First impressions

[stonedragon]

I think one of the most impressive elements of the Phantom is the way it handles music at low volumes. True the headline  grabbing feature of 16Hz at 105db is impressive (although I've not verified that for myself), but I think the detail at low volume is more impressive. Why do I say that? Well who really listens to music at max level? For most people living in flats or houses in the city, unless you are having an almighty party, those sort of listening levels is not going to happen. So that brings me onto low level listening.

It is so satisfying to listen at low levels, but yet still get all the imaging and detail. It is very relaxing and the proper way to enjoy music. I can sit in my study and have the system playing at 15 and yet hear everything so clearly and with a decent bass presence. It is both exhilarating and liberating. It makes such a change not having to crank everything up. In short....fatigue free listening pleasure.

Well done Devialet, but please sort out SPARK. I had to turn my Phantoms off twice before everything behaved as it should. Spark is the only let down, apart from that I'm happy    

I totally agree to this! Even if I live rural with the closest neighbour 100 m away I enjoy the Phantoms at low volume. Not that they would sound worse at high volume, but my ears get nummed at high volume and therefore nuances become less structured. So for most music I also prefer low volume at 8-15 out of 100. Howeve, dynamic recordings like big classic orchestras, e.g. Carmina Burana sounds better at 45 to 55. When I  listen to the phantoms I question myself if the loudness curves of the human ear have been determined with normal dynamic speakers and would look more linear when made with Phantoms.

@streamy I agree with your impression about low volume listening. To me when played low, the Phantom still produces low bass with no particular reduction like other speakers normally do. It feels like Devialet is compensating the Fletcher curve depending on volume. 

Doh! What is the Fletcher curve?