05-Mar-2015, 00:44
I received today my 2 Phantoms Silver and Dialog from Colette. Since beginning of 2015 I read most posts here and found myself in the same situation as some of you having ordered at Devialet as early adopter but not getting any infos, except new delays. Then last Friday night I saw the post that Colette delivers to Australia and made a promt order at Colette.
So far I'm very happy with the Phantoms despite the buggy software. The sound is very neutral, linear and rich. Spark is not yet there where it should be. However, I found out how to use the optical input of the Phantom. You can use it, as I do it for now, with an AppleTV and listen to any music via airplay. Any other streamer should work, too. The optical signal (TOS link) in stereo seems to go via Phantom to the Dialog and then is delivered to the two Phantoms left and right configured. This works very well. I listened to music for several hours without dropouts and with stable stereo image. I was using Spotify over airplay. The SQ seems better than ripped MP3 from my NAS via Spark.
I did also a short test with the analyzer App on my IPad measuring the frequency response using a sine signal. Did not do it at max volume. I measured at about 2m distance around 78 dB +/- 1 dB with very small changes using a sine signal at 20 Hz, and up to 30, 40.. to around 2 kHz. All with airplay over an AppleTV and optical input to one Phantom. I could see (in the Frequency response) and hear room resonances, but the phantoms play extremely linear. Of course no guarantee whether it is the room or the loudspeaker that makes the volume change one measures. But the 20 Hz are there and at same level as 1Khz. I'm not audiophile, but have a trained ear more from audio enginering. I own old first generation B&W 802 (from 1980), but did not yet compare them with the Phantoms.
Lot more to do, but mainly enjoy the solid sound at an unpreceded form factor. I could not observe, what other heard, that the lows and ultra-lows are blown up. The are extremely clean precise and dry.
So far I'm very happy with the Phantoms despite the buggy software. The sound is very neutral, linear and rich. Spark is not yet there where it should be. However, I found out how to use the optical input of the Phantom. You can use it, as I do it for now, with an AppleTV and listen to any music via airplay. Any other streamer should work, too. The optical signal (TOS link) in stereo seems to go via Phantom to the Dialog and then is delivered to the two Phantoms left and right configured. This works very well. I listened to music for several hours without dropouts and with stable stereo image. I was using Spotify over airplay. The SQ seems better than ripped MP3 from my NAS via Spark.
I did also a short test with the analyzer App on my IPad measuring the frequency response using a sine signal. Did not do it at max volume. I measured at about 2m distance around 78 dB +/- 1 dB with very small changes using a sine signal at 20 Hz, and up to 30, 40.. to around 2 kHz. All with airplay over an AppleTV and optical input to one Phantom. I could see (in the Frequency response) and hear room resonances, but the phantoms play extremely linear. Of course no guarantee whether it is the room or the loudspeaker that makes the volume change one measures. But the 20 Hz are there and at same level as 1Khz. I'm not audiophile, but have a trained ear more from audio enginering. I own old first generation B&W 802 (from 1980), but did not yet compare them with the Phantoms.
Lot more to do, but mainly enjoy the solid sound at an unpreceded form factor. I could not observe, what other heard, that the lows and ultra-lows are blown up. The are extremely clean precise and dry.
