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Phantoms are complicated
#1
Hi I'm very new to hifi streaming having been into traditional setup for many years.
Having just replaced my multi unit hifi for a pair of Golds, dialog and Trees I'm beginning to realise it's a completely different world.
In the past, i have been into trying various interconnects and power cables and they usually make a difference with some actually improving matters.
I was hoping to be able to tweak the Phantoms by using my Missing Link Orbit power cables at least.
Having had the system for two weeks and only really getting a few hours listening on Friday I found that the right Phantom kept dropping out.
My setup is power line connected from router in another room to power line connect in sitting room. Ethernet from power line to BT switch and then Ethernet into dialog and Naim unitiserve.
I started to look at the Phantom connections. I found the left was connected by PLC but the problematic right was wifi 2.4.
Numerous reboots could not get both to be connected the same.
I then tried to swap out the Missing Link power cables for the mains that came with the Trees. Still the left is PLC but now the right is wifi 5GHz. I have played music for a few hours since without any dropouts so fingers crossed.
My conclusion is that the Phantoms are susceptible to any connection that carries filtering.
All of my units are connected to a Russ Andrews purifier block so maybe that is also affecting connections?
What is the best way to get the Phantoms connected? plc, Ethernet or wifi or does it not really matter?
I am also confused as to how a speaker can connect by PLC when it is not directly connected into the power line unit. The left speaker is closest to the power line adapter so maybe that is why this one connects but the right Phantom is too far to receive the signal.
Any thoughts appreciated. Cheers



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#2
Dear Steve,

Welcome to Devialetchat and as owner of Gold Phantoms!
The Phantoms and Dialog have all built-in PLCs. This is the reason why you should conect them directly to a power surge that is outlayed as a single circuit without any filters inbetween the branches. A power filter filters out (attenuates) the PLC signal, therefore the Phantom's and Dialog 'hidden' PLC network cannot function. As a result the Phantoms then connect by their internal wifi, either 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz network. However, depending on general Wifi traffic in your environment the quality is inferior to the PLC one. PLC and ethernet are the preferred way to interconect the Phantoms and Dialog. Unfortunately you have no manual control over the choice. The internal order that The Devialet network system check for choosing the best option is Ethernet > PLC > 5GHz Wifi > 2.4 GHz Wifi.
So my advice is to use no special power cables (that might have a filter), no power filters, check that all gear is connected to the same power branch and possibly phase. Then the system is very stable. There is a lot of experience in this forum written, all with the same conclusion. Try to setup the Phantoms that they do not use their internal wifi. As you are also using an own PLC this can definitely lead to another competing network problem that can be even worse when your neighbors are also using a PLC in the physically same power line. My experience is that the Phantom PLC can coexist with another/own PLC. But when both generate traffic at the same time it can be problematic. So watching TV over PLC and having the sound over the Phantoms can cause alot of traffic simultaneously. Specifically when you stream it from internet. Then it can multiply bandwidth as each audio and video path needs its own bw.
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#3
Thanks for a detailed reply. I can now understand a lot more about how the Phantoms and Dialog communicate.
At the moment I can only get the internet into the room where my Phantoms are by using the power lines over the mains. I may need to find someone to route an Ethernet cable outside the house so I have a physical link to make the connection a more reliable one.
I did try to fit the Tree Ethernet cable to the Phantoms but it was so fiddly I gave up.. would you recommend that I try again and then connect the Dialog and each Phantom using Ethernet cable or is this not necessary as long as the Dialog and Phantoms are connected by PLC?
Regards


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#4
When Dialog and Phantoms are connected through PLC there is no need to connect them through Ethernet. You need one Ethernet connection: from your home network router to Dialog. Dialog and Phantoms you plug to the same power branch without any power filters, so the Devialet PLC can work. With this you should have a very stable setup that can play Hires files up to 24/192k. Here on the Devialet homepage you can find some documentation: https://help.devialet.com/hc/en-us/artic...-Setup#DUO

I recommend you go through what is suggested here https://help.devialet.com/hc/en-us/categ...tom-Dialog as it will help you with most of the issues you can have. Luckily with the latest update most issues are resolved. We can enjoy stable gapless playing. The only remaining issue is the optical input of Dialog. But as solution you can use the ones from the Phantoms that work error free.
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