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Is your Phantom an ADH2 unit? and how to find out!
#1
(Skip to “###” for info on how to check for ADH2).
————

With the release of the Phantom firmware 1.14.0.18+; White Phantom units have had benefits of increased power and maximum volume taking them from ‘750 watts’ to ‘1200 watts’ and from 99dB to 101dB.
This, as Devialet says is due to “improvements in power management and signal processing“ and is only a software change.

With the firmware followed a ‘new’ Phantom which included this firmware pre-installed as well as Devialet’s new ADH2 technology.

This ADH2 technology was speculated to be also a software upgrade without any physical hardware being changed just as the power and volume change was not physical. It is now known that this was not the case with ADH2 and it is a physical change in hardware. Knowing this it was speculated that Devialet started rolling out ADH2 hardware secretly and many many Phantom units already in customers hands had ADH2 all along. Unfortunately this is now known also to not be the case.

Devialet officially started rolling out ADH2 units (both White and Silver) from mid-November onwards and any units before this time DO NOT contain ADH2 hardware (they are only eligible for the performance software update).

During rollout some dealers still had old stock and therefor you may have not gotten the ADH2 unit even though it was launched and in-stock. Devialet themselves didn’t launch the units until they personally had no stock of the old ones but dealers stockpile. Depending on the week in November you purchased you may also have or have not received an ADH2 unit.

————
###
Here is an easy and simple way to check if your unit may or may not have ADH2 technology:

Step 1: Locate your serial number:
• The serial number of a Phantom is located under the unit in the middle of the rubber foot.
•• Alternatively you can enter the Spark application and navigate to [Options], [Devices], select a device and then view your serial number.

Step 2: Determine your serial code:
• A Phantom serial number is broken down into two main categories.

The first letter, and the first two numbers.

The letter ‘K’ represents the year 2017 and the two numbers following represent the week within 2017.

If your serial number is for example K05xxxxxxxxxx then your unit DOES NOT contain ADH2 hardware.
If your serial number is for example K47xxxxxxxxxx then your unit DOES contain ADH2 hardware.

If your serial number contains ‘L’ as the first letter your unit DOES contain ADH2 hardware and any unit onwards does.

This includes both White Phantom and Silver Phantom.

Any units before week 47 of 2017 DO NOT contain the hardware. Although ALL Gold Phantom units DO.

Silver Phantom did not receive a performance software upgrade but did receive ADH2 hardware. While ADH1 White Phantom received only the software, and K47+ White Phantom received both the software and ADH2.

———
I hope this helps, leave your comments on if your unit does or does not contain the hardware and how it sounds for you since the 1.14.0.18+ firmware.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Devialet Phantom (White)
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#2
THANK YOU! At last, a serial number key! I have wondered what the serial numbers meant as my four phantoms were so disparate. Generally, one wants close - if not sequential - serial numbers so as to be matched component wise - as well as the person/machine assembling it (presumably). I’m wondering why mine would be SO different? Do they refurbish and recycle returns? For instance, my two Golds were both K44P but about 200 apart in sequence. These were direct shipped from Devialet. You’d think they’d be pretty close - if not sequential - sitting on the shelf together wouldn’t you? Now my two Elevates were K48N and K48P. Any idea what the letter following the week denotes and why these two are different. I CAN tell you that one of the two consistently had problems with maintaining connection - including requiring a three button push reset out of the box to be recognized (a particularly frustrating discovery process there!). On top of that, there are almost 1000 apart in serial numbers!

Anyway, they seem to have just made it at week 48 - whew! And their performance by other metrics seems to bear that out. No hiss or noise which apparently is more pronounced in ADH models??
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#3
(02-Feb-2018, 21:08)kmjy Wrote: (Skip to “###” for info on how to check for ADH2).
————

With the release of the Phantom firmware 1.14.0.18+; White Phantom units have had benefits of increased power and maximum volume taking them from ‘750 watts’ to ‘1200 watts’ and from 99dB to 101dB.
This, as Devialet says is due to “improvements in power management and signal processing“ and is only a software change.

With the firmware followed a ‘new’ Phantom which included this firmware pre-installed as well as Devialet’s new ADH2 technology.

This ADH2 technology was speculated to be also a software upgrade without any physical hardware being changed just as the power and volume change was not physical. It is now known that this was not the case with ADH2 and it is a physical change in hardware. Knowing this it was speculated that Devialet started rolling out ADH2 hardware secretly and many many Phantom units already in customers hands had ADH2 all along. Unfortunately this is now known also to not be the case.

