Devialet has come a long way since it was founded in 2007. They’re presence in the audio industry has truly made a mark, since the launch of the Phantom Gold – 4500W in 2015. Rated to be one of the world’s best wireless speaker’s, known for it’s egg like abstract shaped speaker – looking like a piece of art. As I had mentioned in my previous blog, the Phantom Gold is known for it ADH – Analog Digital Hybrid combining you with best of both worlds of analog and digital sound.
Over time the company has launched several speakers under the Phantom series, which have always been on the expensive side despite being rated the world’s best speaker.
In Oct. 2018, 3yrs after the launch of the Phantom Series. Devialet launched and unveiled their new series the Phantom Reactor as the company planned to penetrate a more approachable range of speakers in the market by launching a smaller version of the Phantom. There are two variants of the Phantom Reactor that comes in – Reactor 900 and Reactor 600 which produce a sound output of 900watts and 600watts starting at price of Rs. 129,000/-. Which according to Devialet standards, the speakers are both smaller and affordable.
So, what makes the Phantom Reactor speaker a so-called affordable speaker? Is it the level of technology that is packaged in one compact speaker or is it just claimed as an expensive speaker? Let’s find out!
Devialet Reactor: Design
As far the looks concerned, the inspiration of the design comes from the Phantom Series, it looks exactly the same but smaller. It looks like a futuristic speaker which weighs upto only three times less than the Phantom Gold and is almost ¼th the size of it. It comes in two colors, white and matte black. The compact speaker – The Reactor comes with a 3cm full-range aluminium driver in the front covered with the typical Devialet grill. At the same time providing you with ethernet port, power button and AUX port. Featuring five touch-sensitive buttons for play/pause, volume, Devialet app link button and Bluetooth button – the only Phantom speaker that has touch features. There is also a tiny LED light on the top where the different colors indicate different features while being used.
The speaker overall looks like a great improvement in terms of size as it’s a miniature version of the Gold Phantom. It’s a lot more compact, sleek and fits anywhere. For those who see the Reactor for the first time, it’s a definitely a visual treat to the eyes.
Devialet Reactor: Connectivity and Setup
Despite the Reactor’s futuristic look, the speaker comes packed with five connectivity options — Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, UPnP Renderer, AUX port, Wi-Fi and Ethernet. For the price tag the number of connectivity’s that are there, is a win for you. Though inspite being a wireless speaker, it is not Google Assistant or Alexa compatible. The operating system itself is unique and operates in it’s own way. But you never in the future if Devialet has it’s on AI speaker integrated in the Phantom.
The Phantom Reactor is compatible with the Devialet App that allows the user to control and connect the speaker, such as adding streaming apps, volume controls and more. The only thing that is missing is the equalizer settings, which if added would be a great personal touch for one to customize their tunes.
Devialet Reactor: Performance
What amazed me the most about the speaker, is the sound output. Despite the compact size of the speaker, it is almost impossible to believe that a speaker is able produce such powerful punch. The technologies that this compact speaker has are ACE Ô (Active Cospherical Engine), ADHÔ (Analog Digital Hybrid), HBIÔ (Heart Bass Implosion), SAMÔ (Speaker Active Matching) – are inventions the sound technologies of tomorrow. The speaker has two aluminium bass drivers and one full-range twitter drive. The speaker also comes with a wide range of codec support such as MP3, HE-ACC/AAC, lossless audio, WMA, WAB, FLAC, etc. With a total output of 900W at a frequency response rate of 18Hz to 21kHz.
Devialet Reactor: Verdict
Sound quality is a very personal touch, which will only depend till you hear one. It is no doubt one of the best speaker’s in the market. Some might agree and some might just find too pricey for it’s compact size. But do not judge a speaker by it’s size, for size doesn’t matter – and the Devialet Phantom Reactor has proven that. It is a loud and an excellent speaker which will fill your room and space. However, be ready to face the price tag.