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Devialet doesn’t like Like any other tech company – its products are at the intersection of audio engineering and luxury. That’s why its new wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation don’t look like other earbuds.
This is not a mass market product. When I covered the product launch at the Paris Opera, the company’s CEO Franck Lebouchard told me it expected to sell “tens of thousands” of units per year.
Analysts estimate Apple sales in the tens of thousands millions of AirPods per year. Devialet hopes it can capture 0.x percent market share by positioning itself as a high-end alternative to wireless earbuds from Apple, Samsung, Anker — and even Bose and Sony .
So what does a pair of high-end wireless earbuds look like?
I’ve been using the Devialet Gemini II for the past few weeks. Let’s be clear, this product is the most extravagant take on wireless earbuds – they cost $449 (€399, £349).
In short, yes, the Gemini II is both extremely good and extremely expensive.
This is the second generation of wireless earbuds from the company. And the good news is that it’s a big step up from the original Gemini earbuds released in 2020.
Let’s start with the design. The pill-shaped earbuds are reminiscent of Devialet’s iconic egg-shaped Phantom speakers. On the side of the earbuds, you will find a beautiful plate with an unobtrusive D logo and metallic coating on top of it.
Devialet knows you’re going to wear these earbuds. That’s why the company has three different colors – black, white or gold. The matte black version doesn’t stand out as much as the other two versions. This is a good option for people looking for low-cost earbuds.
There is a more expensive version with gold called the Opéra de Paris Edition. They look exactly like matte white, but with some 24 karat gold plating. The case also features the Opera de Paris logo. This version costs $649 (€599, £549) – once again, this is a luxury game so the pricing isn’t necessarily logical or rational.
Image Credit: deviate
The Devialet Gemini II are in-ear earbuds with swappable silicone ear tips. They come with four ear tip sizes in the box – XS, S, M and L. After inserting the earbuds into your ears, you have to twist them back a bit to “screw” them into place – it works a bit like Sony’s WF. 1000XM5 Earbuds.
Finding a good seal takes a few seconds and gets easier after a few days. But, overall, the Gemini II is quite comfortable to wear. Each earbud weighs only 6 grams and they have never fallen out of my ears. But ears come in all sizes and shapes so it’s hard to say if they’ll work for everyone.
The carrying case is quite compact and works like a standard battery case for wireless earbuds, such as the cases for the Apple AirPods Pro, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, and the Sony WF-1000XM5. There is a magnetic lid on the top of the case that you can open and close whenever you need to pick up or store your earbuds.
At the center of the pebble-shaped case, you’ll find a metal coated central plate. It is a piece that encompasses the whole matter. The two plastic parts above and below the central plate have a beautiful ladder design.
Devialet promises up to 22 hours of battery life with 5 hours of autonomy in the earbuds. In my testing, battery life was never an issue. You can charge the case with a USB-C cable or a Qi wireless charging pad.
Image Credit: Romain Delet/TechCrunch
great sound quality
Wireless earbuds have gotten better with each generation. But I’ve never heard wireless earbuds that sound as good as Devialet’s Gemini II. They are excellent when it comes to sound quality and deliver rich and detailed sound.
The most notable aspect of the Gemini II is its ability to present dirty tracks clearly. They can handle multiple layers of bass lines, some high-pitched strumming, and a singer in the center of the stage.
They perform very well at the lower end of the spectrum. It’s impressive that the Devialet can get deep bass out of small audio devices like those. In fact, they may sound a bit stale with the default EQ settings but this can be fixed with the in-app six-band equalizer. Additionally, many tracks come alive with the Gemini II as they are extremely generous with their vocals.
Devialet uses 10mm drivers with titanium coating. Like the AirPods Pro, the Devialet relies on an inside-facing microphone to measure the sound inside your ear canals and adjust it to your ears.
The company uses Bluetooth 5.2 to connect to your device with multipoint support. This means that you can connect your earbuds to both your smartphone and laptop at the same time. For example, if you play music on your laptop and someone calls you, it stops the music on your laptop and you can answer the phone using your earbuds. When it comes to audio codecs, the Gemini II supports AptX, AAC, and SBC.
This is a nice feature if you have multipoint Bluetooth. Sony’s earbuds have multipoint connection. Bose offers this feature only on its headphones. Apple relies on your Apple ID to move your AirPods from one device to another — but you’re limited to Apple devices.
As for active noise cancellation, the Gemini II is great if you want to block out background noise associated with mass transit. When you turn it on, chances are you won’t be able to hear the sound of a bus engine or subway.
In an office environment, the Gemini II isn’t as good as a pair of Bose headphones, like the Bose QuietComfort 45. You will hear some muffled voices and keyboard sounds. But they perform much better than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II or the AirPods Pro.
You can use the Devialet app to switch between two modes – cancellation or transparency. In Transparency, you can hear what’s around you and follow the conversation. It doesn’t feel like you have anything in your ears, but it’s great for quick conversations at the office.
The logo on the side of each earbud is a touch surface you can use for basic interactions without opening the app. By default, you can hold your finger on the earbud for a few seconds to switch between transparency and cancellation modes. You can also use this surface to pause music, switch to another track, and adjust the volume.
Image Credit: deviate
The Gemini II has two microphones on each earbud. There’s an outward-facing microphone behind the grill on the side of the earbuds, and a downwards-facing microphone for your voice.
The company has improved wind detection with proprietary algorithms to reduce wind noise. Similarly, Devialet uses a bone conduction sensor to sense when you’re talking and improve your voice quality during calls.
The result is… ok. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t really make sense to expect great sound quality over Bluetooth with the microphone so far from your mouth. I think Apple has made some real progress on this front, but if you plan to use the earbuds in multiple video calls per day, you should think about buying a pair of headphones with a boom microphone.
And yet, listening to music with these little earbuds is a magical experience. After a while you forget that you have earbuds in your ears. And you just feel the music playing in your head.
When Apple released the original AirPods, the company created a whole new category of wearable devices. It wasn’t clear how much people were willing to pay for those little things. Over time, other brands and Apple itself have pushed the boundaries of wireless earbuds in terms of features and price.
Of course, $450 for a pair of earbuds is ridiculous. But Devialet’s Gemini II earbuds sound great, look great, and are a great fashion accessory.
Unlike the original Gemini earbuds, which were flawed in many ways, Devialet’s new earbuds are much easier to recommend. The Gemini II has reached feature parity with other wireless earbuds. The sound quality is better now.
Image Credit: Romain Delet/TechCrunch
