Hisense partners with Devialet for a stunningly designed 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar

An announcement that reads like a cliffhanger: Hisense is partnering with Devialet and promises a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar sculpted for living rooms like a polished sequence shot. The first demonstrations rocked CES. It remains to be seen how this duo intends to redefine home theater without adding bulk to the TV stand. Hisense x Devialet Soundbar: When Design Meets Power Ten centimeters tall, with a brushed aluminum finish, and a central pivoting sphere-like module: the new arrival makes classic black boxes a thing of the past. Under the hood, fourteen speakers orchestrated by the Devialet acoustic signature propel a 5.1.2 sound field capable of catapulting a helicopter to the virtual ceiling, even in an attic studio. The Chinese manufacturer is betting big: bi-amp architecture, in-house DSP, and automatic calibration via a discreet microphone tucked behind the front grille. As a result, the Parisian demonstration saturated the queue like a Star Wars premiere.

Why 5.1.2 is changing binge-watching evenings

Two vertical channels, four virtual surrounds, and a dedicated sub: the Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 format is no longer reserved for multiplexes. In Breaking Bad, Hector’s whistle now hits the ceiling before falling onto the couch; in Stranger Things, the Demogorgon appears behind the viewer’s shoulder without a single visible rear speaker. The “SpaceStage” processing developed by

Devialet limits room echo and reinforces dialogue, invaluable when the air conditioning or the chat drowns out a keyword. Original language fans applaud: no more subtitles crushed by explosions. Joint engineering: when the Devialet algorithm boosts the Hisense panel

The agreement isn’t limited to hardware. The R&D teams merged Hisense’s “Hi-View” overlay with Devialet’s SAM algorithm.

to analyze audio-video dynamics in real time. The goal: smooth out peaks without restricting the punchline or bass. An in-house AI maps the room using an ultrasonic scan, then adjusts phase and level channel by channel. The engineers promise three minutes of setup, including the blanket. A quick tour of the lab: development anecdotes At the Paris headquarters, a prototype was tested with the bell scene from Better Call Saul at theater volume. Six beta testers noted a 17% gain in dialogue intelligibility without affecting the overall volume, according to an internal report shared behind the scenes.

The front speaker even underwent a 48-hour session of “thermal torture” at 40°C to ensure the integrity of the cone during a marathon of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. No deviation was observed in the timbre of the elven voices. What this means for gamers and TV fans 165 Hz Game Mode, with a latency of less than 15 ms: the soundbar communicates directly with U8Q Mini LED TVs, eliminating the slightest delay between image and headshot. In Cyberpunk 2077, the neon lights of Night City benefit from spatialization that makes the ground vibrate as the cars pass by. TV series benefit from a “Night Binge” preset: moderate bass level, boosted vocal clarity, and gentle compression to avoid angering the neighbors when the binge continues past midnight.

Do you still need to invest in a separate amp?

The entry price of under €900 places the system up against A/V amps three times its weight. For most urban living rooms, the compact all-in-one solution is the dominant selling point, especially since adding satellite speakers remains possible via proprietary Wi-Fi. Purists will keep their columns, but for the viewer who switches between Netflix, Twitch, and Blu-ray, the solution Hisense x Devialet It’s like the sonic equivalent of an ultra-short throw projector: plug, play, popcorn.

Availability and Outlook: A Far-Reaching Partnership

Commercial release planned for spring; a bundle with the new L9Q laser TV is already listed at several European retailers. Firmware updates will be delivered via the Remote Now app, promising audio profiles for each franchise, from Dune to The Last of Us.

Beyond the bar, the next ULED TVs should receive the “Tuned by Devialet” badge. Another step towards the all-in-one screen where image and sound finally advance at the same pace.