leonroy

I did 'borrow' the Phantoms on their 45 day purchase trial for a bit. Awesome, awesome speakers. A single unit worked well in that position. Obviously a pair on dedicated stands properly positioned at ear level was a significant step up. Good question, since I'll be taking a big hit on resale of my existing stuff. Living room has a nice 'lifestyle' speaker already and besides wife has put the kabosh on me taking my hifi into the living room - might have something to do with my previous system consisting of 5x 4' tall floorstanders and a stack of Bryston 1000W monoblocks to power them taking up the whole room - ahh, those were the days Well put.

Thanks for the replies. Interesting what you say about the Sonos Play 5 - I heard they're an excellent speaker and punch above their weight (in price terms). I'd be using any speaker with an Airport Express since I only use Roon and Apple devices so I guess Sonos's streaming stuff would sit idle reducing its appeal in that respect. I use the KEF Reference 1 speaker. Specs here: Hi-Fi Speakers - THE REFERENCE - Fact Sheets - Bookshelf - REFERENCE 1 - KEF International When buying them I auditioned the LS50. Treble and mids sound similar. Where the Reference 1 shines is on those bass notes. It basically sounds like an LS50 with a very well tuned subwoofer. I'd keep my Reference 1s but for two reasons. 1. The finish is lacquer and I swear the slightest knock would chip it. I noticed I'm far too precious about them and to quote Chuck Palahniuk The things you own end up owning you. 2. I have two little toddlers with free run of the house now, so think it's time for a speaker I can put up high (I have a nice piece of furniture next to my desk about 4' tall which would take a single Phantom) and a large bookcase behind me which could just about fit a pair of LS50 or X300As on top. I would have to run speaker cables around the room though for that.... I know neither position is ideal from a listening standpoint but since my listening room has been converted to a nursery I'll take what I can get!

Don't suppose anyone's compared the Devialet Phantoms with the KEF LS50, the KEF X300A or a pair of Sonos Play 5? Looking to seriously downsize my high end system for a single Phantom or a pair of something else comparable. I have a Devialet 120 from my existing setup so I should be ok to power most passive speakers. That said I'm a picky git and never stop fiddling with things, so a self imposed exile from audiophile gear towards a single box wireless speaker setup does sound very tempting.... Anyone else made the jump and come out well from it? Any recommendations on speaker models?