01-May-2019, 03:34
(30-Apr-2019, 23:49)Wdw Wrote: Hello All,
Moving away from a Expert 440 and big speakers system, in a dedicated room, to a headphone rig for serious listening and, perhaps, a pair of Phantoms for social and easy listening in a condo. I haven't followed this thread but have noticed some concerns with repairs requiring significant effort and trips to France but am hoping for some of your insight into living with them and what can I expect as to ease of use, etc.
I am hoping I can drive them by ethernet from a ROON Nucleus and that they are not fatiguing. Hard to ever audition in hifi stores as they tend to play them to augment the muscular bass.
All and any thoughts welcomed and encouraged.
Am I making a mistake in thinking of moving in this direction?
Thanks, in advance.
wdw
WDW, if you are in the Wash DC area, you are more than welcome for an audition of a pair of Phantom Gold. Otherwise, not knowing exactly where you have been audio wise and where you want to go, I can only give you some of my background as a reference, which minimally should give you some food for thought.
Traditionally, having limited funds, I have subscribed to a biggest bang for buck theory, such that I have not ever had an unequivocal "hifi" system and assembled what most would say constitute a decent mid-fi system, focusing more on home theater fun than critical music listening session. That said, some years ago now, I bought an AKG 1000 headphone and amp, which at the time was highly regarded, and for better or worse, the sound became my touchstone second only to my Yamaha DCG 1 piano.
Fast forward to about 4 years ago, we were living in S. Korea, using a small Sonos system for music and a soundbar for movies. I was looking to improve my system to focus more on critical listening using a better 2.0 system. Specifically, I was looking for the fullest speaker, within my budget, which met my partner's standards. Typically, I was looking at speakers in the $4K to $6K range, like Magnepan, Martin Logans, or GoldenEar. Additionally, I was moving a lot so I needed a speaker that was durable, transportable, and kid friendly. Of course, along with the speakers, I was looking at purchasing a new amp and pre-amp for about another $6K until I discovered the Phantom Golds. Doing some research, I was basically impressed with Devialet's story, and various online reviews. Subsequently, I showed the speakers to my partner, an industrial designer by trade, who found them acceptable if not tasteful. I pointed out that the way I figured it, I was saving about $4K trying out the Phantoms vice my original plan, making the purchase an easy sell.
Once I got the Phantoms set up, which was pretty easy, everyone was impressed, and everyone - adults down to the kids, enjoyed listening to the music on their terms. In short, my family and I find the Phantoms easy to use for every day, non-critical listening.
That said, I do find the Phantoms finicky at times, which can be very irritating when trying to listen to music critically, especially after there is an update within the audio chain after getting things set up just right. I have experienced missing phantoms, clicks, sudden volume increases, and the left/right channels switching for no known reason. I do not have any sort of dedicated HQ music device like Roon Nucleus, which I think would allow you to avoid some of the frustrations I experienced. Additionally, I did have issues with my Dialogue, which failed while under warranty. However, unlike some in this forum, I have had nothing but stellar support from Devialet such that the issues have been promptly addressed and resolved.
So to sum up, I really enjoy the Phantoms even though they can be quirky. Fatiguing? Not to my ears, in fact whenever I am away from them for more than a couple of days, I actually miss them and cannot wait to hear them again. Would I recommend them to everyone? No. Just like I wouldn't recommend a BMW M3 to everyone, I would only (highly) recommend them to those who could afford them, would appreciate and occasionally take advantage of everything they had to offer, and who are patient with glitches. For most others, I would recommend using a Sonos/Bose set up or something along those lines.
My apologies for any poor edits and typos, but those are my initial thoughts to your response.
Best regards,
JD
