Devialet

Devialet
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryAudio
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007) in Paris
FoundersQuentin Sannié
Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel
Emmanuel Nardin
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Key people
Franck Lebouchard (CEO)
Products
  • Speakers
  • amplifiers
  • headphones
Websitewww.devialet.com

Devialet is a French audio technology company that produces a line of speakers (Phantom) and amplifiers (Expert). It was founded in 2007 in Paris.

History

Devialet shop in Paris

In 2004, engineer Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel, invented the Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH) audio technology that is the basis of Devialet's products. Three years later, in 2007, he developed an amplifier prototype using the ADH technology, and founded Devialet along with Quentin Sannié and Emmanuel Nardin.[1][2] At the company's founding, Sannié served as CEO[3] and Calmel as CTO.[4]

Devialet introduced its first product to market, an amplifier called "D-Premier," in 2010.[5] Between 2010 and 2012, Devialet raised over €17 million in funds from a variety of investors.[6]

In June 2013, the company unveiled an updated version of its D-Premier amp changes (known as the Devialet 240) and two new lower-end versions, the Devialet 110 and Devialet 170.[7] In late 2014, the company announced the release of its first speaker, the Devialet Phantom. The speaker was made available in Europe in early 2015.[8] In June 2015, it raised €17.5 million ($20 million) in another round of funding led by previous investors. The purpose of this funding round was to bring the Phantom to the United States market.[9]

Devialet released two new products in 2016: the "Gold Phantom" speaker capable of producing sound volumes of up to 108 decibels[10] and the Expert PRO amplifier.[11]

In November 2016, Devialet raised €100 million ($106 million) in a funding round led by Ginko Ventures, Foxconn, Jay-Z's Roc Nation, Andy Rubin's Playground Global, Groupe Renault, the Sharp Corporation, and Korelya Capital among others.[12][13]

In October 2017, it entered into a 10-year agreement with the Paris Opera to build a "sound discovery room" in the Palais Garnier.[14] The company also entered into a partnership with Renault to build car audio systems and demonstrated a prototype version for Renault's SYMBIOZ concept car in December 2017.[15][16]

Quentin Sannié, who had been the CEO of Devialet from its foundation, stepped down from the role in March 2018 and was replaced by Frank Lebouchard.[3]

Products

Devialet Phantom speaker from 2015.

Phantom

Devialet produces a range of wireless speakers called "Phantom" along with a range of amplifiers known as "Expert Pro."[2] The Phantom line is separated into two ranges, Phantom Premier and Phantom Reactor.[17][18][19]

In June 2013, the company unveiled an updated version of its D-Premier amp changes (known as the Devialet 240) and two new lower-end versions, the Devialet 110 and Devialet 170.[7] In late 2014, the company announced the release of its first speaker, the Devialet Phantom. The speaker was made available in Europe in early 2015.[8] In June 2015, it raised €17.5 million ($20 million) in another round of funding led by previous investors. The purpose of this funding round was to bring the Phantom to the United States market.[9]

In June 2016, the company released an upgraded "Gold Phantom" speaker with 4,500 watts of power that was capable of producing sound volumes of up to 108 decibels.[10] Later that year, it announced an "Immersive Theater System" that would make use of several Gold Phantoms.[20] Devialet continued updating their line of amplifiers (now known as "Expert"), and in late 2016 it introduced the Expert PRO amplifier as a high-end option.[11] The company also opened an outlet store in New York City.[21]

In November 2017, the company released an upgraded version of the original Phantom.[18]

In October 2018, Devialet announced the Phantom Reactor speaker.[17] As of 2018, the company maintains 160 patents for its technologies.[22] In February 2019, Devialet and Free jointly released a TV set-top box with Devialet speakers.[23] In November 2019, Devialet partnered with Huawei and unveiled a new specifically designed speaker, the Sound X.[24] In January 2020, Devialet introduced the Soundform Elite speaker/phone charger designed with Belkin.[25]

Dione

The company's home cinema soundbar sound system.[26]

Sound Joy

Co-developed with Huawei and marketed by the Chinese company, this smart speaker was launched in 2022.[27]

Sky Soundbox

Co-developed with Sky UK and released as an add-on for Sky Q TV packages.[15][28][29]

Devialet Mania

In 2022, Devialet announced its first portable speaker.[30][31]

Gemini II

The company also produces Gemini earbud wireless headphones.[32] In September 2023, the company launched the second version of its pair of Gemini wireless earbuds.[33][34]

Audio technologies

Devialet devices use several audio technologies developed by the company, marketed under these names:

  • Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH)[18] combines elements of analog amps (Class-A) and digital amps (Class-D), allowing for larger wattage and decibel peaks.
  • Heart Bass Implosion (HBI) is a technology that provides broader coverage of low-frequency sounds[35] and mimics the properties of a subwoofer.[8]
  • Speaker Active Matching (SAM) is a signal processing mechanism that analyzes and adjusts sounds in real-time to "reproduce the exact acoustic pressure recorded by the microphone."
  • Active Co-Spherical Engine (ACE) refers to the spherical shape of some Devialet devices (namely, the Phantom speakers) is an acoustic architecture designed to deliver sound in every direction.[35]

