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If an AMP is involved with the products, then there should be Tone Controls! ... I can see this company was aiming to SALESMEN who want to walk someone (a buyer) to a BIG BASS impressive QUICK CLOSE kind of sound, sounds like that companys main target.... me thinks.
@Douglas Blake The tone control was left off because they (the company) wanted to limit or eliminate the chance of someone damping the Bass and stealing the AFFECT it has to someone not expecting it?
For anyone who is interested, when we reached out to Devialet to ask about tone controls being made available at a later date, they said: "Devialet Dione comes with the room calibration feature, several listening modes to accurately tune audio, therefore we did not include an EQ to avoid unwanted artifacts and duplicate features. Therefore we don't have any plan of adding an EQ so far; but we don't close doors."
I've been using Dione for a month and I really like it. Bass isn't an issue; it works fine for me. I compare the sound to two Phantom II that I previously used; the music sound from Dione is similar to Phantom II, but not as wide.
I’ve no idea what environmental surroundings you test in but I’ve yet to find any fault, it’s an incredible piece of engineering. It’s simply breathtaking. Even in stereo, anyone considering one of these, best 2k I’ve ever spent
Despite being a non recommended product review you guys were completely fair. Appreciate the honesty as always. Really hope the company updates this. That would be a fun reassessment.
I was faced with the choice of Ambeo or Dione. I chosed Dione. Why? The Ambeo definitely has the better Atmos range. But the Dione comes across much more powerful and not only because of the much deeper bass, eg music sounds thinner with the Ambeo, really punchy with the Dione. The Dione also has the superior style, the Ambeo looks a bit meh, sorry. At the end of the day everyone has to decide for themselves what they like better - for me it was the Dione.
@@KristiWright Like a good amp paired with awesome speakers, Andrew and you work so well together. The dynamic range is off the charts :) Love this channel and content. Big fan!
Given the age of this review, and the subsequent firmware updates, particularly the Bass Reducer mode, introduced by Devialet, the Dione deserves a re-evaluation by Andrew Robinson. I have had mine for two days, and am running in the speakers. My initial impression is that the Dione makes no concessions for poor audio quality. Given good audio, such as in the BBC Proms broadcast last night of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the Dione is really immersive with a very clear distinction between the tonal quality of the soloist's voices. It's early days, but I am beginning to prefer the Dione to my Sennheiser Ambeo Plus and Ambeo Sub.
Glad to hear that the Ambeo is still a better choice. I almost considered switching to the Dione. As always, thank you for the great review and your honest thoughts on the product.
Really need to revisit this after the firmware updates. When “bass reducer” mode is on, the Dione’s EQ curve sounds very linear to me (and similar to my Beosound Stage).
I have issues with it which is exact opposite to what everyone experiencing and that's the fact that there's no bass at all!!!! To the point I feel like it's broken, I did room correction and it starts at low Hz and at that time I felt bass otherwise I don't feek it at all, and Bass reducer is not enabled
In my limited experience I feel like among the people I usually talk to for the most part they only differentiate speakers by how low they go and how loud they punch low. Usually when I mention how good the detail is everyone gets very confused, so especially for the budget side of things I find everything to be bass heavy, usually without any real depth. People are plenty happy to party north of 50 Hz. Pretty surprising for a speaker of that price though, you would expect more discerning customers.
Turn Table WARS ;) ---> 3 Turntables - Tech 1500C - 1200GR - 1200mkVII. The range in Cost is approx. $1,000 to $1295 to $1695 prices I recently saw. All of them in current production. I think this could clarify how Audio-Tech and Pioneer cost per Technics Popularity COST might be linked and easier to choose other LIKE Models. .... I don't know if you can see this point, but I have a feeling it would be a good and very watched episode.
You touch on a lot of different things that I have thought about in this review. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a household where my father and uncle were "audiophiles" and we had a never ending stream of high-end audio equipment go in and out of the home. Obviously, once things were set up correctly...the audio was sublime...nevermind the fact that there were about 2 miles of cabling going around the room. After getting married, there was a compromise and I had to go down the soundbar route. Switched from Martin Logan electrostatics with Mcintosh integrated 2.0 system to a soundbar theater (wife likes movies and I like music). Obviously it was a bit disappointing, but we ended up with an entire Sonos system for our theater. Sure things could be better on the audio front, but the setup and the user interface of the Sonos app sold me. That is one thing that I believe that traditional audio manufacturers have a hard time replicating because in the end, it requires a different skill set than what the manufacturers are used to. Developing a great user interface along with a great user experience requires an army of people and is a huge investment. As far as the bass-heavy sound profile. That is what people these days are excited about. What can you do? It is what sells in today's market. To most, neutral sounding is boring...
You definitely make a good point with "To most, neutral sounding is boring..." Kristi is a perfect example of that truth. When something is super neutral, she's usually bored and prefers a more lively/forward sound.
I've had the Klipsch, the Fives for over a year and love them. My only complaint was the bass. You can have too much of a good thing. Luckily they put an EQ in the app. All things in balance, and everything sounds better.
The Dione has been talked up by devialet so much that I very nearly gambled and ordered one to replace my ambeo. I’m soooo glad I didn’t take that gamble! The Ambeo truly is soundbar king.
I LOVE the Ambeo. 3 HDMI inputs, Atmos, DTS-MA, and DTS:X support, the ability to add a third party sub, and the Ambeo upscaling technology… it’s gonna be a long time before we get another soundbar like this
The next Ambeo will likely be a new Ambeo. LOL. If Sennheiser would hire someone who has a fresh design language, along with their tech...they could be unapproachable.
I own the Dione now for 6 weeks or so. And I must say the bass is very heavy in movies. I have 2 phantoms for a few years now and the updates helped a lot so I hope they also give some good update for the Dione. Great video btw!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Hi Andrew, I saw in a french review channel (French is my 4th language but I had to keep on replaying to understand correctly haha) and i saw that if the TV is connected with Devialet Dione in e-ARC, there is no audio delay. Couldnt we just treble up the TV speakers in relation to the devialet so that it boosts the "missing" higher end. I know that would probably make the treble more forward and lose positional, but make that could somewhat make up for it?
@@winnoe Why would you want to start faffing about with doing that, especially after spending the amount of money the Dione costs? You expect things to work correctly for this sort of money, not be compromised, and trading purely off its reputation earned from the Phantom.
@@BoronAlloy I suppose you are right, that I have lost track of the goals and only finding ways of justifying a purchase of the Dione.... because it is already on the way here :/ Regretfully i8o
@@winnoe Presuming you purchased online, without having heard it first, then give it a listen, and judge for yourself if it’s worth keeping, in the hope Devialet provide a firmware and app software update to allow the frequency response to be tailored for your room acoustics. If it’s a compromise too far, then simply return it, hopefully without financial penalty. The third consideration, at further expense, and room decor detraction, is to invest in the likes of ASC’s Tube Traps or RPG’s Modex Corner, which should tame the bass, and help even out the response.
It’s an impressive looking soundbar with an impressive problem for a soundbar to have! They could almost brag about it! I think enthusiasts have a fair amount of influence but there is a disconnect why anyone would leave out basic tone controls on a device like this. In contrast I just got my lil Sonos Ray last week and was once again reminded of the brilliance of their app.
Maybe this soundbar can function as a kind of eye/ear-opener for people that have no interest in soundbars because of the disbelive that great sound can come from a small package. Your drawn to the Bar because of the looks, you're amazed by the bass and from then on out you can "respect" soundbars maybe a bit more and inform youself about this Speakergenre. Like the Beats Headphones, which were a starting point for many to get intrested in Audio.
That's a unique, but maybe not "wrong" way of looking at it. This bar in a retail environment would DEFINITELY pull someone's interest to it on the strength of the bass alone.
I'm living in Perth, Western Australia and have been looking for a sound bar for my small home theatre, preferably Dolby Atmos. I've been eyeing the Samsung/Harmon Kardon for a while now and have read so many good reviews on them too. This is the one with the 2 side satellite speakers. I had a listen to the Devialet in a show room here last Friday, sounded very good, don't get me wrong, but I cannot justifying paying AU $4000 for a soundbar, the Samsung is way cheaper around $1300
I own the Dione and also dealt with bass issues; two remarks: 1. The provided HDMI cable has a "TV advice" tag on one of both ends. Alhough there should be no plugging side difference with an HDMI cable, connecting this part to the TV seems to have stabilized the bass balance by me (this end may have a particular ferrite anti-interference treatment). The result is always a lot of bass (Devialet signature), but avoiding the voice muffle effect with a sufficient touch of medium that makes the voices always clear. 2. Do not disable the internal microphone; it is not just meant to be used for the room calibration, it plays an active role for volume balance purposes during playback, avoiding a long-term "yoyo" effect when disabled.
Thanks, almost bought it. The rotating center is so eye catching. But im not buying for looks. If im spending that much. It better sound good. Now I will wait in hopes of a firmware update or fix.
I purchased both Devialet Dione, as well as Sennheiser Ambeo just because of this video. I listened to both of them for a several days and ended up keeping the Dione. It is the better speaker. The Ambeo was able to go louder but it sucked because it just does not have the bass to compliment it. The Ambeo also has the worst connectivity, and you need to jump through hoops to connect a bass. Also, the look of the Dione is the perfect cherry on top. Honestly, I knew it was the Dione the moment I played it side-by-side, but I really wanted to give the Ambeo a fair shot because of this guy talking so highly of it. At the end Dione was too good to let go.
I'm a huge bass head and love to make my home have that feeling of sitting in a Honda Civic with 215s in the back lol. I have a small bedroom with an LG sound bar right now but I just upgraded my living room to a Sony receiver Dayton subs and other speakers to complete a 3.2 setup until I find time to go in the attic and drill holes and run wire. You inspired me to start building a home theater on a budget which has been super fun and well worth the investment. Now I can literally have huge house parties and stuff like that without breaking the bank. My bedroom is super small and with the LG I should be able to replace it with something like this thanks to your review.
With its debut sound bar, Devialet delivers authentic, high-fidelity home theatre audio from a stylish enclosure that hides a slate of innovations. Chief among these are the brand’s proprietary ADH amplification and speaker active matching (SAM) processing, which provide both tangible power and exemplary control over the Dione’s eight independent bass units. Joining the fun are side-firing and upfiring full-range drivers for Dolby Atmos/surround playback, plus the distinctive Orb centre channel, which can be rotated to ensure an accurate performance when the soundbar has been wall-mounted. In use the Dione astonishes with its low-end poise and slam, evocative ambience and smooth detail reproduction. To hear one is to want one. With this wordy description the EISA awarded the Dione sb as the best high end product of the year for 2022. For the folks that don't know what EISA is it's the Oscar's version of electronics and gear related to audio, video and imaging. It yearly awards to the wide public the best of the crop in these fields. John Darko by the way is a member of hi fi audio panel. And quite by chance I stumbled to this article that let me know that this sound bar been awarded the winner in its category. It happened just a couple of hours after watching quite convincing Andrew's and Christy's take on it. I was left a bit puzzled and lost for clues why these respected reviewers valued this product so differently. EISA panel members are made of editors from the most renowned online and press magazines around the globe and each of them is specialized in the field he, she covers and the vote is secret. I admittingly have a soft spot for Andrew and Christy and have been an earlier subscriber for the channel back in the days when Christy wasn't yet a voice in the background, remember the video when hanging out in the LP store looking for few pennies bargains in the boxes, sorry for digressing.
It's really impossible to say how or why one reviewer/editor feels the way they do about a product and another may feel the opposite. Sound, after all is mostly subjective. All I can do is speak about my own experience and as it relates to the Dione, it wasn't good. Two units were sent to us and both sounded pretty bad and measured just as terribly. Maybe it's a slow year for soundbars? I don't know. Last I checked we still have five months or so to go in 2022 so I'm going to refrain from putting together my "best of" anything list until we get closer to the end of the year. That said, if I had to pick that category today, the Dione wouldn't even make my top 5.
I use a pair of Devialet Phantom II as loudspeakers for my TV but I got curious and went into my local Devialet shop and had a direct comparison with the Dionne and the Phantoms. I listened less than 10 seconds and I had no doubt that I would just stick to my Phantoms ...
I, on the other hand, went to a local B&O to test their new Beosound Theatre (which is more than a multichannel Atmos soundbar as it's also acts as a receiver). The sound was big and impressive alright though I couldn't discern hight channels. I hope to find comparison between it and those heavy weights (Sennheiser Ambeo, Devialet Dione, etc).
Wait, wait, 950 watts?! In a soundbar?! Damn. Edit: I'm with Kristi, tone controls have been eschewed for years by the higher end companies as adding "distortion" but I love them. Depending on the recording or the room, tone controls are a must for me. I'm not necessarily interested in hearing what the mix engineer or more importantly the mastering engineer thought was correct. My room and my tastes vary and tho I use tone controls sparingly for the most part, sometimes I need them big time. I especially love variable loudness controls as was common on older equipment like my Pilot or McIntosh preamps. It's really cool!
Seldom so I comment other than to tell you how very much I appreciate you. To you final question, I can only tell you when I first started purchasing home stereo equipment, I was seeking more bass trying to reach a more dynamic movie going feel. Finding that looking for that experience at home wasn't as pleasant as I grew older and more experienced sonically. I believe it's a youth thing....the louder the better. This product may be targeted for younger market and now younger people have more money than my age group had thirty odd years ago for me.
I could see two main target audiences for this product - one being a younger audience as well as those on the opposite end of the age bracket looking/needing to downsize but who still want big sound.
This is really great evaluation, analysis and review. When I listened the product in their test room for 5-10 minutes, I was really impressed about the bass. Your comment about dolby atmos part is 100% correct in my opinion. When we started a song from their tablet through spotify (I assume) something was off.. of course I couldnt locate that... Thank you o ce again...
We really need more reviews like this. I get the argument that reviewers don’t want to share things they aren’t excited about, but this is great. Thanks y’all!
I can't pretend to know what motivates other reviewers to make _or not make_ any particular review. I can only tell you that _from our end_ whether a review is positive or negative, this never weighs into our decision to publish or not. That said, brands and retailers definitely apply pressure to creators like ourselves to not go forward with reviews that may have a negative impact of their bottom line. While understandable, it's frustrating because we look at it from the point of view that we are all adults and perfection is typically unobtainable. We're all just trying to help one another in either making products better while also informing consumers as to what may be a good fit for them. While I was disappointed in the Dione's performance, it still could be exactly what someone else is looking for. But...my hunch is that the main reason you do not see many negative reviews likely comes down to creators and/or publications not wanting to be cut off from the possibility of receiving product in the future. We have absolutely been on the receiving end of this type of situation which is why we are always grateful to the brands who are able to take the good with the bad. For the most part once the "shock" of a negative review passes, we find brands to be proactive in wanting to make the next person's or customer's experience better. Side note: it is way easier to make a positive review because if you're going to potentially criticize something you gotta be doubly sure that you what you are saying and showing is on point. And believe it or not, viewer criticisms has the potential to get really nasty if you are critical about something that they love.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews yeah, kinda bummed because that unit does look gorgeous. Hopefully they find ways to resolve it. In the meantime, keep up the good work. It is noticed, and appreciated!
Thank you very much for this again informative and entertaining video! I have the Sennheiser Ambeo and have a lot of fun with it. But whenever some highend soundbar from one of those major brands enters the market I think, well now there might be a soundbar overtaking the Ambeo, which is in the market for quite a while now. But no, Sennheiser did such a good job, that they are still on top.
No remote in the box. No HDMI pass through via extra ports, That’s it for me as for the price you pay the company failed to deliver on couple of things to make it more valuable.
Well if you're all 'bout that bass my friend, this is likely THE ONLY soundbar you should consider, because it has BASS (just not much else). Appreciate you tuning in as always!
Sometimes bass is best when its barely noticeable. When it rolls in and out on a drama your watching and just adds a nice compliment to the soundtrack.
Excellent piece of input there Warren. There is, at times, too much emphasis on bass. What about those beautiful crisp highs that audiophiles crave? The midrange needs it's breathing space too. We can't have a situation were bass becomes the most desired frequency.
Well Andrew Majority of the time with the sound bar systems you do wish as a user of you could have a little more base so answer to your questions is yes, developers do get all these enquiries from customers to see if there is any other way to get more out of existing systems so when they release new products there you go 😅 there is more then enough base , you are welcome and enjoy 😅 By the way I did purchased my sound system based on your review and will improve it in future and when I get there I will take your recommendations, thank you
This dione curve looks similar to a +6 or +8 harman curve, which I thought is based on psychoacoustic studies on what sounds good to the human ear. I EQ my 20 to 20khz that way anyways. I don't see it as a negative.
Very interesting review and thanks again for such a balanced and unbiased review. As I thought about this soundbar it somewhat baffles me that this is the end result. I’m sure they are using some high end drivers and parts and materials. But it’s as if they didn’t measure it and think about the purpose of a soundbar. Dialogue is just so important and if their focus was so much on bass you would think they would have gone the route of a deprecate 8-12” subwoofer. It also makes me wonder how a loudspeaker designer comes up with these measurements with no ability to tweak the frequency response. Ah well thanks again.
I really appreciate your review, as you truly called it as you heard it. Very refreshing compared to some other reviewers who love everything they hear. Further, you and Kristy deserve credit for not only honestly criticizing the product, but offering viable solutions for the problems.
