Devialet has just unveiled a limited edition of its Phantom I 108 dB, by Yang Bao & Wa Liu. Perfect timing to celebrate the start of the Year of the Dragon, as well as the audio brand’s very first artistic collaboration on its flagship wireless connected loudspeaker.
Devialet’s first artistic collaboration has resulted in the Phantom I 108 dB limited edition loudspeaker by Yang Bao & Wa Liu. The luxury acoustic engineering brand called on two multi-disciplinary Chinese artists: Yang Bao, an art installation designer, composer and pianist trained at Juilliard, and Wa Liu, a multimedia artist with degrees from Yale and MIT.
Yang Bao and Wa Liu conceived this speaker as a sensory journey between sound and visual art, directly inspired by the concept of “Infinite Music”.
The result is a sublimation of the ultra-dense, physically impactful sound of the Phantom I, a model offering “more power, clarity and precision than any other loudspeaker.”
Artist Wa Liu, explains, “When you play a sound on Phantom, especially powerful bass, it feels alive. That’s why we focus on the idea of animality and metamorphosis in this project, to create something that breathes while producing the purity of music.”
On the aesthetic side, Devialet has for the second time called on the excellent French craftsmanship of the master gilders at the Gohard workshop, this time to revisit the Phantom I.
This exclusive model, on sale for 6,000 euros since the end of January on its e-commerce site, bears witness to the growing luxury craze for ever more exclusive high-fidelity sound systems.
It should also enable Devialet to revitalize its Chinese market, which accounts for 20% of sales.
At the crossroads of technology, know-how and tradition
The Lunar New Year, which falls on February 10 this year, is an essential part of Chinese culture, and every year gives rise to limited-edition creations featuring one of the twelve zodiacal animals.
For its festive collaboration, the high-fidelity sound specialist has chosen to capitalize on the very essence of the dragon, which echoes the animal spirit of Phantom I, at once powerful, enigmatic and deeply rooted in heritage.
Associated with the element water (even if it is made of wood in 2024…), the dragon undulates like sound waves and protects its pearl, synonymous with happiness, abundance, wisdom and knowledge for its wearer. The shape of the pearl echoes the oblong shape of the connected speaker.
To recall the carp shell used as armour by the legendary dragon, the flasks of the Phantom I 108 dB limited edition have been hand-decorated by the craftsmen of Ateliers Gohard.
Ornamented with 22.5-carat gold leaf and finished with a deep red varnish, the result is a technological jewel in the auspicious colors of the Chinese New Year. Red symbolizes success, happiness and good fortune in the Middle Kingdom.
The gold and deep red tones seem, the press release points out, “to come to life according to the light, embodying the energy of nature and music.”
A celebration of French craftsmanship
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Read also > CHINESE NEW YEAR 2024: LUXURY HOUSES REIMAGINE TRADITION
Featured Photo: © Devialet
