Stereo Phantom II vs Mono Phantom I

[jules54]

Hello everyone,

I have been thinking about purchasing a devialet speaker for a while and as I am having trouble deciding which one to go for I thought I would reach out to users for advice.

I'm budgetting about $2500 for this purchase and was therefore debating whether buying a pair of Phantom II would be a better move than a Phantom I in mono? 

I live in an apartment with a fairly large living room (800 sq ft). In this scenario and with a given budget, what would you recommend?

Thank you in advance for your help, and my apologies if this question has already came up in the past.

Julien

[Snoopy8]

Welcome to the forum...

A stereo pair is considerably better than a single lonely one. But you do have a large room (70+ sq m) which makes it a challenge for the Phantom II's. If you buy a single Phantom I, how long before you can buy a second? If the gap is more than 6 (?) months, then I suggest getting a pair of Phantom II's.

Please use stands and place them properly in the room, just like you would with any good Hifi speakers.

[Johnnydev]

Welcome to the forum...

A stereo pair is considerably better than a single lonely one. But you do have a large room (70+ sq m) which makes it a challenge for the Phantom II's.  If you buy a single Phantom I, how long before you can buy a second?  If the gap is more than 6 (?) months, then I suggest getting a pair of Phantom II's.

Please use stands and place them properly in the room, just like you would with any good Hifi speakers.

+1

[jules54]

Welcome to the forum...

A stereo pair is considerably better than a single lonely one. But you do have a large room (70+ sq m) which makes it a challenge for the Phantom II's.  If you buy a single Phantom I, how long before you can buy a second?  If the gap is more than 6 (?) months, then I suggest getting a pair of Phantom II's.

Please use stands and place them properly in the room, just like you would with any good Hifi speakers.

Thank you for the welcome and the advice, I appreciate it. Ok, yes it seems to be in line with what I have read online, I'll go for a stereo pair then
Looks like the Phantom I is probably the way to go given the surface of my living room and the high ceilings. I was not budgeting to spend that much but I am really tempted now. I'll probably go with a pair of Phantom I 103db.

Yep, I'm planning to purchase the Devialet Tripods as well, I'll put them on each side of my TV, facing the sofa.

Thanks again!

[Snoopy8]

Ok, yes it seems to be in line with what I have read online, I'll go for a stereo pair then

I am indeed surprised to learn that there are people on other forums who push for the stereo pair.  A number of us do that here but not many in a large Australian forum that I frequent, nor in other forums. And majority of reviews are for a single lonely one.

Looks like the Phantom I is probably the way to go given the surface of my living room and the high ceilings. I was not budgeting to spend that much but I am really tempted now. I'll probably go with a pair of Phantom I 103db.

With high ceilings in a large room, definitely a pair of Phantom I's

Yep, I'm planning to purchase the Devialet Tripods as well, I'll put them on each side of my TV, facing the sofa.

Try various placements, further or closer apart, with and without toe in, and further out from back walls.

And do tell us when you get them...

[jules54]

Ok, yes it seems to be in line with what I have read online, I'll go for a stereo pair then

I am indeed surprised to learn that there are people on other forums who push for the stereo pair.  A number of us do that here but not many in a large Australian forum that I frequent, nor in other forums. And majority of reviews are for a single lonely one.

Looks like the Phantom I is probably the way to go given the surface of my living room and the high ceilings. I was not budgeting to spend that much but I am really tempted now. I'll probably go with a pair of Phantom I 103db.

With high ceilings in a large room, definitely a pair of Phantom I's

Yep, I'm planning to purchase the Devialet Tripods as well, I'll put them on each side of my TV, facing the sofa.

Try various placements, further or closer apart, with and without toe in, and further out from back walls.

And do tell us when you get them...

Sounds good, many thanks for the advice! Will happily share my first impressions once I get them, which should be fairly soon

[marius23mvp]

Good morning.
A small advise from an amateur - do not hurry up and buy the Premiers (unles it's not a financial effort).
A pair of II 98 may be all that you need to let your soul rejoyce.
What kind of music do you usually listen to when you are in the mood for an audition ? At what volume ?