Owning two Phantoms and really loving them for their clarity in sound, i listened to the Dione in a small Devialet Shop in Paris and i was really disappointed with the performance. I mean yes, it has good base but sound clarity wise i was not impressed and it sounded pretty flat overall.. Going to skip on that one, or may give it another test in another store. I hope they send you a Pair of Gold Phantoms to test out, would really love to hear your thoughts about them :)
And I thought it was just me. When I listened to it back when the prototype was out. I didn't really appreciate it. It's completely different from the Phantom. In terms of pricing, I would choose Sennheiser Ambeo or even the old B&W Panorama would be a lot better than the Dione.
Good day to all. For me, I have the Senheiser Ambeo with dual SVS PC 4000s... lets just say the sound is amazing. We live in a residential neighborhood where my the bass from Amber and SVS can be "felt" on my neighbors walls. This is my honest opinion and we all have differnt sound preferences.
Really interesting. I can see how initially strong bass would capture people but I definitely wouldn’t want to miss detail because of it. My sonos still makes me jump when it does the properly rumbly bass so I’ve not been tempted to get a sub so I imagine this soundbar would be a shock to me initially I’d definitely want to watch Jurassic park movies on it as I still remember being shocked in the cinema as a kid because we were seated close to the speakers 😂
Excellent review. When manufacturers allow an exorbitant amount of time to not allow their products to be reviewed there is usually something amiss and they are aware that their product is going to get slammed. I am not a proponent of all in one soundbars because logically how can a all in solution be perfect. The Dione is obviously still a major work in progress. Thanks for reviewing this soundbar because I had been patiently waiting for it because of the hype that had been surrounding it. I'm not in to hype because it is meaningless because it is pushed by the manufacturer to draw interest for their products. It's reviewers like you that get the truth out there for the consumer. As always, well done.
Interesting perspective. What we see happening more and more is an increase in retailers having their own RUclips channels, where they come out with "reviews" of the products they sell. To me, that's a conflict of interest. In a time when supply shortages are what they are and review samples being so difficult to come by, I think you start seeing a lot of positive reviews lead by retailers and not actual review channels.
@@KristiWright This is true. I never believe what a manufacturer claims because they are in the business to make money and are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
@@kingkobra1956 To be clear, I am _not_ talking about the manufacturer. I'm specifically talking about retail stores that sell a variety of products realizing the impact that a RUclips channel can have on sales, creating content being labeled as a review.
@@KristiWright Yes, I've been aware of that with ABT, Audio Advice, Crutchfield, and others which I have pointed out in the pass. They are only advertising the products they sell and not performing a review. Thanks for your good work and continued success.
Good video guys ! Thx. Bass, bass.... In the eighties (or around) the loudness or bass booster mode came around on the boom boxes, soon after on the receiver, car stereos.... A decade later the music started to be mixed that way. These days it's hard to find an artist of the top 100s who's sound is not over compressed to satisfy a public listening to it mostly on ear phones from a cell phone via a cheap streaming service... Sound engineering is lacking the creativity we could see 30 or 40 years ago, when it was at its peak, or at its best for trying to refine and deliver the best sound possible... I'm not only finger pointing at the artists, they are not always the culprits. When time get spend in creation, the sound can be here, lately i think that I've seen that passion in Billy Eilish and her brother, they usually release a finish product that has a lot of work behind, from creation to recording, to mix, to release to performance... I'm not surprised that a sound bar is joining that wave.. I should listen to it to have a real personal opinion but I'm quite sure that I would meet you at the end with your conclusion. No Bass is not the only answer ! It should be able to produce a good deal of it, but it should also be able to put it aside...
Hi Andrew, thanks for your great and honest review. I first found it a bit strange you are the only one complaining about that box. But everything you are telling has background. I guess one issue here is most people are only testing the Atmos piece, which seems as well for you to be great. But what you did is important. Means checking other stuff then Dolby Atmos. Because in most cases, except watching 4K disks you get just DD. And the Dione scales ("Space") it up somehow. And there seems to be the major issue. One thing, according to your tweaking tips, that could help would be, to choose behaviour on the incoming signal type and not only the input. Because the Dione has no remote, and do not know the Phantom remote could change these settings. So I would not like to change settings on everything I watch by an app. At least it should allow to tweak the bass level, as all other AV Amps do. Even on my Yamaha AV or my actual Denon with room correction I needed to tweak it a bit. Still I am very keen on the Dione. Because I am tired of more and more speaker and big and bigger AV amplifiers. I don't need to show off, I just like to listen. My Home Cinema is in my living room and it still should be a nice living room and not a Home Cinema. So the Dione makes sense at all for some people. I hope Devialet will make this working. Regarding your question - for me bass is very important, but it is more the effect channel signals I am keen on. For everything else I prefer balanced sound. One idea - it doesn't look like, but maybe especially your room is for some reason something special the room correction has issues with. Just as the reason why it is a bit different for you as for many other reviewers. But at least it proofs in some cases you need more options to correct. Further it would help to see the results of the room correction, which may help to find issues. If some distance and level would look totally unrealistic/strange it could be indicator something going wrong for some reason. If I get a chance I would still try to test it....
There’s a difference between frequency response and frequency amplitude. We all want the response, but don’t necessarily want too much amplitude at the low end.
Did you test it in a wall mount application? I was wondering if the base dispersement going North and South and the dual mids on each side facing forward would alter the soundstage in any way?
There is a software update coming, based on another review I read. It will make it able to play louder 😁 It's 950 W RMS after all and 101dB at 1m is just not loud enough for devialet fans. Wonder what the bass sounds like over 101dB.
Finally ! I was looking forward this video. But, I'm very disappointed... I expected much better from Devialet. Anyway, really good video has usual ! Take care
I think a lot of people want room proof bass. Bass that can be enjoyed in any room and environment. Devialet's speakers are known for dropping the bass hard and low in any environment, and i think this speaker follows that same motto. It can be super irritating to put in a 12" massive sub and hear no bass in a room. This is the same reason why a lot of my friends love their Bose HT systems. The bass from those systems, despite the lack of mids and highs, is monstrous and kicks like a mule, with minimal effort when placing the speakers. And everything else is good enough. When recommending HT systems to people, I always push for a soundbar and a wireless sub, just so you have easier placement options for the sub and in the end more value for your money. I have a cheap samsung soundbar and sub mounted on a tv cart in my bedroom and another system, a projector, two infinity 12" subs and stereo bookshelves, and the bass on the samsung sub with no thought to placement has way more satisfying bass than the dual Infinity subs. (i need to find a wireless sub system that works for dual subs)
This is one of the most curious videos I have run across on RUclips. Everyone raves about this bar so maybe it's just your room that doesn't like? I personally love the fact there's no tone controls to muck things up and probably why for my all analog current home system I like DSD format best!
This review is very spot on with my own experience. I played around a bit with an EQ and my changes had the opposite slope from the ones Dione puts out, when I was finished it sounded quite good. Contacted Devialet and asked if they had any plans to include an EQ in an update, the answer was no plans. Very sad because as you say the bar has big potential and they solved what should be the biggest problem, too bad they messed up the top end.
Actually thinking about it, a few years ago I tried the sky soundbox (I live in the uk and sky tv released their own “soundbox”). It was a partnership between sky and…. you guessed it, Devialet. I instantly returned it due to being far too bass heavy just as Andrew states about the Dione. Coincidence? Maybe devialet just doesn’t ‘get’ the consumer needs when it comes to home theatre.
I actually think Devialet absolutely understand the consumer. Talk to most home theater enthusiasts and you are more likely to hear stories of their "epic bass" more than anything else. This is no doubt one of the reasons why whenever we review a speaker people always ask "yeah, but is it good for music?". I believe when it comes to home theater, enthusiasts are looking for bass and treating their speakers like blunt instruments. So a bass heavy anything is likely in line with Devialet's customer research.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I never thought of it like that and now you explain it in that way, it does make sense why they emphasise bass. Although it’s still frustrating. The Dione could have been a genuine rival to the ambeo had they got it right.
I’ve heard all the bars suggested. Dione came out on top.don’t know what these guys are talking about .are they getting kickbacks from the other manufacturers ? Plenty of reviews from others stating it is just about the best out there . Ambeo being it’s most equal .
