Company & Product Overview

Headquartered in Paris, France, Devialet is an acoustical engineering company that has delivered truly innovative products to the world of high-performance audio since 2007. The company has become one of the most-awarded in audio history, earning more than 90 awards and registering over 200 patents.

Fusing luxurious design with their cutting-edge technologies, Devialet was founded with two main goals — create the best audio tech in the world and deliver the hi-fi listening experience of larger high-end speakers & class-A components into modern, compact, and easy-to-use high-performance audio products.

With more than 200 patents filed, Devialet’s DNA for innovation has trickled down into all of its products, including their incredibly slim Expert Pro range of amplifiers and their beautifully designed Phantom wireless speakers.

The Phantom line embodies more than 100 patents to deliver a level of performance that can compare with large loudspeakers in a much smaller form factor. Although it is extremely advanced on the inside, Phantoms are very simple to use, and the way they look really gets people’s attention.

There are several Phantoms to choose from — each one can be controlled by the Devialet app and they all have plenty of ways to connect over Bluetooth and wi-fi, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, UPnP plus Roon Ready to boot!

We will break down all the cool tech Phantoms share, and then we will compare each model in terms of price-point, aesthetics & performance. If you have been on the fence about the Phantom line and are curious about the differences between each model or their sound quality — we will tell you everything there is to know, so you can discover exactly which Phantom is the right one for you.

Design & Build Quality

Phantoms are designed, manufactured & assembled at Devialet Laboratories in Paris, France where ultra-high-performance materials, extreme precision engineering & beautiful aesthetics come together. Designed to be the centerpiece in a room, Phantoms are statuesque — almost like works of art.

Devialet sent us a pair of Phantom I 103dBs in Matte Black with a set of Devialet Treepod stands to demo as a stereo pair. In terms of looks, we were deeply impressed with the appearance of this setup with the modern style of the mid-century decor in our spacious open living room. Two Matte Black Phantoms perfectly stabilized by Treepods with their solid beech wood legs were just stunning to look at.

Everyone that entered the room seemed to be wowed and had something really positive to say about the unique look. Many were genuinely surprised to learn they are actually high-performance loudspeakers. A setup like this in a living room connected as a stereo pair to a TV — or even a single Phantom sitting on a counter in the kitchen will get people’s attention and their feet moving. Phantoms are simply ultra-high-end speaker systems that will make people know just how serious you are about hi-fi sound & brilliant design.

The inputs are tucked away on the back of the unit behind a cable-management compartment that is sealed off and completely covered by Devialet’s really cool custom-designed power plug that acts as a trapdoor.

Right above the power plug, there is a push-button that powers on the Phantom and this illuminates to tell you the status of the unit during the initial setup. Once everything was configured within the Devialet companion app, there really was no need to have a view of the indicator light after the initial setup.

Everything, from streaming music to setting up a stereo pair within the app and controlling the playback with the remote control’s rotary dial was just so convenient and really easy to use.

The Phantom Design: Devialet’s Orblike Conception

Designing a line of compact wireless speakers for smart homes capable of reproducing the full spectrum of music was a huge challenge for Devialet’s engineers. For one, reproducing bottom-end weight with physical impact traditionally requires not only the best electronics — but also the use of large speaker boxes.

Instead of a traditional box, Phantoms have a spherical acoustic architecture that houses all of the internal components. Interestingly, there are no wires inside of Phantoms. This is thanks to a custom-designed integrated circuit, powering Devialet’s high-performance amplification & signal processing technologies. Not only does this system on a chip (SoC) cut down on travel time in the electronics, but a shorter circuit generally provides a cleaner path that protects Phantom’s electronics further.

Designing a custom integrated circuit provided Devialet a few other key advantages when it set out to build a high-performance loudspeaker from the ground up. This gave Devialet the platform to:

1. Reduce the size of its loudspeaker substantially.
2. Think outside of “the box” & reshape the traditional form of loudspeakers.
3. Deliver a level of performance comparable to the best hi-fi systems in one easy-to-use product.

