Loads of corporations now supply all-in-one soundbars that may reproduce Dolby Atmos, however none are as skinny or as highly effective, because the Dione — a $2,400 speaker from French audio firm, Devialet, that provides 5.1.2-channel sound from virtually any supply. The Dione might be pre-ordered at Crutchfield, Audio Recommendation, and World Extensive Stereo, and can begin transport in April.
Devialet has at all times had a bent to push the boundaries with its merchandise, essentially the most well-known instance being its Phantom wi-fi speaker — a remarkably compact, $2,000 system that pumps out 750 watts of energy and has an earth-shattering bass response. That very same spirit seems to be alive and properly contained in the Dione. From a sheer audio footprint viewpoint, its 17 drivers (9 full-range models and eight subwoofers) are already extra quite a few in comparison with every other single soundbar you should buy, together with the superior $2,500 Sennheiser Ambeo, which rocks 13 discrete drivers.
However what’s much more stunning is that the Dione manages to embed all of these audio system right into a body that stands simply three inches tall when utilized in its tabletop mode. For comparability, the Ambeo is 5.3 inches tall, which suggests it’ll block the underside portion of most TVs that aren’t wall-mounted. The Dione might be wall-mounted too, and doesn’t require a particular bracket. An inside gyroscope senses the Dione’s change in orientation and adjusts its sound accordingly. Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Stage soundbar can be flipped vertically for wall-mount purposes, however it is advisable to use its cellular app to set the brand new place.
One in all its most eye-catching options is its central sphere, which Devialet calls the Orb. It might adapt mechanically and acoustically to the place of the soundbar, “maximizing sound restitution regardless of the place the soundbar is positioned,” based on the corporate’s press launch. The soundbar features a room calibration function that can assist you get essentially the most from its acoustics, no matter your room’s dimension and form.
Along with being Dolby Atmos suitable, Devialet makes use of its personal proprietary model of 3D-sound upscaling, known as Area. Devialet says this will make any sound supply, like 2-channel stereo TV soundtracks, really feel prefer it’s a completely immersive 5.1.2-channel sign. That is additional enhanced by means of the corporate’s Superior Dimensional Expertise (ADE) know-how that makes use of beamforming to bolster 3D immersion.
Devialet hasn’t supplied any particulars on how all of these drivers are getting used. As an illustration, if there isn’t any devoted, upward-firing driver to bounce peak channel pontificate of your ceiling, it signifies that the Dione is virtualizing these peak channels, together with the encompass channels. That would result in a much less immersive sound profile.
As spectacular as all of this sounds, it’s price noting that though it could change a 5.1.2 house theater speaker set up, the Dione can’t act as an A/V receiver alternative. With just one HDMI 2.1 ARC/eARC enter and one optical enter, the soundbar depends solely in your TV to handle video inputs. Your whole units, like streaming bins, sport consoles, or Blu-ray gamers, will must be plugged into considered one of your TV’s current HDMI inputs to be able to work with the Dione. That is one space the place the Sennheiser Ambeo, with its three HDMI inputs, remains to be additional forward.
Nonetheless, the Dione is well-equipped from a wi-fi connectivity stand level. It has Wi-Fi, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Join, Common Plug and Play (UPNP), and Bluetooth 5.0 — although Chromecast is conspicuously absent.
Can the Devialet Dione give the Sennheiser Ambeo a run for its cash, or is that this a case of fashion over substance? We hope to get a evaluation unit in for testing as quickly as potential.
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