Phantom reviwed in August Hi-Fi Choice

[Confused]

3 page review of the Silver variant and scores 5 stars for sound quality and overall - plus a short Q&A with Calmel

Can anyone give extensive quote on the sound quality review?  And do they compare side by side with other systems? 

MtnGuy

The review is very positive from start to finish, but no, the writer stays well away from any direct comparisons.  More or less every word in the sound quality section is very positive.  However, it does use terms such as "Despite it's modest size", prior to praising the scale of the sonics.  Which does leave you wondering how good it is in absolute terms, but makes it clear that it's very good for a small thing.  I have never had a proper listen to the Phantom, so I was intrigued to see where hi-fi Choice positioned the thing in the market, but I was left none the wiser after reading the article.  Although the conclusion does state that it is a "genuine hi-fi proposition that's firmly rooted in high-end audio".  Does "rooted in" just mean it's from a company that makes expensive "expert" amps, or does the writer mean it is truly "hi end" in it's own right?  The magazine does normally do a short section in a "how it compares" box, and in this case we get a comparison with the Naim mu-so and Dynaudio's active Xeo range.  So no, not the head to head with a "$50,000 system" you might hope for......

I often find that after reading extensively about a product in hi fi magazines and myself forming a particular view on a product, when I finally get to hear for myself I wonder what on earth the reviewers were listening to, my ears telling me something very different to the viewers words.  I'll reserve judgment on the Phantom until I have had a chance for a decent listen myself, which will be next Wednesday as it happens at OAC's dealer launch.  I know that a number of people planning to visit this event do have what could be broadly termed "$50,000 systems" (and at least one individual, considerably more than that!)  Should be interesting!