The Opera of the Phantom
Devialet's visual masterpiece brings the music of the night
The Devialet Phantom is a visual delight and celebrates the highs and lows of great music.
The all-in-one Phantom is one of those products that's just too good-looking for audiophilia. We are so used to putting up with brutalist boxes with razor-sharp fins in the name of good sound that we get suspicious of anything that's too curved, coiffed, and polished.
But once you hit play on that beautiful round Devialet Phantom remote, preferably on a track with a ton of bass, even the most cynical of golden ears allow the jaw to drop and the eyes to widen as they walk over to watch those side-mounted woofers demonstrate their unbelievable excursion.
The Phantom Playlist
The Phantoms all look alike, especially in photos where scale isn't apparent. So here's a breakdown of the range.
First, there are two sizes: the 25 lb., 10" high Phantom I and the 9.5 lb., 6.6" high Phantom II.
Within both line-ups are three versions: loud, louder, and 'louder with gold leaf.' So, the Phantom 1's have a 103 dB (500 W) model and a 108 dB (1,100 W) model. The Phantom IIs come in a 95 dB (350 W) model and a 98 dB (400 W) model.
In addition, the more powerful Phantoms in each size (108 dB, 98 dB) come in a special Opéra de Paris edition, which features hand-applied gold leaf by master gilders from Paris. We have one of these on the demo floor, and even if you think you're not a gold-leaf person, this finish looks really classy, with the matte gold providing real depth and textural interest.
Devialet is a master of class-D amplification and is well known in high-end circles for its slim, silvery streaming amplifiers that cost up to $35,000 for the Expert 1000 Pro dual monos. Expert systems can get even more expensive, as the amps can be combined to create fully active six-amp setups.
Devialet brings this knowledge to the Phantom and coupled with the unique design made entirely from custom parts, the Phantom has entered even non-audiophile consciousness as a truly impressive piece of audio gear that people are proud to have on display in their homes.
A Devialet Phantom I in the black matte finish on a matching Devialet Treepod stand.
Just Add Music
All the Phantoms are complete hi-fi systems. They are Roon Ready and are easy to get onto your Wi-Fi network. The included Devialet remote is a palm-sized piece of art that shows the volume level on its display. You can get just one Phantom or pair them for stereo performance. Add Phantoms in other rooms as desired and play separate tracks or group them to play simultaneously. They can be placed on existing furniture, or you can buy custom stands.
We currently have both "loudnesses" of the Phantom I and II in stock in various finishes and may have a demo and open pair as well.
Devialet vs. Cabasse
Given how much we've talked about Cabasse, you might ask which one you should choose.
Both French companies offer a sound that is punchy and incisive. Cabasse has a full midrange along with great bass and smooth highs, lending weight to harmonics and textures and presenting as very musical.
Devialet offers more "corners," especially in the bass and highs, with a ton of detail, speed, and attack. It is truly an impressive sound, and which you choose depends on your taste. If you're local, we have both brands available for demo. Make an appointment and come by to hear the opera of the Phantom!
Three New Heroes on a PowerQuest
AudioQuest has launched three new power conditioners, the PowerQuest 303, 505, and 707, aimed at the whole house and budget hi-fi and home cinema market. They come with detachable ears for rack mounting and have 12 outlets, four of which are for high-current devices.
All three models offer non-sacrificial surge protection and extreme-voltage automatic shutdown. At $460, the 303 is an affordable way to add protection to that stack of well-loved audio and video equipment you just can't let go.
The 303 and 505 ($700) offer 19 octaves of AudioQuest's Ultra-Linear Noise-Dissipation, while the 707 ($1,300) adds another octave and offers 45 A of transient power correction. This means you can connect bigger amps to the 707 and enjoy snappy dynamics.
All three models ship with power cables, with the 505 and 707 cables offering AQ's zero characteristic impedance and noise dissipation technology.
Niagara vs. PowerQuest
Those of you with higher-end stereo systems might be thinking, 'Why not spend just $300 over the Niagara 1200 bundle for a PowerQuest 707 and get Transient Power Correction, which is available only from the Niagara 3000 level at $3,900?'
We took the question straight to the designer of these products himself, Garth Powell, senior director of engineering at AudioQuest.
First, he confirmed that the NRG-Y3 cable in the bundle is a much higher grade, especially the conductors, than the stock 707 cable. Second, the Niagara 1200 is built to a significantly higher component and feature spec. The 707 offers amazing performance for this level of product, but once you're past mass-market audio, "with anything that is even entry-level audiophile-grade componentry, the Niagara-1200 will ABSOLUTELY SPANK IT!" (See box below for more on this.)
But that doesn't mean Garth isn't proud of the level of achievement he and the team have achieved with the PowerQuest series. The ideal PowerQuest 705 customer has a basic AV receiver and a small subwoofer. For customers with lower-powered receivers or small stereo amps, the 505 or 303 could suffice, as they may not need the transient power correction of the 707.
The new AudioQuest PowerQuests are in stock and ready to take your budget hi-fi or cinema setup to a whole new level. Contact our sales team to see if PowerQuest is right for you or if you'd be better off considering a Niagara.
|
 |
 |
| AQ PowerQuest 303 | AQ PowerQuest 505 | AQ PowerQuest 707 |
Advantages of Niagara over PowerQuest
The Niagara level of power conditioner is packed with components and circuits that are so costly and difficult to produce that all but the most specialized manufacturers would simply refuse to implement them.
Here's a quick look at what takes the Niagara series to a different level.
- Sonically transparent non-sacrificial surge protection. Surge protection is cheap. The "sonically transparent" part is what makes this feature expensive.
- Audioquest's patented Ground-Noise Dissipation system drains away all the radio frequency noise that can't be fully dissipated. (And there's a lot, says Garth.)
- Very high-quality AC inlets and outlets with a combination of red and beryllium copper with thick hanging silver direct plating.
- Proprietary RF filter capacitors that are burned in for 24 hours using the same JAN standards utilized by NASA and JPL for over 50 years.
- Costly and proprietary non-inductive wire-wound filter resistors.
- Directionally controlled wiring and inductors. Testing for direction takes time, and this adds cost.
- High-quality internal connections with the lowest contact resistance magnetic breaker switches, silver-soldered connections, and proprietary red copper with thick direct hanging silver plating.
- Star grounding, which uses more wiring and labor.
- FR-4 PCBs with the highest quality traces, testing, and construction and are laid out without sharp right angles
In fact, Garth draws out the design of all the printed circuit traces in a Niagara, ensuring the highest performance rather than the cheapest lines that a computer would pick.
At $995 for a hi-fi power conditioner and matching power cable, the Niagara 1200 bundle is unbeatable. We strongly recommend getting one before it sells out, even if you don't have a use for it just yet!
IMAGE 4 AudioQuest Niagara 1200 + NRG-Y3 BundleTop Sales and Deals!
Here are the noteworthy sales and offers we have going right now. Note: there are further terms and conditions; this is just a summary. To get all the details, contact our sales crew on website chat, via email (info@upscaleaudio.com), or call 909-931-9686.
JL Sale:Take $400 off the JL Audio Dominion d110 10" subwoofer.
Until September 21: Arcam summer sale. 20% and more off the SA10, SA20, SA30, and PA410.
Until September 30: Balanced Audio Technology is offering a full original retail price trade-in on your old stereo electronics for any new BAT product.