Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Happy so far....
#1
Hi,

finally I received my two Phantom I dark chrome 108db this week. I have them on the original treepods, setup as stereo pair and so far I am happy. Sound convinced me and (more important) my wife.
I had Raumfeld (Teufel) Stereo L speakers before the Phantoms and can say that the upgrade is significant. The real quality can be heard, when I listen to Jazz or similar music with individual instruments like guitar, violin, bass etc. One can hear the instruments in a never seen way. So, I think I read all (nearly :-)) articles/reviews on the Phantoms and I watched every (nearly) Youtube video available. My feedback and some questions (maybe people are interested or can answer my questions):

1. Setup: Flawless, no problem at all! Software (new Devialet App) and integration in iPhone via Airplay works without any problem. The new remote works perfect. Hitting the Devialet letters in the remote puts them in offline/off mode. I switch them on with the button on the back. They take a couple of seconds to come online (around 10-15 seconds) and show up immediately on the iPhone. The app is recognizing correctly if only one Phantom is on and shows this in the app. No connectivity issues at all (they are integrated in my WLAN).

2. Sound: Clarity, bass and overall balance is excellent, BUT it depends on the the song. E.g. Diana Krall sounds AWESOME, some other songs sound a little bit compressed (but I cannot say, if its the result of the original recording). The bass is very deep, but not as intense as I thought (maybe because of the hype I was expecting to fall out of my shoes). I owned a Teufel M10000 subwoofer once and maybe I am expecting to much. However the bass is precise and WAY better than with the Teufel boxes. Also amazing: the sound on low volumes is VERY precise and excellent. I tried with a radio station just playing during a normal dinner and there was a BIG difference to my previous setup. We had the Raumfeld and the Phantom setup at the same time and compared songs while switching the destination in Tidal. First my wife was not convinced, because of the clarity/precision of the Phantoms. But soon she recognized the details, precision, and the overall picture the Phantom painted and changed quickly her mind :-)

3. Soundfield/Stage: After the YouTube video from Fidelity Hamburg comparing the Phantom to the Cabasse Pearl I was suspicious, if the Phantoms deliver a nice stage. I can say, despite the fact, that they are positioned very low on the floor (about between 35 and 55 cm obviously), the soundfield/stage is good. I had some songs, where I could identify the person singing positioned near one of the speakers, but I am in this moment listing to Olivia Rodrigo and she is standing just in the middle and (astonishing) not near the floor, but in the middle of the room. However, I want to see if the soundfield/stage changes if I position the Phantoms a little bit higher (Devialet support told me that the Phantoms on the treepods are just fine, but I will try anyway).

4. Source: Despite the fact, that I learned all about sound formats when I was using my previous setup, like what is MQA, up to know I mainly used Airplay for the Phantoms. And it worked! I use TIDAL and was wondering: The Tidal app shows, that the song is played at MASTER quality via airplay. I found that strange. I thought airplay does not support this high resolution ?
I also read on the Devialet website, that you could use an app called MConnectHD. I downloaded that one and played around a little bit. The Phantoms appeared as UPnP device. I could select TIDAL as service and streaming worked from the MConnectHD app. Can someone explain the technology behind this. Does MConnectHD serve a song via UPnP (instead of Airplay) over WiFi to the Phantoms ? and if yes, is this a higher quality than streaming via airplay ? However, I got a ERROR during playback with MConnectHD, since than the Phantoms do not show up as UPnP device anymore. Will check this with Audirvarna and my MacBook later.

5. Open things on my list: I have a Bluesound Node 2i which can access Tidal MQA and output this via optical. I have to connect the Bluesound to the Phantoms and will check, if the sound is better than the original way. I am not sure, how the MQA thing is handled if I connect to the Bluesound. Maybe someone can explain the technical details.

For the moment that's it. Happy to answer questions :-)

Michael
Reply
#2
Really great and in-depth guide to the new Phantom I's, and i cant wait to test them out later this week (they are in backorder). I had a stereo pair of Reactor 600's before, and the sound quality and ease of use really appealed me.

