27-Apr-2015, 08:09
Hi,
My own thoughts are that the Phantoms (I have two) do not have the refinement that a D200 will bring, but if you are not a tremendously fussy listener, they will do fine for informal/semiformal/parties almost all the time. I consider them very satisfying to listen to, even though I feel they lack the resolution and air of my older setup (Focal beryllium bookshelves and a krell integrated). Imaging is also not as pinpoint, but the soundstage does go wide and deep. I would not call the Phantoms refined.
If you're in an urban apartment, the Phantoms are likely to be a problem. The bass is lovely but my upstairs neighbour came to complain after only about 5-10 mins of me playing a test track with the volume set at 55 out of 100. I feel like I've got a porsche, but can't drive it faster than 60kph.
My plan is to test the Phantoms in a home theatre setup soon using the optical. I really don't care about lossless tracks for movies anymore. It's not like I've got sharp enough hearing to pick out the difference anyway, and the phantoms are a much prettier package than buying an AV receiver and running umpteen cables all over the room. They're also better than buying a subwoofer.
My own thoughts are that the Phantoms (I have two) do not have the refinement that a D200 will bring, but if you are not a tremendously fussy listener, they will do fine for informal/semiformal/parties almost all the time. I consider them very satisfying to listen to, even though I feel they lack the resolution and air of my older setup (Focal beryllium bookshelves and a krell integrated). Imaging is also not as pinpoint, but the soundstage does go wide and deep. I would not call the Phantoms refined.
If you're in an urban apartment, the Phantoms are likely to be a problem. The bass is lovely but my upstairs neighbour came to complain after only about 5-10 mins of me playing a test track with the volume set at 55 out of 100. I feel like I've got a porsche, but can't drive it faster than 60kph.
My plan is to test the Phantoms in a home theatre setup soon using the optical. I really don't care about lossless tracks for movies anymore. It's not like I've got sharp enough hearing to pick out the difference anyway, and the phantoms are a much prettier package than buying an AV receiver and running umpteen cables all over the room. They're also better than buying a subwoofer.
