Devialet Phantom I: live gig in the living room
28.3.2022
Translation: Julia Graham
Looking for multi-room-compatible active boxes and don't know how you’d get your hands on 6,500 francs? I’ve got just the tip for you.
Life is too short for bad speakers. That's why I’m trying out some really expensive ones. The Devialet Phantom I 108 dB comes in at more than 3,000 francs. I put two of them to the test. After all, they can be used as a multi-room system or in stereo mode. The price? About 6,500 francs.
According to Devialet, you could get a titanium tweeter for that amount of money. They describe it as «sound in a pure and unadulterated form, refined in classy 22-carat gold» – whatever that means. In any case, the midrange speakers and woofers are made of aluminium. The eponymous 108 dB volume apparently relates to the 1,100 watts sine. It’s louder than standing near a speaker in a club. Surprisingly, you don't need a firearms licence for this.
It isn’t just hefty in price but also weight. A single box comes in at 11 kg. You have to bear in mind it contains a very powerful amplifier. Maybe the speaker needs the weight as a stabiliser when it’s at high volume.
The design of the Phantom speaker takes a bit of getting used to. Especially the white version. My office colleagues assumed it was a humidifier when I was unboxing it. Once set up, the speakers look much better.
In terms of wireless connection, there are two options for connecting the Phantom. Either directly via Bluetooth or using Apple’s AirPlay on your home network. UPnP (article in German) also supports the device, but I haven’t tried that out. I could also connect the active boxes to a source via optical cable if I was set up for it. The LAN connection is also a non-starter.
First impressions
The operating instructions stop after telling you to download the app. I’m meant to be able to see all the other instructions in the app itself. Operating the speakers via the smartphone app works but each step takes a few minutes.
In terms of the first sound impressions, it seems quite good. But the impact of a single device is limited. That’s when I decided to set up the second Phantom and connect it to the first. The two speakers play at the same time, so I already have a basic multi-room system. By pressing another button in the app, I get the speakers to connect to form a stereo pair.
I'm impressed. When I play Gillian Welch’s «Revelator», it’s as though I’m at a concert live in my living room. Looks like I just got goosebumps.
However, the Phantom speakers can also be bass-heavy. Or should I say, that’s its speciality. Which makes it perfect for hip hop. Billie Eilish’s «Bad Guy» sounds even better. It certainly has some power. I like when you get mad!
Second, third and fourth impression
In my experience, initial spontaneous enthusiasm can soon pass. So, I keep my critique hat on and my ears peeled.
Factors such as room acoustics, positioning of the speakers and personal preference play a big part in sound quality. All I can do is compare it to my standard system at home. But that was a lot cheaper. Magnat’s passive loudspeakers cost a good 500 francs altogether. Their sound is much more centred. When I play the piece by Gillian Welch on them (that’s linked above), it sounds more «out of the box» and less like «live in the living room». The bass is much more powerful on the expensive Phantom speakers. The trebles are also incredibly clear, which could be one of the ways you get the impression of it being live.
To adjust the sound, you can use the classic equaliser with bass and treble controls in the app. What strikes me as more interesting is the night mode. With a single tap, you can reduce any aggressive bass to avoid bothering neighbours or housemates. Night mode always sounds the same no matter how the equaliser is set up. If my ears aren’t deceiving me, all the speaker is doing is turning the bass control down to a minimum and setting the treble control to the middle. Nevertheless, it’s handy to have this positioned right next to the volume control instead of having to trawl through the settings for the equaliser.
If the two boxes are mono, in other words, in different rooms, you can control the volume and sound on each box. But you can’t do this in stereo mode. Similarly, you can’t control the equaliser in isolation if one box ends up being more prone to unwanted wall reflections because of where it’s placed in the room.
However, Devialet’s claim is true. The Phantom speakers are indeed less reliant on having perfect room acoustics than other types of speakers. It may be because the woofers blast out sound to the sides. Either way, the box sounds good in various different rooms and positions.
I end up sticking with my first impressions, namely that these boxes sound great. At any volume, in any size of room and at any setting. It still remains characterised by the live feeling.
Not self-explanatory, not alien sounding
The box also includes a remote control. But I’ve never used it because in my setup, the smartphone serves this purpose. Controlling via the app is not a problem, even though I feel like I have to switch to and from the Spotify and Devialet app a bit too often. What’s particularly hassle-free is activating the individual multi-room speakers. However, you can’t switch seamlessly between mono and stereo, as that requires you to override something in the set-up. The alternative is switching between mono and stereo in the Spotify app.
Then we come to controlling the speaker itself. The device only has one switch, so it seems straightforward on the surface. But don’t let that fool you.
Normally, it’s not too difficult to work out how to use an on-off switch. But with this device, it took me a full two days to understand what was going on. These two days pushed me to the edge of despair. I ended up not being able to switch the boxes off or they turned themselves on again a bit later. Or they’d suddenly disappear from the app and I couldn’t reconfigure them. Reinstalling the app twice only provided limited help.
After two days, it finally clicked. When you press the power button briefly, that doesn’t turn the speaker off. It then just makes a strange noise. This gives you an indication of the device’s status. To turn the speaker off, I have to press and hold the power button down for about three seconds. But whatever you do, don’t hold it down too long otherwise you’ll reset the speaker. The device shows it’s switched off with a boom, which makes the woofer visibly move.
What adds to the confusion is that when you touch the speaker, it turns on again by itself. I always used to put my hand on the speaker. And because it always takes a few seconds to switch on, I didn’t notice what effect my touching the speaker had.
Without any guidance, this was all difficult to find out. Neither the short guide nor the app go into any details.
Other people also seem to have been baffled by the on-off switch. This review (linked article in German) claims that the Devialet Phantom also draws 20 watts out of the socket when it’s idle and has no standby mode. That’s not true. When it’s not in use, the device uses 6 watts and, once you’ve understood the hand gesture controls, you’ll know it can be fully switched off. However, the in-built power supply then buzzes. Although it’s quiet, it’s audible when it’s directly beside the device.
When you know how it works, it works perfectly. You can also completely disconnect the box from the network without losing the app’s settings. That’s not to be sniffed at if you want to put the speakers somewhere else.
Verdict: sound great but they’re not for me
The Devialet Phantom I sounds phantomenal. It’s as though I’ve got a live concert performing in my living room. I'm amazed. But I still won’t be buying it. Here’s why. First off, you need at least two of them. Using it in stereo mode makes a big difference. But at that price point, having stereo in several rooms makes it add up pretty quickly. Secondly, in terms of size, the speakers are way out of proportion to the other things in my flat. You can also get Phantom speakers that are smaller and cheaper. But I can’t vouch for whether or not these sound as good as the big ones. Thirdly, the Phantom speakers don’t fit in with my retro set-up that includes cassettes and reel-to-reel tape, as they don’t have an analogue input. And finally, in my opinion, you can get boxes that are more aesthetically pleasing.
But that’s just me. If your collection is purely digital and you have the money spare, I would recommend the Phantom I. I just don't want to live next door to you.
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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