Devialet

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

Devialet
Private
IndustryAudio
Founded2007 (2007) in Paris
FoundersQuentin Sannié
Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel
Emmanuel Nardin
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Key people
Franck Lebouchard (CEO)
Products
Websitewww.devialet.com

Company history

Devialet initially got its start in 2004 when co-founder and engineer, Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel, invented his Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH) technology (which is now in every Devialet product). Calmel offered the technology to his then-employer Nortel, but, when they declined, he quit his job to focus on making a working prototype. Three years later he had developed an amplifier prototype using the technology. Calmel was later joined by Quentin Sannié, Emmanuel Nardin when he launched Devialet in Paris in 2007.[1][2] Sannié served as the company's CEO[3] with Calmel as CTO.[4]

It was in 2010 that the company introduced its first product, an amplifier called "D-Premier."[5] In 2010 and 2011, the company raised €2.9 million ($4.1 million) in funding from around 80 individual investors. In November 2012, it was announced that the company had raised an additional €15 million ($19 million) from an investor group led by Xavier Niel (Free), Jacques-Antoine Granjon (Vente-privee.com), Bernard Arnault (LVMH), and others.[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]

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.[11] 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.[12] The company also opened an outlet store in New York City.[13] 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.[14]

In July 2017, Devialet announced a partnership with the British-based media company Sky, to create a sound system called the "Sky Soundbox."[15] In October, it entered into a 10-year agreement with the Paris Opera to build a "sound discovery room" in the Palais Garnier. In November 2017, the company released an upgraded version of the original Phantom.[16] The following month, it announced another partnership, this time with Renault to create a car audio system. It also demonstrated a prototype system in Renault's Symbioz concept car.[17]

In March 2018, Quentin Sannié stepped down as the company's CEO and was replaced by Frank Lebouchard, a move that had been planned months in advance.[3] In October of that year, it announced the Phantom Reactor speaker.[18] As of 2018, the company maintains 160 patents for its technologies.[19] In November 2019, Devialet partners with Huawei and unveiled a new specifically designed speaker, the Sound X. [20] In January 2020, Devialet team up with Belkin for a new hi-fi smart speaker/wireless phone charger, named the SOUNDFORM ELITE.[21]

Products
Devialet Phantom speaker from 2015.

The 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 (with 3 models) and Phantom Reactor (with 3 models)[22]. All current Devialet devices are equipped with a variety of technologies, most notably, Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH). ADH 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[23] 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." The 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.[23]

They collaborated with Free to equip their TV set-top box with Devialet speakers.[24]

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. O'Brien, Chris (10 December 2015). "Inside Devialet's plans to conquer the U.S. audio market with its Phantom speakers". VentureBeat. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  3. Dillet, Romain (5 March 2018). "Devialet is getting a new CEO". TechCrunch. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  4. Dillet, Romain (9 October 2018). "Devialet unveils an ambitious new speaker". TechCrunch. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  5. Guttenberg, Steve (17 December 2010). "The most beautiful amplifier in the world?". CNET. 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). Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  7. Bembaron, Elsa (18 June 2013). "Devialet : le petit français du son élargit sa gamme". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  8. Constine, Josh (23 December 2014). "Devialet's Hi-Tech "Phantom" Implosion Stereo Sounds Better Than Speakers 20X Its Size". TechCrunch. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  9. Tilley, Aaron (18 June 2015). "Connected Speaker Market Heats Up With Super High-End Devialet Phantom". Forbes. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  10. Seifert, Dan (28 June 2016). "Devialet just doubled the power of its ridiculously loud speaker". The Verge. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  11. Gartenberg, Chaim (19 September 2016). "The Devialet Immersive Theater System is almost dangerously loud". The Verge. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  12. Nijman, Rob (5 November 2016). "Devialet Expert Pro: een nieuwe revolutie?". Hifi (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  13. Lopez, Napier (15 November 2016). "Devialet's NYC store brings its futuristic hi-fi audio to everyone". TheNextWeb. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  14. Lunden, Ingrid (28 November 2016). "High-end audio maker Devialet nabs €100M from Foxconn, Jay Z, Rubin's Playground and more". TechCrunch. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  15. Agnew, Harriet; Bradshaw, Tim (27 July 2017). "Devialet and Sky join forces in sound system deal". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  16. Hesse, Brendan (7 November 2017). "Devialet takes things up a level with its Phantom Elevate wireless speaker". Digital Trends. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  17. Dillet, Romain (12 December 2017). "Devialet built a car audio system for Renault's Symbioz concept car". TechCrunch. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  18. 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. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  19. Booth, Callum (2 August 2018). "The Devialet Gold Phantom speaker is sexy, ugly, and loud af". TheNextWeb. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  20. "Devialet partners with Huawei for new speaker". TechCrunch. November 26, 2019.
  21. "Belkin and Devialet team up for a smart speaker that's also a wireless charger". CNN. January 7, 2020.
  22. Zaman, Jazib (28 July 2020). "Devialet Bluetooth speaker "Phantom Reactor" Review". TechEngage.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  23. Longman, James (24 June 2018). "Review: Devialet Phantom". AudioReputation. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  24. Dent, Steve (February 23, 2019). "Why can't all set-top boxes be as stylish as the Freebox Delta?". Engadget. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
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