Audio Video News

Phantom Reactor is not a sci-fi experiment. Or is it? The Reactor is a follow-up to one of the most unusual speakers on the planet: The Phantom from France’s Devialet.

Three years in the making, the Reactor is a significantly scaled-down yet nearly identical version of its unique predecessor. Devialet calls it the “most powerful compact speaker in the world” — one that combines a full-range speaker with a pair of high-excursion “push-push” woofers in an egg-shaped enclosure measuring 8.6 x 6.6 x 6 inches.

Two versions are offered: The Phantom Reactor 600 ($999), featuring a built-in 600-watt amplifier, and the 900-watt Phantom Reactor 900 ($1,299). The amplifier is a hybrid analog/digital design that combines “the sophistication of Class A analog amplification with the power and compactness of Class D digital technology.” Both models rumble down to 18 Hz and are capable of producing an acoustic output of 95 and 98 dB SPL, respectively, according to the company.

Devialet attributes the Reactor’s performance to a combination of the special amplifier design, two proprietary technologies — Speaker Active Matching (SAM) and Heart Bass Implosion (HBI) — and a proprietary spherical design that radiates acoustic energy “linearly in all directions.”

The speaker is controlled via a dedicated app, supports wireless streaming via Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, and Airplay, and has analog and optical digital inputs.

The Phantom Reactor is slated to ship October 24 but you can preorder now at devialet.com. The company has broadened distribution of the speaker — its third product offering — to include Amazon.com, Microsoft.com, Nordstrom, and other upscale retail outlets.

For more information, visit devialet.com.