2 silver phantoms vs l'ensemble

[midi]

My formulation "like s spot" refers to the direct 1:1 comparison between both systems (both in stereo mode), so it´s a relative statement and a relative formulation.

[ZoMan]

Thank you all for your feedback. 

Tomorrow is the d-day . 

Exciting times 

[MountainGuy]

Midi,

Just occurred to me to ask you two questions: 

1. May i ask how close are your Atohm and Phantoms to the rear wall?  Say from the rear of the speakers to the rear wall. 

2. And may I ask the date you tested and returned the Phantoms?  

Thanks!

[midi]

Midi,

Just occurred to me to ask you two questions: 

1. May i ask how close are your Atohm and Phantoms to the rear wall?  Say from the rear of the speakers to the rear wall. 

about 30 cm

2. And may I ask the date you tested and returned the Phantoms?  

about 2 months/I have tested them for about 5 days (I have still one Phantom)

Thanks!

[midi]

One last comment:

My opinion is, you will not get ab better "all-in-one-system" for 6.990,00 €. So the marketing claim from Devialet for the Ensemble comes closer to the reality than the the marketing claim for the Phantoms...

[MountainGuy]

Ahh.....thanks Midi.

I have two comments about the Phantoms that may have raised it's quality compared to the Ensemble significantly. I could be wrong but it's my opinion based on my own experimentation.

1. Distance form rear wall. I feel that if you are at least 80cm from rear wall (I know, that's a LOT of distance), you will get a significantly more open, wide, and sound.

2. I agree with those who felt that the rmost recent Phantom upgrade improved the sound noticeably. This is in spite of what Devialet claims - I noticed it right away.

So it is possible if you had tested the pair after the more recent update, and if you could have pulled it further out from the wall, you may have had a better response that close the gap a bit. Probably not all the way.

I would love to hear the ensemble some day.

Thanks again midi for all your replies and observations.

[ZoMan]

From the audition I really loved the phantoms but worried that the bass would be too much for my small room (plus dialog, spark issues). Moreover, at medium to high volumes l'ensemble was not that far off on the low end while the mid range and highs were considerably better. I was convinced I would be happy with either.

D-day came, I literally tossed a coin and picked l'ensemble. Could not wait to get it home but only managed to set it up yesterday.

Listened to some music (CD and Tidal over Wifi). Initial impressions (Athoms will probably improve with time) excellent hifi BUT no fun factor --now I know what I was looking for --. I distinctly recall the shock, amazement and constant grin on my face when I heard the silver phantoms. The bass and the way the woofers moved was spellbinding. Now sitting here listening to the ensemble I thought... excellent hifi but that was it. 

Plus I have to get a good wifi streamer as the wifi streaming using Air has been disappointing at best as has been low volume listening.

Giving it some time but if I had to do this again I think would most definitely pick the phantoms (will probably end up buying them anyway)

[sleach]

Giving it some time but if I had to do this again I think would most definitely pick the phantoms (will probably end up buying them anyway)

What you're experiencing is totally normal. If it is any consolation, if you had bought the phantoms you'd likely be thinking about the subtlety and refinement of the ensemble you're missing!

Of course if you buy both then it is a win/win (apart from financially!)

But give it time, let the system settle in, work out how it plays in your room and what little tweaks of placement and listening position can do. You have a really top system there - enjoy it!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MountainGuy]

From the audition I really loved the phantoms but worried that the bass would be too much for my small room (plus dialog, spark issues). Moreover, at medium to high volumes l'ensemble was not that far off on the low end while the mid range and highs were considerably better. I was convinced I would be happy with either.

D-day came, I literally tossed a coin and picked l'ensemble. Could not wait to get it home but only managed to set it up yesterday.

Listened to some music (CD and Tidal over Wifi). Initial impressions (Athoms will probably improve with time) excellent hifi BUT no fun factor --now I know what I was looking for --. I distinctly recall the shock, amazement and constant grin on my face when I heard the silver phantoms. The bass and the way the woofers moved was spellbinding. Now sitting here listening to the ensemble I thought... excellent hifi but that was it. 

Plus I have to get a good wifi streamer as the wifi streaming using Air has been disappointing at best as has been low volume listening.

Giving it some time but if I had to do this again I think would most definitely pick the phantoms (will probably end up buying them anyway)

 I am a big believer in break in for speakers.  And placement.  Over time I believe it will improve - possibly substantially.
It could also be that the dealer's room is superior acoustically?

[midi]

From the audition I really loved the phantoms but worried that the bass would be too much for my small room (plus dialog, spark issues). Moreover, at medium to high volumes l'ensemble was not that far off on the low end while the mid range and highs were considerably better. I was convinced I would be happy with either.

D-day came, I literally tossed a coin and picked l'ensemble. Could not wait to get it home but only managed to set it up yesterday.

Listened to some music (CD and Tidal over Wifi). Initial impressions (Athoms will probably improve with time) excellent hifi BUT no fun factor --now I know what I was looking for --. I distinctly recall the shock, amazement and constant grin on my face when I heard the silver phantoms. The bass and the way the woofers moved was spellbinding. Now sitting here lis


Ok. If you want to look to the moving woofers, you´re decision was wrong

But most of the time you will not see a lot of movement. For me this nice effect was gone after 10 minutes. Since this minutes I´ve never watched this again. I prefer to use my ears