You are right. But it is about question of circumstances. I realized the same as you. But to me it seems most tested just Atmos. And for that Andrew has stated it is fine as well. Fact is - for me the Dione has a big issue. It does not allow you to do any correction despite their general profiles they offer. Rooms could be complex/complicate from a sound perspective. Especially as the Dione measures room correction with build-in micros, it could have issue at the position where you listen, which the room correction does not notice. Further I see a little issue with the "upscale" from normal DD, fairly for the same reason, as there is no option to ammend. I am pretty sure it will work in a lot of cases. But i.e. my room is 9m long. The listening position is across. One wall is 2m away, the other with big windows is 7m away. My Denon AV room correction has no issues with it. But it measues with external Micro at the listening position. And I have an external sub. So for Dione there is even one more issue. Some low frequency issues you can avoid moving the sub around, which you can't with the Dione. To be honest - I really do not understand why they do not offer more options here. Customer who like it easy still can take it easy. Offering options does not mean you have to use them. And you can hide them in app. Have a look at the new Sennheiser Ambeo Plus (SB02). I would prefer the Dione, as I like the idea to get a real good sub out of the soundbar itself. But to me currently the risk seems to be too high.
I have tried all brands of sound bars at AV shop,Dione was really apparently the best out of those, especially in the differentiation of sounds and I think the bass is comparatively weak as it doesn’t have a subwoofer, I don’t know why the review say the bass overshadow other sounds
I am beginning to think some Brands think people will buy their product because of past success and Name. I like bass but not at the expense of the rest of the spectrum. Yes, I believe voicing is becoming more bass heavy, especially for Home Theatre. Nice comprehensive review, thank you and Kristi.
Thanks for your review as always Andrew and Kristi! I was just about to pull the trigger on one, I’ll admit I was floored by the Atmos performance when sampling it but perhaps spent too short a time with it! 😅
Andrew, which do you think will be a better setup: B&O Stage or a BOSE 900 with a bass module 700? Which of this solution has the best theatre experience in movies? THANK YOU!
Good morning Andrew and Miss Kristi. Can I make a suggestion for another soundbar for your review that I have looked into for a few years now from the company CREATIVE it's called the X-Fi Sonic Carrier, I know that you two have quite a few things to do for your reviews on but I am really wanted to hear what you think about this product?
2:50 I don't like an excessive amount of bass, particularly since I don't like annoying my adjacent neighbours. I like just enough bass to give music or movies presence and warmth, but not so much that it overpowers everything else. For my modest home theatre setup, I keep the subwoofer at a fraction of the amount of bass output it is capable of producing (enough to rattle picture frames on the walls or to sound as if an atomic bomb has gone off). I just needed enough for explosions to sound "explosiony" but not an excessive amount which would interfere with the mid-range or treble in movies or music. :)
everytime i've listened to devialet's phantom i found the bass to be impressive but the highs to be extremely metallic and artificial, sometimes making good quality music sounds like old MP3s. Not a fan. I've seen (and very quickly heard) that sound bar in store but i'm not interested in a sound bar so i don't really have an opinion. Thank you so much for your real honest review !
Despite the technological advances and improved sound, I've never been able to take a soundbar seriously as home theater sound solution...maybe I'm just biased and slightly spoiled with big sound home theater...and stereo listening
Sound bars are great as a replacement for TV speakers to get some better sound, but a dedicated set of speakers and an amp or a high end powered two channel system is definitely necessary for the best performance.
@@andrewz925 It's very impressive (and currently on sale - see my comment below for the link). If they could improve upon the looks of the bar, they'd have magic on their hands.
I'd love to see you review cheaper sub 500, sub 300 etc. Soundbars and other products in different categories. Ofc I'm selfishly looking for a cheaper option as a student at the moment but i think that cheaper soundbars and equipment in general is as interesting as high end equipment. Love your content either way though, your format is amazing!
I can tell this was not easy for you to present. Nonetheless, one hopes this company listens to you two and does what is necessary to make a great product.
I have the JBL 5.1 Bar at the moment. Wondering if Dolby Atmos upgrade is warranted. Thank you for your opinion. Sennheiser has another point. Wondering if the upcoming Ambeo 2 is an improvement however.
Look at the Nubert "Nupro XS 8500 RC" Less focused on atmos content with the option to upgrade later for real atmos but with much better music performance
As a former Devialet owner, I think they’ve lost sight of their roots. I do wonder if this is a case of ambitious software goals that were missed. Might be worth a follow up review in a year given how negative the review is.
💯 Got me scratching my head a little bit. My Polk Audio S55’s can dig to 32Hz, and I thought that was impressive!🤓 24Hz is subwoofer territory. Even my Polk Audio HTS 12 sub cannot match that, as it goes down to 28hz.😄
Great review, guys. Disappointing performance from Devialet here, and inconsistent with my Phantom I and IIs. Agree with the lack of control, but perhaps using Roon to adjust would have been an option (not a great option for 99% of buyers though).
Dear Andrew, i enjoy your channel and your interesting reviews! I was wondering how the sonus faber omnia compares to the mentioned soundbars? Did you have the opportunity to rate the omnia?
For sure it needs an update. But for that price point you might as well get the hta9 and the sub. Makes me believe that no one in these companies don't do a sound check before the product goes out Can't wait until you guys get the LG 95qr
Thank you for putting out an honest, if disappointed, review. I can appreciate the fine balance you must have to strike between maintaining good relationships with OEMs and being truthful with your audience. One of the many reasons this is my favourite channel on RUclips. All the best!
I have heard that it has gotten a new update. That has fixed that problem. Is it true? Because they should have fixed it, because very much bass is little too much. Atleast in All In One soundbar. Lol! Devialet do update their speakers and they should have fixed it.
Waited for this review and now Dione stricken out. Now confused between B&O stage and Ambeo.. can you please suggest, my listing is more music and less movies.
I have a Dione,the clarity of sounds is superb and the disadvantage is the bass is not as strong as the ones with big subwoofer,I don’t understand why you make this review,is it really a neutral review?
I had the same idea. So many are so positive for waht this soundbar was made for, but this video rambles about facts where this soundbar was not intended to. I don't get these reviewers anymore... But hey, it creates a lot of fuss and that is what the plan was, probably. 🤷♂
That's a shame, Devialet make great amplifiers. Reminds me of a friend's Teufel system where the dual woofer bass assaults you. His kids were watching the Titans on Netflix and it was like having my ears punched. Maybe some people really like this?
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If an AMP is involved with the products, then there should be Tone Controls!
... I can see this company was aiming to SALESMEN who want to walk someone (a buyer) to a BIG BASS impressive QUICK CLOSE kind of sound, sounds like that companys main target.... me thinks.
Devialet takes pride in its room correction software in all previous design models. Why fail so miserably in this design ? Redeux?
@@kavehsaffari5565 Considering they have an amps priced at 6500-10000 (bit.ly/392hWHW / bit.ly/3Nw5PSe), I'd say they think real highly of them.
@Douglas Blake The tone control was left off because they (the company) wanted to limit or eliminate the chance of someone damping the Bass and stealing the AFFECT it has to someone not expecting it?
For anyone who is interested, when we reached out to Devialet to ask about tone controls being made available at a later date, they said: "Devialet Dione comes with the room calibration feature, several listening modes to accurately tune audio, therefore we did not include an EQ to avoid unwanted artifacts and duplicate features. Therefore we don't have any plan of adding an EQ so far; but we don't close doors."
and here ladies and gentlemen,is why Andrew Robinson and Kristy are my favourite audio gear reviewers.
man the honesty In this review is 🔥
We appreciate you tuning in to watch, Marvel!
I've been using Dione for a month and I really like it.
Bass isn't an issue; it works fine for me. I compare the sound to two Phantom II that I previously used; the music sound from Dione is similar to Phantom II, but not as wide.
I’ve no idea what environmental surroundings you test in but I’ve yet to find any fault, it’s an incredible piece of engineering. It’s simply breathtaking. Even in stereo, anyone considering one of these, best 2k I’ve ever spent
Despite being a non recommended product review you guys were completely fair. Appreciate the honesty as always. Really hope the company updates this. That would be a fun reassessment.
Thanks for watching, Harry. I hope we can give it a second look if they ever issue and update.
I was faced with the choice of Ambeo or Dione. I chosed Dione. Why?
The Ambeo definitely has the better Atmos range. But the Dione comes across much more powerful and not only because of the much deeper bass, eg music sounds thinner with the Ambeo, really punchy with the Dione. The Dione also has the superior style, the Ambeo looks a bit meh, sorry. At the end of the day everyone has to decide for themselves what they like better - for me it was the Dione.
I really appreciate the transparency. It was clear that you WANTED to like this product and I appreciate you took the path of being honest.
Thanks for the review!
Thank you ☺️!!!
@@KristiWright Like a good amp paired with awesome speakers, Andrew and you work so well together. The dynamic range is off the charts :) Love this channel and content. Big fan!
Given the age of this review, and the subsequent firmware updates, particularly the Bass Reducer mode, introduced by Devialet, the Dione deserves a re-evaluation by Andrew Robinson.
I have had mine for two days, and am running in the speakers.
My initial impression is that the Dione makes no concessions for poor audio quality.
