Gold Phantom review - Steve Huff

[ogs]

It would be very interesting if someone would do some blind level matched ABX tests with a wide audience of the different iterations (white, silver, gold) and see if anyone could reliably tell the difference. My money would be on no.

I do not think this is correct. First of all ABX is flawed. Especially comparing loudspeakers. How would you compensate for the obvious problem of placing three pairs of speakers in the same room? Then the amplitude response of Golds is different. You'd hear it immediately. White and Silver is similar so at a normal listening level they might sound about the same, but I believe there is an audible difference there too.

I disagree. An ABX could be arranged. By stacking the phantoms on on top of each other the delta in placement would be no more than the delta between drivers of a regular speaker. So unless you are able to distinguish by ear the angular difference between two drivers of a speaker which is very unlikely I think the room can be made out of the equation. 

Concerning your second point about the difference of amplitude, this is exactly the kind of difference that you would be expected to be able to pick reliably in an ABX test provided of course that they are level matched, otherwise this is not proper ABX test.

Jean-Marie

With a large room and fair distance from listening spot to speakers this would work, I agree. Better with Phantoms as they are very small. You'd have to make sure the 'floor bounce' was well tamed as the three speakers would not have the same distance to the floor. Phantoms are not easily stackable though...