Advice for Home Theatre with Phantom Gold+NAS+Plex

[mlondon]

Currently using an Apple AirportExpress to stream music from iTunes to a pair of original Phantom Golds via a Dialogue 
(No, I have not updated the firmware on the speakers yet, but will do so when I move). 

I'm about to move into a new home and want to (finally) set up the speakers to be able to play movies in sync.
What is the best way to ensure sound is in sync? Optical In? Ethernet In?

I plan to store my movies on a NAS, and view on the TV using the PlexApp on a 4K AppleTV.
Ideally, I'd like to stream the movies via WiFi.  But QNAP also makes a silent NAS with HDMI out that can be directly connected to the TV.
Is the direct HDMI connection that much better than a stable WiFi connection to the Apple TV?

How would I send the audio to the Phantom's in this kind of situation?

Ideally, I'd like to have the capability of playing back in 3.1 (or eventually 5.1)
I'm assuming that the Reactors are a good solution for the rear and voice. Is there a big difference between the 600w and 900W for this setup?

I'm assuming I need to purchase some kind of equipment, both to get the sound in sync, and to split it for 3.1/5.1 but not sure what I need.
I also need to preserve my ability to play to the speakers from the Mac/phone with Airplay.
Don't mind to invest in the right tool to get the job done, especially if it can be done wirelessly.

Grateful for suggestions.

[Snoopy8]

The only way to use the Phantoms with movies is to incorporate Dante technology. See this long thread
https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Phantom-...-and-Dante

@njaiswal is the guru here.

Dante allows you to overcome the issue of latency. Sorry, it is all wired. And mixing the Phantom Golds with Reactors creates its own set of problems because the Reactors have different latency.

[jespinal1]

The only way to use the Phantoms with movies is to incorporate Dante technology. See this long thread
https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Phantom-...-and-Dante

@njaiswal is the guru here.

Dante allows you to overcome the issue of latency.  Sorry, it is all wired.  And mixing the Phantom Golds with Reactors creates its own set of problems because the Reactors have different latency.

This isn't necessarily true. I run a pair of Phantom Silvers in Stereo sync mode with optical in from my TV and I turned down the AV sync latency via the Devialet app to 60ms. There is no perceptible latency when using any of my sources (Kaleidescape, Apple TV, gaming Computer and PS4)

All sources are wired directly to my LG OLED via HDMI and the Optical output is turned on and run into one of the Phantoms. 

What I do miss is volume control from my anthem pre-amp and room correction cause the bass out of the box is pretty intense.

[njaiswal]

The only way to use the Phantoms with movies is to incorporate Dante technology. See this long thread
https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Phantom-...-and-Dante

@njaiswal is the guru here.

Dante allows you to overcome the issue of latency.  Sorry, it is all wired.  And mixing the Phantom Golds with Reactors creates its own set of problems because the Reactors have different latency.

Thanks Snoopy!  My contractor had a professional photos taken of the house after the renovation.  Here's a pic of the family room with Phantom Golds for L/C/R and Phantom Reactor 900 for SR/SL channels.  And I'm also attaching a print out of my Dante configuration from Symetrix Controller.

Let me know if you have any questions

[mlondon]

Thanks @Snoopy8, @njaiswal & @jespinal1

I see this is not going to be straightforward :-)....

I read about SensoriumAVR integrator, but I live in California (about 1 hour north of San Francisco), not New York, so that is not an option.

I also read thru the thread: https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Phantom-...-and-Dante
But there seems to be some disagreement regarding whether the Phantom Golds and Reactors can co-exisit in one system or not.
Does it depend on the age of my Golds?

I dont mind investing in extra equipment, and even paying someone to configure for me, but dont really have time to kludge together a system and then spend time sorting out the bugs. Is trying to get a working 5.1 system too ambitious?

[njaiswal]

Thanks @Snoopy8, @njaiswal & @jespinal1

I see this is not going to be straightforward :-)....

I read about SensoriumAVR integrator, but I live in California (about 1 hour north of San Francisco), not New York, so that is not an option.

I also read thru the thread: https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Phantom-...-and-Dante
But there seems to be some disagreement regarding whether the Phantom Golds and Reactors can co-exisit in one system or not.
Does it depend on the age of my Golds?

I dont mind investing in extra equipment, and even paying someone to configure for me, but dont really have time to kludge together a system and then spend time sorting out the bugs. Is trying to get a working 5.1 system too ambitious?

So Devialet has system integrators all over the country.  You need to call them and ask them to refer you to one that is near you.  Tell them you want to setup a custom home theater using Dante... let me know if that doesn't work and I'll ask my contact if he has a counterpart on the west coast.  The diagram I posted includes 2 home theaters as well as Phantoms for the rest of the house; that's why its so complex.

I have integrated reactors and premieres into a "5.5" system but it did take some work and I needed to add delays to the premieres to have them in sync with the reactors.  According to Devialet, I'm one of the first customers (maybe the first?) to mix reactors and premiers into a home theater... hence the challenges I ran into...

I spent a good amount of time and money to get my system up and running and I think its completely worth it.  My wife loves that I have removed a significant amount of equipment from the house.  And with Dante, I was able to give her and the kids the same experience as they had with the older "5.1" system.  Win/win!