Given good audio, such as in the BBC Proms broadcast last night of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the Dione is really immersive with a very clear distinction between the tonal quality of the soloist's voices.
It's early days, but I am beginning to prefer the Dione to my Sennheiser Ambeo Plus and Ambeo Sub.
how did this end up?
Glad to hear that the Ambeo is still a better choice. I almost considered switching to the Dione. As always, thank you for the great review and your honest thoughts on the product.
Really need to revisit this after the firmware updates. When “bass reducer” mode is on, the Dione’s EQ curve sounds very linear to me (and similar to my Beosound Stage).
Great to hear, so good for music listening?
I have issues with it which is exact opposite to what everyone experiencing and that's the fact that there's no bass at all!!!!
To the point I feel like it's broken, I did room correction and it starts at low Hz and at that time I felt bass otherwise I don't feek it at all, and Bass reducer is not enabled
In my limited experience I feel like among the people I usually talk to for the most part they only differentiate speakers by how low they go and how loud they punch low. Usually when I mention how good the detail is everyone gets very confused, so especially for the budget side of things I find everything to be bass heavy, usually without any real depth. People are plenty happy to party north of 50 Hz. Pretty surprising for a speaker of that price though, you would expect more discerning customers.
Turn Table WARS ;) ---> 3 Turntables - Tech 1500C - 1200GR - 1200mkVII. The range in Cost is approx. $1,000 to $1295 to $1695 prices I recently saw.
All of them in current production.
I think this could clarify how Audio-Tech and Pioneer cost per Technics Popularity COST might be linked and easier to choose other LIKE Models.
.... I don't know if you can see this point, but I have a feeling it would be a good and very watched episode.
Not a bad idea, will take it into consideration.
You touch on a lot of different things that I have thought about in this review. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a household where my father and uncle were "audiophiles" and we had a never ending stream of high-end audio equipment go in and out of the home. Obviously, once things were set up correctly...the audio was sublime...nevermind the fact that there were about 2 miles of cabling going around the room.
After getting married, there was a compromise and I had to go down the soundbar route. Switched from Martin Logan electrostatics with Mcintosh integrated 2.0 system to a soundbar theater (wife likes movies and I like music). Obviously it was a bit disappointing, but we ended up with an entire Sonos system for our theater. Sure things could be better on the audio front, but the setup and the user interface of the Sonos app sold me. That is one thing that I believe that traditional audio manufacturers have a hard time replicating because in the end, it requires a different skill set than what the manufacturers are used to. Developing a great user interface along with a great user experience requires an army of people and is a huge investment.
As far as the bass-heavy sound profile. That is what people these days are excited about. What can you do? It is what sells in today's market. To most, neutral sounding is boring...
You definitely make a good point with "To most, neutral sounding is boring..." Kristi is a perfect example of that truth. When something is super neutral, she's usually bored and prefers a more lively/forward sound.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews She must love those Fortes then...
She absolutely did.
I've had the Klipsch, the Fives for over a year and love them. My only complaint was the bass. You can have too much of a good thing. Luckily they put an EQ in the app. All things in balance, and everything sounds better.
Being able to make adjustments always helps!
The Dione has been talked up by devialet so much that I very nearly gambled and ordered one to replace my ambeo. I’m soooo glad I didn’t take that gamble! The Ambeo truly is soundbar king.
Oh you should definitely stick with your Ambeo for now.
I LOVE the Ambeo. 3 HDMI inputs, Atmos, DTS-MA, and DTS:X support, the ability to add a third party sub, and the Ambeo upscaling technology… it’s gonna be a long time before we get another soundbar like this
The next Ambeo will likely be a new Ambeo. LOL. If Sennheiser would hire someone who has a fresh design language, along with their tech...they could be unapproachable.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews where do I apply? 😂
But I dont like ambeo design. Dione looks so much better..:)
Wow…a negative / not recommended review….thanks for your honesty. Very refreshing!!
I own the Dione now for 6 weeks or so. And I must say the bass is very heavy in movies. I have 2 phantoms for a few years now and the updates helped a lot so I hope they also give some good update for the Dione.
Great video btw!
Thanks for sharing!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Hi Andrew, I saw in a french review channel (French is my 4th language but I had to keep on replaying to understand correctly haha) and i saw that if the TV is connected with Devialet Dione in e-ARC, there is no audio delay. Couldnt we just treble up the TV speakers in relation to the devialet so that it boosts the "missing" higher end. I know that would probably make the treble more forward and lose positional, but make that could somewhat make up for it?
@@winnoe Why would you want to start faffing about with doing that, especially after spending the amount of money the Dione costs? You expect things to work correctly for this sort of money, not be compromised, and trading purely off its reputation earned from the Phantom.
@@BoronAlloy I suppose you are right, that I have lost track of the goals and only finding ways of justifying a purchase of the Dione.... because it is already on the way here :/
Regretfully i8o
@@winnoe Presuming you purchased online, without having heard it first, then give it a listen, and judge for yourself if it’s worth keeping, in the hope Devialet provide a firmware and app software update to allow the frequency response to be tailored for your room acoustics.
If it’s a compromise too far, then simply return it, hopefully without financial penalty.
The third consideration, at further expense, and room decor detraction, is to invest in the likes of ASC’s Tube Traps or RPG’s Modex Corner, which should tame the bass, and help even out the response.
It’s an impressive looking soundbar with an impressive problem for a soundbar to have! They could almost brag about it!
I think enthusiasts have a fair amount of influence but there is a disconnect why anyone would leave out basic tone controls on a device like this.
In contrast I just got my lil Sonos Ray last week and was once again reminded of the brilliance of their app.
Maybe this soundbar can function as a kind of eye/ear-opener for people that have no interest in soundbars because of the disbelive that great sound can come from a small package. Your drawn to the Bar because of the looks, you're amazed by the bass and from then on out you can "respect" soundbars maybe a bit more and inform youself about this Speakergenre. Like the Beats Headphones, which were a starting point for many to get intrested in Audio.
That's a unique, but maybe not "wrong" way of looking at it. This bar in a retail environment would DEFINITELY pull someone's interest to it on the strength of the bass alone.
I'm living in Perth, Western Australia and have been looking for a sound bar for my small home theatre, preferably Dolby Atmos. I've been eyeing the Samsung/Harmon Kardon for a while now and have read so many good reviews on them too. This is the one with the 2 side satellite speakers. I had a listen to the Devialet in a show room here last Friday, sounded very good, don't get me wrong, but I cannot justifying paying AU $4000 for a soundbar, the Samsung is way cheaper around $1300
How does it compare to something like a Sonos Arc?
I own the Dione and also dealt with bass issues; two remarks: 1. The provided HDMI cable has a "TV advice" tag on one of both ends. Alhough there should be no plugging side difference with an HDMI cable, connecting this part to the TV seems to have stabilized the bass balance by me (this end may have a particular ferrite anti-interference treatment). The result is always a lot of bass (Devialet signature), but avoiding the voice muffle effect with a sufficient touch of medium that makes the voices always clear. 2. Do not disable the internal microphone; it is not just meant to be used for the room calibration, it plays an active role for volume balance purposes during playback, avoiding a long-term "yoyo" effect when disabled.
Thanks, almost bought it. The rotating center is so eye catching. But im not buying for looks. If im spending that much. It better sound good. Now I will wait in hopes of a firmware update or fix.
Bass is a essential in any home theater set up but if you have no way of dialing it in to your desired listing preference its a definite NO NO for me.
Especially at that price point, you'd think that's something you can control
I purchased both Devialet Dione, as well as Sennheiser Ambeo just because of this video. I listened to both of them for a several days and ended up keeping the Dione. It is the better speaker. The Ambeo was able to go louder but it sucked because it just does not have the bass to compliment it. The Ambeo also has the worst connectivity, and you need to jump through hoops to connect a bass. Also, the look of the Dione is the perfect cherry on top. Honestly, I knew it was the Dione the moment I played it side-by-side, but I really wanted to give the Ambeo a fair shot because of this guy talking so highly of it. At the end Dione was too good to let go.
I'm a huge bass head and love to make my home have that feeling of sitting in a Honda Civic with 215s in the back lol. I have a small bedroom with an LG sound bar right now but I just upgraded my living room to a Sony receiver Dayton subs and other speakers to complete a 3.2 setup until I find time to go in the attic and drill holes and run wire. You inspired me to start building a home theater on a budget which has been super fun and well worth the investment. Now I can literally have huge house parties and stuff like that without breaking the bank. My bedroom is super small and with the LG I should be able to replace it with something like this thanks to your review.
