Updated!

[supaDean]

Since I began building my Phantom Reactor-based audio rig autumn of 2019, I've posted a couple of times on its progress. Dare say I may have reached the end of the journey, at least for the next long while. A few here and on other forums have written to me asking about the system, so I thought I'd write this little post to answer questions and provide some interesting background info. Sorry if some info is redundant for those that know the Phantom line, but for those that don't you may find it useful.

But first, a couple of pics!






I first was introduced to the Phantom line several years ago at a dealer. At the time, wireless speakers really weren't a thing (I personally hard wire the Reactor), and they were being marketed by the dealer as the loudest wireless speaker, ever. It was silly marketing, and completely did a dis-service to them. I was at the dealer's researching another piece, but gave them a listen out of curiosity. I quickly dismissed them because I thought they were ugly as sin, and the listening space was too noisy to really appreciate them anyway.

A few years later Devialet released the Phantom Reactor, and it caught my attention. Devialet had since moved on to better marketing, and the Phantoms were now being marketed as a high end, DSP active speaker which happened to also be wireless. Of course they can be hard wired, but the wireless option is there for those that want it.

Pictures of the Reactor are deceiving because it's tough to capture just how small they are, which is totally out of line for the sound they produce. They weigh less than 10 lbs each. The low end hits 18Hz. That is astonishing. You have to hear and feel it to believe it. The Reactor 900, which for some reason has now been rebranded as the Phantom II, is rated at 400 watts RMS. Obviously the sound is much more than just the low end, but suffice to say I no longer need separate sub-woofers. They're a full range set-up. As with all speakers, to help obtain the best sound from them placement in your listening space is important. My system is 100% digital so in addition to physical room correction I incorporate digital room correction (Dirac Live via the miniDSP SHD-Studio), and paid attention to jitter (hence the addition of the Mutec USB+). I can't overstate how important this is to bringing the sound to the next level. The soundstage and dynamics are fantastic.

Prior to the Phantoms, I had racks of gear and reams of cabling which I enjoyed for years. For 17 years I ran passive JBL SVA tower loudspeakers with Paradigm subwoofers. The SVA's were a forgiving speaker line, and pretty much everything sounded great through them. I ran a variety of preamps, amps and cabling over the years. My motivation for switching up was two-fold. I wanted to design a minimalist 2-channel system. I also wanted to go active as the benefits are proven.

I've come to appreciate the Phantom's cosmetics. I find people either love or hate their look. I acquired them for their performance, features and size. I didn't audition them beforehand because I put this system together during the pandemic, and I still had my memories of when I auditioned the earlier Phantoms. I did my research, spoke with manufacturers directly, and ordered everything from them in France, Asia and the USA. The only component I ordered via a distributor was the MUTEC piece, but not before communicating with Mutec (Germany) beforehand.

Hope you find this little write-up interesting. Cheers.