Devialet officially started rolling out ADH2 units (both White and Silver) from mid-November onwards and any units before this time DO NOT contain ADH2 hardware (they are only eligible for the performance software update).

During rollout some dealers still had old stock and therefor you may have not gotten the ADH2 unit even though it was launched and in-stock. Devialet themselves didn’t launch the units until they personally had no stock of the old ones but dealers stockpile. Depending on the week in November you purchased you may also have or have not received an ADH2 unit.

————
###
Here is an easy and simple way to check if your unit may or may not have ADH2 technology:

Step 1: Locate your serial number:
• The serial number of a Phantom is located under the unit in the middle of the rubber foot.
•• Alternatively you can enter the Spark application and navigate to [Options], [Devices], select a device and then view your serial number.

Step 2: Determine your serial code:
• A Phantom serial number is broken down into two main categories.

The first letter, and the first two numbers.

The letter ‘K’ represents the year 2017 and the two numbers following represent the week within 2017.

If your serial number is for example K05xxxxxxxxxx then your unit DOES NOT contain ADH2 hardware.
If your serial number is for example K47xxxxxxxxxx then your unit DOES contain ADH2 hardware.

If your serial number contains ‘L’ as the first letter your unit DOES contain ADH2 hardware and any unit onwards does.

This includes both White Phantom and Silver Phantom.

Any units before week 47 of 2017 DO NOT contain the hardware. Although ALL Gold Phantom units DO.

Silver Phantom did not receive a performance software upgrade but did receive ADH2 hardware. While ADH1 White Phantom received only the software, and K47+ White Phantom received both the software and ADH2.

———
I hope this helps, leave your comments on if your unit does or does not contain the hardware and how it sounds for you since the 1.14.0.18+ firmware.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Man, how on earth did you get all these details?
Reply
#4
(03-Feb-2018, 18:20)snbeall Wrote: THANK YOU! At last, a serial number key! I have wondered what the serial numbers meant as my four phantoms were so disparate. Generally, one wants close - if not sequential - serial numbers so as to be matched component wise - as well as the person/machine assembling it (presumably). I’m wondering why mine would be SO different? Do they refurbish and recycle returns? For instance, my two Golds were both K44P but about 200 apart in sequence. These were direct shipped from Devialet. You’d think they’d be pretty close - if not sequential - sitting on the shelf together wouldn’t you? Now my two Elevates were K48N and K48P. Any idea what the letter following the week denotes and why these two are different. I CAN tell you that one of the two consistently had problems with maintaining connection - including requiring a three button push reset out of the box to be recognized (a particularly frustrating discovery process there!). On top of that, there are almost 1000 apart in serial numbers!

Anyway, they seem to have just made it at week 48 - whew! And their performance by other metrics seems to bear that out. No hiss or noise which apparently is more pronounced in ADH models??


I’ll see if I can find out about the rest of the serial numbers. Although anything past the first two numbers isn’t drastic as the model is determined by the date.

On the manufacturing line they’re in order of unit produced. So the serial numbers are in order (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9). But when they get boxed and shelved they’re randomised. 20% of the manufacturing process is by hand. Each component created is digitally checked, the quickly hand checked. The boxing stage is also by hand, so depending on the speed of each boxing the shelving of units isn’t in order, as it’s not necessary to order them as long as each production run is physically the same the hardware is too.

If they change hardware they’ll section new hardware on a separate shelve. So they can sell the old hardware first. Saves time when you can just look at a shelve and say “yep that’s old stock, that’s new stock, that’s ADH2 stock” ect.

They don’t refurbish and resell the units, although they do reuse old units. They become engineering units which can hold valuable information on the product, such as how the components and hardware ages over time with specific use cases, and other stuff.

As long as your units are within the same year and week they should be identical and from the same production run.

If there a few weeks apart but those weeks are still after the K47 week hardware change they’re also fine, or if they’re before the K47 week change they’re fine.

If one is from week K46 and one from week K48 you may notice a slight tiny difference in overall sound completely due to the fact that the signal processing and amplification technology is newer in the 48 units.

In saying that, if a K46 and a K48 unit are paired together in stereo they are intelligent enough to almost completely match each other in capabilities. They dynamically adjust to any new components introduced to the system. If you pair an ADH unit with a ADH2 unit the ADH2 unit will adjust to match the ADH unit. The things that won’t adjust will be purity of the audio, like the background noise or buzz from close distances that the standard ADH units had. So the new unit will ALWAYS have less of those issues that the old ones had, but sound quality itself will be the same as the units will digitally match each other.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Devialet Phantom (White)
Reply
#5
(03-Feb-2018, 19:28)Pleyel Wrote:
(02-Feb-2018, 21:08)kmjy Wrote: (Skip to “###” for info on how to check for ADH2).
————

With the release of the Phantom firmware 1.14.0.18+; White Phantom units have had benefits of increased power and maximum volume taking them from ‘750 watts’ to ‘1200 watts’ and from 99dB to 101dB.
This, as Devialet says is due to “improvements in power management and signal processing“ and is only a software change.

