With reasonable expectations, you won't be disappointed
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 Read more