Extreme Woofer Excursion

To reproduce the full impact of music with great bottom-end weight from an ultra-compact design, Devialet had to invent a new technology — Heart Bass Implosion (HBI®).

HBI® is Devialet’s high-performance implosive bass tech, giving Phantoms the ability to reproduce deep low-end from a single unit. The design consists of two Devialet-exclusive high-excursion aluminum woofers that move in perfect symmetry to push air around with the physical impact and density never before achieved from such compact enclosures. Each woofer is capable of moving a mass of more than 66lbs which creates their implosive sound. The tech behind this stems from a decade of research & development at the Devialet Laboratories in Paris.

HBI® is roughly four times more powerful than many of the best woofers on the market of equivalent diaphragm sizes — yet six times more compact and six times lighter — making it possible for some Phantom I models to produce bass down to 14Hz! On the other hand, all Phantom II models still reach down as low as 18Hz with a +/- 2dB on the bass even though their woofers are a little bit smaller.

Extreme Engineering

Devialet took all of its tech from the Heart Bass Implosion (HBI®) symmetric woofers and designed the diaphragms to be flush with the Phantom’s surface in order to form a nearly perfect spherical enclosure.

To withstand the level of pressure, the spherical acoustic architectures of Phantoms are sealed using aeronautical-grade standards with composite mono-hull under 440 lbs of pressure. Further, the gasket, sealing off the woofer is over 2.5mm in diameter and compressed by a force of 1.2 tons to ensure tight sealing.

In the smallest Phantom II series, the Dual Aluminum woofers are 4.7 inches in diameter, and slightly over 7.5 inches in the larger Phantom I models — and, of course, the size of their diaphragms affects the size of the enclosures. Having the smaller-sized woofer means models in the Phantom II series stand a little shorter at around 6.5 inches tall, slightly over 6 inches wide & about 8.5 inches deep.

All of the Phantom II models weigh about 9.5 lbs — whereas once you step up to the Phantom I series, everything — from their dimensions to the performance you get — is noticeably expanded.

Each Phantom I model weighs in at about 25 lbs, so there is more than just a little bit more density and weightiness to these compared to the Phantom II series. Models in the Phantom I series are also larger — standing around 3.5 inches taller, almost 4 inches wider & just about 5 inches deeper than models in the Phantom II series.

The surface of all Phantoms is a smooth, premium aeronautical-grade sealed enclosure made of an extremely rigid ballistics-grade plastic polymer called "ZeMac” — known for its excellent sealant properties. It looks and feels high-end — although this may not offer much in the way of durability. Should it take a fall, it could scratch easily — so, pairing Phantoms with Devialet’s custom speaker stands (made especially for Phantoms) will not only provide them with the acoustic support Phantoms deserve, but they are also a really beautiful way to show them off in your home.

Technologies All Phantoms Share

Very Easy-to-Use

Everything can be set up & controlled right from the Devialet app on a smartphone. Control the volume, set up a stereo pair, create a custom multi-room setup for whole-house coverage with as many Phantoms as you wish, adjust the latency for A/V, soften the bass with Night Mode & keep your Phantom up to date.

In addition to the app, every model in the Phantom I series comes with a dedicated rechargeable remote control with a very smooth rotary dial that will let you precisely control a Phantom’s volume and the playback. When you have multiple Phantoms in different rooms, covering your whole house with music, the rotary dial makes it very easy to quickly raise or lower the volume of individual Phantoms on the fly in a multi-room setup. We also like how all Phantoms have a proximity sensor on top of the enclosure that senses the remote control — this makes the setup process quick & easy.

Phantom's Open Architecture

Whether you are used to Bluetooth pairing, Wi-Fi, optical or analog, Phantom's have an open architecture that lets you get straight to the music. They all support high-res multi-room streaming for sample rates up to 24-bit 48kHz over WIFI, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect & UPnP with external hard drives — plus all Phantoms are Roon Ready to boot!

The streaming protocol with Spotify Connect allows for lossless streaming, which is super important for non-Apple users that can't use Airplay — especially when Spotify releases their hi-res lossless streaming tier. So, if you are an Android user, Bluetooth is not your only streaming option.

