Should I buy a pair of phantom golds??

[Michalsavatar]

Hi everyone,

I'll try and keep this short and to the point.
Basically I've spent around 5 hours testing a pair of phantom golds in the retail store and absolutely love them.
Love the sound, dynamics, clarity, design and simplicity of the whole package. My plan is to get a pair of golds with tree stands, dialogue and volume controller.
Unless I learn something new, I plan to play music via bluetooth connected to my mobile phone and using Tidal and my regular samsung music app. I not a big fan of the Spark app because it seems quite glitchy, but mainly because there is no equaliser to adjust the sound to my liking. Even though the Spark app connects via WIFI which is supposed to provide better quality sound (compared to bluetooth), I still got a much richer and dynamic sound if I connected via bluetooth because of the control I had over the sound with the equalizer.

What is stopping me from buying this system today???
Below are a few things that concern me and if anyone would like to address these questions/comments for me, I would be very appreciative.

Speaker Life Span
Considering these speakers are a relatively new technology and the fact that they cannot be opened and repaired, I worry that something may break or shutdown after my warranty expires and I'm then left with an amazing stereo system that I can no longer use and have thrown close to $9,000 Aussie dollars down the drain.

Sound Delay
I plan to use the speakers for movies and gaming as well as music. I hear there is a slight sound delay when watching movies and playing games when connected via optical. Is there a delay to all you movie and gaming lovers and if so how bad is it? Also, is there another way to connect that minimizes the sound delay?

Connectivity Issues
I have read that people are experiencing connectivity issues with the sound dropping out and being forced to restart the speakers or re-do the whole set up process. What has your experience been like?

Software/Firmware
Do you all know how often Devialet updates the software/firmware of the Phantoms/Dialogue/Sound Controller?
I hear people complaining that they hardly ever update the software/firmware and that the speakers have quite a few little bugs here and there that could be solved with a software/firmware update. Has anyone noticed any improvements after a software/firmware update has been applied?

Best Sound Quality
Do you know of a way to connect to the Phantoms using WIFI (for better quality), but at the same time playing music through my regular Tidal app and Samsung music player? To be able to connect via WIFI and have sound that is equalized to my liking is the best option considering as far as I know, Spark has no equalizer.

Now or Later
If you do recommend these speakers, would you recommend I just buy them now or wait until Devialet addresses some of my concerns and hopefully maybe 6 months from now, the next batch of Phantom Golds will already have an internal update, fixing some of the overall bugs and ironing out the kinks.

Any Other Thoughts and Comments
Do you have any further opinions or comments? Something I have not considered and need to be aware of? Or even just a quick comment on your experience with the Phantom Golds (Or any of the Phantoms in general).

Currently I live in Europe and actually plan to fly to Paris, go into the store and speak directly to the Delialet staff there and address all these questions with them directly, but I thought it would be a good idea to also get some answers from actual customers like you all here. The point is, I love music and love these speakers. I'm badly hoping for and wanting you all to give raving reviews and to tell me everything is fixed and works great so I can with confidence go out and buy a pair of these beasts. Having said that, what I really want is an honest answer and to know what you all really think and if you would recommend buying a pair of Golds.

Thank you for your time and if you could please take another moment to address the questions above, I would very much appreciate it.

Kind regards,


Michal

[Rodrat2]

Seems a lot of money to pay out if you are ‘strangling’ the sound by using bluetooth and also introducing an equaliser to compensate which in itself also downgrades the sound. Obviously a personal opinion and it is your money. I have had Silvers for close to three years and they have been rock solid and dropouts are very rare. However the dialog is connected directly to my router and it is only 14 feet away with no line of sight issues. The software is pretty rubbish although it works and Devialet seem to have dumped existing owners whilst they promote the Reactor which again isn’t a finished product having no stereo ability. The issue of not being repairable is a big one especially as their extended warranties are expensive. Whilst you may have consumer protection if they go pear shaped it is a concern. If my Silvers break I would not buy anymore due to the lack of product support although I believe they may replace them if you are firm enough.

[Hifi_swlon]

Now or Later
If you do recommend these speakers, would you recommend I just buy them now or wait until Devialet addresses some of my concerns and hopefully maybe 6 months from now, the next batch of Phantom Golds will already have an internal update, fixing some of the overall bugs and ironing out the kinks.

Don’t buy if the package doesn’t do what you want now, or you think current limitations will annoy you.

Wait six months and see. However in Devialet timescales 6 months is nothing and chances are none of your concerns will have been addressed. Most likely they’ll still be working on finishing the Reactors and trying to get them to play in stereo.

[Michalsavatar]

Seems a lot of money to pay out if you are ‘strangling’ the sound by using bluetooth and also introducing an equaliser to compensate which in itself also downgrades the sound. Obviously a personal opinion and it is your money. I have had Silvers for close to three years and they have been rock solid and dropouts are very rare. However the dialog is connected directly to my router and it is only 14 feet away with no line of sight issues. The software is pretty rubbish although it works and Devialet seem to have dumped existing owners whilst they promote the Reactor which again isn’t a finished product having no stereo ability. The issue of not being repairable is a big one especially as their extended warranties are expensive. Whilst you may have consumer protection if they go pear shaped it is a concern. If my Silvers break I would not buy anymore due to the lack of product support although I believe they may replace them if you are firm enough.

