I just bought the new Bluesound Pulse 2i and I’m currently comparing it to my older Pulse 2. So far it has been a puzzling comparison test but what I love about Bluesound is how they take Roon integration seriously. Because of this Bluesound wireless speakers are my only purchase option at this time.
Even so, Devialet is the gold standard of wireless speakers. I have auditioned the Devialet Phantom and I’m seriously impressed but I find their size too big for my small NYC apartment and the styling of the Phantoms are a bit too garish (cheesy gold and silver accents ). This is not the case with the new Phantom Reactors. They’re plain, solid white ( I would love solid black. ) and they are smaller. The Phantom Reactors are a bit more expensive than the Pulse 2i’s but I would trade by 2i’s in a heartbeat if I knew that Devialet was Roon Ready and if Devialet had a software interface as sophisticated as Bluesound’s. Does anyone know if Devialet will become Roon RAAT certified in the near future?
This is an important question for me because I have a return window in which I can get a full refund for my Pulse 2i speakers. I tried calling Devialet and the rep had no idea what Roon was but she wasn’t in technical support. Is there anyone here who has an inside track with Devialet who could tell me they plan to be Roon RAAT certified?
Thank you, Danny, for your response. It’s nice to hear from the COO of Roon directly! Even though you can’t tell me the schedule for when Devialet will be RAAT certified, maybe there is a work-a-round to my question. ; ) I have 60 days to return the Pulse 2i’s. If you were me, would you hold onto the Pulse 2i’s or return them and wait for Devialet Phantom Reactors?
The Reactors certainly seem to hold great potential but… From what I’ve been reading, the software support (even simple stereo) is at least 6-9 months out. While I suspect (hope) that the Roon RAAT will be available by year end for the Expert Pros, I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Reactors.
To be honest, I’m confused as to why Devialet released the Reactor so far ahead of the software and integration support needed to make them the truly awesome speakers that I suspect they will be.
Thank you, Michael. I had no idea that you could NOT take 2 Devialet Phantoms and pair them into left/right channels in stereo mode? Is this correct? This is a strange decision indeed. Not only is Devialet coming out with their new Reactor speakers but they are opening up brick and mortar stores everywhere… but still no support for stereo? It would seem to me then that any upcoming Roon integration would be way off in the future, if any. That’s saddening because I’m such a huge Devialet fan.
My understanding is that you cannot pair the new Reactors for stereo… yet. I’m certain you can with the older Phantoms although I understand there is some frustration with the tools to do so - Dialog and Spark.
I don’t own Phantoms but am quite intrigued by the new Reactors. I think it’s worth a good bit more digging but it’s hard to get a non-marketing-speak answer at this time. This is what is on the Devialet site…
From first semester 2019, you’ll be able to bring second Phantom Reactor into play by performing a simple in-app upgrade. With double the power, an even wider soundstage and full-on immersion, prepare for home stereo in epic proportions.
I would urge anyone wanting stereo to WAIT until they’ve seen it released and working, rather than assume it will come.
Even I’m interested in these but I wouldn’t go near them until I’d seen the software etc and working in stereo.
Danny may correct me (or not be at liberty to say) but in any rare Devialet communications over the past year - they have now stated they’re official,y prioritising RoonReady and hope before the end of the year. But this has been explicitly Expert Pros. They could of course be keeping it a secret but Phantoms were not part of the plan. Phantoms, and Expert Pros (and no doubt Reactor too) all share a common OS now so it should be technically possible for all current models to be RoonReady - but that doesn’t mean they will.
@David_Hunter Roon RAAT compatibility is in the final stage of testing and is intended to be released by Christmas.
So finally good things come together
Thank you, Markus. How do you know that Devialet speakers will be RAAT ready by Christmas? Do you work for Devialet? Also, will I be able to use my SonicTransporter, Roon, and Devialet Reactor speakers as Roon endpoints? I would hate to be forced into buying an Export Pro just to use Roon. Devialet speakers need to be RAAT ready right out of the box. Also, any word on updates when we will be able to use Devialet speakers in proper left/right channel stereo?
