Devialet Phantom I 108dB - High-Fidelity Wireless Speaker - Gold

Oh man! What can I say?! I hesitated many times before i write this review. I have so many mixed emotions, i didn't know what to think of it. At same time i wanted to be as impartial as i could in my review to help other decide if this worth the extraordinary price tag or not. This definitely would be the question you'd ask yourself throughout every sentence you'd read in this review: Is worth 3+ grands? Like probably many others, i read so many reviews about the Devialet Phantom Gold, watched whatever youtube video about it out there. I wanted that convincing argument that if i spend my hard earned dollars on this thing, i won't be left with disappointment. The hype about it was definitely there, but also saw the big let down in other reviews. I wanted to experience this thing firsthand but without feeling the buyer's rumors afterwards, so buying from Amazon with its 30 days free return was a no brainer. The phantom gold had some scary reviews about intermittent, but serious connection problems. There were also reports of lack or poor midrange frequencies. Some called it flat! Some other proclaimed "audiophiles" bashed it in comparison to their high-end speakers setup. That had me really rethink the crazy idea of spending this much on a speaker that may have not just flaws, but severe ones on top of it may not be do great after all. The other thing i didn't like is the sole glossy white color option, which will not look great in my setup. In all, my thought process was, if i have to spend this much, it better damn be PERFECT. I contacted Devialet directly about my concerns of reported issues and the possibility of a black version. They were quick to respond but in a diplomatic way not acknowledging any issues but assuring that they stand behind their product. They also confirmed what I already new about the only white color option. But acknowledged that many people are asking for a black version. Fast forward one year, and Devialet releases the Phantom I series, with better firmware, same level of sound quality and power, more stability and ways to connect, and the kicker... Matte black option! Not to forget the wireless remote which was optional with phantom gold series. Of course Devialet had to do the Devialet thing and tack another $300 instead of dropping the price on the previous phantom series. I quickly made the plunge. 5 days later with Amazon prime delivery, the mighty speaker was finally at my door! I won't go through the unboxing since it is as intriguing as in the numerous youtube videos. I will admit this though, I took a selfie with the thing!!! I don't know exactly why. I haven't posted it anywhere nor showed anybody, i just did! Maybe to mark this historic moment...Yes! That's the kinda impact this thing can have on you. Ok, enough of the literature and let's get to core of it: powered up the speaker, paired it with its remote, then with my phone using the Devialet App. As expected there are almost no indicator on the speaker telling what is it doing. But it's no problem cause it just works. One other thing i should mention, which also was a selling point for me is the Devialet integration of Spotify, making it seamless to play your playlist on the Phantom I. The phantom 1 takes about 10 to 20 seconds to boot up. It let you know it's ready with a deep, faint but super clear realistic sound. I should say i was a bit disappointed seeing streak marks on the chrome finish. Probably from a last minute poor cleaning/final touches job from factory. Remember, i was expecting and deserving perfection for the amount I paid. I had prepaid and even fantasized for almost a year about a playlist i would want to hear this mighty speaker play. I won't start listing tracks or songs here as that's a music taste thing, but i will say i was confused and somehow disappointed. The songs I thought had decent bass on my Bose headphones or Klipsch 12" Subwoofer didn't sound as good nor get accentuated by the phantom dark chrome. I would even say they somehow sounded flat! On the other hand the songs i haven't given much thought, did sound great and so pronounced! Bottom line is, I had to recalibrate my ears and adjust my expectations in a realistic and data driven way rather than going blind behind the hype around this (let's not forget) single wireless Bluetooth speaker. So yes, i was disappointed and that's mainly cause I created this fantasy about this speaker that if i play a fart in it, it should come out as "Wow! That's sounded awesome!" Sorry, it does not. If you play poor tracks, they will still sound poor even on the Dark Phantom Chrome. Even with my initial disappointment, i still (kinda) made up my mind that this speaker is a keeper. This became more obvious when I started exclusively playing High Fidelity tracks also some "remastered" old tracks. That's where the phantom really shined for me. Its unmatched very wide dynamic range makes it so responsive to very low frequencies (very deep bass) to high frequencies (high pitch trebles) while still keeping the mid-range. And all this from one single compact speaker. Add to that the Devialet proprietary ADH (Analog Digital Hybrid) processing that makes it as close as possible to zero loss conversion. Or in English terms: Pure sound. I recall other reviewer going through this disappointment to exuberation phase and attributing it to "giving time for the speaker to break in". I'm not sure this is an ordinary speaker that needs that. I do think though, people will have to recalibrate their listening to it being the new gold standard, and avoid comparing it to multi-speakers setups. Question remains. Is it worth $3K+? I'd say it depends on what 3K means to you. To me, it's borderline but yes. Final thought: I do contemplate the idea of adding a second phantom chrome and making a dual phantom system. 5 Stars

