Connecting Gold Phantom to an amp and/or sub

[bogdan.filipovici]

Hey guys,

Since we all know that the gold phantom has just 1 input slot, is there a way to connect the phantom through the optic cable to an amplifier? And if so, can you please suggest a brand and a model of an amplifier that would support both the connections of the gold phantom and a subwoofer. 

Sorry if my question is dumb, but i am not specialised in this area and Devialet Support could not give me a definite answer (as in, they said "we do not know").

Thanks!

[JDtheJD]

My apologies, but what I am unsure what your intended end state is. Are you looking to use the phantoms as a sound source to stream music/sound? I have never thought to try this but suspect it would not work, at least not directly, because optical ports are typically either “in or out” and not “in and out.” Regardless, you have piqued my curiosity.

[bogdan.filipovici]

My apologies, but what I am unsure what your intended end state is.  Are you looking to use the phantoms as a sound source to stream music/sound?  I have never thought to try this but suspect it would not work, at least not directly, because optical ports are typically either “in or out” and not “in and out.”  Regardless, you have piqued my curiosity.

I am, yes. But since phantoms do not have a subwoofer, i cannot really pop them at max volume due to the fact that I have neighbours. I was thinking of connecting an amp to my pc/laptop (or any other device) and then connect the phantom and a subwoofer to the amp. Theoretically they should work, since the amplifier is sending the sound to the phantom/subwoofer. I can also adjust the delay inside the Devialet app so the phantom and the subwoofer are synced. 

Basically I want to run phantoms at medium volume but also have the bass from the subwoofer. I don't want to buy an amp/sub without knowing that this setup would literally work. 

Thank you for the response!

[ragwo]

How about using an equalizer to boost the lower frequencies of the Phantom? I would believe that's a better sounding and cheaper solution than adding an amplifier and subwoofer. A MiniDSP of some sort should do the trick.

[ogs]

Hey guys,

Since we all know that the gold phantom has just 1 input slot, is there a way to connect the phantom through the optic cable to an amplifier? And if so, can you please suggest a brand and a model of an amplifier that would support both the connections of the gold phantom and a subwoofer. 

Sorry if my question is dumb, but i am not specialised in this area and Devialet Support could not give me a definite answer (as in, they said "we do not know").

Thanks!

I would think that using a subwoofer with a pair of Phantoms is the last thing I would think of. One of the strong points of Phantoms, if not the strongest, is it's bass capabilities. Have you listened to a pair?

If you still think you need a subwoofer after using Phantoms for a while it is certainly possible. @ragwo 's suggestion is good. A MiniDSP SHD has all you need to get this working. Remember that Phantoms are active speakers so you'd be looking for an active subwoofer (which most subwoofers are anyway).

[JDtheJD]

Ragwo’s suggestion makes sense. Also, I am thinking you could possibly accomplish your end state, essentially a splitter/crossover setup, using software such as Roon, Tidal (on the computer), or Audirvana but note, these do not rely on the Phantoms as a streamer/source, and likely would not be universal in application. For example, Roon might provide your desired end state for streamed music, but not music played via Bluetooth or the movie you want to watch.

Ogs message posted while I crafting mine but I concur with his message as well.

[bogdan.filipovici]

Hey guys,

Since we all know that the gold phantom has just 1 input slot, is there a way to connect the phantom through the optic cable to an amplifier? And if so, can you please suggest a brand and a model of an amplifier that would support both the connections of the gold phantom and a subwoofer. 

Sorry if my question is dumb, but i am not specialised in this area and Devialet Support could not give me a definite answer (as in, they said "we do not know").

Thanks!

I would think that using a subwoofer with a pair of Phantoms is the last thing I would think of. One of the strong points of Phantoms, if not the strongest, is it's bass capabilities. Have you listened to a pair?

If you still think you need a subwoofer after using Phantoms for a while it is certainly possible. @ragwo 's suggestion is good. A MiniDSP SHD has all you need to get this working. Remember that Phantoms are active speakers so you'd be looking for an active subwoofer (which most subwoofers are anyway).

I have one gold phantom , but the bass is way too strong. The whole apartament is literally shaking if i use it at more than 35-40% volume. Thats why i was looking for a bass alternative. Thank you all for the suggestions!

[ogs]

If bass is too strong the placement of the speaker in the room is probably part of the problem. If you cannot move the speaker due to furnishing your only option is using an equaliser based on measurements. Again a MiniDSP SHD would help you here. REW (Room Eq Wizard) with a UMIK-1 is good for measurements. I believe REW can export EQ directly to a MiniDSP unit.
Adding a subwoofer would most likely complicate more than solve things.

[ragwo]

Roon and a Raspberry Pi with a HAT is also a good solution.

[ogs]

Roon and a Raspberry Pi with a HAT is also a good solution.

Absolutely! Especially if the OP is already using Roon. Roon's parametric equaliser is very good. REW does not have direct integration with Roon, but it's easy enough to copy EQ values manually.