With its debut sound bar, Devialet delivers authentic, high-fidelity home theatre audio from a stylish enclosure that hides a slate of innovations. Chief among these are the brand’s proprietary ADH amplification and speaker active matching (SAM) processing, which provide both tangible power and exemplary control over the Dione’s eight independent bass units. Joining the fun are side-firing and upfiring full-range drivers for Dolby Atmos/surround playback, plus the distinctive Orb centre channel, which can be rotated to ensure an accurate performance when the soundbar has been wall-mounted. In use the Dione astonishes with its low-end poise and slam, evocative ambience and smooth detail reproduction. To hear one is to want one. With this wordy description the EISA awarded the Dione sb as the best high end product of the year for 2022. For the folks that don't know what EISA is it's the Oscar's version of electronics and gear related to audio, video and imaging. It yearly awards to the wide public the best of the crop in these fields. John Darko by the way is a member of hi fi audio panel. And quite by chance I stumbled to this article that let me know that this sound bar been awarded the winner in its category. It happened just a couple of hours after watching quite convincing Andrew's and Christy's take on it. I was left a bit puzzled and lost for clues why these respected reviewers valued this product so differently. EISA panel members are made of editors from the most renowned online and press magazines around the globe and each of them is specialized in the field he, she covers and the vote is secret. I admittingly have a soft spot for Andrew and Christy and have been an earlier subscriber for the channel back in the days when Christy wasn't yet a voice in the background, remember the video when hanging out in the LP store looking for few pennies bargains in the boxes, sorry for digressing.
It's really impossible to say how or why one reviewer/editor feels the way they do about a product and another may feel the opposite. Sound, after all is mostly subjective. All I can do is speak about my own experience and as it relates to the Dione, it wasn't good. Two units were sent to us and both sounded pretty bad and measured just as terribly. Maybe it's a slow year for soundbars? I don't know. Last I checked we still have five months or so to go in 2022 so I'm going to refrain from putting together my "best of" anything list until we get closer to the end of the year. That said, if I had to pick that category today, the Dione wouldn't even make my top 5.
I use a pair of Devialet Phantom II as loudspeakers for my TV but I got curious and went into my local Devialet shop and had a direct comparison with the Dionne and the Phantoms. I listened less than 10 seconds and I had no doubt that I would just stick to my Phantoms ...
I, on the other hand, went to a local B&O to test their new Beosound Theatre (which is more than a multichannel Atmos soundbar as it's also acts as a receiver). The sound was big and impressive alright though I couldn't discern hight channels. I hope to find comparison between it and those heavy weights (Sennheiser Ambeo, Devialet Dione, etc).
Since I have doubts between buying the Dione or 2 Phantoms (stereo only than), may I ask you why you choose the Phantoms over the Dione?
Wait, wait, 950 watts?! In a soundbar?! Damn. Edit: I'm with Kristi, tone controls have been eschewed for years by the higher end companies as adding "distortion" but I love them. Depending on the recording or the room, tone controls are a must for me. I'm not necessarily interested in hearing what the mix engineer or more importantly the mastering engineer thought was correct. My room and my tastes vary and tho I use tone controls sparingly for the most part, sometimes I need them big time. I especially love variable loudness controls as was common on older equipment like my Pilot or McIntosh preamps. It's really cool!
Seldom so I comment other than to tell you how very much I appreciate you. To you final question, I can only tell you when I first started purchasing home stereo equipment, I was seeking more bass trying to reach a more dynamic movie going feel. Finding that looking for that experience at home wasn't as pleasant as I grew older and more experienced sonically. I believe it's a youth thing....the louder the better. This product may be targeted for younger market and now younger people have more money than my age group had thirty odd years ago for me.
I could see two main target audiences for this product - one being a younger audience as well as those on the opposite end of the age bracket looking/needing to downsize but who still want big sound.
Great work Andrew!
Now I can’t wait for your review of the new Samsung S990B Soundbar.
This is really great evaluation, analysis and review. When I listened the product in their test room for 5-10 minutes, I was really impressed about the bass. Your comment about dolby atmos part is 100% correct in my opinion. When we started a song from their tablet through spotify (I assume) something was off.. of course I couldnt locate that... Thank you o ce again...
Impressive how good sound bars are getting. A few years ago I would never have considered one. I probably still wouldn’t, but I’m always curious..
This bar can impress, but it can also disappoint, it all depends on the performance you hope to achieve.
If Andrew, someone who is more forgiving in the comment when the frequency response of a speaker is not linear, says it is too bassy it definitely is.
I mean, you're not wrong. :)
We really need more reviews like this. I get the argument that reviewers don’t want to share things they aren’t excited about, but this is great. Thanks y’all!
I can't pretend to know what motivates other reviewers to make _or not make_ any particular review. I can only tell you that _from our end_ whether a review is positive or negative, this never weighs into our decision to publish or not. That said, brands and retailers definitely apply pressure to creators like ourselves to not go forward with reviews that may have a negative impact of their bottom line. While understandable, it's frustrating because we look at it from the point of view that we are all adults and perfection is typically unobtainable. We're all just trying to help one another in either making products better while also informing consumers as to what may be a good fit for them. While I was disappointed in the Dione's performance, it still could be exactly what someone else is looking for.
But...my hunch is that the main reason you do not see many negative reviews likely comes down to creators and/or publications not wanting to be cut off from the possibility of receiving product in the future. We have absolutely been on the receiving end of this type of situation which is why we are always grateful to the brands who are able to take the good with the bad. For the most part once the "shock" of a negative review passes, we find brands to be proactive in wanting to make the next person's or customer's experience better.
Side note: it is way easier to make a positive review because if you're going to potentially criticize something you gotta be doubly sure that you what you are saying and showing is on point. And believe it or not, viewer criticisms has the potential to get really nasty if you are critical about something that they love.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews yeah, kinda bummed because that unit does look gorgeous. Hopefully they find ways to resolve it. In the meantime, keep up the good work. It is noticed, and appreciated!
Thank you very much for this again informative and entertaining video!
I have the Sennheiser Ambeo and have a lot of fun with it. But whenever some highend soundbar from one of those major brands enters the market I think, well now there might be a soundbar overtaking the Ambeo, which is in the market for quite a while now. But no, Sennheiser did such a good job, that they are still on top.
No remote in the box.
No HDMI pass through via extra ports,
That’s it for me as for the price you pay the company failed to deliver on couple of things to make it more valuable.
I'M ABOUT THAT BASS! MY Skar in my car is running at 1,400 watts at 1ohm and it's still not enough
Well if you're all 'bout that bass my friend, this is likely THE ONLY soundbar you should consider, because it has BASS (just not much else). Appreciate you tuning in as always!
That's so weird. Yesterday I went to KLIAV, an audio show. I've heard this. And heck they are good. Not sure if Devialet fixed it
This is too bad because this soundbar looks gorgeous!
Sometimes bass is best when its barely noticeable. When it rolls in and out on a drama your watching and just adds a nice compliment to the soundtrack.
Excellent piece of input there Warren. There is, at times, too much emphasis on bass. What about those beautiful crisp highs that audiophiles crave? The midrange needs it's breathing space too. We can't have a situation were bass becomes the most desired frequency.
Well Andrew
Majority of the time with the sound bar systems you do wish as a user of you could have a little more base so answer to your questions is yes, developers do get all these enquiries from customers to see if there is any other way to get more out of existing systems so when they release new products there you go 😅 there is more then enough base , you are welcome and enjoy 😅
By the way I did purchased my sound system based on your review and will improve it in future and when I get there I will take your recommendations, thank you
This dione curve looks similar to a +6 or +8 harman curve, which I thought is based on psychoacoustic studies on what sounds good to the human ear. I EQ my 20 to 20khz that way anyways. I don't see it as a negative.
I agree with you. This is the only review of his that I completely disagree with.
Thanks
Keep these reviews coming!
Thank you so very much for helping to support the channel. We really appreciate you, Sarah.
Very interesting review and thanks again for such a balanced and unbiased review. As I thought about this soundbar it somewhat baffles me that this is the end result. I’m sure they are using some high end drivers and parts and materials.
But it’s as if they didn’t measure it and think about the purpose of a soundbar. Dialogue is just so important and if their focus was so much on bass you would think they would have gone the route of a deprecate 8-12” subwoofer.
It also makes me wonder how a loudspeaker designer comes up with these measurements with no ability to tweak the frequency response.
Ah well thanks again.
I really appreciate your review, as you truly called it as you heard it. Very refreshing compared to some other reviewers who love everything they hear. Further, you and Kristy deserve credit for not only honestly criticizing the product, but offering viable solutions for the problems.
Owning two Phantoms and really loving them for their clarity in sound, i listened to the Dione in a small Devialet Shop in Paris and i was really disappointed with the performance. I mean yes, it has good base but sound clarity wise i was not impressed and it sounded pretty flat overall.. Going to skip on that one, or may give it another test in another store.
