Rocky Mt 2007: GamuT’s Phi-Series Speakers Sound like Serious High-Enders
October 19th, 2007 — By The Absolute Sound
By Chris Martens
Perspective can be a funny thing, as I discovered when I asked the people from the Danish high-end firm Gamut (pronounced “Gah-MOOT”) to hear their new mid-priced Phi-series loudspeakers. “Are you sure you want to hear them?” they asked.
“Those are our mid-priced models and these sets aren’t broken in yet. Besides, we think of them as what Americans might call, well, ‘lifestyle’ speakers.”
“Yes,” I said, “I’d hear them if it’s not too much trouble.” (Truth to tell, I can’t resist exploring mid-priced offerings to search out the affordable gems).
The smallest GamuT Phi3 bookshelf monitors ($2150-$2250/pair) were duly hooked up, and after listening to a few sample tracks through them I found myself thinking that—lack of break-in time notwithstanding—they offered tremendous (More Pics After The Break)performance potential.
Even in their fresh-from-the-carton state, the little Phi3s sounded extremely detailed and refined, and on my better sample tracks they let me hear waaaay back into the far corners of the soundstage.
I also tried the much larger Phi7 floorstanders ($5700-$5950/pair) with similarly promising results.
Still, the GamuT guys seemed almost embarrassed. “The Phi’s are capable of much more resolution than that,” they asserted. “It’s too bad you can’t hear them once they’ve had some time to loosen up.”
Be that as it may, the sounds I was already hearing led me to think that GamuT’s Phi-model speakers will bear watching.
If that first taste was any indication, these babies just might offer a sound/dollar ratio that audiophiles will find irresistible.
What’s more, the Phi’s come in eye-popping wood veneer finishes that bespeak exquisite, old-school Danish craftsmanship. Read more from Rocky Mountain Audiofest 2007.
