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+--- Thread: Apple HomePod, the Phantom and the ongoing digitalization (/Thread-Apple-HomePod-the-Phantom-and-the-ongoing-digitalization)
Apple HomePod, the Phantom and the ongoing digitalization - MightyMart - 19-Jul-2018
Just found this review of the Apple HomePod Smart Speaker in Stereophile.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/apple-homepod-smart-speaker-page-3
There is a short mentioning of the Phantom at the end of page 3 and it made me think about the competition Devialet is up against:
“A stereo pair of Devialet Phantoms ($5980/pair, plus stands and Dialog router) offered a superior listening experience at more than 17 times the price [...]”.
If we put the matter of sound quality aside for a short while; it is very hard to see Devialet ever standing a chance against bigger companies when it comes to research and development of new and smart technologies. And smart features will ultimately be what most consumers expect of products in a very near future, even more so in 5-10 years time, and especially from so called lifestyle products such as the Phantom.
The HomePod offers a lot more smartness compared to the Phantom at a fraction of the price and the sound quality is probably more than adequate for the average consumer.
However, Devialet seem to be focused almost solely on competing with others in terms of sound quality. Devialet has also struggled, as we all know, to solve challenges regarding digital technology developed by themselves.
This road Devialet is traveling down might very well prove disastrous...
RE: Apple HomePod, the Phantom and the ongoing digitalization - cfwotzka - 19-Jul-2018
I can't agree more.
RE: Apple HomePod, the Phantom and the ongoing digitalization - Hifi_swlon - 21-Jul-2018
Same here. I think they would have been better getting the latency down and initially selling them to the pro market, where actives are the norm. Once their reputation was established, a smaller, cheaper model that worked with TVs etc (and Bluetooth) would have been a great step.
As it is they evolved to have two products (phantoms and experts) kind of aimed at the same hifi crowd, and with no pro kit - despite the confusingly named Expert Pros which are purely for home audio. Phantoms are too expensive, too ‘real’ sounding and too flakey for a consumer market.