All Phantoms have an optical Toslink input for connecting with TVs or a CD player (or anything with a digital output) plus an ethernet port for connecting a router. If you need an analog input to connect a laptop, turntable, CD player, or any audio source with a 3.5mm stereo-miniplug then you will want to consider the Phantom II.

If you are used to hardwiring with an optical cable and just want to bypass the wireless functionality for a specific custom installation, Phantom's open architecture will let you access even more of its high-performance potential with Devialet’s Optical Direct Mode. In this mode, all Phantoms support playback of digital music with sample rates up to 24-bit 96Khz!

ADH® — Pure Analog Engine with Smart Digital Power

At the heart of all Phantoms is the technology that made Devialet the most-awarded company in high-performance audio — ADH® Intelligence, which trickles down from Devialet’s Expert Pro range of high-end amplifiers.

ADH® (Analog Digital Hybrid) is Devialet’s special hybrid amplification architecture on a chip and works by connecting a genuine class A analog amp directly to the speaker. Then, several class D amps are added in parallel to minimize the analog amp’s workload while providing the speaker the current it needs to sustain the output voltage.

The main goal of ADH® is to combine the ultra-linearity and musicality of the analog (Class A) amp with the power, efficiency, and compactness of Class D amplification. Devialet’s custom silicon gets you into a level of performance that is close to a Class A amp without the weight, size, or heat generation.

Thanks to the class A analog amplifier, think of music with a “warmer,” “musical” sound profile and bass that has a more tuneful sense-of-timing and a rhythm-and-pacing that will make you want to tap your feet especially when you crank up the volume.

SAM® Acoustic Signal Processing

SAM® (Speaker Active Matching) is another state-of-the-art innovation from Devialet that trickled down from their Expert line of amplifiers to maintain acoustic accuracy within specific speaker drivers.

Where ADH® is the high-performance engine powering the output stage within a Phantom speaker, SAM® is the special processing that allows the engine to adapt (in real-time) to the audio signal going through it. It works by learning a speaker’s unique electroacoustic behaviors and then controls each driver to reproduce the exact acoustic pressure that was captured by the recording studio’s microphone. For every sample in the recording that is analyzed, SAM® will know the exact voltage required by the power amp to drive each Phantom driver, so that the acoustic pressure is a one-to-one image of the audio signal.

For the Phantom line, the result is a noticeable difference in bass response as you step up to each model in the line. So, as you step up from the least powerful to the most powerful Phantoms there will be more impactful bass with deeper bass extension as you move up the line.

With SAM® processing involved, another great advantage all Phantoms have is woofer protection that kicks in to save your speaker from potential damage should something happen in the signal. This is a great feature for protection and does not alter or distort the signal. Very nice touch.

ACE® — Omnidirectional Soundstage

ACE® (Active Cospherical Engine) Loudspeaker technology is the Phantom’s acoustic directivity pattern for its transducers to spread the sound waves out evenly in all directions with optimal dispersion management.

Whenever sound waves coming out of a speaker bounce back to hit the surface of the speaker’s cabinet, the cabinet can sometimes bend the waves and we call this type of breakage “surface diffraction.” Essentially, a curved cabinet will have less sound bouncing off of it compared to a square one.

Since Phantoms are curved like a sphere, their curved surfaces do not bend or diffract the sound waves. The result is an amazing bass reproduction with a more spatial sound that minimizes the effects of surface diffraction to near-zero.

Performance

At Audio Advice, we are very impressed with what Devialet has been able to achieve with its special patented technologies. So, how does all this combine to enhance the sound that you hear?

Devialet sent us a pair of Phantom I 103dBs in Matte Black with Devialet Treepod stands to demo. Our testing area was a fairly large living space with an open floor plan concept connecting the kitchen with the dining and living room areas.

Setup & User Experience

Even though Phantoms are very advanced, the setup was very straightforward and easy to control. The Devialet app lets you set up everything and control all of your playback options end-to-end. We appreciated how open & user-friendly the app was to use. We weren’t forced to use Devialet’s app to playback music. Instead, we were completely free to go directly to our favorite streaming app to take full control of all of our music playback.