I hope they send you a Pair of Gold Phantoms to test out, would really love to hear your thoughts about them :)
And I thought it was just me. When I listened to it back when the prototype was out. I didn't really appreciate it. It's completely different from the Phantom. In terms of pricing, I would choose Sennheiser Ambeo or even the old B&W Panorama would be a lot better than the Dione.
Good day to all. For me, I have the Senheiser Ambeo with dual SVS PC 4000s... lets just say the sound is amazing. We live in a residential neighborhood where my the bass from Amber and SVS can be "felt" on my neighbors walls. This is my honest opinion and we all have differnt sound preferences.
Really interesting. I can see how initially strong bass would capture people but I definitely wouldn’t want to miss detail because of it. My sonos still makes me jump when it does the properly rumbly bass so I’ve not been tempted to get a sub so I imagine this soundbar would be a shock to me initially I’d definitely want to watch Jurassic park movies on it as I still remember being shocked in the cinema as a kid because we were seated close to the speakers 😂
Excellent review. When manufacturers allow an exorbitant amount of time to not allow their products to be reviewed there is usually something amiss and they are aware that their product is going to get slammed. I am not a proponent of all in one soundbars because logically how can a all in solution be perfect. The Dione is obviously still a major work in progress. Thanks for reviewing this soundbar because I had been patiently waiting for it because of the hype that had been surrounding it. I'm not in to hype because it is meaningless because it is pushed by the manufacturer to draw interest for their products. It's reviewers like you that get the truth out there for the consumer. As always, well done.
Interesting perspective. What we see happening more and more is an increase in retailers having their own RUclips channels, where they come out with "reviews" of the products they sell. To me, that's a conflict of interest. In a time when supply shortages are what they are and review samples being so difficult to come by, I think you start seeing a lot of positive reviews lead by retailers and not actual review channels.
@@KristiWright This is true. I never believe what a manufacturer claims because they are in the business to make money and are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
@@kingkobra1956 To be clear, I am _not_ talking about the manufacturer. I'm specifically talking about retail stores that sell a variety of products realizing the impact that a RUclips channel can have on sales, creating content being labeled as a review.
@@KristiWright Yes, I've been aware of that with ABT, Audio Advice, Crutchfield, and others which I have pointed out in the pass. They are only advertising the products they sell and not performing a review. Thanks for your good work and continued success.
Good video guys ! Thx.
Bass, bass.... In the eighties (or around) the loudness or bass booster mode came around on the boom boxes, soon after on the receiver, car stereos.... A decade later the music started to be mixed that way. These days it's hard to find an artist of the top 100s who's sound is not over compressed to satisfy a public listening to it mostly on ear phones from a cell phone via a cheap streaming service... Sound engineering is lacking the creativity we could see 30 or 40 years ago, when it was at its peak, or at its best for trying to refine and deliver the best sound possible...
I'm not only finger pointing at the artists, they are not always the culprits. When time get spend in creation, the sound can be here, lately i think that I've seen that passion in Billy Eilish and her brother, they usually release a finish product that has a lot of work behind, from creation to recording, to mix, to release to performance...
I'm not surprised that a sound bar is joining that wave.. I should listen to it to have a real personal opinion but I'm quite sure that I would meet you at the end with your conclusion.
No Bass is not the only answer ! It should be able to produce a good deal of it, but it should also be able to put it aside...
Hi Andrew, thanks for your great and honest review. I first found it a bit strange you are the only one complaining about that box.
But everything you are telling has background.
I guess one issue here is most people are only testing the Atmos piece, which seems as well for you to be great.
But what you did is important. Means checking other stuff then Dolby Atmos. Because in most cases, except watching 4K disks you get just DD. And the Dione scales ("Space") it up somehow.
And there seems to be the major issue.
One thing, according to your tweaking tips, that could help would be, to choose behaviour on the incoming signal type and not only the input.
Because the Dione has no remote, and do not know the Phantom remote could change these settings.
So I would not like to change settings on everything I watch by an app.
At least it should allow to tweak the bass level, as all other AV Amps do. Even on my Yamaha AV or my actual Denon with room correction I needed to tweak it a bit.
Still I am very keen on the Dione. Because I am tired of more and more speaker and big and bigger AV amplifiers. I don't need to show off, I just like to listen.
My Home Cinema is in my living room and it still should be a nice living room and not a Home Cinema.
So the Dione makes sense at all for some people.
I hope Devialet will make this working.
Regarding your question - for me bass is very important, but it is more the effect channel signals I am keen on. For everything else I prefer balanced sound.
One idea - it doesn't look like, but maybe especially your room is for some reason something special the room correction has issues with.
Just as the reason why it is a bit different for you as for many other reviewers. But at least it proofs in some cases you need more options to correct.
Further it would help to see the results of the room correction, which may help to find issues. If some distance and level would look totally unrealistic/strange it could be indicator something going wrong for some reason.
If I get a chance I would still try to test it....
There’s a difference between frequency response and frequency amplitude. We all want the response, but don’t necessarily want too much amplitude at the low end.
Did you test it in a wall mount application? I was wondering if the base dispersement going North and South and the dual mids on each side facing forward would alter the soundstage in any way?
There is a software update coming, based on another review I read. It will make it able to play louder 😁 It's 950 W RMS after all and 101dB at 1m is just not loud enough for devialet fans. Wonder what the bass sounds like over 101dB.
Finally !
I was looking forward this video. But, I'm very disappointed... I expected much better from Devialet.
Anyway, really good video has usual !
Take care
When you are both more excited about the packaging than the actual bar then that about says it all. Glad I bought a Samsung Q950A.
You chose wisely.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews if I hadn’t I would buy the Ambeo for the sale price today. Damn. Too late now.
I think a lot of people want room proof bass. Bass that can be enjoyed in any room and environment. Devialet's speakers are known for dropping the bass hard and low in any environment, and i think this speaker follows that same motto. It can be super irritating to put in a 12" massive sub and hear no bass in a room. This is the same reason why a lot of my friends love their Bose HT systems. The bass from those systems, despite the lack of mids and highs, is monstrous and kicks like a mule, with minimal effort when placing the speakers. And everything else is good enough.
When recommending HT systems to people, I always push for a soundbar and a wireless sub, just so you have easier placement options for the sub and in the end more value for your money.
I have a cheap samsung soundbar and sub mounted on a tv cart in my bedroom and another system, a projector, two infinity 12" subs and stereo bookshelves, and the bass on the samsung sub with no thought to placement has way more satisfying bass than the dual Infinity subs. (i need to find a wireless sub system that works for dual subs)
This is one of the most curious videos I have run across on RUclips. Everyone raves about this bar so maybe it's just your room that doesn't like? I personally love the fact there's no tone controls to muck things up and probably why for my all analog current home system I like DSD format best!
Hmm do you think a room with a lot of carpet / if the bar was wall mounted could tame the bass?
It might help but it won't correct the other things that are wrong with the bar.
This review is very spot on with my own experience. I played around a bit with an EQ and my changes had the opposite slope from the ones Dione puts out, when I was finished it sounded quite good. Contacted Devialet and asked if they had any plans to include an EQ in an update, the answer was no plans. Very sad because as you say the bar has big potential and they solved what should be the biggest problem, too bad they messed up the top end.
Have you changed your opinion on this Sound Barr since you published this video? Have they done any firmware update since then?
Thanks!
We sent it back to Devialet following the review.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews But that was 1 year ago... Have you had the chance to revisit this matter after the firmware updates?
Actually thinking about it, a few years ago I tried the sky soundbox (I live in the uk and sky tv released their own “soundbox”). It was a partnership between sky and…. you guessed it, Devialet. I instantly returned it due to being far too bass heavy just as Andrew states about the Dione. Coincidence? Maybe devialet just doesn’t ‘get’ the consumer needs when it comes to home theatre.
I actually think Devialet absolutely understand the consumer. Talk to most home theater enthusiasts and you are more likely to hear stories of their "epic bass" more than anything else. This is no doubt one of the reasons why whenever we review a speaker people always ask "yeah, but is it good for music?". I believe when it comes to home theater, enthusiasts are looking for bass and treating their speakers like blunt instruments. So a bass heavy anything is likely in line with Devialet's customer research.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I never thought of it like that and now you explain it in that way, it does make sense why they emphasise bass. Although it’s still frustrating. The Dione could have been a genuine rival to the ambeo had they got it right.
I’ve heard all the bars suggested. Dione came out on top.don’t know what these guys are talking about .are they getting kickbacks from the other manufacturers ? Plenty of reviews from others stating it is just about the best out there . Ambeo being it’s most equal .
You are right. But it is about question of circumstances. I realized the same as you. But to me it seems most tested just Atmos.
And for that Andrew has stated it is fine as well.