But instead of asking all this question I better tell you a little bit about my experience with a pair of II 95, and you will know what I'm trying to ask you.
First of all ... your space is huge, but I am assuming that you have a space within a space ... the listening positon from your sofa. So the speakers do not need to cover your entire living, as you do not probably listen from a far corner of your living room, unless you plan to use them as a background source of music to entertain your guests perhaps.
I have a 30 sq meters living (rectangular 6 x 5) and my II 95 are on the wall, left and right from the tv (the only 3 things on that wall) ... probably not the best placement for them, but they sound unbelievable ... the room dictates the result and I just got lucky I guess.
1,8 meters between the speakers, and about 2,5 meters to the listening position ... I have the sofa pretty close.

I recommendeded someone a pair of Kef LS50 wireless, for a 50 sqm living. The listening position is about 3,5 meters away and the speakers are about 3 meters apart.
They sound incredibly bad ... even after he added Kef's KS62 subwoofer. Again ... the room. I can not describe it ... but they sound like 2 mono speakers ... the stereo stage is not "alive".
There is no hint of fine details and the subwoofer I think does more harm to the overall sound (subwoofer placement is even more important than speakers placement).
Every time I visit him I can not believe how "common" they sound ... there is absolutely no intimacy to the audition.

Back to my Phantoms ... I still can not believe how good they sound at low volume (30 - 50 %), how intimate the experience is, after almost 1 year of ownership.
Again, I have the 95 db. I was a little dissapointed at first about the response after passing 65 - 70% volume, the sound delivery changes and you can tell that they don't have the power to fill the room if you feel the need to listen at high volumes.
For my space I think the 98 db would have been perfect. For your space ... who can tell ... you will see. Maybe even the 103 will not suffice.
I feel the need to have the audition experience almost every night since almost 1 year ago ... that's how much I enjoy them, sometime even after 22 pm. I am still amazed of how delicate they fill the room and make me feel like I have the scene in front of me.
I listen mostly to voices and instruments - doesn't matter if it's Eric Clapton or Metallica.

The biggest bad thing I had to say about them is the lack of high frequencies response (for my taste). Actually the LS50 wireless from before have better treble response, but are humiliated when it comes to lows. I think at sub-bass nothing delivers at low volumes quite like the Phantoms.

This problem was easily solved when I discovered that bluetooth transmission in our days is not like I remembered ... you can have a listening experience even when you stream from your phone via bluetooth.
I use an eq on my phone (the eq from the devialet app will not suffice for me in terms of treble response being to my taste - it's all the way up but I need more) - called poweramp equalizer - it does what I want, and I was very please to see that the Phantoms CAN deliver more treble.

One last thing ... do not jump into conclusions after you hear them at first ... listen for a week or something ... I was about to send mine back after the initial audition (placed on some chairs ...) but I decided to give them a chance and made holes on my wall for the wall mounts.
Boy am I glad I did !

Phantoms I or II - I will be really interested to read your thoughts after you receive them.

[Johnnydev]

Goedemorgen.
Een klein advies van een amateur - haast je niet en koop de Premiers (tenzij het geen financiële inspanning is).
Een paar II 98 is misschien alles wat je nodig hebt om je ziel te laten genieten.
Naar wat voor muziek luister je meestal als je in de stemming bent voor een auditie? Op welk volume?

Maar in plaats van al deze vragen te stellen, kan ik je beter iets vertellen over mijn ervaring met een paar II 95, en je zult weten wat ik je probeer te vragen.
Allereerst ... je ruimte is enorm, maar ik ga ervan uit dat je een ruimte hebt in een ruimte ... de luisterpositie vanaf je bank. De luidsprekers hoeven dus niet je hele woonkamer te bestrijken, aangezien je waarschijnlijk niet vanuit een verre hoek van je woonkamer luistert, tenzij je van plan bent ze als achtergrondmuziekbron te gebruiken om je gasten misschien te vermaken.
Ik heb een woonkamer van 30 vierkante meter (rechthoekig 6 x 5) en mijn II 95 staat aan de muur, links en rechts van de tv (de enige 3 dingen aan die muur) ... waarschijnlijk niet de beste plaatsing voor hen, maar ze klinkt ongelooflijk ... de kamer dicteert het resultaat en ik heb gewoon geluk gehad, denk ik.
1,8 meter tussen de speakers, en ongeveer 2,5 meter tot de luisterpositie... Ik heb de bank redelijk dichtbij.