With the firmware followed a ‘new’ Phantom which included this firmware pre-installed as well as Devialet’s new ADH2 technology.

This ADH2 technology was speculated to be also a software upgrade without any physical hardware being changed just as the power and volume change was not physical. It is now known that this was not the case with ADH2 and it is a physical change in hardware. Knowing this it was speculated that Devialet started rolling out ADH2 hardware secretly and many many Phantom units already in customers hands had ADH2 all along. Unfortunately this is now known also to not be the case.

Devialet officially started rolling out ADH2 units (both White and Silver) from mid-November onwards and any units before this time DO NOT contain ADH2 hardware (they are only eligible for the performance software update).

During rollout some dealers still had old stock and therefor you may have not gotten the ADH2 unit even though it was launched and in-stock. Devialet themselves didn’t launch the units until they personally had no stock of the old ones but dealers stockpile. Depending on the week in November you purchased you may also have or have not received an ADH2 unit.

————
###
Here is an easy and simple way to check if your unit may or may not have ADH2 technology:

Step 1: Locate your serial number:
• The serial number of a Phantom is located under the unit in the middle of the rubber foot.
•• Alternatively you can enter the Spark application and navigate to [Options], [Devices], select a device and then view your serial number.

Step 2: Determine your serial code:
• A Phantom serial number is broken down into two main categories.

The first letter, and the first two numbers.

The letter ‘K’ represents the year 2017 and the two numbers following represent the week within 2017.

If your serial number is for example K05xxxxxxxxxx then your unit DOES NOT contain ADH2 hardware.
If your serial number is for example K47xxxxxxxxxx then your unit DOES contain ADH2 hardware.

If your serial number contains ‘L’ as the first letter your unit DOES contain ADH2 hardware and any unit onwards does.

This includes both White Phantom and Silver Phantom.

Any units before week 47 of 2017 DO NOT contain the hardware. Although ALL Gold Phantom units DO.

Silver Phantom did not receive a performance software upgrade but did receive ADH2 hardware. While ADH1 White Phantom received only the software, and K47+ White Phantom received both the software and ADH2.

———
I hope this helps, leave your comments on if your unit does or does not contain the hardware and how it sounds for you since the 1.14.0.18+ firmware.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Man, how on earth did you get all these details?


Friends with some inside contacts. None of this info is confidential it’s just not common knowledge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Devialet Phantom (White)
Reply
#6
Well common on the inside my friend. Not to any of us until now. ;-) Thank you!
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#7
At the risk of not seeming grateful, I would still be interested in what that letter after the week denotes... why stop there?? ;-)
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#8
And what was strange is that despite the fact that all my units’ serial numbers were recorded in “my account” with them, they still asked for them???
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#9
And at the risk of monopolizing the thread with response overload... with respect to packaging... Both of my Golds came to me packaged in the outer shipping box - that is very clearly marked top and bottom so presumably important - UPSIDE DOWN! When I opened the top of the shipping box, the inner fancy artsy box containing the Phantom was upside down! I was looking at the bottom which clearly had an icon indicating that. All of these sort of mistakes are growing pains, not ready for prime time, f***ups that amongst functional shortcomings (connectivity, dialogue problems, no coherent policy regarding serviceability out of warranty, no coherent multichannel pathway...) caused me to return my product under 45 day trial. I believe in the technology and product. I will be back once they’ve been acquired by Apple and fix all these pains with $ influx.
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#10
And that is the suggestion I’d give to your inside contacts. They are genius’s with a genius product that just needs $ influx and a distribution network. Apple is a match made in heaven. Not anywhere even closely associated with Apple. I’m an Anesthesiologist. Desperately hoping Apple will get into healthcare electronic medical records. Just know that they have a human interface that an aging non-IT but reasonably intelligent human can relate to. And they can solve this customer relation, marketing, distribution, and interface problem. Again, I understand that this is genius (just as I salivated over Meridian DSP 20 years ago) and the problem they have bringing it to - and dumbing it down - to everyday application. They need a black Phantom for cinema with a good multichannel Dialogue and a reliable network connection. And Apple is breaking into the home network speaker market. And who can deny the similar aesthetics?
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