Devialet Phantom 1 108dB Gold review
Verdict
A wireless speaker with an eccentric blueprint and, at times, a thrillingly excitable sound – simply it'due south constrained by the very things that brand information technology unique.
Pros
- Powerful, energetic audio
- Number of connectivity options
- Thrilling aesthetic
Cons
- Can stammer when more than subtlety is required
- Expensive
Availability
- UK RRP: £2790
- USA RRP: $3200
- Europe RRP: €3200
- Canada RRP: CA$4200
- Commonwealth of australia RRP: AU$5490
Key Features
- Devialet Bone Supports UPnP and Roon Set connections
- Center Bass Implosion An acoustic process that emits depression frequencies with depth and bear on
- Stereo pairing and multi-room 2 speakers can joined in stereo pair configuration, and multiple speakers paired in a multi-room ready-up
Introduction
Devialet is a French hi-fi visitor with a taste for the weird and wonderful, and its Phantom speakers are maybe the weirdest and most wonderful thing information technology currently makes.
A fusion of high-concept pattern and technology, the Phantoms are a wholly unique proposition. The Phantom i was introduced in 2021 as part of a shake-up of the Phantom family, the smaller Phantom Reactor renamed Phantom II to simplify matters. Simply, just to muddied the waters, the Phantom 1 models is bachelor in 103dB and 108dB variants.
The model tested here is the Phantom 1 108dB Gilded. Like previous Phantoms it delivers a performance that wouldn't be possible without the innovation that'south gone into information technology; but it'southward also hamstrung by the traits that make information technology so unique.
Design
- Meaty, ovoid shape
- Side-firing woofers
- White or black finish
The Devialet Phantom 1 looks like no wireless speaker y'all have come across, the kind Tom Cruise would exist listening to in the time to come mural of his 2013 film Oblivion. Viewed from head on, the speaker takes on the shape and advent of the moon; from the side information technology looks like the sort of helmet the now defunct (or should that be de-funked?) Daft Punk would wear.
It's a design that throws up a few questions, like how does information technology produce audio? Where is the speaker'southward front? And is that bodily gold plating?
The front end of the speaker is the face with the tweeter-covered grille, the design of which takes inspiration from French 18th-century gardens and Chladni patterns (look them up). Side-firing woofers add to the visual spectacle of the Phantom 1 once information technology starts digging into those low frequencies, while around the dorsum is a heatsink and a ability cablevision. Rather inelegantly, hidden behind the cable are the Ethernet and digital optical connections.
With a matte finish that tin attract a bit of clay, you lot wouldn't want to go the 22-carat gilt side panels messy – and at 11.4kg for each speaker, they have a deceptively low centre of mass. The weight raises the thought of purchasing stands, of which at that place are three to choose from: Tree (the well-nigh conventional of the lot), Treepod (a meaty stand) and Gecko (a wall-mount). There's besides a travel bag called the Cocoon that looks somewhere betwixt a tea cosy and bowling ball bag.
Features
- Features a wealth of interesting tech
- Various connection options
- Intuitive app and remote
It wouldn't be a Devialet product if there weren't any fancy-sounding acronyms – and lo and behold, the Phantom ane lives up to expectations with ADH, SAM, and HBI.
ADH stands for Analog Digital Hybrid. The analogue amplifier reproduces an unspoilt signal and passes it off to the digital amplifier. In the words of Devialet, this procedure combines the precision of analog and the ability and compactness of digital amplification. SAM isn't a person, merely Speaker Agile Matching, an algorithm that recognises the speaker's specs and tailors the audio for an optimal functioning.
Middle Bass Implosion sounds like a dance album from the early 2000s, and is all about reproducing low frequencies with depth and power – and, in the course of the Phantom 1, that gives birth to some truly prodigious bass extension. Non-acronym features arrive with a more power-efficient system chip, improved energy consumption and reduced baloney through the speaker's signal path.
The 108dB version of the Phantom i has at its disposal 1100 watts RMS of power, which is a style of saying this speaker tin can make a racket. Source connectivity stacks up to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, UPnP, Roon Ready support, and an optical cablevision (for plugging the speaker into a Idiot box or other device).