Ik heb iemand een paar draadloze Kef LS50 aanbevolen voor een leven van 50 m². De luisterpositie is ongeveer 3,5 meter verwijderd en de speakers staan ongeveer 3 meter uit elkaar.
Ze klinken ongelooflijk slecht ... zelfs nadat hij Kef's KS62-subwoofer had toegevoegd. Nogmaals ... de kamer. Ik kan het niet beschrijven ... maar ze klinken als 2 monoluidsprekers ... het stereopodium is niet "levend".
Er is geen spoor van fijne details en de subwoofer doet volgens mij meer af aan het algehele geluid (plaatsing van de subwoofer is zelfs belangrijker dan de plaatsing van de luidsprekers).
Elke keer als ik hem bezoek, kan ik niet geloven hoe "gewoon" ze klinken ... er is absoluut geen intimiteit bij de auditie.

Terug naar mijn Phantoms ... Ik kan nog steeds niet geloven hoe goed ze klinken bij een laag volume (30 - 50 %), hoe intiem de ervaring is,
Nogmaals, ik heb de 95 db. Ik was eerst een beetje teleurgesteld over de respons na het passeren van 65 - 70% volume, de geluidsafgifte verandert en je kunt zien dat ze niet de kracht hebben om de kamer te vullen als je de behoefte voelt om op hoge volumes te luisteren.
Voor mijn ruimte denk ik dat de 98 db perfect zou zijn geweest. Voor uw ruimte ... wie zal het zeggen ... u zult het zien. Misschien is zelfs de 103 niet voldoende.
Ik voel de behoefte om de auditie-ervaring bijna elke avond te hebben sinds bijna 1 jaar geleden ... zo geniet ik ervan, soms zelfs na 22 uur. Ik sta er nog steeds versteld van hoe delicaat ze de kamer vullen en me het gevoel geven dat ik de scène voor me heb.
Ik luister vooral naar stemmen en instrumenten - het maakt niet uit of het Eric Clapton of Metallica is.

Het grootste slechte dat ik over hen te zeggen had, is het gebrek aan respons op hoge frequenties (naar mijn smaak). Eigenlijk hebben de LS50 wireless van vroeger een betere treble-respons, maar zijn ze vernederd als het gaat om lage tonen. Ik denk dat bij sub-bas niets zo goed presteert bij lage volumes als de Phantoms.

Dit probleem werd gemakkelijk opgelost toen ik ontdekte dat Bluetooth-transmissie in onze dagen niet is zoals ik me herinnerde ... je kunt een luisterervaring hebben, zelfs als je streamt vanaf je telefoon via bluetooth.
Ik gebruik een eq op mijn telefoon (de eq van de devialet-app zal voor mij niet voldoende zijn in termen van hoge tonen die naar mijn smaak zijn - het is helemaal naar boven maar ik heb meer nodig) - genaamd poweramp-equalizer - het doet wat ik wil, en ik was erg blij om te zien dat de Phantoms meer hoge tonen KUNNEN leveren.

Nog een laatste ding ... trek geen conclusies nadat je ze in eerste instantie hebt gehoord ... luister een week of zoiets ... Ik stond op het punt de mijne terug te sturen na de eerste auditie (geplaatst op een paar stoelen ...) maar Ik besloot ze een kans te geven en maakte gaten in mijn muur voor de muurbevestigingen.
Jongen ben ik blij dat ik dat gedaan heb!

Phantoms I of II - Ik zal erg geïnteresseerd zijn om je gedachten te lezen nadat je ze hebt ontvangen.

+1 the best choice is 2x phantom 1 108db also because of the better tweeter

[marius23mvp]

Lol ... the man started from 2500 $ ... now is at 7000 $ (2 x Phantoms 108 + 2 x tripods).
I think he should buy 3 Phantoms ... one for his boat ... which he should also buy.
I really think we should work in retail !