In Apple Music or Qobuz, for example, you just select your Phantom as the Bluetooth or AirPlay device you want to stream to. Setting up different configurations such as a stereo pairing or multiroom connectivity for whole-house coverage, and then switching back and forth between them was also very flexible and easy to navigate.

While everything was just a finger tap away with the apps on our phones, sometimes it’s nice to step away from our phones once in a while. We really liked how every Phantom I model came with its own dedicated remote control with a smooth rotary dial that lets you fine-tune the volume levels of individual Phantoms in separate rooms or the soundstage of a stereo pair. Our test units came with two rotary controllers which made it very convenient to dial in the perfect volume level for the kitchen without affecting the volume level of the second Phantom in the living room. A very nice touch!

The Sound

First, we used Bluetooth to stream hi-res music from Qobuz with just one Phantom as a single unit in the living room. Then, we used the Devialet app to set up two Phantoms for extended music coverage from the living room to the kitchen, using AirPlay with Apple Music to cover the entire second floor with music. Next, we set up both Phantoms as a stereo pair and streamed Apple Music from our phones. And finally, we used the optical connection to connect a TV, and we invited some friends over to watch some movies, using an Apple TV as our source. Overall, in each of these situations, we were seriously impressed with the big presentation of sound!

We tested a lot of genres of music including Jazz, Classical, Rock, Pop, R&B, EDM, Hip-hop, and even some Dubstep just to really push them to their limits! When we demoed just a single Phantom I 103dB in our living room, we could immediately hear the “warm,” musical sound signature of the class A analog amplifier. And this is where Devialet’s ADH® hybrid amplification tech & SAM® Acoustic Signal Processing really shined. It was extremely easy to just kick back, relax, and get lost in all of the dynamic details poking out in the Phantom’s really wide musical presentation with just about any genre of music we chose.

One song that stood out as particularly immersive was “First Aid,” which is an alternative rock song recorded in 2020 by Gus Dapperton for his sophomore album “Orca.” The track is full of dynamic details — with acoustic guitar strings strummed hard left and right, an electric bass guitar sitting right in the middle, and harmonized vocals performed by Gus and his sister panned all around the stereo image for a very intimate & immersive presentation — and yet one Phantom 103dB did a pretty decent job covering the living room area with a soundstage that was very easy to get lost in.

However, the low-end is where Phantom’s really excel. Even on bass-heavy music, our Phantom I 103dB reproduced clear-sounding bass that maintained a tuneful sense-of-timing, and a rhythm-and-pacing that had us tapping our feet at lower listening levels. But, If you really want to push the Phantom to see what it’s capable of, then you have to play some high-energy party music and then turn up the volume. Loud!

Devialet’s special Heart Bass Implosion (HBI®) tech really came alive on modern recordings with good healthy bottom-end weight — and for us, this was a pretty exhilarating experience — not just sonically — but, visually!

To see this state-of-the-art woofer excursion tech in action, check out “Selfish,” which is a shadowy, slow jam released in 2018 by the rap artist & songwriter, SAINt JHN. Turn up the music and watch how fast the woofers move in perfect symmetry as they push the air around to reproduce deep sub-bass frequencies down to 16 Hz! Seeing the Phantom’s dual high-excursion woofers moving in perfect symmetry at such an extreme velocity was just so cool to watch!

Sub-bass didn’t just perform extremely well on party music, it also worked great when having guests over for movie nights. We paired two Phantom I 103dB’s together in a stereo pair and connected them to our TV using the digital optical input. This improved the separation of details and also widened the soundstage for a fantastic two-channel stereo image on movie & TV show soundtracks — plus the dual high-excursion woofers delivered sound effects with a deep chest-hitting impact that was just as exhilarating as having a good subwoofer in the room.

If you want to experience the wider stereo image & impactful bass response with two Phantoms paired together, then you have to check out the indie cult classic, Donnie Darko. It has a fantastic soundtrack full of classic hit songs that are perfect for experiencing the benefits of a stereo pair.