References

  1. ^ Parkin, Simon (1 March 2017). "Your Phone Could Soon Sound as Good as a $15,000 Hi-Fi". Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b O'Brien, Chris (10 December 2015). "Inside Devialet's plans to conquer the U.S. audio market with its Phantom speakers". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b Dillet, Romain (5 March 2018). "Devialet is getting a new CEO". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  4. ^ Dillet, Romain (9 October 2018). "Devialet unveils an ambitious new speaker". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  5. ^ Guttenberg, Steve (17 December 2010). "The most beautiful amplifier in the world?". CNET. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  6. ^ Georges, Benoît (12 November 2012). "Devialet, la pépite hi-fi française, lève 15 millions auprès d'actionnaires VIP". Les Échos (in French). Archived from the original on 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b Bembaron, Elsa (18 June 2013). "Devialet : le petit français du son élargit sa gamme". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Constine, Josh (23 December 2014). "Devialet's Hi-Tech "Phantom" Implosion Stereo Sounds Better Than Speakers 20X Its Size". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  9. ^ a b Tilley, Aaron (18 June 2015). "Connected Speaker Market Heats Up With Super High-End Devialet Phantom". Forbes. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  10. ^ a b Seifert, Dan (28 June 2016). "Devialet just doubled the power of its ridiculously loud speaker". The Verge. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  11. ^ a b Nijman, Rob (5 November 2016). "Devialet Expert Pro: een nieuwe revolutie?". Hifi (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  12. ^ Lunden, Ingrid (28 November 2016). "High-end audio maker Devialet nabs €100M from Foxconn, Jay Z, Rubin's Playground and more". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  13. ^ Tramuta, Lindsey (22 October 2017). "Meet the Premium Audio Brand Loved by Jay-Z and the French President". Fortune. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  14. ^ de Kerautem, Virginie (26 February 2018). "Comment les enceintes Devialet ont réussi à infiltrer l'Opéra Garnier". Le Parisien. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  15. ^ a b Cook, James (16 December 2017). "How French luxury speaker maker Devialet plans to become the 'Apple of sound'". Business Insider. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  16. ^ Dillet, Romain (12 December 2017). "Devialet built a car audio system for Renault's Symbioz concept car". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  17. ^ a b Wolfe, Sean (9 October 2018). "This high-end French audio company revealed its new futuristic-looking $1,000 speaker — and believe it or not, it's the most affordable model yet". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  18. ^ a b c Hesse, Brendan (7 November 2017). "Devialet takes things up a level with its Phantom Elevate wireless speaker". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  19. ^ Zaman, Jazib (28 July 2020). "Devialet Bluetooth speaker "Phantom Reactor" Review". TechEngage.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  20. ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (19 September 2016). "The Devialet Immersive Theater System is almost dangerously loud". The Verge. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  21. ^ Lopez, Napier (15 November 2016). "Devialet's NYC store brings its futuristic hi-fi audio to everyone". TheNextWeb. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  22. ^ Booth, Callum (2 August 2018). "The Devialet Gold Phantom speaker is sexy, ugly, and loud af". TheNextWeb. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  23. ^ Dent, Steve (23 February 2019). "Why can't all set-top boxes be as stylish as the Freebox Delta?". Engadget. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  24. ^ "Devialet partners with Huawei for new speaker". TechCrunch. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  25. ^ "Belkin and Devialet team up for a smart speaker that's also a wireless charger". CNN. 7 January 2020. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  26. ^ Dillet, Romain (29 March 2022). "Disappointed with subpar soundbars, Devialet releases high-end soundbar". TechCrunch. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  27. ^ "Huawei Sound Joy review: Open up a can of bass". 31 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Sky Soundbox review". whathifi.com. 19 March 2019.
  29. ^ Agnew, Harriet; Bradshaw, Tim (27 July 2017). "Devialet and Sky join forces in sound system deal". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Devialet Mania review: meaty, beaty, big and bouncy". Stuff. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  31. ^ Lowe, Mike (13 February 2023). "Devialet Mania review: portable perfection?". T3. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  32. ^ Chung, Winnie (3 September 2021). "The Devialet Gemini earbuds are finally here after delays, bringing innovative Active Noise Cancelling technology and top-notch sound quality – but is that enough?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  33. ^ "Devialet's Gemini II are the most luxurious wireless earbuds you can get". 13 October 2023.
  34. ^ Cross, Sam (13 September 2023). "Devialet Gemini II review: the best sounding wireless earbuds?". T3. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  35. ^ a b Chun, Rene (24 June 2015). "Review: Devialet Phantom". Wired. Retrieved 25 September 2019.