I just bought the phantom l and I love the sound. Best compact speaker that doesn't need a subwoofer add on. The highs and high and the lows are amazing at about 65 at the remote that comes with it. Any higher than that you want this outside. I did play it to 100, will blow your mind, no distortion. But way to loud for in the house. Between 35 and 50 is perfect for in the house. I actually bought this speaker for my boat, I can play it and hear the speaker rather the engines. I tried many speakers on the boat and I ended up only hearing the highs, not the lows. So this is perfect if you are competing with boat engines. The bass will rattle anything not glued to your house and your chest on bassy tracks. They did leave out the ability to adjust the EQ, this doesn't matter for newer music for new tech. But your oldies and old 70s and 80s won't have the bass impact as the newer music because how they recorded it back then. Not a huge deal it will just sound the same as you always heard it, but you won't get the added bass response as you would with an added EQ to pump it up. I strongly suggest you get a cocoon case if you want to move this beast around. Very awkward being that's egg shaped and VERY heavy. Also I had no issues with hookup... when it asks you to give it love, you have to put your hand on it, but not from the side but directly in front. Took me a while to realize that because I couldn't finish the setup until I put my hand on it directly from the front to give it love. Funny, nice little added touch. BTW that's the app setup not the speaker. You don't need the app for it to work. The remote paring works like that too,. You have to touch the top. So this version I think they got it right from the last generation. I read a lot of complaints and didn't buy it because of that. Now they got it right. I think anyone who buys the phantom one will love it.

I was deciding between this Devialet 108db Phantom 1 or the Cabasse Pearl Akoya. I ultimately decided to go with the Devialet, as I preferred the overall look of the egg shape as opposed to the circular shape of the Pearl Akoya, and frankly there were more reviews on the Phantom 1, so it felt like the safe choice. Upon receiving this $3,300.00 high-end speaker, I found the styrofoam protecting the speaker in the box was completely shredded up into little pieces (shipping box was fine), and the speaker seemed to have been a second hand item, as there were scratches and dents all over it. Needleless to say, this is not something you'd hope to expect upon opening a new piece of high-end equipment. Aside from looks (which is one of the main reasons you would buy this kind of speaker in the first place), the speaker sounded really great, but overall a bit too much bass for my taste and any practical listening experience. Lastly, while it would not have been a deal breaker for me, I didn't realize that the Phantom 1 does not have a line-in for a 3.5mm (headphone input) to connect to to a turntable or other capable device. I'm not sure what Devialet was thinking, but the what a total miss on their part for not including this or another type of RCA input outside of an optical-in port, which has limited connectivity. I know there are work arounds, but none that are simple and easy, that's for sure. To that end, I went ahead and returned these and purchased the Cabasse Pearl Akoya's, which to me, are the best sounding active bookshelf speakers that you can buy in this price range.

sounds great looks great but connection is not good i have to use a separate ipad and place near the speaker

This is truly a technological breakthrough. Interesting design, perfect performance and connectivity, but you really need them in stereo. In my opinion, this is the best active speaker available much better than KEF. With this speaker, you hear the songs that you have heard many times like you never heard them before….

When it works it sounds and looks great. I ordered 2 Phantoms and 1 Dione. First of all Dione and Phantoms don't sync hence cannot be used together Second, When you link 2 Phantoms in stereo mode, there's a significant lag between the master and slave, skips large sections of the music. Third, Firmware is glitchy, at times the app fails to recognize products and you have to reset the HW

I just purchased the phantom l - Base is rich and full while the mids and highs remain clear. Surprisingly, the paring to your iPhone and iMac is seamless – Loving it!! Spotify connects effortlessly. Glad to see Devialet got it right. Is it overpriced, yes? Is it worth the advertised price, no, at a price point of $2495, I would say - yes…

I have been shopping around for a few months and finally decided on these. After 2 weeks of using them, I noticed a few things. First, the ease with which these speakers produce what I consider to be very difficult notes. When needed, they can reach the highs and the ground shaking bass in a very confident way. You feel as if you never have to doubt your speakers. Secondly, the low bass travels well at home. It does not sound as shattering as in the show room which boxes in the bass. But it is much more controlled and clean in a larger space. I was watching a scene from Greenland where the asteroid impact creates a blast wave. It sounded like I was literally experiencing an earth quake for a few seconds at home. It portrays the bass faithfully. That said, if you’re looking to reproduce the exact feel you had in the showcase with songs like A Milli, the bass at home is likely to disappoint. It does not produce a chest pounding sensation unless you turn it uncomfortably up at home. That said, because the speakers reproduces the producers interpretation faithfully almost everywhere (movie scenes, other songs), it makes you question if the song was originally meant to be as boomy. Thirdly, the treble is not mixed at all. I hear high notes with bass at ease and singing is produced with much air. I compared these with BO and the closest cost 15k. So... for my case, these have been a blessing and I am keeping.