French audio technology company Devialet, known for its Phantom Reactor wireless speaker has just announced its entry into the Portable Audio space with its first True Wireless earbuds: Gemini.
Devialet’s chief Franck Lebouchard has shared that the firm had been working on Gemini for around two years and decided to continue working on the product from home as the coronavirus pandemic began to spread across Europe earlier this year. He admitted having “no clue on how many we’re going to sell” but that he was adamant about launching them in time for the holidays.
The company’s first wireless earbuds will feature Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), support for wireless Qi charging, IPX4 water resistance, and Qualcomm’s aptX Bluetooth codec. Gemini will also feature three new patented technologies: Pressure Balance Architecture, Internal Delay Compensation, and Ear Active Matching.
Devialet’s new Pressure Balance Architecture involves “cascading decompression chambers inside the product” to ensure optimum inner pressure at all times, without impairing noise attenuation. Furthermore, each chamber is coated with a custom acoustic mesh to stop external noise from entering the system.
Gemini’s patented Internal Delay Compensation algorithm promises to perfectly compensate for the interior hold-up generated by a noise cancellation loop, which the company says should result in a significant gain in noise cancellation, especially at higher frequencies.
The new Ear Active Matching technology promises enhanced signal transmission by adjusting audio signal frequency ranges in real-time, intelligently adapting Gemini’s sound for an optimal listening experience. According to Devialet, this means an end to a loss in sound quality when you suddenly turn your head or those constant volume adjustments while running. If one of the earbuds moves, the in-built microphones will apparently detect the change in frequency and adapt, tailoring the signal to the ear at a frequency of up to 10,000 times per second.
Gemini also features touch control, which could control music playback, noise cancellation, or activate voice assistants. Inside each earbud is a 10 mm high excursion Devialet driver, which the company promises high sensitivity and low distortion. In terms of battery life, Devialet has, on paper, specified 8 hours of battery life without ANC, and 6 hours with ANC activated. The sliding charging case provides 3.5 charges, allowing the Gemini to have a total battery life of up to 36 hours.
The ANC implementation on the Gemini features two separate microphones in each earbud with a third microphone dedicated to voice communications. There is a total of five modes comprising of three levels of ANC and two levels of transparency modes; the company is releasing a dedicated Devialet Gemini app for Android and iOS to allow users to control the ANC modes, tailor the tuning of the earbuds with a six-band equaliser as well as assist in determining which of the four supplied ear tips is most suitable for one’s ears in five seconds by scanning one’s ears for the perfect fit.
Devialet Gemini will debut in November and will be available for RMB 2,380 in China, EUR 299 in Europe, SGD 459 in Singapore, GBP 279 in the U.K., and USD 299 in the U.S.
