The bottom line with the Devialet Mania is that it is a product that you will have no regrets buying, if you have your eyes set on it, expectations weighed properly, and deep enough pockets. It sounds great, matches up to its price tag with its design, and nails all the features that you get, albeit them being the basics that will get the job done. There are others like the Marshall Woburn III at ₹59,999, which for the price will get you a great experience as well. If you are looking for a party speaker or the most value for money, you can look at offerings like the Sony MHC-V83D or the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, which are substantially cheaper than the Mania, and have a ton of features packed in them, while delivering loud and mostly pleasing sound.
Devialet Mania is a speaker like no other. Let me describe the speaker to you. It is a speaker that sounds great, has a high price tag that matches it performance and design, and looks like it belongs to the audio setup of a UFO. I am pretty sure that if you put this prompt into an AI image generator, you will get something similar to that of the Devialet Mania. Now, when the speaker showed up at the Digit Test Centre, it was put through its paces against the best ones in the business, thanks to its nomination in the Digit Zero1 Awards 2023.
While it did lose out against Marshall Middleton in the race to the top in our awards which are based on pure performance, when looking at the speaker as a whole, taking its build, design, and features into consideration, it fared pretty well. The premium Bluetooth speakers market, might look like a space where there is not a lot of competition, when you are out looking for one, the subtle differences in the speakers, make it a tough decision. So, if you are someone who is looking to buy the Devialet Mania, then you are in the right place. Here’s my detailed review of the Devialet Mania, and how it fares against its competitors in the premium Bluetooth Speakers range –
An exquisite and robust design
As you might have seen with other Devialet speakers as well, the design of the Devialet Mania is also something that steers away from the conventional designs that we see in speakers. The Mania has an orb like design that is solid overall. It has a plastic casing, which is covered by premium fabric. The colours are monotonous for the most part, with the handle having different hues of the primary colour of the fabric covering the speaker’s body.
There is a chrome finish on the lining of the driver, and the handle has a rubberised finish. Overall, an attractive design that makes it stand out on its own, however, it does fit in aesthetics of most of the spaces that you will be placing it in. As for the materials, the build is mostly plastic, but it has a nice heft to it and the overall build is solid. The base of the speaker is rubberised and prevents the speaker from moving or rattling when the volume is cranked up to maximum. You will have no complaints whatsoever. You are most likely not to take such an expensive speaker out an about, exposing it to the elements, but if you do, it is IPX4 certified. It will be protected against light splashes of water.
The buttons are integrated into the handle and are clicky and responsive. There is a dedicated switch to enable and disable the microphone, which is a plus, especially in these times of paranoia surrounding privacy concerns that come with speakers that have microphones built in. The suite of physical controls that is present on the speaker is also promising and does the job well. For added control, you can switch to your smartphone, where you can load the Devialet app. More on that in the next section.
Devialet Mania – Low on features but delivers on what’s promised
In terms of its features, the Devialet Mania, like most other speakers that put sound above everything else, is not packed with features. There is the regular suite of features that improve the user experience, and here, the Devialet app shines bright, along with ASC – Active Stereo Calibration. The UI of the app matches the exquisite design language that has come to be synonymous with the brand. In the app, you get the perfect set of customisation features that will help you make the speaker truly your own, in terms of how it sounds.
What we noticed in our tests, the Devialet Mania does have a slight dip in the treble frequencies out of the box. You can change that in the app. It comes with a dual-band EQ that lets you change the bass and treble frequencies. Apart from that you also have three different presets that you can choose from – Flat, Custom, and Voice. The app is available both on Android and iOS.
In terms of connectivity, you get both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In my tests, there were no noticeable latency issues. However, there have been reports of latency issues creeping in over Bluetooth. So, keep an eye out for that. You can also stream music using AirPlay, which will also let you chain compatible speakers. This feature is inherently missing on the speaker. I personally would love to have had it in the speaker. There is support for Spotify Connect as well, another much needed point in the bag. Once you have the speaker paired to your phone, you can also activate Amazon Alexa directly from the speaker itself. It does well in this department as well, picking up commands almost seamlessly.
Now, lastly, let’s talk about ASC – Active Stereo Calibration. This is basically an environment mapping feature that adapts the sound of the speaker based on its surroundings. I did not notice much of a difference in our studio, where I primarily test speakers, but in a more cluttered environment, the speaker did adapt to match the sound that it delivered in ideal conditions. To add to the list of quality of life features, lastly, there is support for wireless charging with the Devialet Mania Station, which is an added accessory that you can buy.
As I prefaced earlier, the speaker does not come loaded with features, like many other offerings in the premium speakers market. However, the ones that are there, are solid. You must have seen in the scores that it got 5.1/10. There are other speakers from the likes of JBL, for example, their Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, which won our Best Buy Award in the Bluetooth speakers category in 2023, that will bring to the table, all the features that you could ask for. So, if number of features is likely to define your purchase decision, you should look elsewhere.
Devialet Mania – A performance king!
Devialet Mania makes up all the ground that it lost in the features department, over here. The Mania excelled in producing the lower bass frequencies. However, when it came to treble, I noticed a lack of some details, which cost it some points in our tests. The competition remained intense, with the Mania delivering some of the finest vocals I’ve experienced on a Bluetooth speaker. This was also true for other instruments, and the speaker’s distortion, or rather the absence of it.
The frequency response of the speaker is consistent, and across genres of music, you will have no complaints in how it sounds. Although, it will favour bassier tracks over the ones that have a lot of elements in the treble. The soundstage of the speaker, especially fot its size, is massive. The dual driver setup, lends itself to great use in producing a 360-degree experience when you are using it.
The area where the Mania lost significant ground is its loudness. While it does get fairly loud, it is not enough for large rooms. This is not going ot be your primary party speaker if you are looking for one. If I were to borrow a metaphor from the world of cars, this speaker is like a Rolls Royce. It can go fast, but you will not be able to take it to your next track day. You will be better off loaning a Porsche, which in this case, would be a part speaker from the likes of LG, Sony, or JBL. The Devialet Mania is a luxury speaker, meant for giving an exquisite listening experience for you, in your personal space.
Battery Life
In terms of battery life, Devialet Claims that you can get up to 10 hours of playtime. In our tests, the speaker clocked in at around 4 hours and 35 minutes. There is a sizeable difference between the claimed numbers and the actual performance. If you do run out of juice, you can power it directly via USB-C, while also juicing it up. The wireless charging capability is there, however, only if you are willing to shell out extra money for the Devialet Mania Station. It would be nice to have a more universal charging standard on the speaker.
Devialet Mania – Price and availability
Devialet Mania, at the time of our testing, was priced at ₹1,02,000. At the time of publishing the review, Devialet Mania is available on Amazon.in for ₹92,000. Plus, you can get up to ₹1,500 discount by using select bank credit cards.
Verdict
The bottom line with the Devialet Mania is that it is a product that you will have no regrets buying, if you have your eyes set on it, and expectations weighed properly, and deep enough pockets. It sounds great, matches up to its price tag with its design, and nails all the features that you get, albeit them being the basics that will get the job done. There are others like the Marshall Woburn III at ₹59,999, which for the price will get you a great experience as well. If you are looking for a party speaker or the most value for money, you can look at offerings like the Sony MHC-V83D or the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, which are substantially cheaper than the Mania, and have a ton of features packed in them, while delivering loud and mostly pleasing sound.
Devialet Mania Key Specs, Price and Launch Date
| Release Date: | 13 Mar, 2024 |
| Market Status: | Launched |
Key Specifications
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Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
