Sonos and Devialet are two renowned and well respected brands in the audio industry that produces high quality speakers, headphones, soundbars, subwoofers and amplifiers.
In this article, we will cover a general overview of both brands, looking specifically at sound quality, durability, price and so on. Of course, each brand has different devices at different price points, however we will compare them as closely as we can.
Sonos is known for its high-quality wireless home audio systems, while Devialet is a high-end audio brand known for its luxurious and expensive audio equipment.
Pros and Cons of Devialet:
- Pros: Known for producing high-quality audio components, including amplifiers and speakers, with excellent sound quality and build quality. Many of their products are well-regarded by audiophiles and have received positive reviews.
- Cons: Some of their products can be expensive.
Pros and Cons of Sonos:
- Pros: Sonos is known for producing high-quality, easy-to-use wireless audio systems that can be easily integrated into a home network. Many of their products have good sound quality and are easy to set up.
- Cons: Over the years, many users have complained about Sonos as it relates to connectivity and in some cases, even reliability. In addition, their products can be relatively expensive.
Quick History
Sonos Quick History
Sonos, Inc. is an American company that specializes in the development and manufacture of audio devices. They are best known for their quality multi-room audio products. The company was co-founded in 2002 by John MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen, and Trung Mai.
The company displayed its first prototype at an industry event in 2004 and started shipping in early 2005. The company is always expanding its services internationally, for example to the UK in 2005 and Japan in 2018.
In January 2015, Sonos was rebranded by Bruce Mau Design, with a new visual identity and improved logotype.
Devialet Quick History
Devialet is a French acoustics engineering company that specializes in speakers and amplifiers. It was founded in 2007 by Quentin Sannié, Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel and Emmanuel Nardin in Paris, France, where its headquarters is located.
But Devialet had earlier beginnings from 2004, when Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel developed his Analogue Digital Hybrid (ADH) technology which is now used in every Devialet device.
Sound Quality
Sonos Sound Quality
One of the most distinctive features of all Sonos speakers is their superb audio quality. The sound output is rich and clean, with deep bass and clear mid-tones.
Sonos has a team of seasoned musicians such as Grammy-winning music producer Giles Martin that assist in fine-tuning their speakers to ensure a natural and superior sound. Each Sonos speaker sounds really great on its own but you can connect two or more speakers together for a really immersive experience.
Devialet Sound Quality
As expected from a high-end brand like Devialet, the audio quality is nothing short of superb. Their devices have been described as having dynamic midranges, crystal-clear treble, and powerful and deep bass with exceptional immersion and directivity.
Features
Sonos Features
Sonos is very popular for the suite of features that are incorporated into their products to ensure that you get the best out of your gadget. Most of the features ensure versatility in the speakers, which allows you to use them throughout the house, or outside.
Here are some features you can expect from your Sonos device:
Sonos App: The Sonos app is available for both iOS and Android to bring additional functionality to all your Sonos devices. Apart from functioning as a remote control for your speakers, it has a lot of other features such as the Calm app that plays relaxing music if you’re going to sleep, or you can set your alarm so that you wake up to your favorite music. It also has a sound equalizer feature to tweak the sound of your speaker to your taste.
Sonos Trueplay: To produce the best sound effect wherever you are, Sonos has a tuning feature known as Trueplay. Trueplay optimizes the sound of the speaker based on the acoustics of the room they are placed in.
Support For Multiple Music Platforms: Sonos has partnered with over 100 music service companies around the world such as Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, and Amazon Music to ensure that you can listen to your favorite music, podcasts, or TV shows regardless of the platform you use.
Surround Sound: Sonos speakers can be connected to each other for a truly immersive stereo or surround sound experience.
- Support for Bluetooth, WiFi, Airplay 2 streaming
- Voice control support for Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and in-house Snips SAS
- Multiple input and output ports such as HDMI and optical audio input for TVs and type C to charge the battery-powered
Devialet Features
Devialet devices are equipped with all the basic features required of audio devices and more. Check out some of them from the list below:
- Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH) technology combines elements of analog and digital amplifiers, allowing for higher wattage and decibel peaks
- Heart Bass Implosion (HBI) technology that promotes wider low-frequency coverage and imitates a subwoofer
- Speaker Active Matching (SAM) signal processing technology analyzes and adjusts sounds in real-time to “reproduce the exact acoustic pressure recorded by the microphone.”
- Active Co-Spherical Engine (ACE) is an acoustic architecture designed to deliver sound in every direction
- Dolby Atmos®, SPACE™ and EVL support for an immersive and enveloping sound experience
- Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, or Apple TV+ streaming
Build Quality
Sonos Build Quality
Sonos uses sturdy materials like polycarbonate for the grille and a mixture of ABS and 10% glass fiber for the chassis to ensure a solid build, though this makes their speakers bulky. But if you prefer durability to portability, Sonos is the way to go.
Some of their speakers have IP ratings, which means they are water-resistant and dust-resistant, therefore allowing for outdoor use.