Fact is - for me the Dione has a big issue. It does not allow you to do any correction despite their general profiles they offer.
Rooms could be complex/complicate from a sound perspective. Especially as the Dione measures room correction with build-in micros, it could have issue at the position where you listen, which the room correction does not notice.
Further I see a little issue with the "upscale" from normal DD, fairly for the same reason, as there is no option to ammend.
I am pretty sure it will work in a lot of cases. But i.e. my room is 9m long. The listening position is across. One wall is 2m away, the other with big windows is 7m away.
My Denon AV room correction has no issues with it. But it measues with external Micro at the listening position. And I have an external sub.
So for Dione there is even one more issue. Some low frequency issues you can avoid moving the sub around, which you can't with the Dione.
To be honest - I really do not understand why they do not offer more options here. Customer who like it easy still can take it easy. Offering options does not mean you have to use them. And you can hide them in app. Have a look at the new Sennheiser Ambeo Plus (SB02).
I would prefer the Dione, as I like the idea to get a real good sub out of the soundbar itself. But to me currently the risk seems to be too high.
I have tried all brands of sound bars at AV shop,Dione was really apparently the best out of those, especially in the differentiation of sounds and I think the bass is comparatively weak as it doesn’t have a subwoofer, I don’t know why the review say the bass overshadow other sounds
I am beginning to think some Brands think people will buy their product because of past success and Name. I like bass but not at the expense of the rest of the spectrum. Yes, I believe voicing is becoming more bass heavy, especially for Home Theatre. Nice comprehensive review, thank you and Kristi.
To me, a very important feature for a soundbar is the ability to play DTS X. This is what you get from Blu-Rays.
Ambeo still the king!!!
Ouch!
You guys rock. Thank you for the honest review. Kristi made me smile
Thanks for your review as always Andrew and Kristi! I was just about to pull the trigger on one, I’ll admit I was floored by the Atmos performance when sampling it but perhaps spent too short a time with it! 😅
Waiting for this for a long time , thank u so much.
Seems like bose 900 with bass module better ?
Andrew, which do you think will be a better setup: B&O Stage or a BOSE 900 with a bass module 700? Which of this solution has the best theatre experience in movies? THANK YOU!
The comparison to the Stage is made in this review.
Re: the Bose 900 - I would go this route over the Dione at this point.
Good morning Andrew and Miss Kristi. Can I make a suggestion for another soundbar for your review that I have looked into for a few years now from the company CREATIVE it's called the X-Fi Sonic Carrier, I know that you two have quite a few things to do for your reviews on but I am really wanted to hear what you think about this product?
I’m just stunned something in this package has a crazy amount of bass..
24 Hz by -3DB or -6DB?
Terrific honest review! Thanks.
2:50 I don't like an excessive amount of bass, particularly since I don't like annoying my adjacent neighbours. I like just enough bass to give music or movies presence and warmth, but not so much that it overpowers everything else.
For my modest home theatre setup, I keep the subwoofer at a fraction of the amount of bass output it is capable of producing (enough to rattle picture frames on the walls or to sound as if an atomic bomb has gone off). I just needed enough for explosions to sound "explosiony" but not an excessive amount which would interfere with the mid-range or treble in movies or music. :)
This may not be the bar for you then, but I would consider the cheaper JBL here bit.ly/3wS7dHK as it may be right up your alley.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Thanks, Andrew, and I really enjoyed your review here as well as your other reviews. All the best to you and Kristi. :)
everytime i've listened to devialet's phantom i found the bass to be impressive but the highs to be extremely metallic and artificial, sometimes making good quality music sounds like old MP3s. Not a fan. I've seen (and very quickly heard) that sound bar in store but i'm not interested in a sound bar so i don't really have an opinion.
Thank you so much for your real honest review !
Despite the technological advances and improved sound, I've never been able to take a soundbar seriously as home theater sound solution...maybe I'm just biased and slightly spoiled with big sound home theater...and stereo listening
Sound bars are great as a replacement for TV speakers to get some better sound, but a dedicated set of speakers and an amp or a high end powered two channel system is definitely necessary for the best performance.
@@andrewz925 The AMBEO and HT-A9 with SW5 would surprise most people if they gave them a chance.
@@KristiWright I would love to try the Ambeo, I'm a Sennheiser guy for headphones, but haven't tried their other products.
@@andrewz925 It's very impressive (and currently on sale - see my comment below for the link). If they could improve upon the looks of the bar, they'd have magic on their hands.
I'd love to see you review cheaper sub 500, sub 300 etc. Soundbars and other products in different categories. Ofc I'm selfishly looking for a cheaper option as a student at the moment but i think that cheaper soundbars and equipment in general is as interesting as high end equipment. Love your content either way though, your format is amazing!
Kristi answered your question from the livestream in the comments here ruclips.net/video/q4jmV7JJGrA/видео.html
Sorry we missed it!
I can tell this was not easy for you to present. Nonetheless, one hopes this company listens to you two and does what is necessary to make a great product.
I have the JBL 5.1 Bar at the moment. Wondering if Dolby Atmos upgrade is warranted. Thank you for your opinion. Sennheiser has another point. Wondering if the upcoming Ambeo 2 is an improvement however.
Correction it is not the Ambeo 2 but a cheaper version of the current Ambeo.
Look at the Nubert "Nupro XS 8500 RC"
Less focused on atmos content with the option to upgrade later for real atmos but with much better music performance
As a former Devialet owner, I think they’ve lost sight of their roots. I do wonder if this is a case of ambitious software goals that were missed. Might be worth a follow up review in a year given how negative the review is.
Im kinda out of the soundbar game, but it is cool to hear about one with real bass
That's about all it has going for it IMHO. Well, bass and build quality.
I must finish the other half of this review after work. .. dang
This thing is beautifully looking indeed Kristy, I'm still jaw dropped that it extends up to the 24HDZ???
💯 Got me scratching my head a little bit. My Polk Audio S55’s can dig to 32Hz, and I thought that was impressive!🤓 24Hz is subwoofer territory. Even my Polk Audio HTS 12 sub cannot match that, as it goes down to 28hz.😄
Great review, guys. Disappointing performance from Devialet here, and inconsistent with my Phantom I and IIs. Agree with the lack of control, but perhaps using Roon to adjust would have been an option (not a great option for 99% of buyers though).
Dear Andrew, i enjoy your channel and your interesting reviews! I was wondering how the sonus faber omnia compares to the mentioned soundbars? Did you have the opportunity to rate the omnia?
For sure it needs an update. But for that price point you might as well get the hta9 and the sub. Makes me believe that no one in these companies don't do a sound check before the product goes out
Can't wait until you guys get the LG 95qr
As long as its the SW5 sub I 100% agree.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews for sure
Great review! Andrew, how much better is beolab 28 than the soundstage for tv/movies, if at all, in your opinion?
Thank you for putting out an honest, if disappointed, review. I can appreciate the fine balance you must have to strike between maintaining good relationships with OEMs and being truthful with your audience. One of the many reasons this is my favourite channel on RUclips. All the best!
I appreciate your understanding but we ALWAYS put you, the viewer, FIRST! Thanks for watching Matthew!
I have heard that it has gotten a new update.
That has fixed that problem.
Is it true?
Because they should have fixed it, because very much bass is little too much.
Atleast in All In One soundbar.
Lol!
Devialet do update their speakers and they should have fixed it.
Waited for this review and now Dione stricken out. Now confused between B&O stage and Ambeo.. can you please suggest, my listing is more music and less movies.
Bang Olufsen is the way! Buy the stage!
I have a Dione,the clarity of sounds is superb and the disadvantage is the bass is not as strong as the ones with big subwoofer,I don’t understand why you make this review,is it really a neutral review?
are you able control the bass in application? Or still nothing ? :(
@@maziboss there is a button to reduce the bass only
I had the same idea. So many are so positive for waht this soundbar was made for, but this video rambles about facts where this soundbar was not intended to. I don't get these reviewers anymore... But hey, it creates a lot of fuss and that is what the plan was, probably. 🤷♂
@@LostTravellers that’s the money behind working on the conflict of interest
That's a shame, Devialet make great amplifiers. Reminds me of a friend's Teufel system where the dual woofer bass assaults you. His kids were watching the Titans on Netflix and it was like having my ears punched. Maybe some people really like this?
This was an excellent and nuanced and detailed critique. So well done!
Thanks guys for another superb review. How disappointing tho the performance didn't live up to the hype overall. Another sound bar bites the dust 😒
Thanks for watching! I think if they can come out with a update, they could really improve performance
@@andrewrobinsonreviews agreed 👍🏽
How does this compares to beo sound stage? Pls advice! Thank you
09:48
Can it sound better with some corrections on the bass/treble controls?
It could if there were any.
You didn't watch the video did you?