According to Marco’s email:
“On Expert Pro with Core Infinity, certification of Roon RAAT (Roon Advanced Audio Transport) begins this week, enhancing the listening experience on what is already the world’s most advanced music player.”
It looks like Roon compatibility won’t be incorporated into Devialet speakers like it is in Bluesound speakers.
That email states that RAAT is coming shortly for the Expert range, not the Phantom range. There isn’t anything mentioning RAAT for the Phantom in that email, or that I’ve seen elsewhere beyond what @danny mentioned as it being “on their roadmap”, but maybe @Markus_Hubner has another source.
There was a message from Devialet that stereo would be coming in early 2019 on their facebook page for the Reactor.
It looks like the new software that runs on Reactor will allow stereo pairing without needing any additional hardware, once that functionality comes online: currently with the older Phantom Premier, you need a Dialog unit to allow them to play stereo.
As @hifi_swlon mentioned, I would wait to see the functionality, before buying something based on a promise. As a Phantom owner, it’s pretty frustrating that they have released new software for Reactor – that isn’t fully baked yet – and are saying that this new software won’t be available on the (older) Phantom Premier until the second half of 2019 (potentially an entire year from now).
I have a Dialog, and a RPi running as an Endpoint, so I’m okay to wait because everything is running fine, and sounds fabulous; but if I had bought the speakers on the promise they would soon be RAAT Certified, I’d be pretty frustrated. Their timeline for aligning all their hardware under one App is foreshadowing for any future customers that software improvements are implemented slowly.
Yes. It looks like the Expert Line is getting the early love this time round. I just wish Devialet would treat all their children equitably and find a way to roll out these changes to all of their devices in a timely manner.
I don’t own Devialet anything, as of yet, as these concerns are important if Devialet wants to convert more people to their cause. From my point of view their stuff is just too damn expensive for them not to be on top of the software issues like other companies are. I couldn’t imagine spending $6,000 on a pair of Phantom’s and not being able to play them in stereo right out of the box.
Hopefully ‘certification begins this week’ is a slightly lost in translation way of saying ‘will be formally certified this week’ else we could still be in for a long wait - which would be somewhat disappointing after all this time.
It’s only the new Reactors where stereo is an unknown.
I was able to play them in stereo out of the box, it just required a third box. For me, the Dialog was free during a promotion: I’m sure I would feel differently if I had paid $500 for a Dialog, only to find out a software update was coming that would render that box useless (but I wouldn’t want to wait another year for stereo).
I replaced an Atma-Sphere S30 / Zu Druid combo that I thought was my exit system, and the two Phantom (playing in stereo) were a huge improvement in my mind. That’s part of the frustration. If their gear sucked it would be easy to dismiss them, but they have beautiful hardware, that sounds amazing: their only shortfall is software, which would be a huge issue if I had to use their Spark app all the time, but is rendered moot because I have Roon, and that solves the problem. Being RAAT certified would remove the need for for a RPi, and a Toslink cable, which may improve the sound even more.
I bought the speakers for what they are, not for what Devialet promised they might be in the future, and because of that I’m happy. If I bought them based on marketing hype, I wouldn’t be as satisfied.
I am citing (at least partially) what Devialet sent to their clients yesterday:
‘On Expert Pro with Core Infinity, certification of Roon RAAT (Roon Advanced Audio Transport) begins this week, enhancing the listening experience on what is already the world’s most advanced music player. In 2019, we will make Expert Pro compatible with the new Devialet app, replacing the current Expert Remote app.’
… except in order to get Roon with Devialet you are forced to spend an additional minimum of $6,500 for the Encore Pro. Why didn’t Devialet just engineer their speakers to be standalone Roon endpoints?
For me, the Dialog was free during a promotion: I’m sure I would feel differently if I had paid $500 for a Dialog, only to find out a software update was coming that would render that box useless (but I wouldn’t want to wait another year for stereo).