Devialet Dione test: Intense pleasure for the ears

What strikes from the first measures played by the Dione is unsurprisingly its reproduction of the low frequencies. Even listening to confidential volume, the serious is generous, deep and above all, its remarkable articulation. The two small boxes of integrated bass are simply exceptional, much better than separate boxes that accompany most competing bars. In addition, the low frequencies being issued from the bar, they spread in the room with homogeneity. The medium is characterized by its great sweetness and precision. The treble is in the extension, well placed, soft and silky. Not an ounce of acidity is to be deplored.

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Igex November 1, 2020

An exceptional sound !

I hesitated before taking them in pairs to do stereo, but I do not regret my purchase ! The sound is of exceptional power for such small speakers, the audio quality (depending on the listening source) is perfect. I listen to vinyls of all kinds and it is perfectly suited. No headache with settings or wiring, an optical input on one for my TV and a jack input for my vinyl plate, the Devialet app is doing the rest to select the source and the volume. I would recommend their eyes closed but the ears wide open !

Devialet Dione test: Intense pleasure for the ears

Fifteen years after the launch of its first Hi-Fi Expert amplifiers, Devialet offers its first soundbar, named Dione. In addition to the atypical look given to it by its small sphere dedicated to dialogues, the Dione is distinguished by the integration of a real subwoofer and an exceptional quality sound, which continues to surprise the auditor.

Where to buy the
Devialet Dione at the best price ?
€ 1,999 discover the offer
€ 1,999 discover the offer
€ 1,999 discover the offer
€ 1,999 discover the offer
€ 1,999 discover the offer

In short
Devialet Dione

• Exceptional sound performance
• Two excellent integrated bass boxes
• Ventilation and staging of sound plans
• Upmix in 5.1.2 Efficient on stereo programs
• Convincing acoustic calibration
• Airplay 2, Spotify Connect and Bluetooth
• Simple and practical app

• No effects from the Dolby Atmos ceiling (like all sound bars)
• High price

Our full opinion
Devialet Dione

October 23, 2022 11/23/2022 • 20:21

Devialet is definitely doing nothing like the others. After the Phantom speakers with amazing lines and performance, the French manufacturer embarks on the sound bars market with an ambitious speaker, as much capable of Home-Fi as in hi-fi. And if there is one point that clearly distinguishes the Dione Devialet from its competitors, it is this equivalent ease of reproducing the audio tracks of films and series in 5.1 or in Dolby Atmos, that music in simple stereo.

At the heart of this success, the use of exclusive speakers, amplification modules, DAC and homemade power supplies. This is the heart of Devialet’s know-how for 15 years. Because if Devialet is known for Phantom wireless speakers, the company has in its catalog a myriad of premium hi-fi amplifiers, for which a fairly incredible number of patents have been deposited. We will come back to this later, as Devialet’s expertise in these areas is reflected in the acoustic performance of the Devialet Dione.

Devialet Dione Technical Sheet

Model	Devialet Dione
Dimensions	16.5 cm x 120 cm x 8.8 cm
Power	950 Watts
Space audio	Dolby Atmos
Number of HDMI ports	1
HDMI E-Arc	Yes
Wireless	Yes
Subwoofer	Integrated
Rear speakers	No
Price	€ 1,999
Product sheet

The tested soundbar was loaned by the manufacturer.

Devialet Dione Design

The little touch of originality of the Devialet Dione soundbar is its small central sphere, or orb, which houses a transducer dedicated to dialogues. If Devialet has not housed the latter in the front side, it is that this small speaker is assisted by two passive radiators, which reinforce the incarnation of human voices and diffusing certain frequencies laterally. For the rest, the bar adopts conventional and elegant lines. The aluminum and PVC combination box and is covered with acoustic fabric panels, in the places where transducers are located.

The Dione Devialet is 1m20 wide for 16.5 cm deep and only 7.7 cm high.

The upper face accommodates a touch control zone, to adjust the listening volume, change source or pause reading for example. The connection is housed at the rear, in a niche. As for the underside, it has silicone feet and wall fixing supports.

The Dione Devialet sound bar can be installed flat or attached to the wall. In the latter case, the integrated gyroscope detects its positioning and invites the user, through the App Devialet, to rotate the central sphere, in order to orient its transducer towards the listening point. The distribution of sound over all of the 17 transducers is then reprogrammed. We will come back later.

Devialet Dione Connectors

Devialet has made a cross on the possibility of connecting HDMI audio sources to the Dione, which is therefore equipped only with an HDMI socket for audio return, from a television or a video projector. To listen to a Blu-ray disc with the Dione, you must connect your reader to the TV, the latter taking care of sending the audio signal to the Dione. The HDMI socket is compatible with the two ARC and EARC audio return protocols. The first supports Dolby and DTS 5 flows.1 classic, as well as Stereo PCM, while the second is compatible with HD audio and Dolby Atmos, widely used by SVOD platforms.

