Known for its extremely powerful, aesthetically uncompromising range of Phantom subwoofers, Devialet has been in the business of ‘shock and awe’ for a few years now.
Beyond its own range of premium bluetooth speakers – widely regarded as some of the priciest in the market – the brand has pursued a range of high-profile partnerships: with everybody from fellow consumer electronics makers like Huawei to luxury watchmaker Ulysse Nardin.
This week, the company is once again turning inward, with the launch of its first fully portable smart speaker – the Mania. Like its bigger tethered siblings, the latest Devialet release features the brand’s signature ‘push push’ woofers (exposed on the Mania’s lateral and medial sides).
Drawing on four years of research and development, the Mania is able to deliver Devialet’s signature 360-degree sound, associated with the marque’s full-size speakers, via a combination of Active Stereo Calibration (ASC) and subwoofers outfitted with Speaker Active Matching (SAM).
That ASC tech makes use of embedded microphones and “intelligence capabilities”, enabling the creation of a ‘real-time acoustic’ map of up to four rooms, meaning that wherever you tote the Mania, the audio renders dynamically – to suit the size and soundscape of your surroundings.
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Given how the brand itself is encouraging style-obsessed audiophiles to take the Mania on the road and out of doors, its build quality has to be suitably fit for purpose. To that end, Devialet engineers have created a ‘woven skin’ exoskeleton that is graded IPX4 splash-resistant to house all of this technology; and at full charge, the Mania’s built-in battery promises to deliver 10 hours of wirelessly streamed audio.
Three versions of the Mania are currently available on Devialet’s website for preorder (shipping from 28 November), with the grey and black colourways priced at $1,400 apiece. In typical fashion, there is also a premium edition made in collaboration with the Opéra de Paris – distinguished from other models thanks to its 24k gold inlays and a $1,700 price tag to match.