I don't feel like Id be strangling the sound. Like I said, it sounded better through Bluetooth with an equaliser then via wifi spark with no equaliser. The technical jargon is irrelevant when I can clearly hear  a more dynamic and pleasing sound through Bluetooth.

I'm reading more and more about phantoms breaking down and being unable to be repaired. I'm getting worried and sad that I may infact not buy a pair.

[booshtukka]

We're still not clear on Devialet's plans. Syncing them up properly with and the next version of the software is something we've been told to expect at best in the second half of 2019. With that in mind, anything you buy now is a temporary solution before it's either upgraded or replaced in July (earliest).

I don't think I can recommend them right now. We don't know what the plans are.

[streamy]

Seems a lot of money to pay out if you are ‘strangling’ the sound by using bluetooth and also introducing an equaliser to compensate which in itself also downgrades the sound. Obviously a personal opinion and it is your money. I have had Silvers for close to three years and they have been rock solid and dropouts are very rare. However the dialog is connected directly to my router and it is only 14 feet away with no line of sight issues. The software is pretty rubbish although it works and Devialet seem to have dumped existing owners whilst they promote the Reactor which again isn’t a finished product having no stereo ability. The issue of not being repairable is a big one especially as their extended warranties are expensive. Whilst you may have consumer protection if they go pear shaped it is a concern. If my Silvers break I would not buy anymore due to the lack of product support although I believe they may replace them if you are firm enough.

I don't feel like Id be strangling the sound. Like I said, it sounded better through Bluetooth with an equaliser then via wifi spark with no equaliser. The technical jargon is irrelevant when I can clearly hear  a more dynamic and pleasing sound through Bluetooth.

I'm reading more and more about phantoms breaking down and being unable to be repaired. I'm getting worried and sad that I may infact not buy a pair.

You have posted many concern in many threads here on Devialetchat. When you want something like the Phantoms it is like you want as sports car, light weight, fast, expensive. The same with repairability, parts are like out of carbon, glue will not fix them, you need full replacement. As for sound: you will get something that no one can deliver in the same form factor. The combo two or more Phantoms with Dialog works well when you have the possibility to power them from the same power line. BT input, optical input, and lan input to Dialog works for me since 2015 well. Spark is ok for changing the volume on I-devices also from Mac and PC and Androids. Airplay and Spotify connect are very stable, no dropouts. For music library management I recommend you to use Roon, it includes all sorts of equalizers, great management of local libraries, streaming from Tidal and Qobuz hopefully soon. In my case 100% stable, hires compatible, better and snappier than any upnp system I ever used. Of course you can always wait. Waiting means you will not be outdated, always cheaper, but the performance of the hypothetical system really sucks, as it is non-existential, virtual.

[Johnnydev]

Seems a lot of money to pay out if you are ‘strangling’ the sound by using bluetooth and also introducing an equaliser to compensate which in itself also downgrades the sound. Obviously a personal opinion and it is your money. I have had Silvers for close to three years and they have been rock solid and dropouts are very rare. However the dialog is connected directly to my router and it is only 14 feet away with no line of sight issues. The software is pretty rubbish although it works and Devialet seem to have dumped existing owners whilst they promote the Reactor which again isn’t a finished product having no stereo ability. The issue of not being repairable is a big one especially as their extended warranties are expensive. Whilst you may have consumer protection if they go pear shaped it is a concern. If my Silvers break I would not buy anymore due to the lack of product support although I believe they may replace them if you are firm enough.

I don't feel like Id be strangling the sound. Like I said, it sounded better through Bluetooth with an equaliser then via wifi spark with no equaliser. The technical jargon is irrelevant when I can clearly hear  a more dynamic and pleasing sound through Bluetooth.

I'm reading more and more about phantoms breaking down and being unable to be repaired. I'm getting worried and sad that I may infact not buy a pair.

You have posted many concern in many threads here on Devialetchat. When you want something like the Phantoms it is like you want as sports car, light weight, fast, expensive. The same with repairability, parts are like out of carbon, glue will not fix them, you need full replacement. As for sound: you will get something that no one can deliver in the same form factor. The combo two or more Phantoms with Dialog works well when you have the possibility to power them from the same power line. BT input, optical input, and lan input to Dialog works for me since 2015 well. Spark is ok for changing the volume on I-devices also from Mac and PC and Androids. Airplay and Spotify connect are very stable, no dropouts. For music library management I recommend you to use Roon, it includes all sorts of equalizers, great management of local libraries, streaming from Tidal and Qobuz hopefully soon. In my case 100% stable, hires compatible, better and snappier than any upnp system I ever used. Of course you can always wait. Waiting means you will not be outdated, always cheaper, but the performance of the hypothetical system really sucks, as it is non-existential, virtual.

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