair bit of energy anyway. So getting a proper stand or the branch would be a good idea.

Thanks very much for providing your first impressions.  It's really encouraging to know that real people are now getting the chance to hear the items in familiar surroundings.

Btw - did you pre-order or purchase from a shop?

[davidadamson]

You all may want to read this review also:
http://bobbyowsinski.blogspot.fr/2015/02...m.html?m=1

[alandbush]

You all may want to read this review also:
http://bobbyowsinski.blogspot.fr/2015/02...m.html?m=1

Good spot.  Thanks.

A very encouraging description.
True, it appears to have been in unfamiliar setting but with personal mixes.
I got the impression that the Phantoms could be excellent studio monitors.

[sleach]

Please provide your initial impressions of the sound.

I only have one and I'm playing through wifi without Dialog so the effect is probably a bit limited. I've had it for maybe a day now so this is just preliminary observations.

As the early impressions from others suggest, the speaker sounds very big. I find myself looking at it with surprise because to me the appearance hints at a different sound than I hear. The design leans a towards the 'lifestyle' so I find myself primed to hear that compressed sound with the artificial mid-bass hump that one gets from "lifestyle" audio products. However what I hear - even from a single speaker  - is clear, airy sounds with space and separation so I can hear the elements of the music properly. The response seems to be fairly flat and goes very low - no artificial emphasis, but very solid response.

The most impressive thing to me is the dynamic range. It goes very loud without any hint of distortion and the bass is both deep and fast. However it stays balanced at low volumes too.

Because there is proper bass, some consideration needs to be given to placement. You will get room resonances and nodes, and all that stuff. I initially plonked it on a cupboard, and the whole structure started to resonate. The opposing woofers mean that the machine is not vibrating much, but it is producing a fair bit of energy anyway. So getting a proper stand or the branch would be a good idea.

Thanks very much for providing your first impressions.  It's really encouraging to know that real people are now getting the chance to hear the items in familiar surroundings.

Btw - did you pre-order or purchase from a shop?

I ordered it from the Colette e-shop last Sunday. I am in Australia and it arrived on Friday.

Incidentally, I had some guests over for dinner last night and had some fun surprising them with the massive sound from this tiny machine!

[davidadamson]

Wow, what a great idea, I just ordered 2 silvers and the Dialog, I assume the packing was first rate?

[f1eng]

I have written to Devialet wanting to know wtf is going on.
Good idea to order from Colette but how typically incompetent of Devialet's marketing to make sure people who made early orders direct from the Devialet store are dealt with shoddily.

I suppose I should not be surprised.