At about 11 minutes into the film, there’s a famous scene where an airplane crashes into a suburban home. The dual 7.5-inch aluminum woofers reproduced the slam of the plane crashing into the house with a big chest-hitting impact that really drew us deeper into this cult classic hit. Vocals, dialogue, and subtle dynamics stood out more clearly in the center of the stereo image, and the separation of details gained from having a wider soundstage drew us deeper into the storyline with a great-sounding music soundtrack.

Overall, we were deeply impressed with the big presentation of sound coming from just one Phantom I 103dB — however, adding the second Phantom for a stereo pair is what really made the most tangible difference to the immersion we felt in every listening situation we tested.

How To Choose Your Devialet Phantom

As you step up to the more expensive models, there is a noticeable difference in the bass response you feel due to the much larger drivers, cabinets, and the extra headroom you get with the higher-end models — choosing the right Phantom will come down to the amount of low-end energy and spatial coverage you want.

There are three series in the lineup — Phantom II, Phantom I, and finally, the most premium Devialet Signature Series — the Phantom Opéra de Paris Special Edition models. We will cover all these models in each series starting with the least expensive to the most expensive so that it is clear what you are getting in terms of performance and high-end aesthetics as you move up to each one across the lineup.

Phantom II 98dB (Compactness & Power)

When you step up to the Phantom II 98dB, you get the same inputs & outputs and ultra-compactness, the same impressive frequency response, and the same choice of finishes as the 95dB; however you get a little extra headroom for the soundstage on this one. The 98dB is almost twice as loud compared to the 95dB — which also means you can get up to 101 dB when you use two as a stereo pair.

When you compare this model to the Phantom II 95dB, you will notice a difference in bass response because of the way the extra headroom causes the SAM signal processing to behave. Music with a lot of low-end energy will have a slightly better rhythm-and-pacing compared to the Phantom II 95dB, and this will make the presentation of your music overall sound more “alive.” This model will make the most sense for people who want a little extra spatial coverage to really spread out the sound in a medium-sized room with good punchy bass that has a little more energy. This model is our favorite in this series.

Also available in the special edition Opéra de Paris model, you can get an Iconic White with the side plates coated in a 22-carat precious yellow gold alloy called Moon Gold. The gold leafing side-plates are stainless and have the most high-end look of all the Phantoms. The gold leaf finish is actually applied by hand by master gilders at Ateliers Gohardusing using heritage techniques to create the totally unique patina. In fact, once the leaf has been applied, it cannot be removed due to the absolute perfection demanded by the master gilders’ time-honored methods.

For $800 more than a pair of regular Phantom II 98dBs, this special Devialet Signature edition will not be for everyone, but two are a great way to completely transform the look of your family room, or really any space in your home.

Devialet Phantom I Series

Phantom I 103dB (Wider Soundstage; Even More Power)

When you step up to this model, you are getting a slightly larger size, which immediately translates to even deeper bass, more top-end extension, more power, and a wider omnidirectional soundstage with greater coverage from a single unit. In lieu of the analog stereo miniplug not included in this series, every Phantom I comes with its own dedicated rechargeable remote with a smooth rotary dial that will let you precisely control the volume & playback.

For less than $1,000 more than the Phantom II 98dB, stepping up to any of the Phantom I series models comes with a few key very tangible differences. For starters, this one will give you the larger dual 7.5-inch aluminum woofers for 2 dB down at 16 Hz on the bass. Compared to the Phantom II’s aluminum full-range tweeter for the mid-to-high frequencies, the larger size of this also makes more room for a dedicated aluminum mid-range driver plus an aluminum tweeter that extends the top-end for an extra 4kHz compared to the previous Phantom II series. These two dedicated drivers give you a much more extended top end with far better-resolving power in the midrange compared to the Phantom II series.

The Phantom I 103dB stands exactly 10 inches tall, less than 13.5 inches across, and spans 9 inches wide. This one weighs slightly over 25 lbs and provides an extra 100 watts of power compared to the Phantom II 98dB’s 400 watts. When you step up to this model, the omnidirectional soundstage and coverage you will get are almost double the power of the previous 98dB Phantom II — which is also more than 2.5x louder compared to the least powerful 95dB model. So, a single Phantom I 103dB has enough power to completely cover a medium-sized room with great sound plus you get up to 106 dB when you add a second one for the stereo pairing.

