I’ve always assumed that home theater equipment—especially anything placed in close proximity to a display—should blend in with its surroundings, to avoid distracting viewers. What if that assumption was wrong?

Devialet makes two versions of the Dione: Matte Black (US price: $2,199; EU price: 2 000 €) and Opéra de Paris (US price: $2,999; EU price: 2 800 €). Feature-wise, the two models are identical. Each soundbar offers 17 drivers—nine full-range drivers and eight subwoofers—in a 5.1.2 surround sound configuration. No external subwoofer is required, and in fact that’s the most significant selling point of the Dione—it’s truly all-in-one and ready out of the box. The soundbars are Dolby Atmos-enabled, so they’ll work well with most content sources.

The difference between the two models lies not in their technology, but in their presentation. The Matte Black model is finished in various shades of black that, for many home theater setups, will tend to blend in with other equipment. Priced $800 / 800 € higher, the Opéra de Paris model is uniquely finished: the spherical central speaker (which can be rotated to optimize sound) in a silver-colored coating, cream for other surfaces and speaker meshes, and a central plate in 22-carat moon gold leaf “inspired by the gilded interiors of Paris’ Opéra Garnier”, in Devialet’s words. Judge for yourself:

Seen in person, the effect is quite striking. I don’t know whether moon gold (22-carat, composed of 92% gold, 4.5% palladium, and 3.5% silver) is the precise shade of gilding used in the Opéra Garnier or is simply meant to be evocative of it, but either way, it works well in this context. It’s dramatic but not reflective, so while it makes a bold statement, it doesn’t draw the viewer’s eye away from the display.

(This framework is a work-in-progress from a forthcoming feature article on how to define luxury and how to think about luxury purchases. Think of The Luxury Test as being to luxury what The Tradeoff Audit is to approachable luxury. If you have thoughts on this framework, please do comment on this article—I’d appreciate hearing them.)

Performance (does the item excel at its core function?): The Devialet Dione has the best sound I’ve ever heard from a soundbar. The first time I heard it, I asked—twice, in fact—to be sure that the only sound I was hearing was from the Dione itself without a subwoofer or other augmentation. This isn’t “good for a soundbar” sound; this is “sound that’s more than good enough for most listeners and rooms”. It won’t shake the foundation of your house, nor will it rumble your seat like some cinemas will, but if that’s what you’re after, you’re not interested in a soundbar in any case. As for dialogue, it may not be able to make Christopher Nolan films comprehensible sans subtitles, but it’s at least as good at it as any other soundbar I’ve heard.

Practice (is the item truly elevated in every aspect of its implementation and usage—design, materials, finish, technology if applicable, support if required?): This is a tale of two soundbars.

Out of the box and on first use, the Dione Opéra de Paris is extremely impressive. Fit and finish are absolutely luxury-level, on par with what one would expect of, say, Bang & Olufsen. Hardware setup is simple. If you’re using with a streaming device such as an Apple TV, you have one HDMI cable and one power cable to plug in and it’s ready to go. No cable to run or wireless pairing for a separate subwoofer, since it’s unnecessary. A free smartphone app enables you to instruct the Dione to calibrate itself to the acoustic model of the room.

Later, though, you may encounter the other side of the Dione. Its “one HDMI cable to rule them all” approach depends on all sorts of variables: your TV, your streaming box, your HDMI cables, you name it. Will it all come together to work well for you? Will you be able to use your existing remote to control the Dione’s volume? Will such control work consistently and not require fiddling? Those variables make it impossible to say. You can mitigate these issues by using Devialet’s optional Remote ($199 / 189 €). It’s a brilliant piece of kit that actually makes changing volume fun (yes, I wrote fun), but it won’t protect you from component compatibility issues. Also, not including it with a $2,999 / 2 800 € soundbar feels stingy, if sadly on par for luxury.¹

Presence (does the item go beyond utility to resonate emotionally?): To see the Dione Opéra de Paris in person is to realize that home theater equipment can rise above utility and truly venture into beauty. With previous generation displays and their large bezels, it would clash, but with modern displays and their barely noticeable bezels and stands, there is no clash. Nothing about the Dione Opéra de Paris feels like typical commodity consumer electronics. Think of it as not just a soundbar, but as art that somehow manages to command attention when silent but then recedes when doing its job.

Provenance (what are the stories behind not just the item itself, but the company that made it, and do those stories justify its luxury positioning?): Devialet was founded 15 years ago and has over 250 patents to its credit—an impressive record. It has a deserved reputation for audio innovation and distinctive industrial design that’s French in the best possible sense of the word. Devialet manufactures both Dione models in France, which I find heartening. As for the collaboration with Opéra de Paris, a cynic might see it as logowashing, but I don’t. It’s a logical partnership that traces back to their shared interest in music, and the aesthetic changes to the Dione Opéra de Paris aren’t just attractive but are evocative of the Palais Garnier itself.

If you want excellent (if not earth-shaking) all-in-one home theater audio in a package that’s easy to set up and so distinctively attractive it effectively functions as its own piece of art, the Dione Opéra de Paris could be the choice for you. If it is, go ahead and buy the Remote, which you’ll want no matter what. Devialet offers a money-back guarantee, typically 14 days—I recommend that you use it to be sure the Dione will work with your specific home theater configuration.

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