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Cabasse Pearl
#1
Just bought a pair of these having been a Gold Phantom advocate for years.
So far it seems to be no competition :

- repairable so no need to worry so much about extra warantee or insurance.

- amazing customer service - they sent me a CAD drawing of the base to get some brackets made (imagine Devialet doing that?), and have replied to loads of questions about room size and positioning etc in a really knowledgeable way - eg explaining the impact of positioning near to front wall like they really know what they’re talking about (bass reinforcement / early reflections muddying soundstage etc)

- less prone to damage 
- no side woofers meaning easier to place 
- 12 inch woofer seems at first glance to stomp all over the 2 small woofers that have to “force” the bass out with clever DSP, and I imagine these will stay low at louder volumes as less effort required
- in built bass correction scans the room and adjusts 
- 4 sound signatures to further adjust bass for quiet through to outdoor listening 

- and personally i prefer the completely spherical looks. Proper Star Wars! Smile

I’ve yet to position properly and pair them up to test sound quality properly, and stability over WiFi etc... but having 70 years making speakers, and a sister company that specialises in the software side I have very high hopes Smile

Will report back again ....
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#2
(28-May-2021, 08:11)Jamington2004 Wrote: - and personally i prefer the completely spherical looks. Proper Star Wars! Smile

You should try playing some Daft Punk.  It would be like having the singer in the room, quite literally, it would look like he is actually there.

I think they look great by the way, I hope you enjoy!
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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#3
You’ve heard them / have them?? Smile

Edit - aaaaah I get it. Because of his black helmet? Smile
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#4
(28-May-2021, 08:11)Jamington2004 Wrote: Just bought a pair of these having been a Gold Phantom advocate for years.
So far it seems to be no competition :

- repairable so no need to worry so much about extra warantee or insurance.

- amazing customer service - they sent me a CAD drawing of the base to get some brackets made (imagine Devialet doing that?), and have replied to loads of questions about room size and positioning etc in a really knowledgeable way - eg explaining the impact of positioning near to front wall like they really know what they’re talking about (bass reinforcement / early reflections muddying soundstage etc)

- less prone to damage 
- no side woofers meaning easier to place 
- 12 inch woofer seems at first glance to stomp all over the 2 small woofers that have to “force” the bass out with clever DSP, and I imagine these will stay low at louder volumes as less effort required
- in built bass correction scans the room and adjusts 
- 4 sound signatures to further adjust bass for quiet through to outdoor listening 

- and personally i prefer the completely spherical looks. Proper Star Wars! Smile

I’ve yet to position properly and pair them up to test sound quality properly, and stability over WiFi etc... but having 70 years making speakers, and a sister company that specialises in the software side I have very high hopes Smile

Will report back again ....
I have been a fan of Cabasse ever since enjoying a colleague's 4 way actives when I was working in France 30 years ago and these look fantastic, particularly the remote.
I looked at their web site and I think they get their unit conversions, or maybe their way of specifying driver diameter, wrong. The bass driver is quoted at 25cm/13" but 250mm is around 10" actually, and using the normal convention of the diameter being the PCD of the mounting holes the actual piston may be quite a bit less than a Phantom because the "inside out" suspension of the Phantom bass drivers gives them the same piston area as 2 8" drivers, so probably quite a bit more. Whatever I believe their specification!
I take the point about vulnerability but why would room position be effected by the bass driver position? Bass is omni-directional so whether from sides (Phantom) or rear (Pearl) the influence og the bass on the room will be the same at the same location, surely.
Also, to achieve the bass spec from the cabinet size it will also be using DSP and the amplifier power specified confirms this - I think this is a good and intelligent solution so have no criticism at all. I think Cabasse have been a pioneer in this.

I am very interested by your conclusion!
Devialet Original d'Atelier 44 Core, Job Pre/225, Goldmund PH2, Goldmund Reference/T3f /Ortofon A90, Goldmund Mimesis 36+ & Chord Blu, iMac/Air, Lynx Theta, Tune Audio Anima, Goldmund Epilog 1&2, REL Studio. Dialog, Silver Phantoms, Branch stands, copper cables (mainly).
Oxfordshire

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#5
Hi yes it does seem smaller when you look at it Smile

Side woofers I mean you don’t have to worry quite as much about the side wall being too close

Anyway I paired them up and have them roughly where they’ll go, and the bass seems heavier and deeper - but I don’t get the horrible boomy room mode I got with Phantoms (50hz and 75hz)

So I think there bass callibration tool must be doing something right. Although the balance is still a bit bassy for me - hopefully when they are on ceiling brackets the floor won’t reinforce the bass as much

EDIT - STILL GETTING A BIT OF BASS BLOOM INFACT - SO THE CALIBRATION ISNT SO CLEVER TO HIGHLIGHT / CUT OUT ROOM MODES I DONT THINK.

