The New Sub Culture

Its fans include rap superstars, venture capitalists, and even Presidents. Now French audio startup Devialet is taking its high-tech speakers to the heart of one of Paris’s most prestigious cultural institutions.

- Lindsey Tramuta

“HEAR THE UNHEARD” seemed a lofty promise to the twenty-something audiophile who strolled into the Paris flagship of the French audio brand Devialet. He slipped off his Beats headphones and approached the sales consultant with a line of “prove it” questions. Could the company’s ambitious claims of having revolutionized an industry that hasn’t seen a significant innovation in the past 40 years be upheld in practice?

The brand’s marquee product, the Gold Phantom, is a $2,990 wireless speaker that claims digitally powered, analog-grade sound. A frequency response of 14Hz to 27kHz (far outside the range of the human ear), 4,500W of power, and a maximum volume level of 108dB (read: extremely loud) combine to capture details that are indiscernible on lower-end speakers, from a musician’s breath between notes to a subtle drumbeat in the background.