Company type | Privately held company |
---|---|
Industry | Audio |
Founded | 2007 | in Paris
Founders | Quentin Sannié Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel Emmanuel Nardin |
Headquarters | Paris , France |
Key people | Franck Lebouchard (CEO) |
Products |
|
Website | www |
Devialet is a French audio technology company that produces a line of speakers (Phantom) and amplifiers (Expert). It was founded in 2007 in Paris.
In 2004, engineer Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel, invented the Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH) audio technology that is the basis of Devialet's products. Three years later, in 2007, he developed an amplifier prototype using the ADH technology, and founded Devialet along with Quentin Sannié and Emmanuel Nardin. [1] [2] At the company's founding, Sannié served as CEO [3] and Calmel as CTO. [4]
Devialet introduced its first product to market, an amplifier called "D-Premier," in 2010. [5] Between 2010 and 2012, Devialet raised over €17 million in funds from a variety of investors. [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]
Devialet released two new products in 2016: the "Gold Phantom" speaker capable of producing sound volumes of up to 108 decibels [10] and the Expert PRO amplifier. [11]
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. [12] [13]
In October 2017, it entered into a 10-year agreement with the Paris Opera to build a "sound discovery room" in the Palais Garnier. [14] The company also entered into a partnership with Renault to build car audio systems and demonstrated a prototype version for Renault's SYMBIOZ concept car in December 2017. [15] [16]
Quentin Sannié, who had been the CEO of Devialet from its foundation, stepped down from the role in March 2018 and was replaced by Frank Lebouchard. [3]
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 and Phantom Reactor. [17] [18] [19]
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. [20] 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. [11] The company also opened an outlet store in New York City. [21]
In November 2017, the company released an upgraded version of the original Phantom. [18]
In October 2018, Devialet announced the Phantom Reactor speaker. [17] As of 2018, the company maintains 160 patents for its technologies. [22] In February 2019, Devialet and Free jointly released a TV set-top box with Devialet speakers. [23] In November 2019, Devialet partnered with Huawei and unveiled a new specifically designed speaker, the Sound X. [24] In January 2020, Devialet introduced the Soundform Elite speaker/phone charger designed with Belkin. [25]
The company's home cinema soundbar sound system. [26]
Co-developed with Huawei and marketed by the Chinese company, this smart speaker was launched in 2022. [27]
Co-developed with Sky UK and released as an add-on for Sky Q TV packages. [15] [28] [29]
In 2022, Devialet announced its first portable speaker. [30] [31]
The company also produces Gemini earbud wireless headphones. [32] In September 2023, the company launched the second version of its pair of Gemini wireless earbuds. [33] [34]
Devialet devices use several audio technologies developed by the company, marketed under these names:
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an audio source privately, in contrast to a loudspeaker, which emits sound into the open air for anyone nearby to hear. Headphones are also known as earphones or, colloquially, cans. Circumaural and supra-aural headphones use a band over the top of the head to hold the speakers in place. Another type, known as earbuds or earpieces, consists of individual units that plug into the user's ear canal. A third type are bone conduction headphones, which typically wrap around the back of the head and rest in front of the ear canal, leaving the ear canal open. In the context of telecommunication, a headset is a combination of a headphone and microphone.
Nakamichi Corp., Ltd. is a Japanese consumer electronics brand that originated in Japan and gained a name from the 1970s onwards for innovative and high quality audio cassette decks. Nakamichi is a subsidiary of Chinese holding company Nimble Holdings.
Denon is a Japanese electronics company dealing with audio equipment. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo and others in 1939, but it originally started as Nippon Chikuonki Shoukai in 1910 by Frederick Whitney Horn, an American entrepreneur.
Sonos, Inc. is an American developer and manufacturer of audio products best known for its multi-room audio products. The company was founded in 2002 by John MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen, and Trung Mai. Patrick Spence has been its CEO since 2017.
Meridian Audio is a consumer audio and home theatre equipment manufacturer based in the United Kingdom. Bob Stuart and Allen Boothroyd founded the company in 1977 under the name Boothroyd-Stuart. In 1985 the company released a CD player under the brand name, Meridian. The company also created the lossless compression format Meridian Lossless Packing in 1998 and the lossy Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) format in 2014.
Vizio Inc. is an American publicly traded company that designs and sells televisions, sound bars, viewer data, and advertising. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Irvine, California.
