Devialet, the French company at the intersection of audio engineering and luxury, is known for its egg-shaped Phantom speakers, but the company’s first product was in fact an audio amplifier that you could connect to stand-alone speakers.
After releasing soundbars, portable speakers, wireless earbuds, the venture-backed company is now going back to its roots with a new amplifier — the Devialet Astra.
“With these new technologies, you’re in the sound. This used to be reserved to professional studios, but now you can have it at home,” Devialet’s newly appointed CEO, Jacques Demont, said at a press conference.
However, chances are you’re not going to spot an Astra at your friend’s home anytime soon. Devialet’s amplifier remains a luxury item, with the base model retailing at €16,000 (around $17,300 at today’s exchange rates).
The new product comes just a few days after French business magazine Challenges reported that Devialet was short on cash. Over the past few years, in addition to traditional equity rounds, Devialet has secured debt facilities, and according to Challenges, the company is trying to find an agreement with its main creditors to raise a new round and pay back some of its creditors.
Coming back to the product, the Devialet Astra is relatively thin for an audio amplifier. It has a brushed aluminum casing with an art deco-inspired lined design around the edges, and features a small rounded screen on the top. You also get a wireless remote.
When it comes to specifications, the Devialet Astra packs a preamplifier, an amplifier, a DAC, a streamer, and a phono stage. A single Astra can drive speakers at 2 x 300W power under 4Ω — you can pair two Astra amplifiers together.
The Devialet Astra also takes advantage of some of the company’s proprietary technologies. For instance, Devialet claims it can reach high audio volumes with low distortion. The company has also put together a database of 1,200 different speakers so that the amp can tweak its audio signal to sound better with your speakers.
In addition to good old wires, Astra supports AirPlay, Google Cast, Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and UPnP via WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.
Devialet is also introducing a new software stack that will serve as the base for all future Devialet products. Let’s hope these upcoming products come sooner rather than later so that Devialet can turn things around.