CTO News Hubb
Advertisement
  • Home
  • CTO News
  • IT
  • Technology
  • Tech Topics
    • AI
    • QC
    • Robotics
    • Blockchain
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • CTO News
  • IT
  • Technology
  • Tech Topics
    • AI
    • QC
    • Robotics
    • Blockchain
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
CTO News Hubb
No Result
View All Result
Home Technology

Devialet Mania Review: Bottom-Heavy, But Powerful

December 2, 2022
in Technology


For all that Mania seems a slightly un-Devialet product as far as looks and specification are concerned, though, the company’s ethos comes strongly back into focus when the speaker starts doing its thing. Connected to an Apple iPhone 13 via AirPlay 2, and with music ranging from John Coltrane’s “My Favourite Things” to Nation of Language’s “This Fractured Mind,” via “Don’t Leave Me Alone With Her” by Sparks playing, the Mania could really only be a Devialet product. And in quite a few ways, this is a good thing.

Certainly the outright scale and the low-frequency presence of the Mania is remarkable. This is a fairly small speaker, but it creates a large and coherent soundstage. And, as is the case with all Devialet products in our experience, it generates more bass than seems feasible. It’s controlled pretty well, with not too much blurring into or out of bass sounds, and when the music demands it the Mania can hit implacably hard. There are some listeners for whom “bass” is shorthand for “excitement,” and they’re the ones at whom the Mania is squarely aimed.

Big Bottom

Photograph: Devialet

The authority the speaker has over its own low-frequency output means the Mania can express rhythms with a fair bit of confidence. Only the most testing patterns or tempos can cause it to trip over its own bass activity, and even then only a little. There’s considerable dynamic headroom available here, too, and consequently the Devialet can switch from “loud” to “louder” to “louder still” without any problems whatsoever. The idea that the Mania might start this process at “quiet” is fanciful, though. 

The drive for all-around stereo sound is pretty successful too. Once the Mania has had a chance to assess its position relative to any boundaries, it’s capable of confident, consistent sound that offers a fair degree of separation. The point source is always obvious, of course, but the Devialet has a wider and yet better-focused presentation than many wireless speakers at this sort of money. And when you take it outdoors, where boundaries may be so distant as to be irrelevant, the assertive nature of the Mania’s sound means it can make its sonic presence felt without difficulty.

Problems, such as they are, stem from the same source as so many of the positives: bass, and the emphasis on it. Throughout the frequency range, the Mania is a detailed listen with plenty of pertinent observations to make about activity in the midrange and in the treble area. It shapes information above the low frequencies with just as much positivity as it does the low frequencies themselves—but its attitude is one of tolerance rather than engagement. Everything—by which we mean everything—plays second fiddle to That Bass, and so it follows that the Mania’s overall sound is bottom-heavy and unnatural.

For some people, of course, this will be just fine. But for listeners who are interested in realism, in the actual literal fidelity of the sound they’re listening to, the Devialet’s wonky rendition of their favorite music seems unlikely in the extreme to prove satisfactory. 

Mind you, very few are the battery-powered speakers that can fill a space with sound even if that space turns out to be quite a large garden—so it’s not as if Devialet Mania ownership is without its advantages.  



Source link

Tags: alexaaudiobluetoothgearspeakerswireless
Previous Post

Google Is (Slightly) Improving Group Texts on Android

Next Post

Circumventing China’s firewall, and using AI to invent new drugs

Next Post

Circumventing China's firewall, and using AI to invent new drugs

3 Imperatives for a Successful Hybrid Workforce

Trending News

Who Will Blockchain Put out of Business?

December 26, 2022

The Hard Truth About Performance — A Guide for CTOs

December 31, 2022

R1/beta4 – Release Notes | Haiku Project

December 23, 2022

© 2022 CTO News Hubb All rights reserved.

Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement unless specified. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • CTO News
  • IT
  • Technology
  • AI
  • QC
  • Robotics
  • Blockchain
  • Contact

Newsletter Sign Up

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • CTO News
  • IT
  • Technology
  • Tech Topics
    • AI
    • QC
    • Robotics
    • Blockchain
  • Contact

© 2021 JNews – Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS