Devialet
Devialet is a French audio technology company that produces a line of speakers (Phantom) and amplifiers (Expert). It was founded in 2007 in Paris. Company history. Devialet initially got its start in 2004 when co-founder and engineer, Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel, invented his Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH) technology (which is now in every Devialet product). Calmel offered the technology to his then-employer Nortel, but, when they declined, he quit his job to focus on making a working prototype. Three years later he had developed an amplifier prototype using the technology. Calmel was later joined by Quentin Sannié, Emmanuel  Nardin when he launched Devialet in Paris in 2007. Sannié served as the company's CEO with Calmel as CTO. It was in 2010 that the company introduced its first product, an amplifier called "D-Premier." In 2010 and 2011, the company raised €2.9 million ($4.1 million) in funding from around 80 individual investors. In November 2012, it was announced that the company had raised an additional €15 million ($19 million) from an investor group led by Xavier Niel (Free), Jacques-Antoine Granjon (Vente-privee.com), Bernard Arnault (LVMH), and others. In June 2013, the company unveiled an  updated version of its D-Premier amp changes (known as the Devialet 240) and two new lower-end versions, the Devialet 110 and Devialet 170. In late 2014, the company announced the release of its first speaker, the Devialet Phantom. The speaker was made available in Europe in early 2015. In June 2015, it raised €17.5 million ($20 million) in another round of funding led by previous investors. The purpose of this funding round was to bring the Phantom to the United States market. In June 2016, the company released an upgraded "Gold Phantom" speaker with 4,500 watts  of power that was capable of producing sound volumes of up to 108 decibels. Later that year, it announced an "Immersive Theater System" that would make use of several Gold Phantoms. Devialet continued updating their line of amplifiers (now known as "Expert"), and in late 2016 it introduced the Expert PRO amplifier as a high-end option. The company also opened an outlet store in New York City. In November 2016, Devialet raised €100 million ($106 million) in a funding round led by Ginko Ventures, Foxconn, Jay-Z's Roc Nation, Andy Rubin's Playground Global, Groupe Renault , the Sharp Corporation, and Korelya Capital among others. In July 2017, Devialet announced a partnership with the British-based media company Sky, to create a sound system called the "Sky Soundbox." In October, it entered into a 10-year agreement with the Paris Opera to build a "sound discovery room" in the Palais Garnier. In November 2017, the company released an upgraded version of the original Phantom. The following month, it announced another partnership, this time with Renault to create a car audio system. It also demonstrated a prototype system in Renault's Symbioz concept car. In March 2018, Quentin  Sannié stepped down as the company's CEO and was replaced by Frank Lebouchard, a move that had been planned months in advance. In October of that year, it announced the Phantom Reactor speaker. As of 2018, the company maintains 160 patents for its technologies. In November 2019, Devialet partners with Huawei and unveiled a new specifically designed speaker, the Sound X. Products. The Devialet produces a range of wireless speakers called "Phantom" along with a range of amplifiers known as "Expert Pro." The Phantom line is separated into two ranges, Phantom Premier (with 3 models) and Phantom Reactor (with  3 models). All current Devialet devices are equipped with a variety of technologies, most notably, Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH). ADH combines elements of analog amps (Class-A) and digital amps (Class-D), allowing for larger wattage and decibel peaks. Heart Bass Implosion (HBI) is a technology that provides broader coverage of low-frequency sounds and mimics the properties of a subwoofer. Speaker Active Matching (SAM) is a signal processing mechanism that analyzes and adjusts sounds in real-time to "reproduce the exact acoustic pressure recorded by the microphone." The Active Co-Spherical Engine (ACE) refers to the spherical shape of  some Devialet devices (namely, the Phantom speakers) is an acoustic architecture designed to deliver sound in every direction. They collaborated with Free to equip their TV set-top box with Devialet speakers. They also collaborated with Sky to make a soundbox.