[jules54]

Good morning.
A small advise from an amateur - do not hurry up and buy the Premiers (unles it's not a financial effort).
A pair of II 98 may be all that you need to let your soul rejoyce.
What kind of music do you usually listen to when you are in the mood for an audition ? At what volume ?

But instead of asking all this question I better tell you a little bit about my experience with a pair of II 95, and you will know what I'm trying to ask you.
First of all ... your space is huge, but I am assuming that you have a space within a space ... the listening positon from your sofa. So the speakers do not need to cover your entire living, as you do not probably listen from a far corner of your living room, unless you plan to use them as a background source of music to entertain your guests perhaps.
I have a 30 sq meters living (rectangular 6 x 5) and my II 95 are on the wall, left and right from the tv (the only 3 things on that wall) ... probably not the best placement for them, but they sound unbelievable ... the room dictates the result and I just got lucky I guess.
1,8 meters between the speakers, and about 2,5 meters to the listening position ... I have the sofa pretty close.

I recommendeded someone a pair of Kef LS50 wireless, for a 50 sqm living. The listening position is about 3,5 meters away and the speakers are about 3 meters apart.
They sound incredibly bad ... even after he added Kef's KS62 subwoofer. Again ... the room. I can not describe it ... but they sound like 2 mono speakers ... the stereo stage is not "alive".
There is no hint of fine details and the subwoofer I think does more harm to the overall sound (subwoofer placement is even more important than speakers placement).
Every time I visit him I can not believe how "common" they sound ... there is absolutely no intimacy to the audition.

Back to my Phantoms ... I still can not believe how good they sound at low volume (30 - 50 %), how intimate the experience is, after almost 1 year of ownership.
Again, I have the 95 db. I was a little dissapointed at first about the response after passing 65 - 70% volume, the sound delivery changes and you can tell that they don't have the power to fill the room if you feel the need to listen at high volumes.
For my space I think the 98 db would have been perfect. For your space ... who can tell ... you will see. Maybe even the 103 will not suffice.
I feel the need to have the audition experience almost every night since almost 1 year ago ... that's how much I enjoy them, sometime even after 22 pm. I am still amazed of how delicate they fill the room and make me feel like I have the scene in front of me.
I listen mostly to voices and instruments - doesn't matter if it's Eric Clapton or Metallica.

The biggest bad thing I had to say about them is the lack of high frequencies response (for my taste). Actually the LS50 wireless from before have better treble response, but are humiliated when it comes to lows. I think at sub-bass nothing delivers at low volumes quite like the Phantoms.

This problem was easily solved when I discovered that bluetooth transmission in our days is not like I remembered ... you can have a listening experience even when you stream from your phone via bluetooth.
I use an eq on my phone (the eq from the devialet app will not suffice for me in terms of treble response being to my taste - it's all the way up but I need more) - called poweramp equalizer - it does what I want, and I was very please to see that the Phantoms CAN deliver more treble.

One last thing ... do not jump into conclusions after you hear them at first ... listen for a week or something ... I was about to send mine back after the initial audition (placed on some chairs ...) but I decided to give them a chance and made holes on my wall for the wall mounts.
Boy am I glad I did !

Phantoms I or II - I will be really interested to read your thoughts after you receive them.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Interesting to hear your point of view about the phantom II and I am glad to hear you enjoy them so much.

I do listen to a wide variety of music genre (rock, jazz, rnb...) and also at various volumes depending on the occasion and the mood. So I was looking for a system that would perform both at ~low volumes but also at higher ones and would cover my entire living room (for example when I have people over, hence my concern with the IIs). Like you suggested, I wouldn't know until I try them out, and luckily I can return them if I am not satisfied. One thing where everybody seems to agree on at least is that a stereo pair is the way to go

I'm not an audiophile but certainly enjoy very much listening to music, which is why I am also willing to go over the budget I had originally allocated. 

I will certainly post my thoughts once I have tried the system.

Thanks again for the input!