.."After the YouTube video from Fidelity Hamburg comparing the Phantom to the Cabasse Pearl"... Nice to see that i am not the only one who literally watches and reads everything on this speaker Smile. Placement is such an important factor. I think the Phantom I's will be more forgiving than the smaller Reactors, but i could massively improve the quality by proper placement and listening. I have a friend who owns-top end Cabasse speakers with stereo subs.. sounds amazing, but not as convinient as this package (or the Akoya... altough this is personal, i cant stand the looks of this and just that would annoy me enough.).

Yes, you are right about Tidal on Airplay. Even if Airplay 2 is used it would mean its downsamples to 24-bit 44.1 kHz (https://www.technologyfocus.net/can-airp...0supported.).

Question: Did you try and connect the new Phatoms to a TV yet? I wonder about the latency or any lipsync issues, as this used to be an issue in the past.
Reply
#3
Update:

1. Did not connect the Phantoms to the TV (I do not intend to do this, have a BOSE system for my TV).
2. I tried Audirvana with my MacBook: It works (Phantoms showing up as UPnP device. Music playing, but I get regular breaks in streaming (every 2-3 minutes). Not sure, if its related to my setup (Audirvana settings are optimized for streaming), or if this is a Phantom problem. I understand that MConnectHD basically is the same thing on an iPhone. Will see, if the problem continues to exist and update here.


Michael
Reply
#4
(19-Feb-2021, 11:53)Gridphoenix Wrote: Update:

1. Did not connect the Phantoms to the TV (I do not intend to do this, have a BOSE system for my TV).
2. I tried Audirvana with my MacBook: It works (Phantoms showing up as UPnP device. Music playing, but I get regular breaks in streaming (every 2-3 minutes). Not sure, if its related to my setup (Audirvana settings are optimized for streaming), or if this is a Phantom problem. I understand that MConnectHD basically is the same thing on an iPhone. Will see, if the problem continues to exist and update here.


Michael

The phantoms on your TV by optical is very great, just try it, and i think you will sell your BOSE
Reply
#5
Audirvava based on upnp so no problem there.
I use it in the past year on the phantom with no problems.
Btw...roon Raat also based wireless protocol.
It works flawlessly.
Less or wire?
Reply
#6
@Gridphoenix great info man!!

I’m still waiting on my 108. Crutchfield showed in stock then sent me shipping label created and charged me and over a week and half went by with no further shipping infoI called them and they said ‘for sure shipped’ then emailed me that as soon as it’s scanned again it’ll come up in the system - um, no shit Sherlock, and saying nothing confirming it was actually shipped. I emailed them that if it’s Not actually shipped I want refund, their reply was not that printing label was created they have to go through USPS before the refund..... ummm ok idiots. I’m so sick of shitty business practices. So I just reordered from B&H which has always been reliable to me and at least not a shitty business practice company from my experience. So I’ll be waiting still but happy I didn’t give crunchfield any business.
Crutchfield can suck a fat baby arm. 
Reply
#7
(19-Feb-2021, 11:53)Gridphoenix Wrote: Update:

1. Did not connect the Phantoms to the TV (I do not intend to do this, have a BOSE system for my TV).
2. I tried Audirvana with my MacBook: It works (Phantoms showing up as UPnP device. Music playing, but I get regular breaks in streaming (every 2-3 minutes). Not sure, if its related to my setup (Audirvana settings are optimized for streaming), or if this is a Phantom problem. I understand that MConnectHD basically is the same thing on an iPhone. Will see, if the problem continues to exist and update here.


Michael
I found that  with Aurdirvana from a Macbook playing on  the Phantoms works fine wirelessly (UPnP) as long as you listen to 16/44 (CD quality) files (either streamed or local files). With 24/96 or 24/96 files it tends to be unstable with frequent breaks.
But with an optical wire from the Macbook to one of the Phantom, Hires files will play flawlessly and with a much better sound quality. In a word, to get the true benefit of Audirvana and hires audio files, you have to hook it up with an optical wire. wireless UPnP does not cut it on hires files.
2 phantom Gold
2 phantom Reactor
Dione soundbar
Spotify connect 
Apple music
Audirvana 3.5.44 for Mac
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)