For the money, one Phantom I 103dB is a great entry-point into the wider omnidirectional soundstage Phantom’s are known for plus a clearer presentation of musical details that will sound fantastic in medium-sized rooms. The Phantom II 103dB comes in either Matte Black or Light Chrome.

Phantom I 108 dB (Most Powerful; Best Fidelity)

When you step up to the Phantom I 108 dB, you are actually stepping up to the model with the biggest performance enhancements of all the Phantoms. With this one, everything across the board gets a big boost in performance & materials.

For starters, the high-performance tweeter is upgraded from a dedicated aluminum tweeter to titanium. We typically see this driver material selected by the most premium speaker manufacturers for its higher breakup point, strength-to-density ratio & light-weightiness. These are properties that will allow a diaphragm to move back & forth extremely fast like a piston for more accurate transients & improvements in the top-end extension.

The Phantom I 108dB has an extended frequency response that will reproduce the full spectrum of hi-res music from 14Hz to 27KHz with a +/- 2dB on the bass — think music with deeper bottom-end weight, and even clearer dynamics, especially on the rhythm sections & percussion in the top-end that will make you want to get up and move your feet.

You also get a larger boost in both power and coverage from a single unit with 1100 watts compared to 500 watts in the Phantom I 103db. That’s 1.78x louder than the previous 103dB model & almost 4.5x louder than the least powerful (95dB) Phantom speaker! As the naming convention implies, you get up to 108 dB of loudness — with up to 111 dB when you go for the stereo pair.

For about $1000 more, stepping up to this model will make the most sense for anyone who wants the absolute best audio quality for their hi-res music with the extra spatial coverage to really spread the sound out into larger-sized rooms. This one is our favorite out of all of the Phantoms for the extra 600 watts of power you get plus the extra top-end extension from having a Titanium tweeter. If you like any kind of bass-heavy music such as EDM, Trap, Hip hop, R&B, or even the full range of symphonic music with lots of harmonic content and natural low-end energy, a stereo pairing will make even more sense for a large living room space. This one is available in the exclusive Dark Chrome or Gold color options.

The Phantom I 108 dB is the second model available in the special edition Opéra de Paris model. The master gilders at Ateliers Gohard finish the Phantom’s gold leaf side plates following time-honored methods. Each gold leaf is applied by hand to create a unique patina. What’s more, these heritage techniques demand absolute perfection — once the leaf has been applied, it cannot be removed. Bearing the Phantom Opéra de Paris | Devialet signature, the side plates are gilded with Moon Gold, a precious and stainless palladium-yellow gold alloy.

Overall Recommendation

Phantoms are really eye-catching speakers and whether it’s their high-tech design, their high-end materials, or the awesome omnidirectional sound coming out, they make great conversation pieces!

If you are looking at all the smart home-connected speakers on the market, such as Sonos speakers, offering whole-house coverage, consider an investment in Devialet as the best wireless speaker you can buy. Phantoms offer a premium upgrade path into multiroom connectivity that will grow with you as your needs expand, and they are the coolest Bluetooth speakers we have ever seen.

In terms of high fidelity, style, state-of-the-art tech, and build quality, Phantoms are unmatched. They have an open architecture, they are user-friendly, and they perform extremely well in small to large size rooms as standalone units, stereo pairs, or covering the whole house with incredible sound.

They will not be for everyone, but if you are someone who wants to have something no one else has, then you really cannot go wrong with one of these. If you are just starting out with one, choosing the right Phantom will really come down to the amount of bass you want and the size of your room. If you are really into musical details, the bigger ones will have a much cleaner midrange.

Since each one can be paired together with a TV, or in several rooms throughout the home, you could start out with just one and then add a second Phantom later. Our tips & tricks setup guide available for all Audio Advice purchasers will show you how to set up a single Phantom with the app, then configure a stereo pair for music listening. Finally, we will also show you how to use the optical connection for better sound with your TV!

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