Devialet Dione review 2024: great sound quality

Soundbars, as opposed to traditional hi-fi and home theatre systems, typically occupy a much more limited price range for a variety of obvious reasons. The costs of these traditional systems can range from entry-level to the sky’s the limit. Those who don’t have the space or budget for full-sized speakers or the patience for the paraphernalia that accompanies them typically choose for soundbars rather than full-sized speakers because soundbars offer a compromise between the two.

And why would anyone want a luxurious version of a product that has been severely flawed. But the premium French audio brand Devialet is striking out with its first-ever Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Dione, elevating the form with a lavish design and high-minded concept that aims to convince customers that just because they want a simple, single TV speaker does not mean that they cannot do so in style.

Devialet Dione specifications

Devialet Dione review: Design and build

If you know nothing else about the Devialet brand, you should know that the company takes industrial design very, very seriously. Devialet makes products that don’t look like anything else, which is why the Dione soundbar looks like a golf ball crashed into the middle of it.

That “golf ball” is actually a spherical centre channel speaker called “ORB” by Devialet. It fits in very well with the rest of the soundbar’s expected slim, low profile. The Dion can be put on a shelf or mounted on the wall, and the “ORB” can be physically turned to fit the bar’s position on a table or on the wall. You can buy this soundbar from its official website

Devialet Dione review: Features

There is an onboard room calibration feature that uses the Dione’s four microphones (which don’t do anything else because there is no built-in voice control) to measure how your room responds. Still, it’s pretty simple, and in our listening room, it didn’t make much of a difference. There is no way to change the EQ or volume of individual channels, which is a shame.

So, if you want to change the sound even more, your only options are modes for Movie, Music, and Dialogue, as well as a Spatial mode that uses Devialet’s SPACE processing to up-mix non-Atmos content and use all available channels. We usually try to avoid upmixing, but surprisingly, the Spatial setting gives us a good presentation that doesn’t change the original audio much or add a lot of colour or noise.

Devialet Dione review: Sound Quality

It doesn’t make a very enveloping soundscape because it doesn’t project much forward, up, or to the side. A single soundbar that bounces sound off walls and ceilings will never be the same as direct surround sound, but the Sennheiser Ambeo is more convincing in this way and better lives up to the promise of a true all-in-one system.

But the Dione has a clear, sharp sound that in some ways is better than the Ambeo. When we switch to Blade Runner 2049, which is also in Atmos, we become very aware of small parts of the soundtrack that we usually don’t hear, like dripping taps and crunchy footsteps.

Devialet Dione review: Controls and connections

Although a remote is not included with the Dione, there are a few touch controls on the actual bar. There are buttons for turning the Dione on and off, playing and stopping media, adjusting the volume, entering pairing mode, and silencing the device’s four internal calibration microphones.

Devialet Dione review: Price and availability

That might go to its price of £1,990, which is hard on the wallet. That puts it in the “royal” price range for soundbars and immediately sets sky-high expectations for how well it will work. Expectations that apply to both music and movies, since this kind of pricing might be more acceptable in the hi-fi world than in the home cinema world.

Final Words

The Ancient Greek name Dione means “goddess,” and the Devialet name Dione sounds like something from heaven. The goddess of epic poetry, Calliope, would have raved about how clear the voices were, and Zeus himself would have praised how loud the eight subwoofers were.

It’s a little annoying that you can’t manually change the EQ, but it’s not a crime that should get you sent to the Underworld, especially since the different audio optimization technologies do such a great job across a wide range of sources and content types. 

FAQs

Is Devialet good for home theater?

The Adaptive Volume Level technology in the Devialet Dione is the company’s dynamic equaliser. It balances out low levels of sound in real time to make watching better. It makes sure that movie scenes don’t “bounce” from being too quiet to being too loud. It also fixes action scenes where the dialogue is too quiet or hard to understand.

What is so good about Devialet?

The bass produced by the Devialet Gold Phantom is unparalleled by any other wireless speaker ever created. That is a verifiable fact. In general, the sound quality is really high, which is especially impressive considering the price.

How do you use a Devialet speaker?

Connect your PHANTOM to a power source by plugging it in. Hold your breath until you hear PHANTOM make a quiet breathing sound. 3. PHANTOM will no longer produce any audible output, and you will be able to play music using any programme.