Полочная акустика — Devialet Phantom Ultimate 98 dB

The Phantom Ultimate 98 dB is the smaller of the two current Phantom Ultimate speakers made by the French company Devialet, part of a range whose first Phantom appeared in 2015. It is a self-contained wireless speaker that can work alone in mono, as a stereo pair of two units, or as part of a multiroom installation. Its name reflects the maximum sound pressure level of 98 dB at 1 m for one unit, rising to 101 dB for a stereo pair.

Key specs that matter

Total built-in amplification is 400 W, and the stated frequency range is 18 Hz to 25 kHz at plus or minus 6 dB. The signal path runs at 32 bit and 96 kHz. Each unit measures 15.7 cm wide, 21.9 cm deep and 16.8 cm high and weighs 4.3 kg. The launch price was USD 1,900 per unit in Light Pearl or Deep Forest and USD 2,400 for the Opera de Paris edition with a gold leaf etched logo.

Engineering and use context

The layout is two-way, with one front-firing aluminium dome driver covering most of the range and two side-firing 4.5 inch aluminium dome woofers, divided by a crossover at 525 Hz. Opposed woofers on the flanks of the sphere let the enclosure reach low frequencies despite its small volume. Amplification follows the Devialet Analog Digital Hybrid concept, pairing Class A and Class D circuits. An NXP iMX8 processor runs the DOS 3 operating system. Wireless links use Wi-Fi 5 to the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards and Bluetooth 5.2. Roon Ready status, UPnP, Spotify and Tidal Connect, Google Cast and AirPlay cover streaming from phones, computers and servers. For wired use there is an RJ45 Ethernet port and a mini TosLink optical S/PDIF input. Touch controls on the unit handle play, pause, volume and pairing, while the Devialet app adds listening modes, a six-band equaliser and multiroom grouping.

Pairing

All amplification, conversion and streaming happen inside, so the only other items to consider are accessories and a stable network, with Ethernet available where Wi-Fi coverage is weak. Devialet offers a colour-matched Tree stand at USD 299 each and an optional Devialet Remote at USD 199. Two units are needed for stereo playback, and the optical input makes a pair usable next to a television.

Alternatives

The Devialet Phantom Ultimate 108 dB is the bigger Phantom Ultimate, with 1,100 W of amplification and a four-driver layout.