There is also an optical digital audio input in Toslink format, for which Devialet provides a cable (with Toslink adapter to mini-jack optics). This entry can notably be associated with a TV, CD player or DVD player, to listen to the Dolby Digital and DTS 5 programs.1.

The only HDMI socket is ARC/EARC and CEC compatible

An optical input makes it possible to associate an additional source, an optical reader for example.

In addition, the Dione is equipped with an RJ-45 Ethernet socket and a WiFi controller, which will be used to control it with its mobile application, but also to listen to music in streaming. Spotify is supported via its Spotify Connect protocol, so it is enough to use the application of the service to listen to music on the Devialet Dione. For the other services, it will be necessary to rely on the AirPlay 2 protocol and therefore use an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac. With any other wireless source, it will be necessary to go through Bluetooth, the Dione being equipped with a receiver. There remains the possibility of using the application for music services TV and listening to arc music.

Finally, the UPNP protocol is supported by the App Devialet under iOS and Android, which allows you to listen to audio files, including HD, a DLNA server (computer or nas with plex, serviio …) connected to the domestic network.

Devialet Dione Functions

The Dione Devialet has all the features that we are entitled to expect from a soundbar, including acoustic calibration, a stereo programs Upmix or dynamic volume management. Only downside, the manufacturer ignited the DTS, which is not supported. Nothing serious in absolute terms, this format can be converted by the source to PCM or even Dolby signals, then remixed by the Dione processor on all transducers, even those of elevation.

Devialet Space Technology: from stereo to 5.1.2

Thus, Devialet has developed a process of expanding the sound scene called Space Technology, which can be applied to any audio flow. To take advantage of it, simply activate the cinema audio profile from the Devialet application, or even program its automatic activation for the entry of your choice (optics, HDMI, Bluetooth, Spotify, etc.). Space Technology then analyzes the incoming signal and distributes it over all transducers, those of elevation including.

We then take advantage of a sound in 5.1.2 Even from a stereo program. However, the level of immersion depends on the nature of the program played, but a Netflix series mixed in Dolby Atmos and transmitted in stereo to the Dione immediately benefits from an immersive surrounding atmosphere.

Adaptive Devialet Volume Level

The Dione Devialet has an automatic volume adaptation system, which optimizes the intelligibility of the sound message and limiting the too large dynamic differences, likely to disturb the listening comfort. In theory, this type of process can distort sound, if not betray the intention of the sound engineer. In practice, it is remarkably natural. AVL cannot be deactivated and is part of the operation of the Dione. Furthermore, a night mode is offered in the app, to reduce the volume of low frequencies and tamp the dynamic margin, so as not to disturb its neighborhood.

Acoustic calibration

The Dione Devialet is equipped with an acoustic calibration system, to take into account the particularities of the room where it is used. Remember that each room has clean acoustics, amplifies certain sounds, attenuates others and induces delays in the spread of certain frequencies. All the interest of acoustic calibration is to correct these aspects.

To do this, the Dione Devialet emits a reference sound, which it captures with its microphones to analyze its faults. Then, any incoming audio signal, stereo or Dolby Atmos, is automatically corrected numerically before its broadcast.

The Devialet application: simple and ergonomic

No remote control is delivered with the Devialet Dione and it is necessary to rely on the Devialet mobile application to control it completely, or to the remote control of the associated television for the volume adjustment. However, the soundbar is compatible with the manufacturer’s optional circular remote control, which is also used to control its expert amplifiers.

The application easily guides the user in the implementation of the bar, mainly its connection to the WiFi network. The app interface offers a volume potentiometer and three buttons to activate music modes (stereo), cinema (5.1.2) and voice (strengthening of dialogues). For each entry, the user has the possibility of pre-attributing a different method of restitution (music, cinema, voice), which he can possibly change under listening.

The app is very simple to use: we choose an entry and possibly a listening method and that’s all. There is no tone or level adjustment per channel, insofar as the Dione can calibrate itself and that Devialet considers that it is sufficient. The idea is to offer the user a key-in-one solution: we install the speaker and listen to him without having to tap dozens of parameters.

Devialet Dione Audio

We were able to evoke with devialet the acoustic solutions implemented in Dione. First of all, you should know that all the components embedded in the enclosure are designed by Devialet. The manufacturer has therefore not selected transducers in the catalog of one supplier, amplifiers from another and ensures that everything works best. The approach was opposite: to design transducers in order to obtain a very specific sound signature and dynamic behavior.

Two integrated bass boxes

The Dione bar uses 8 13 cm width oblong transducers for the reproduction of low frequencies. They are divided into two separate bass boxes, installed on both sides of the central sphere. Devialet has excluded using an granted load (bass-reflex or passive radiators) in order to maintain an optimal transitional diet. Indeed, “open” the volume of the speakers outwards (by an vent or radiators) causes delays in spreads and drags the serious. In charge closed, only the speakers’ membrane diffuses the sound and the bass is much faster. 13 cm transducers have an aluminum membrane with anti-training reinforcements, mounted on a long rubber suspension. In other words, the membranes can move significantly from front to back. The engine of transducers calls on imposing looves in the neodymium to deliver a powerful sound and, above all, master the membrane movements. The 12 kg of the Dione Devialet are largely explained by the presence of these large magnets.