Yous can manage those sources through the Devialet app, which is stable, swift in terms of speed, and intuitive. Inside the app, and if you have more than i speaker to hand, there's the promise of linking them up through multi-room or bringing two together to course a stereo pair – a procedure that's piece of cake to achieve. At that place'south access to music streaming services (Spotify, Qobuz, Deezer, Tidal), as well as playback functions with rails skipping and volume command. If you accept a pair, the volume can be controlled independently of each speaker.
A more physical ways of control is with the Phantom Remote, a puck-sized controller with buttons for playback, a twist of the rotary punch moves book up and down. The set-upwardly is a charming process with in-app references to a "new life" being born and the speaker – which pulses during fix-upwards (those side-woofers at it once more) – calmed by a touch as if it's a new-born babe. The Phantoms are plenty eccentric, and winningly so.
Sound quality
- Lots of power, lots of attack
- Condensed soundstage
- Can strike an impressively natural tone
For a speaker of its size and shape, there'due south no shortage of energy about the fashion the Devialet delivers its sound. Bass beats are seriously impressive in how they're communicated: the size, weight and depth bring plenty of scale to bass-heavy tracks.
And in terms of book, this is a speaker to exist turned up and turned up loud. It isn't fussed about making a din (although maybe your neighbours will), and dynamically there are few shortcomings in describing hushed moments and thundering notes, or the deviation betwixt low frequencies and high. In that location's an elasticity to the speaker's range that convinces.
As well met with confidence are the high notes that sparkle with clarity and detail through the Grade I Titanium tweeter, and it proves good with male and female voices, treating them with a naturalism that makes them sound lifelike. In fact, when listening to the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, a fellow member of the team walking past thought there were more than people in the room with me. Mesh that with a sprightly sense of attack and a character that's happy to play a range of music genres – from pop, R&B, soul music, classical to rock – and you'd expect the Phantom 1 to be a dab hand at everything at which it tries its mitt.
Merely the shortcomings of the previous Phantom models don't go abroad, and unless Devialet comes with up some cracking technology, will always be ingrained into their Dna. The width of the soundstage it describes is small, not particularly escaping the confines of its ovoid shape – and this is evident in decorated tracks, where the soundstage becomes congested, and detail goes awry. The Prodigy'southward Stand Up sounds messy and disorganised with a lack of clarity and shape to its presentation, despite the impressively big and meaty bass frequencies.
With Baton Joel's Information technology'south Still Rock and Curl to Me, there'southward an attempt at describing the depth of the track, but his vocalisation and other instruments come across as if they're sitting on each other at times. Stereo pair the Phantom 1 and yous go a flat soundstage; Aaron Copland'due south Fanfare for the Common Man doesn't feel every bit if it reaches into the room but instead is kept at a remove, and that makes for a less engaging heed.
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Should you buy it?
If you lap up eccentricity in spades From its advent to its audio, the Phantom 1 Gold does things differently and on its own terms. It's too really expensive, and has appeal for those who covet shiny pretty things.
If you favour a more expansive and clear functioning When played songs more its speed, there'southward no dubiety the Devialet offers a dynamite performance, simply its small soundstage highlights bug that hamper music playback.
Final Thoughts
The Devialet Phantom i isn't the be all and end all when it comes to its sound functioning, but when on song it's a wireless speaker with a very entertaining presence. Information technology shows no fealty to the mere whims of conventional design either, and whatever owner of this speaker will be glad of its outré style.
That is, if yous tin can afford it. In that location'due south impressive tech at the centre of the Phantom 1 – there's no doubting Devialet's skill or nous in that regard – but there's something of a contradiction in that eye, boasting engineering science that's meant to costless information technology from its lovely confines, merely which also serves to restrict it. The Phantom 1 tin can reach thrilling heights, merely it can as well exist shackled to the ground.
How we exam
We examination every wireless speaker we review thoroughly over an extended period of fourth dimension. Nosotros use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We'll always tell you what nosotros notice. We never, e'er, accept coin to review a product.
Discover out more than about how we examination in our ideals policy.
Tested in unmarried and stereo configurations
Tested with various streaming services and sources
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FAQs
How much is the Devialet Phantom 1 Gold?
The Phantom ane Golden is priced at £2790 / €3200 / $3200 / AU$5490 / CAD$4200
Full specs
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Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/devialet-phantom-1-108db-gold
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