The remarkable Devialet Phantom loudspeaker, reviewed: Pitting the popular Phantom Silver against the Phantom Gold and experiencing the Devialet Difference.
Ah yes, it’s Review Time! It’s always a treat taking a pilgrimage to Audio Affair’s beautiful showroom; situated in the heart of Birmingham’s super-hip “Custard Factory”, and bristling with tantalising tech and drool-worthy audio equipment.
Today’s Audio Affair Blog is a special review of the incredible Devialet Phantom wireless speakers.
The Phantom Experience
They say first impressions count the most, and boy do the Devialet Phantom wireless speakers make an impression! An overtly futurist, white gloss “egg”, the Devialet Phantom looks like no loudspeaker you’ve ever seen before. That dramatic impression grows the moment they’re turned on; the speakers begin to “breathe” as the two loudspeaker domes move back and forth, as if alive.
The Devialet Phantom Silver and Phantom Gold were demoed with an iPad connected via the Devialet Dialog hub; an essential piece of kit for anyone wishing to unlock the pairing and multi-room potential of these amazing loudspeakers. Using Devialet’s “Spark” app, the two pairs of Phantom Silver and Phantom Gold speakers were connected as two stereo pairs.
A sci-fi like ambient sound begins to fill the room, indicating the speakers are now in pairing mode. To select which speakers belong in which group, one places one’s hand upon the Phantom, until it emits a gentle “ping”. These are, without a shadow of a doubt, the most anthropomorphic loudspeakers your reviewer has ever encountered.
Devialet Phantom – A dramatic performance
Loading up an emotive piece of music for these equally emotive loudspeakers, seemed wholly appropriate; turning to the Spark app, a 24/96 recording of the late, great, Luciano Pavarotti performing Verdi’s “La Dona e mobile” was lined up ready to go. Turning first to the Devialet Phantom Silver, it was time to see if these loudspeakers are more than just a pantomime act…
The sound emanating from the Devialet Phantom Silver utterly belies that of a unit as small, beautiful and compact as this. The sound is full, deep and crisp and so much bigger than anything one could expect from a speaker of this size. Loading up Leftfield’s dance classic “Open Up”, we’ve moved from the concert hall to the dance club with impressive results.
Now, it’s time to switch to the Devialet Phantom Gold. Whilst it’s undeniable that the Phantom Silvers are superb loudspeakers, the reaction upon switching to the Phantom Gold’s was marked. People idly ambling in the shop, stopped what they were doing and took notice; the sound of the Devialet Phantom Gold is that much bigger and more powerful than even that of the Phantom Silver.
The Gold Effect
Everything about the performance of the Devialet Phantom Gold was bigger, bolder, more powerful and more enjoyable. Bass is deeper, transients are sharper, the high-frequency detail is crisper, more defined and yet at the same time smoother. The “Gold Effect” was quantifiable in the reactions of everyone in the vicinity; they’re speakers which absolutely grab the attention of all around them.
Wondering if this extra power and drama of presentation would transfer outside of dance music, I returned to Pavarotti’s incredible voice once more. Once again, the sense of scale and depth added by the Devialet Phantom Gold, over the Phantom Silver, is utterly inescapable. The whole performance becomes much more lifelike and dramatic.
My overall impression was that, if funds permit, The Phantom Gold is the speaker in the Phantom range to go for. With that said, any purchaser of a Devialet Phantom (be that White, Silver or Gold) will be thrilled with the combination of jaw-dropping aesthetics and remarkable audio presentation.
One thought on “Review: Devialet Phantom – Phantom Silver vs Phantom Gold”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Should i buy one gold or two white phantoms for better sound? Two white phantom i can enjoy stereo out put.thank for making up my mind