Devialet Dione soundbar review: brilliant bass for an exorbitant price

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The Devialet Dione soundbar comes with high expectations. It doesn't come with a separate sub, nor does Diavelet sell such things. The piece of home theater equipment is nearly four feet wide and weighs in at a hefty 26 pounds.

When browsing more mainstream offerings at your local Best Buy, the industrial design is unlike anything else on the shelves. There are many soundbars that have an orb in the middle. The orb is the center audio channel in this 5.1.2 surround sound system and it is not just there for sci-fi flair. The Dione can be mounted against the wall or on a TV stand and turned to face the viewer. The soundbar has a device that can sense how it is positioned.

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The Dione can amplify up to 950 watt of power. The low end of the Sonos Arc is impressive and can be reached with the help of eight long-throw bass speakers. Satellite rear surround speakers are not available for the Dione. The company says on its website that it doesn't aim to surpass traditional multi-speaker setup but rather to offer a plug and play and wire-free solution.

If you thought that a $2,400 soundbar would come with a remote control, you were mistaken. You can control the Dione with a mobile device. When you open the app, you can choose which room you want the soundbar to be in. The audio signal in your room can be adjusted using a calibration. The Dione has built-in mics that can be used for this. It would be great if Sonos had a similar solution for its products.

For this amount of money, there should be a remote included in the box. I don't think it's a good idea to have my phone close at hand in order to get the most out of a soundbar. The absence of a remote is felt more in this price range than in the other one. There are touch-sensitive buttons at the top of the soundbar that need to be walked over. If you have a TV remote, you can use it to control basic volume and commands.

The asking price is another reason why the Dione doesn't offer any HDMI pass through. You only get the one eARC port and optical and ethernet connections. You can use the soundbar to play back local network files. It is possible to set up multi-room audio with the Phantom speakers.

Dedicated modes for different types of entertainment can be found in the soundbar. Movie mode is where all of those drivers shine through, but music mode is the only mode that sticks. The soundbar can convert stereo content into a surround presentation. If you want your voice to be more forward in the mix, you can use spatial audio and voice modes.

So what does this sound like? It's good for movies and TV shows. The price doesn't matter when it comes to physics. The lack of proper rear channel surrounds makes it hard for the Dione to pull you in. The rear effects that usually put the experience over the top just aren't very noticeable since this soundbar is so wide.

The Dione is in a league of its own. I was blown away by the low-end capabilities of this single unit. The Dione did a great job of handling the power and boom of the airplane sequence in The Gray Man. The low end growl blanketed the room in ways that seemed impossible without a sub on the floor. There isn't any distortion or signs of the soundbar pushing itself too hard.

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The bass is overwhelming other frequencies at times. This is where a manual would be helpful. There's a "night mode" to slice off some of the bass, but no way to change it outside of that. I never felt the need to use the soundbar's voice mode because most of the time the voices and dialogue came through clear. I don't think you'll find an equivalent to this from any all-in-one soundbar They are in the same ballpark if you add a sub to a cheaper soundbar.

I wasn't as enamored with the Dione's reproduction. Maybe I am too used to hearing records on shelf speakers because I still notice some of the quirks that are present when listening to music on a soundbar. There is less warmth compared to regular speakers and the output isn't as full-bodied. The Dione makes a better music speaker than most low-end soundbars but it isn't head and shoulders above my cheaper Sonos Arc. It isn't the same showcase for music as it is for movies.

This isn't a mass market device. It is not for anyone who wants to add onto or upgrade their home theater audio system as a long term passion project. The Dione is a luxury buy for people with money who want minimalcluttering and something that sounds wonderful. They will probably pair it with a big screen TV, run the room calibration, and then never have to worry about setting it again. There isn't much competition outside of Sennheiser's Ambeo, which may be replaced in the not-too- distant future.

Even if I was floored by the Dione bass response, it is too expensive for many consumers, and they would be better off with more affordable (but still high performing) soundbars. The biggest reason is that those multi-component systems can deliver a full surround sound experience. It was not possible for a single soundbar to be able to be fair. I didn't think that an all-in-one soundbar would be capable of producing bass like this. When assumptions are out the window, it's nice. The Dione 2 could be something very special if it were added to the formula with satellite speakers.

Chris Welch is a photographer.