In order for these 8 transducers to spread serious sounds as precise as possible, Devialet has measured the delays in propagation of its frequency transducer by frequency, in order to carry out a perfect time alignment. This is Devialet SAM technology (Speaker Active Matching). The principle is rather simple: if the speaker diffuses the frequency of 44 Hz, for example, with 70 ms delay, the SOC (house) integrated into the bar modifies the incoming audio signal so that this frequency is addressed to Haut- speaker with 70 ms in advance. And so on for all the frequencies to be broadcast. Let’s say it clearly, this is clear: the low frequency is better articulated and the game of a low guitar is easily followed or the propagation of a deflagration.

Nine transducers for voices and Dolby Atmos effects

The other 9 transducers are circular models approximately 4 cm in diameter, with aluminum domes. Again, they are very solidly motorized, loaded in closedy and have dedicated amplifiers and SAM technology to optimize their operation. Two of these transducers are installed on the front side, at the left and right ends and in the case of a simple stereo listening, they are the only ones to work (with the subwoofer). Two others are each installed on the sides of the Dione for the surround effects (5.1), while the upper face shelters four to verticize the sound (5.1.2). The surround effects are broadcast towards the listener thanks to the ADE (Advanced Dimensal Experience) technology which combines placement of transducers and digital filters to better direct the sound bundles.

The last 4 cm speaker is housed in the (Orb) sphere of the enclosure. This transducer operates on a slightly broader frequency range than the others and to better embody human voices, is assisted by two lateral passive radiators.

101 dB: the dione can play very strong

The various amplifiers can deliver up to 450 watts continuously and near the double in crest, which is colossal but necessary to hold the cadence in the bass, especially as the Dione Devialet plunges up to 30 Hz to give the Depth to the sound scene. The speaker is thus capable of delivering an acoustic pressure of 101 dB to 1 meter distance. At the listening point, let’s say at 3 or 4 meters, this corresponds to approximately 90 dB. With such a volume, you have to shout to talk to yourself. The fact remains that if the Dione can play very hard, it especially knows how to distill a sound of high quality from the lowest volume of listening.

Sound signature

I listened to the Dione Devialet sound bar by watching films and series in Dolby Atmos from Netflix and from a plex server with movies in Mono, Stereo or Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1. For the musical part, I listened in Airplay from an iPhone of titles in Lossless quality from Apple Music.

What strikes from the first measures played by the Dione is unsurprisingly its reproduction of the low frequencies. Even listening to confidential volume, the serious is generous, deep and above all, its remarkable articulation. The two small boxes of integrated bass are simply exceptional, much better than separate boxes that accompany most competing bars. In addition, the low frequencies being issued from the bar, they spread in the room with homogeneity. The medium is characterized by its great sweetness and precision. The treble is in the extension, well placed, soft and silky. Not an ounce of acidity is to be deplored.

Surround 5 scene.1 and Dolby Atmos 5.1.2

In the absence of dedicated surround speakers, the Dione Devialet plays the sound bundles card to spread the sound on the sides and above the listener, with necessarily relative precision. It combines several of its side and vertical transducers for this. The sound scene is very wide, and some sounds seem to slide on the sides. However, no sound seems to come from behind, as with separate surround speakers.

When watching a Dolby Atmos program or the cinema mode is applied to a stereo source – and all transducers work in 5 mode 5.1.2 – The sound then gains in magnitude and verticality. However, he does not seem to come from the ceiling. The Devialet Dione is no exception: we do not find the immersive experience of a Dolby Atmos cinema with ceiling speakers. The fact remains that the movies in Dolby Atmos or those in stereo listened to in cinema mode are captivating with this bar.

When the speaker is in a vertical position, its performance vary a little. Since the four transducers of the upper face are oriented towards the listener, the horizontal scene is still gaining momentum.

Home-cinema listening impressions

I started my viewing sessions with the Lord of the Rings, the community of the ring And the Moria mines scene when the community tries to escape the goblins and the balrog. First point, music and choirs that accompany the whole scene are properly detached from sound effects and dialogues. The roars of the Balrog are returned with a lot of energy and mastery – it goes down very very low – and the shocks between the blocks of stone, as much as the impacts of the footsteps of the creature, are striking. All this is so fluid that we gladly go back the scene a little loud even stronger. In 1917, Shots, explosions and rain of earth and gravel are very realistic at high volume and take the guts. The final scene of Batman V Superman is played with a fairly enjoyable energy: music is extricated here again from action, despite massive explosion which must make the amplification suffer. And if we push the volume frankly, everything remains in its place: the enclosure shows no sign of weakness.