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I can't begin to tell you how wonderfully the Planets spun their way into my orbit with their voluminous soundstage and smooth non-fatiguing, thoroughly captivating presentation. I was expecting a big, billowy ill-defined soundstage with muddy transients and little in the way of microdynamics but it just wasn't so.


The Planets offered a remarkably coherent and focused sonic presentation that seemed to follow me regardless of where I sat. The sweet spot was wherever I chose to sit. Individual instruments and voices were not at all blurred nor did they shift about the soundstage. And while the Planets didn't offer the image precision and transient response of my GMA Callistos, they certainly held my attention and provided many hours of enjoyable music playback. They were also remarkably light on their feet with exceptional rhythmic acuity i.e. they boogied.




The sense of bass weight and extension was remarkable given the modest cabinet and puny 5" woofer. While the Planets didn't plumb the depths, they displayed, at least in my room, a pleasant mid bass hump that I think gave the illusion of serious low end grunt. Furthermore I believe the Planets' strong reverberant field served to solidify images and flesh out textures while also adding a bit of weight. The Planets were anything but thin or light sounding. However, bass did become a little loose and flabby when the volume was cranked up. As a result of their bottom up balance, I never felt the need to connect my REL subs although I did hook 'em up late in the review without issue. The subs were a nice addition but hardly necessary.

Treble was slightly recessed which served to smooth over the edges of rough sounding recordings. There was no trace of harshness or anything smacking of the analytical, cold or boring. They got the basics of music right while not underlining less than stellar sonics from suspect recordings. The midrange was full bodied and surprisingly transparent. This was especially noticeable on vocals which were quite articulate and intelligible. Opera recordings, particularly ones captured in large spaces, were especially rewarding and highlighted the Planets' way with soundstage dimensionality and the human voice.


Considering their modest price, the Planets displayed a remarkable ability to reproduce the timbre of instruments. It was certainly apparent listening to Alexandre Tharaud's outstanding recording of Chopin Preludes [Harmonia Mundi HMC 901982] and Lenny's old Columbia recording of Shostakovich's 5th Symphony [Cisco/Columbia MS 6115]. The resonant nature of the Tharaud's piano was downright eerie while the sense of scale and recorded acoustic of the Shostakovich was spectacular.


How's this for a jazz supergroup?
Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan and John Coltrane on horns with a rhythm section featuring Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Art Blakey. That's pretty much what you get with Griffin's A Blowin' Session LP [Blue Note/Classic BLP 1559] and the Planets were able to convey the excitement of this set plus the unique sound of each horn player even if the horns were a little lacking in brassy bite.

And they could rock too. I spun up the Black Crowes' Warpaint [Silver Arrow 01] and the Planets had little difficulty in portraying the juicy back beat driving rhythms of this greasy set. Too bad the incredibly noisy surface of this LP nearly ruins this fine album. Not all LPs sound better than their smaller silver disc cousins. The Planets are clearly not for those who pine for Metallica cranked up to 11 or for those expecting the heavens to part in the thunderous finale of Mahler's 2nd Symphony. When driven hard, the Planets became a little congested and boxy sounding. However, with a little moderation on volume settings, they were essentially invisible.


The Planets are hardly what I would call audiophile loudspeakers with that typical tipped-up tonal balance nor was the music sliced apart on the vivisectionist table. They are smooth,
forgiving and slightly warmish with a spatial performance unprecedented at this price. They will not limit your choice of music nor will they underline the sonic imperfections of your music collection.


If you are looking for an affordable, unobtrusive, décor-friendly speaker for a small to mid-sized room and/or if you entertain frequently and would like an easy-to-place speaker that will offer wonderful, musical sound throughout your living room, then put the Planets on your interplanetary flight path.


Upon final fact check, Pascal Ravach of Mutine mentioned that the Duevel Planets logo on the side of the speakers is in fact a removable sticker that won't mar the finish if peeled off. He also indicated that the Planets can indeed accept large unwieldy speaker cables. The binding posts unscrew to reveal a second inset jack that allows for more room to accept larger cables. However, those cables must then be terminated with banana plugs.

Publisher's comment:
Mr. Ravach expressed displeasure at our earlier mention of Urban Fidelity as though to suggest that it supported a grey market operation. That's an issue we take very serious so I called Markus Duevel in Germany. Urban Fidelity, just as I thought, is an authorized dealer of US importer Ted Lindblad. The direct-sales concept for this particular speaker model in the US is very sensible. The Duevel Planets are very much a non-audiophile product. It deserves far greater exposure and accessibility than traditional specialty dealers could provide. Audiophilia is an acquired habit. You have to get exposed and hooked. With the Planets, Duevel introduces the omnipolar concept that provides a sweet spot everywhere. The price, size and color options are all conducive to regular rather than audiophile households. That's building bridges. Dedicating a US site for just this model then is sensible to "spread the 'sound in the round' virus" - Srajan Ebaen


Quality of packing: Excellent. Speakers ship in a single Styrofoam-lined heavy cardboard box.
Reusability of packing: Appears to be reusable at least once.
Quality of owner's manual: Single sheet with all the info you’d require.
Condition of component received: Flawless.
Completeness of delivery: Perfect.
Website comments: Informative with good quality pictures.
Warranty: Two years parts & labor.
Human interactions: Professional, helpful and friendly.
Pricing: Very reasonable
Final comments & suggestions: None.
Duevel website
Mutine website