How often does a world-famous audio team fly in from Paris for 24 hours and invite you to a healthy London hotel to hear what they will only call “Mania”? Not often. And when such invitations come, you drop what you’re doing and go.
You see, as anyone who knows Devialet knows, Mania is built of a strong trunk. The French audio specialist’s hits include the Dione high-end soundbar, the Phantom I wireless speaker, and more recently a pioneering foray into in-flight luxury sound systems, to name a few. But Mania is different again.
What you have is a futuristic eyeball-shaped wireless speaker with a cute little handle on top and iris-like bass radiators on either side. And at 2.3 kg, it’s reassuringly heavy, almost like a kettlebell, but much more beautiful.
There are two main proprietary technologies worth mentioning: ASC (Active Stereo Calibration) and SAM (Active Speaker Matching).
The former uses four microphones and built-in intelligence to allow the speaker to automatically adjust its audio rendering to its environment. No phone waving around the room, no cosmic sounds for a few minutes, it just does its job in seconds. I placed it on various surfaces in the aforementioned hotel suite and never noticed the calibration. But from the audio performance that followed, I know in my heart (and ears) that it did.
The latter acronym includes four full-range drivers on top of the speaker and these two SAM-powered subwoofers in a push-push configuration to promise true omnidirectional stereo sound from 30Hz to 20kHz.
The speaker is only 17 cm tall, but close your eyes and it will seem much bigger.
Opinion: A few smart speakers should be concerned about Devialet’s Mania – most notably the Amazon Echo
Other specifications? Why not: In addition to capacitive buttons on the device and a microphone mute slider, Amazon Alexa is built in (a first for Devialet), and setup is done via the Devialet app. You also get Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect support, 10 hours of wireless playtime, and an IPX4 splash rating.
I took it to my balcony and looking at rooftop terraces in central London and listening to The Streets (and later Prince) I have to say it makes even the best smart speakers, and especially the best Alexa smart speakers, sound pathetic wanting ( sorry Amazon Echo but I’m looking at you).
This is not a full review but in my short time with it, Purple rain it relied on a strong but agile bass Blinded by the lights revealed Mania’s considerable rhythmic and layering talents.
If you want, Devialet sells a dock for easy charging with the usual Mania (there’s also a Paris Opéra Special Edition which is adorned with a 24k moon gold septum ring and comes standard with the dock) for $80 / £69 / 100 USD but otherwise charges via USB-C.
Prices? Of course. Mania is now available in your choice of deep black or light gray $790 / £690 / AU$1,400 (opens in a new tab).
Devialet Mania Opéra de Paris edition $990 / £890 / AU$1,700 (opens in a new tab).
So the Devialet Mania isn’t cheap, and I suspect it’s not ripe for the best cheap Bluetooth speaker deal before Black Friday. But that is not the point. It’s quite beautiful. It’s the perfect uncomplicated product for the space I’m aspiring to – and in case I forgot to mention it, you can also wirelessly pair two of them for some really technical stereo capability.
