'Science' aside (I'm an engineer so forgive me - deal with the bugger all day and in no mood to take it home 
) I have a little practical experience after spending a few weekends at dealers and home comparing various setups this past month. In the process I heard the KEF Reference Blades, Reference 3, Reference 1 and their previous Reference 4.2 flagship with a variety of amps from Chord, Bryston and Devialet.
I agree with the OP wholeheartedly regarding the Devialet 120 + Reference 1. It's a fantastic sounding pairing BUT despite Devialet's claim of SAM taking the speaker down to 23Hz...that I'm not so sure...maybe on paper but it sure doesn't hit that bottom octave the way KEF’s bigger Reference speakers do.
I recently downsized from the KEF Reference 4.2 + Bryston 7B-ST monoblocks (800W) and whilst the 120 + Reference 1 is nice - with my old setup you could feel the bass in your chest - it literally shook the whole house and the sound carried all the way down to the road - the new setup...wellll...it's lovely and all and whilst it shakes the room, I don’t think the neighbors are likely to be complaining!
The Devialet 120 is plenty enough power for the Reference 1. It might stretch a little with the Reference 3 at higher volumes in which case to the OP - go for a 200 + Reference 3 and I'm pretty sure you'll be happy.
That said - if money’s not a problem - the Blade and KEF's previous Reference flagship do have the edge on the 3 (haven’t heard the 5). If you're crazy for bass and presence - and don’t get me wrong the Reference 3 isn’t far off but you’re gonna really need to stump up the big bucks and get at least a Reference 5 + Devialet 400.
As for why the Phantom is able to go so loud and deep with such a small enclosure. Physics plays its role. The Phantom enclosure is incredibly rigid and strong and can withstand 20x more pressure than a conventional speaker box. The pressure inside is apparently 174dB (equivalent to that of a rocket at launch - according to Devialet).
The drivers are made of far stiffer material than the paper and rubber woofers of most speakers and can withstand massive pressure. Furthermore their range of motion is far greater than a typical woofer so they can displace a greater amount of air.
It’s all in Devialet’s white paper on the Phantom:
http://en.devialet.com/assets/v2/White-P...tom-en.pdf
) I have a little practical experience after spending a few weekends at dealers and home comparing various setups this past month. In the process I heard the KEF Reference Blades, Reference 3, Reference 1 and their previous Reference 4.2 flagship with a variety of amps from Chord, Bryston and Devialet.I agree with the OP wholeheartedly regarding the Devialet 120 + Reference 1. It's a fantastic sounding pairing BUT despite Devialet's claim of SAM taking the speaker down to 23Hz...that I'm not so sure...maybe on paper but it sure doesn't hit that bottom octave the way KEF’s bigger Reference speakers do.
I recently downsized from the KEF Reference 4.2 + Bryston 7B-ST monoblocks (800W) and whilst the 120 + Reference 1 is nice - with my old setup you could feel the bass in your chest - it literally shook the whole house and the sound carried all the way down to the road - the new setup...wellll...it's lovely and all and whilst it shakes the room, I don’t think the neighbors are likely to be complaining!
The Devialet 120 is plenty enough power for the Reference 1. It might stretch a little with the Reference 3 at higher volumes in which case to the OP - go for a 200 + Reference 3 and I'm pretty sure you'll be happy.
That said - if money’s not a problem - the Blade and KEF's previous Reference flagship do have the edge on the 3 (haven’t heard the 5). If you're crazy for bass and presence - and don’t get me wrong the Reference 3 isn’t far off but you’re gonna really need to stump up the big bucks and get at least a Reference 5 + Devialet 400.
As for why the Phantom is able to go so loud and deep with such a small enclosure. Physics plays its role. The Phantom enclosure is incredibly rigid and strong and can withstand 20x more pressure than a conventional speaker box. The pressure inside is apparently 174dB (equivalent to that of a rocket at launch - according to Devialet).
The drivers are made of far stiffer material than the paper and rubber woofers of most speakers and can withstand massive pressure. Furthermore their range of motion is far greater than a typical woofer so they can displace a greater amount of air.
It’s all in Devialet’s white paper on the Phantom:
http://en.devialet.com/assets/v2/White-P...tom-en.pdf
