The Dione is the latest device from French Company Devialet who are set to take on Bowers and Wilkins, Samsung and Sennheiser in the premium soundbar market.
Their new Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 soundbar comes equipped with subwoofers and an “ORB” speaker in the middle that can be rotated to direct audio in a certain direction depending on the mounting or location of the listener.
According to Devialet, the Dione is “the ultimate all-in-one soundbar” thanks to its built-in subwoofers and virtual surround sound solution.
The Dione is built upon 17 drivers with eight for full range audio, eight for the subwoofers and a centre driver for the orb speaker. Furthermore, it has a built in gyroscope that will adjust the sound orientation to the correct position regardless of the location and angle of the soundbar.
However, for a Devialet soundbar that cost’s $3,990, the Dione is rather basic in certain aspects. The orb speaker is not automatic nor motorized, but rather, users will have to get up and adjust the position of it manually with their hand. Not only does seem unappealing when its likely that listeners are relaxing and watching a movie or listening to music when they use the soundbar, but motorized audio redirection is something that competing soundbars such as the Vizio Elevate have.
The Dione is fitted with the Analog Digital Hybrid amplifier chip found in the company’s Phantom speakers which reduces energy usage. It comes also with an added “Space” feature that upscales stereo input into virtual 5.1.2 audio channels and makes use of Advanced Dimensional Experience (ADE) which improves 3D immersion via audio beamforming.
For connectivity, the Dione comes with a single HDMI 2.1 eARC port (with CEC) Ethernet, optical and AC power input and Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi for streaming audio using Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect.
The main competitor of the Dione is the highly celebrated Sennheiser Ambeo, which has just received a major update for Apple Airplay2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect. It also supports Chromecast unlike the Devialet and is only $100 more.