Devialet Build Quality
Devialet devices have sturdy and acoustically superior construction using materials such as titanium and aluminum, which are the most used. Other materials include copper and plastic.
Beyond that, their devices are modern and stunning with a signature clean and minimalistic finish.
Ease of Use
Sonos Ease Of Use
Sonos products have a minimalistic design and a clean look without a clutter of buttons, which makes the products easy to operate.
Older Sonos speakers have a pause/play button that can mute if you press and hold or skip a track if you double click. Newer speakers have a touch-sensitive button that skips to the next or previous track if you slide from left-to-right or right-to-left, respectively.
Multiple speaker connectivity is easy to set up across different rooms using WiFi, Bluetooth, or connection to a single router.
Devialet Ease Of Use
Setup and control is very easy with the Devialet App. The devices have easily located and intuitive controls with universal symbols.
Cost
Sonos Cost
Sonos products are quite expensive, but they are known to always deliver quality regardless of their price tag.
Sonos products are known for always delivering excellent performance, build quality, and strong connections compared to other brands in the same price range. In short, Sonos makes products that give great value for money.
Here is a price range for some Sonos products:
Soundbars: $150 – $850
Smart speakers: $150 – $500
Premium speakers: $200 – $900
Amplifier: From $600
Subwoofer: From $700
Devialet Cost
The price of some ranges of Devialet devices are listed as follows:
- Speakers (Phantom): $1200 – $3800
- Earphone (Gemini): from $250
- Soundbar (Dione): from $2400
- Amplifiers (Expert): $6500 – $35,000
Space Requirements
Sonos Space Requirements
Sonos speakers tend to be bulky, so they require ample space to use. Though this doesn’t mean that it cannot be used on your desk or placed on a bookshelf.
Some Sonos speakers, like the Sonos Roam and Sonos Move, focus on portability. Therefore, they produce the excellent audio output that Sonos is well-known for at a reduced weight and size.
Devialet Space Requirements
Devialet devices are compact while performing much better than bigger ones. To illustrate, the Phantom l measures only 252x255x342mm (HWD) but has specs more suited to bigger devices. The Expert 1000 Pro measures 400x400x40mm (DWH) and weighs 9.7Kg.
Remote Controls
Sonos Remote Controls
There are several universal remote controls supported by Sonos products. There are some custom-made Sonos remote controls for easy operation of your devices. Sonos devices can also be remotely controlled with the Sonos app which allows you to control each device connected to the network individually.
Sonos gadgets also have Snips SAS, Sono’s custom AI technology for connected devices with the purpose of bringing a music-specific voice assistant to all its devices.
Devialet Remote Controls
The Devialet app can be used to set up and customize your devices from iOS and Android devices. They also support wireless remotes and are compatible with smart home systems.
Connectivity Options
Sonos Connectivity Options
Multiple Sonos gadgets in a single household can be connected to each other wirelessly, through a wired Ethernet network, or a mixture of both. Wireless connectivity includes Bluetooth, WiFi, and LAN network for Internet connectivity.
Wired connections include HDMI for connecting to TVs and Ethernet connection to connect to multiple devices. Sonos devices can also be connected using Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, or Snips SAS.
Sonos gadgets can be connected to any device with Bluetooth or WiFi connection such as your smartphones, digital TVs, and other Sonos devices over the same network.
Devialet Connectivity Options
Devialet devices have Airplay 2, Bluetooth, Wifi, UPnP and Spotify Connect for high-resolution wireless streaming. They also offer Digital options like Optical Cable, HDMI and USB; as well as analog alternatives like RCA.
Power Range
Sonos Power Range
Sonos devices have different power ranges depending on the device’s performance. An average Sonos speaker consumes from 55 Watts to 125 Watts per channel.
Most Sonos devices do not have power buttons but have an idle/standby mode, consuming from 4-8 Watts in this standby mode.
All the information on the power range of a device is included in the product manual, so you can get information on the power range for your particular device.
Devialet Power Range
The ADH technology used in Devialet’s amplifiers ensures that they can reach such high power levels as 4500W without affecting audio quality.
The lower power output is 350W. The Phantom l has 500W RMS rating while the Expert 1000 Pro has 1KW RMS and 4KW peak output.
Frequency Response
Sonos Frequency Response
Sonos speakers have pleasing frequency ranges to suit the various types of usage scenarios. The Sonos five, for example, has a -3 dB bass response frequency of 88 hertz, which is excellent for a speaker of its size.
Devialet Frequency Response
Devialet devices have an immense frequency bandwidth from 5Hz to 27KHz. For example, the petite Phantom II has a frequency response range from 18Hz-21KHz while the Phantom l ranges from 16Hz-25KHz.
Conclusion
Sonos is a company that’s dedicated to manufacturing products with premium quality for a decent price. Their products have a wide range of features to suit each person’s needs. As said above, Sonos is a company that produces devices that give good value for money.
The prices of Devialet devices might be on the high end of the price spectrum, but their performance ranks much higher on the performance spectrum. With Devialet devices there is no compromise, they perform well all-round.
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