It'll be pretty much impossible for anyone to A/B the new/old rates, as who is going to have the two different OS's with two identical Phantom pairings in one house? With no blind listening test to see if there is any actual difference in sound quality with the decreased specs, we'll never know if there is an actual difference without bias. Maybe there's no audible difference?
From a marketing standpoint, it seems like a dumb move, as they're officially moving the entire Phantom line from the audiophile world to the lifestyle market -- at audiophile prices. Don't see how it's going to increase their appeal. If I were starting out now, I'd get a NAD33 with full MQA, room correction, etc., a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV's and call it a day.
Perhaps they're quietly trying to solve the widespread stability issues. My Phantoms were a nightmare once I got rid of the Dialog -- they really don't play well with mesh networks. Still, given the huge pain in the ass of selling them, I supposed I'll just suck up the indignity and stream Apple Music through them and reserve serious TIDAL MQA listening for my headphones.
It's a bummer, but C'est la vie. Maybe some day, I'll get those Klipsches...
From a marketing standpoint, it seems like a dumb move, as they're officially moving the entire Phantom line from the audiophile world to the lifestyle market -- at audiophile prices. Don't see how it's going to increase their appeal. If I were starting out now, I'd get a NAD33 with full MQA, room correction, etc., a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV's and call it a day.
Perhaps they're quietly trying to solve the widespread stability issues. My Phantoms were a nightmare once I got rid of the Dialog -- they really don't play well with mesh networks. Still, given the huge pain in the ass of selling them, I supposed I'll just suck up the indignity and stream Apple Music through them and reserve serious TIDAL MQA listening for my headphones.
It's a bummer, but C'est la vie. Maybe some day, I'll get those Klipsches...