Polk Audio is an American manufacturer of audio products best known for its home and automobile speakers. The company also produces a wide range of other audio products, such as amplifiers and FM tuners. The company's headquarters are in San Diego, California. In 2006, it was bought by Directed Electronics. Polk Audio has also introduced smart speakers for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Belkin International, Inc., is an American consumer electronics and networking company headquartered in El Segundo, California. It produces mobile and computer connectivity devices and peripherals for consumer and commercial use. These include wireless chargers, power banks, charging cables, data cables, audio and video adapters, headphones, earbuds, smart speakers, screen protectors, surge protectors, Wi-Fi routers, smart home products, electronic device sanitizers, docking stations and data hubs, network switches, KVM switches and network cables.
What Hi-Fi? is a website and magazine published by Future. It is a buying guide for consumer electronics, featuring news, reviews and features on hi-fi, home cinema, television and home audio. The website, whathifi.com, is updated daily, while the magazine is published thirteen times per year.
Home audio systems refer to audio consumer electronics designed for home entertainment, such as integrated systems like shelf stereos and music centers, as well as individual components like loudspeakers and surround sound receivers. The evolution of home audio began with Edison's phonograph, transitioning from monaural to stereophonic sound in the 1950s and 60s. The term "hi-fi" emerged, highlighting sound accuracy and minimal distortion. Audio equipment evolved from large wooden cabinets to compact units. The 1970s introduced enhancements like quadraphonic sound and technologies like Dolby Pro Logic. The 1970s and 1980s also saw the rise of component-based stereo systems. Cassette decks became a staple in the 1970s. Integrated systems, termed "music centers" gained popularity in the 1980s. Table systems and compact radio receivers emerged as entertainment devices, with some offering features like cassette players and CD functionalities. Audiophile systems prioritize high-quality music formats and specialized equipment like premium turntables, digital-to-analog converters, and other high-end devices, with some enthusiasts preferring the unique sound characteristics of vinyl records and vacuum tubes. Modern systems often emphasize home cinema applications to enhance the audio experience beyond standard TV speakers.
A soundbar, sound bar or media bar is a type of loudspeaker that projects audio from a wide enclosure. It is much wider than it is tall, partly for acoustic reasons, and partly so it can be mounted above or below a display device. In a soundbar, multiple speakers are placed in a single cabinet, which helps to create stereo sound and surround sound effect. A separate subwoofer is typically included with, or may be used to supplement, a soundbar.
Relay FM is a podcast network covering a diverse range of subjects including consumer technology, productivity, entrepreneurship, creativity, and art. It was founded 18 August 2014 by Myke Hurley and Stephen Hackett. The network's hosts include Christina Warren, Senior Cloud Developer Advocate at Microsoft; CGP Grey, educational YouTuber and co-host of the podcast Hello Internet; Simone de Rochefort, Senior Video Producer at Polygon; Casey Liss, Marco Arment, and John Siracusa from the Accidental Tech Podcast; Brianna Wu, cofounder of Giant Spacekat; and Jason Snell, former editorial director at Macworld, and owner of The Incomparable podcast network.
Definitive Technology is an American unit based in Vista, California, of the Sound United division of electronics company DEI Holdings, that designs, develops and sells home theater audio systems, soundbars and headphones.
Doppler Labs was a San Francisco-based audio technology company, founded in 2013. The company designed and manufactured in-ear computing technology, including earplugs and wireless smart earbuds.
The Pixel Buds is a line of wireless earbuds developed and marketed by Google. The first-generation Pixel Buds were launched on October 4, 2017, at the Made by Google launch event, and became available for preorder on the Google Store the same day. They have the Google Assistant built-in and support Google Translate.
Noah Kraft is an American entrepreneur. He is currently the CEO and co-founder of Ginger Health Company, a clean digestive health medicine company. Previously he was the co-founder and former CEO of Doppler Labs, an audio-technology company best known for its Here One Wireless Smart Earbuds. Despite a promising start, their flagship product suffered from various issues and sold many fewer units than expected upon release. After an unsuccessful attempt to raise additional capital, Doppler Labs ceased operations in December 2017.
Here One is a pair of wireless smart earbuds developed and manufactured by Doppler Labs. It allows users to filter sound, stream music, and amplify speech. It can also be used to take phone calls and filter certain sounds, such as background noise. Here One has been called the world's first in-ear computer and in June 2018 Here One was inducted into the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design for innovation in audio technology.
Nothing Technology Limited is a British consumer electronics manufacturer based in London. It was founded by Carl Pei, the co-founder of the Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus. Investors in the company include iPod inventor Tony Fadell, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and YouTuber Casey Neistat. On 25 February 2021, the company announced Teenage Engineering as a founding partner, mainly responsible for the brand's design aesthetic and its products. Nothing's first product, "EAR (1)", was launched on 27 July 2021.
TousAntiCovid is a voluntary contact tracing app for monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in France. It was first released on 2 June 2020 and is available on Android and iOS smartphones.