Devialet Phantom Ultimate 108 dB (Opéra de Paris)

Devialet Phantom Ultimate 108 dB (Opéra de Paris)

The Phantom Ultimate 108 dB is the flagship of Devialet’s Phantom range, and this Opéra de Paris edition finishes its side panels in hand-applied Moon Gold leaf by the Ateliers Gohard, the gilding workshop associated with the Paris opera house whose name it carries. Under the finish sits a completely reworked acoustic architecture: 1,100 watts of amplification, a maximum level of 108 dB SPL at one metre and a bandwidth running from 14 Hz to 35 kHz. It is designed, engineered and made in France as a single wireless speaker that behaves like a full hi-fi system.

Key features

• 108 dB SPL maximum level at 1 metre from 1,100 W of total amplification
• 14 Hz to 35 kHz bandwidth (plus or minus 6 dB) for genuine full-range reproduction
• New-generation drivers: aluminium dome tweeter and midrange with two high-excursion woofers
• Opéra de Paris finish with Moon Gold leaf side panels hand-applied by Ateliers Gohard
• Devialet technologies including next-generation ADH amplification, SAM, HBI and AVL dynamic EQ
• Full streaming suite with AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, UPnP and Roon Ready

How the sound is made

Four drivers work inside the sealed spherical enclosure: a new-generation aluminium dome tweeter, an aluminium dome midrange and two side-firing woofers using Heart Bass Implosion, where opposed high-excursion drivers move in phase so their force cancels mechanically while their output adds acoustically. That is how a cabinet of about 12 litres reaches down to 14 Hz. ADH amplification combines a Class A analogue stage with Class D power, SAM matches the amplifier’s output to the drivers’ actual behaviour, and Adaptive Volume Level applies real-time dynamic EQ so bass and clarity survive at low listening levels as well as at full output. Background noise is rated at 0 dB SPL at one metre.

Processing and connectivity

A Devialet system-on-chip built around an NXP i.MX 8M Nano processor runs Devialet Operating System 3, with 32-bit/96 kHz DSP and a DAC stage handling inputs up to 24-bit/192 kHz. Connections cover Wi-Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO, gigabit Ethernet and Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC and SBC, plus a TOSLINK optical input for a television or CD transport. The Devialet app for iOS and Android provides setup, a six-band equaliser and listening modes for music, podcasts and movies, and four touch sensors on the top panel handle local control.

One speaker, stereo pair, or a house full

A single Phantom Ultimate plays in mono; a second unit creates a stereo pair linked by Devialet’s 96 kHz/24-bit synchronisation protocol. Multiroom grouping runs through AirPlay or Google Cast, so different rooms can play together or independently. The composite body uses a glass-fibre reinforced polycarbonate inner shell, an ABS outer shell and an aluminium core, and the Opéra edition’s white body with gold leaf panels makes it as much a finished object as an audio component.

Dimensions and power

The speaker measures 246 mm wide, 342 mm deep and 255 mm high and weighs 11.1 kg. It runs from 100 to 240 V mains, drawing under 0.5 W when off and under 2 W in standby. Supported file formats include FLAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC, OGG Vorbis and WMA over the network inputs.

For listeners who want the most capable Phantom Devialet makes, in its most distinctive finish, the Opéra de Paris edition pairs concert-level output and true full-range bandwidth with hand-finished gold leaf detailing.