Disappointed with subpar soundbars, Devialet releases high-end soundbar – TechCrunch

Meet the Devialet Dione, a model new speaker from high-end speaker producer Devialet. With this new product, the corporate is getting into a brand new market — dwelling cinema sound methods. The Devialet Dione is an all-in-one soundbar suitable with Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 and it prices $2,400 (€2,190).

“We’re on the excessive finish of the market however we now have a product that’s an all-in-one audio system,” Devialet CEO Franck Lebouchard instructed me. What he means by that’s that you just shouldn’t examine the Dione with a mean soundbar.

As an example, in the event you’re looking for an equal system in Sonos’ lineup, Lebouchard says you must examine Devialet’s speaker with the Sonos Arc soundbar paired with two Sonos One audio system and a Sonos Sub. And that package deal at the moment prices greater than $2,000 as properly.

“The tech achievement is that we managed to place every part in a single system. It implies that we needed to make 17 audio system match, which is exceptional,” Lebouchard added.

The corporate arrange a testing room in its workplace in Paris and I may take heed to the Devialet Dione with a big TV. We tried the speaker with the primary few scenes of Mad Max: Fury Street. We additionally listened to some music.

And, positive sufficient, the speaker sounds nice. It produces some immersive sound and it feels such as you’re sitting in a movie show relatively than in entrance of a TV.

This isn’t a full evaluation. I’m not an audio skilled, so I don’t know the way the Devialet soundbar sounds once you examine it with the present top-of-the-line soundbars. I might suggest listening to the Devialet Dione in a retailer earlier than shopping for it anyway.

“In a Sennheiser soundbar, you’ll discover 12 audio system. We put 17 audio system. It’s not utterly magical, however when you’ll be able to match 5 extra audio system in it, you’ll be able to hear it,” Lebouchard stated.

The system itself is a dense soundbar. It weighs 12kg and it’s fairly lengthy — 1.2 meters. It is best to take into consideration getting a speaker like that if you have already got a really giant 55-inch TV.

In relation to design, it is a little more discreet than earlier Devialet audio system. The signature egg-shaped Devialet design has been changed with a extra conventional polygon with sharp edges and corners.

The one factor that stands out is a tiny sphere on the heart of the system. There’s a speaker inside that sphere and it pivots. This manner, if you wish to repair the soundbar to the wall, you’ll be able to rotate the sphere in order that it’s all the time dealing with you.

Contained in the system, there are 17 totally different audio system — 9 full-range drivers and eight rectangle subwoofers. These subwoofers have been designed to suit the specs of a soundbar. Once more, what makes the Devialet Dione stand aside is that you just don’t want a separate subwoofer (or satellite tv for pc audio system).

The system additionally has its personal digital-to-analog converter. In truth, the Devialet Dione makes use of the identical system on a chip that you will discover within the firm’s flagship merchandise, the Phantom product line. Devialet has a number of patents for this particular chip and guarantees a sound with zero background noise, zero saturation and nil distorsion.

And in the event you’re enjoying a film that doesn’t help Dolby Atmos, the Devialet Dione can “upscale” the sound sign to five.1.2 audio. There’s additionally a stay stability function that helps you hear dialogue.

In relation to connectivity, you plug the Devialet Dione to your TV utilizing an HDMI cable with help for eARC and CEC. It’s also possible to use the soundbar as a standalone speaker to take heed to music.

The Devialet Dione connects to your native community utilizing Wi-Fi or Ethernet. It additionally helps Bluetooth 5.0 and makes use of the identical Devialet app. You don’t essentially have to make use of the app to play some music, as you need to use Spotify Join or AirPlay 2.

Not only for audiophiles

The corporate thinks there’s a market alternative with the Devialet Dione as streaming companies launch blockbuster films on their companies from day one. “We realized that it’s a market that’s taking off,” Lebouchard stated.

“Our typical shopper is somebody who has an exquisite 55-inch TV or larger. And so they need sound high quality to be nearly as good as picture high quality. It’s a bit totally different from the standard Devialet shopper, who’s somebody who listens to plenty of music,” he added.

In 12 months, if the corporate desires to succeed in its enterprise objectives, the Devialet Dione ought to characterize 20% of the corporate’s income. And each time the startup launches a brand new product, it could lean on its dense community of factors of sale. There are at the moment 1,900 Devialet factors of sale around the globe.

Whereas the corporate has stopped speaking about funding rounds since its Sequence A in 2015, Devialet has raised one other €70 million throughout two rounds. The final funding spherical was a €50 million spherical with the corporate’s current buyers in January 2020.

Devialet is launching the Devialet Dione in the present day in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Pre-orders additionally begin in the present day for different markets.