Silver Phantom Hiss

[stadidas]

About a month ago I purchased a Silver Phantom from Devialet at Westfield London. I was very happy with the sound except for an annoying hissing noise that occurs during music playback from all sources (WiFi, Bluetooth, and optical). It sounds exactly like the problem described in this thread: http://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?tid=1367 as per Invader's post - "I experience it all the time during playback and around 2s after stopping/pausing"

I contacted Devialet support and they requested a video of the Phantom making this sound. They agreed that this was unacceptable and organised for me to get a replacement Silver Phantom, again from Devialet at Westfield in London. I picked up the replacement today and it has the exact same problem.

Does anyone else experience this with their phantoms, or know of a solution? I love the sound of the phantom but during quieter passages of music the hiss is very irritating and really ruins the experience. Any suggestions for a solution welcome!

[Silvertouran]

Is it possible that the shop you bought it from got a faulty batch?

[stadidas]

I don't think so - the second phantom came in a slightly different box. The woman in the shop said this was because it was a "Christmas" one, although their batch arrived after Christmas. She also said that it was a newer version than the one I bought before, presumably alluding to some internal changes Devialet have made that make this one slightly different to the first one I bought.

[jonstatt]

All Phantoms I have heard now, 7 of them with all different manufacturing dates, emit some hiss regardless of what you read. My wife can't hear it, my parents can't hear it, my friends can't hear it. I can. It is incredibly subtle and high pitched so it depends on your hearing. One way to hear this to play something quiet like a quite classical part, with your ear close to the tweeter, and then stop it. You will hear the hiss continue for a second or two before the amplifier shuts down. However, while I know I have extremely sensitive hearing, I cannot hear this hiss when seated at a normal listening distance. So I am very surprised that you find it as annoying as you describe. Could you possibly make your video public so we can all hear what you sent Devialet?

[ragwo]

I've reported the same problem earlier, got replacement speakers as you with the same hissing noise. http://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?tid=1558

[stevec]

It could be external noise from something else. I would be switching everything off and unplugging all but the phantom to see if the hiss is still there.

Plug straight into wall no filters or power boards.

Try another circuit or different room.

This is the usual process for other hi fi and it can be a bit of detective work.

[ragwo]

Devialet has confirmed it's a problem with some Phantoms and they are working on a solution. The noise was reduced a bit at very low volumes with firmware 1.3.0.0. I doubt it's an external noise, it's even present while playing the installation sounds. I've tried several different power circuits at home and the problem persists. The noise is present at my dealer in another city and at the Devialet flagship store in Berlin.

[stevec]

Oh well, sounds like you are across it.

I noticed you are using a SB Touch. I'm using one with Roon as well. One issue I have is that the SB Touch does not seem to trigger the auto switch for optical input. I have to go into Spark and manually switch it. I have my Oppo into the Dialog and the SB Touch into one of the Phantoms.

[Rodrat2]

A lot of active speakers have some hiss although this is usually not audible once the music starts.

[stadidas]

All Phantoms I have heard now, 7 of them with all different manufacturing dates, emit some hiss regardless of what you read. My wife can't hear it, my parents can't hear it, my friends can't hear it. I can. It is incredibly subtle and high pitched so it depends on your hearing. One way to hear this to play something quiet like a quite classical part, with your ear close to the tweeter, and then stop it. You will hear the hiss continue for a second or two before the amplifier shuts down. However, while I know I have extremely sensitive hearing, I cannot hear this hiss when seated at a normal listening distance. So I am very surprised that you find it as annoying as you describe. Could you possibly make your video public so we can all hear what you sent Devialet?

I probably find it annoying as I have my Phantom on my desk, so when I'm working it's only about 18 inches away from my head, which makes the hissing very noticeable in quiet passages of music. It sounds like there are many others experiencing the same issue with their Phantoms, so hopefully it is something that Devialet are working on.