Devilet GOLDEN PHANTOM
The phenomenon of recent years are wireless speakers, the popularity of which is growing rapidly. They use the latest solutions, especially audio streaming. It changes the way you use your equipment and listen to music more than vinyl, cassette or CD. Perhaps, after some time, such devices will “smell” the audio market, dominating it on a par with headphones.
But nowadays, the vast majority of wireless speakers do not provide the highest quality sound. Models for several hundred and even several thousand zlotys, despite the fact that they are stuffed with digital technologies, do not compete with "serious", classic hi-fi systems, but only with "mini-towers". However, there are attempts to cross this border. One of the most ambitious manufacturers in this area is the French Devialet, which is mainly engaged in ultra-modern high-tech equipment.
Cheaper bluetooth devices most often work alone, at best they try to "micro-stereo", or even limited to mono, but there is nothing special about the possibility of pairing two, and in the case of such expensive models, good stereo seems to be a mandatory property.
The golden phantom has been around for a while, but it has not lost its freshness and appeal. The resources involved here are impressive, and since the Phantoms haven't faced much competition to force major changes, Devialet sticks to the formula.
The designers of modern wireless speakers can give free rein to imagination, this can be seen even in inexpensive models, not to mention such a high shelf.
The front of the device is occupied by a two-way coaxial driver with metal diaphragms: in the center behind the protective grid is a titanium tweeter dome surrounded by an aluminum midrange cone ring. The woofers are located on the side surfaces. The whole configuration gives the impression of a point sound source, and the streamlined shape provides excellent conditions for the dispersion of medium and high frequencies. A situation that "normal" speakers can envy.
At the back there is a panel with a heat sink for power amplifiers and connection connectors.
Only a small gap is visible on the outer edge of the woofers, and in its depth there is a large suspension that allows you to work with impressive amplitudes. The "drive" of the loudspeaker - the magnetic system and the voice coil - must also be prepared for this task.
The total peak power of all installed power amplifiers (independent for all three sections of a three-way circuit) is as much as 4500 watts. It is not used to amplify concert halls, because the “Golden Phantom” cannot cope with it, but for “power” correction in the low-frequency range; The converters used in such systems are also usually of low efficiency.
The frequency response should start at a fantastically low 14Hz (with a -6dB cutoff), which is very energy intensive for such a small design.
Passive structures of similar size have no chance of such low cut-off frequencies. What is this "trick" with the bass? Firstly, the fact that an active system, for example, wireless acoustics, allows you to correct the characteristics - “pumping” low frequencies in the range where the “natural” characteristic is already decreasing, perhaps equalization in the upper bass range, where boost could appear and stretch it below.
Theoretically, in classical systems, we could do this with an equalizer, but this would not be an accurate enough tool, we would still be “on guard”; the integrated active system designer adjusts the equalization exactly to the characteristics of the loudspeaker (in the cabinet, before correction) and the intended target (which need not be linear, however). This applies to all active designs, not just wireless ones.
Secondly, the woofer that accepts such a correction is subjected to a large “stress” - very large amplitudes of the voice coil and diaphragm are induced, for which it must be prepared by its own design. If not, it can still play very low bass, but only softly. In order to combine a small descent with a high sound pressure, a large “volume deflection” is absolutely necessary, i.e. a large volume of air that can “pump” in one cycle, calculated as the product of the diaphragm area (or diaphragm, if there are more woofers) and its (their) maximum amplitude.
Thirdly, even when a robust loudspeaker and equalizer characteristics are prepared, more power is still required in the corrected range, the efficiency of the loudspeaker is reduced.
Power comes from the switching amplifiers that Devialet has been using since the beginning. The company's ADH layout combines class A and D technology, the modules are located under the radiator fins, at the rear of the case. Here, Gold Phantom heats up the most, and for a pulsed design - in exceptional cases, but even with a high efficiency amplifier with an output power of 4500 W, hundreds of watts will also be converted into heat ...
With a stereo pair, the situation is relatively common: we buy a second Gold and already in the field of programming (control application) we establish relationships between them, defining the left and right channels. When we connect the speakers to our home network, everything else is done quickly and easily. We can also "split" devices at any time.
We will connect to the Gold Phantom network via a wired LAN interface or wireless Wi-Fi (two bands: 2,4 GHz and 5 GHz), there is also Bluetooth (with quite decent AAC encoding), AirPlay (though the first generation), a universal standard DLNA and Spotify Connect. The device plays 24bit/192kHz files (just like Linn Series 3). In many cases, this is more than enough, since the AirPlay and DLNA protocols are the keyboard for launching other services and services; provided that the transfer is not direct, but indirect and requires the participation of mobile equipment (or computer).
Gold Phantom does not support Internet radio or the popular Tidal service (unless the player is, for example, a smartphone that will stream music via AirPlay, Bluetooth or DLNA).
