Devialet’s US$790 ($1,097) portable speaker will automatically optimize its sound based on where you use it

While the price is well outside our modest budgets, we can’t say we haven’t been drooling over Devialet’s audio gear, including the company’s $2,200+ ($3,054) Phantom 1 wireless speakers, which manage to look good and sound even better. . But they weren’t completely wireless: a problem Devialet is solving with its first truly portable battery-powered speaker. It’s called Mania and it’s got more than looks.

While the Devialet Phantom 1 looked futuristic Star Trek prop, the new Mania looks more like a kettlebell like you’d find in a gym. A bulging loop on the top of the speaker’s mostly spherical design (the bottom is flattened so it doesn’t roll) makes it easy to grab and go, but it’s the Mania’s support for both Bluetooth and wifi, as well as a good 3,200mAh rechargeable battery. for around 10 hours of continuous playback, making it truly portable.

You can expect a reduction in battery life at full volume, as there are actually six separate drivers inside the Mania, with four full-range speakers jutting out in each corner, plus two “high-excursion” woofers that all work together to produce equally loud sounds. like 95 decibels radiating in all directions.

The ideal placement for Mania is in the middle of the room, but this is not always possible. Sometimes it ends up sitting against the wall, which looks like it’s hindering the performance of half its speakers, but that’s where this smart speaker is especially clever. Every time the speaker is moved and placed in a new location, it uses four microphones hidden in the base to perform “active stereo calibration” that acoustically maps the room and detects large obstacles such as walls so that it can “automatically adapt the sound rendering to suit its surroundings.” “

According to Devialet, the data from the automatic room mapping is fed into an onboard machine learning model that determines how each of the four full-range speakers must perform for optimal sound quality. If the Mania is placed directly against a wall, the front speakers will function as normal, while the two rear speakers will be limited to pumping out “rich sound enhancement” to avoid creating echoes or other unwanted acoustic effects. behavior based on its location.

Image: Devialet

Devialet Mania is compatible with Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 and even works as a more traditional smart speaker with Amazon’s Alexa assistant that responds to voice commands. And for those looking to use it outdoors, the Mania is IPX4 splash-resistant, meaning a few drops from someone splashing around in the pool is fine, but an accidental wetting of the speaker itself wouldn’t be.

Officially available starting today, the Devialet Mania comes in one of three finishes. Deep Black and Light Gray will retail for US$790 (US$1,097) each, while the more luxurious Opéra de Paris variant, with certain accent components plated in 24-karat gold, is slightly more expensive at US$990 (US$1,374). The latter option also includes a dock that makes it easy to charge the Mania by simply laying it down, an $US80 ($111) accessory for the Deep Black and Light Gray versions.