And anyway I won’t be able to directly compare to Phantoms so you can take it with a pinch of salt as audible memory doesn’t last 30 seconds let alone 6 months since I last heard them Wink
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#6
Pictures please!
Living room: Kii Three/BXT with Control.
Den: Tannoy Precision 8 iDP with TS112 iDP subwoofer.
In the cupboard, waiting for a sibling: 1st gen. Phantom Silver running DOS1
My Phantom Voyage
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#7
Was really worried they were going to be overpowering for my room initially - the walls were shaking even at sensible volumes.  But managed  to trick them into flattening the bass a bit more by doing the calibration with them hard in the corners! Then when I pull them out it’s still thinks they are there, but it further reduces the bass due to less reinforcement.

Much less boomy and more my cup of tea now - need to play around some more once I hang them from the ceiling either side of the telly, when the brackets are made in a few days. Bass driver should end up 30cm from the front wall.

Also discovered I can adjust the channel balance. Just gets better.

I am completely in love with them so far. The carbon fibre drivers are mesmerisingly beautiful - I don’t know why they don’t market them like that with the grills off. Mind you they look pretty cool like that too

Can’t remember which Star Wars drone they remind me of - but definitely from the dark side!! Smile


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#8
Finally installed properly. I’m not going to say if these sound better than the gold phantoms as it’s all personal, and too much time has passed in between. But they are definitely in the same league and I would strongly suggest anyone considering them to try these too! (And p.s I think they sound better Wink )

I do definitely feel the bass is more thunderous and having the ability to EQ to the room is a real bonus. And channel balance is essential for me too!

Plus on top of all the other benefits already mentioned - the app seems much more responsive and takes a split second to register when opening up so no need for the remote really.

So no looking back for me - too many pluses as an overall package vs the Phantoms for me

Only downside so far - stereo optical is playing up Smile Must be a tricky one to get right for anyone!!

Waiting to hear back from their support....

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picture share
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#9
Got the optical working now - didn’t realise you need a powered optical splitter for stereo. Works a dream Smile
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#10
(28-May-2021, 08:11)Jamington2004 Wrote: Just bought a pair of these having been a Gold Phantom advocate for years.
So far it seems to be no competition :

- repairable so no need to worry so much about extra warantee or insurance.

- amazing customer service - they sent me a CAD drawing of the base to get some brackets made (imagine Devialet doing that?), and have replied to loads of questions about room size and positioning etc in a really knowledgeable way - eg explaining the impact of positioning near to front wall like they really know what they’re talking about (bass reinforcement / early reflections muddying soundstage etc)

- less prone to damage 
- no side woofers meaning easier to place 
- 12 inch woofer seems at first glance to stomp all over the 2 small woofers that have to “force” the bass out with clever DSP, and I imagine these will stay low at louder volumes as less effort required
- in built bass correction scans the room and adjusts 
- 4 sound signatures to further adjust bass for quiet through to outdoor listening 

- and personally i prefer the completely spherical looks. Proper Star Wars! Smile

I’ve yet to position properly and pair them up to test sound quality properly, and stability over WiFi etc... but having 70 years making speakers, and a sister company that specialises in the software side I have very high hopes Smile

Will report back again ....

I went to a dealer and listened to both The Pearl and Devialet Phantom 1 (103 db) next to each other. We found out the Pearl was a bit more easy listening compared to the phantoms. The salesman warned us because of its hefty bass and the position we will be going to place the speakers.  He made clear the Phantom was the better way to go because of its more staccato way of pushing the sound. The Pearls would be rumbling around because of the way the lower part of the sounds are projected. The phantoms use a different technique and the salesman point out the Pearls use a more traditional way. 

There aren't a lot of comparison reviews between the Phantom and the Pearl and so I am glad I found somewhat of unprejudiced info in a corner of the www. We seemed to have made a choice in the Phantoms but after reading your review and seeing the pictures of your place made me think: hmmmmmm maybe rethink the story. I will not be putting them on the wall and they will be put on stands. I don't like the huge stands Cabasse can provide and I want them to be placed lower. Is there a large difference between the two set ups you now know (placed high vs placed low)?

Greetz

Alex
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