Devialet Gemini II True Wireless  Headphones Review

The Devialet Gemini 2 have an oval-shaped face with silver accents and the manufacturer's logo off to one side. They come in two color variants: 'Iconic White' and 'Matte Black'. They also come in a more premium 'Gold' model that's produced in collaboration with the Paris Opera. This variant is more expensive and has 24-karat detailing.

These buds have a comfortable fit. To get the best fit, the buds need to sit in your ear at an angle, so you don't want to place them too vertically or horizontally. They have a deep in-ear fit that creates a plunger-like feeling when properly placed.

These buds have a touch-sensitive surface on both buds, which is easy to spot. The controls are easy to activate with a light tap, and there's feedback for cycling between ANC and transparency mode, but everything else lacks feedback.

On either bud:

• Single tap: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers calls.
• Tap and hold: Cycles between ANC on and transparency mode.

On the left earbud:

• Double tap: Skips a track forward. Also ends and declines calls.
• Double tap and hold: Decreases the volume.

On the right earbud:

• Double tap: Skips a track forward. Also ends and declines calls.
• Double tap and hold: Raises the volume.

Like other in-ear headphones, these buds are very portable, making it easy to take them on the go.

The carrying case is great. Devialet has redesigned the predecessor's case, which had a flat sliding top, to a more traditional top-down case with a lid that flips upward. Overall, it feels well-built, and the matte plastic feels good. It also supports wireless charging. There are magnets to hold the buds in place while the hinge is secure and snappy. That said, the chrome trim is plastic and doesn't feel premium. It's particularly prone to fingerprints.

The build quality of these buds is great. They're mostly made of plastic, which feels sturdy and high-quality. They're certified IPX4 for resistance against rain, which is handy if you want to use them during outdoor workouts. The silicone ear tips can wear down over time if you don't take care of them.

These buds have great stability. Even though they lack stability fins, they won't fall out of your ear, even during intense workouts.

• Devialet Gemini II
• 4x silicone ear tips
• Charging case
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Manual

The Devialet Gemini 2 have a bass-heavy sound profile that lends itself well to electronic genres with a lot of low-end content. This boosted low-end carries through to the mid-range, which can add substance to bass guitars and snare drums. While the mid-range is mostly even, there's some roll-off at the top of the range and the bottom of the treble range. As a result, vocals and instruments sound natural and present but a bit veiled. Luckily, you can fine-tune their sound to your liking using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets.

These headphones have outstanding frequency response consistency. Once you get a solid fit using the included ear tips, you'll achieve constant audio delivery each time you use them.

These buds' bass response follows our target curve well, although the entire range is over-emphasized. This makes for a boomy, bass-heavy sound that's well-suited to genres like hip-hop and electronica. It's particularly over-emphasized in the low-bass range, so sub-bass sounds, like dubstep wobbles, are particularly prominent.

The mid-range compliance is excellent. Overall, the range is quite flat, although there are some slight deviations present in the low-mid and high-mid ranges. There's a tilt in the low-mid that adds heft to rhythm guitars and snare drums. However, the lack of high-mid detail means that instruments like the piano in Claude Debussy's Arabesque No. 1 are natural-sounding but lack some detail and clarity.

The Devialet Gemini 2 have outstanding compliance with our target in the treble range. The response is balanced across the entire range, with only some small deviations. There's some roll-off that starts in the high-mid range and continues into the treble range, but it's fairly minor. There's also a dip at the top of the mid-treble that softens sibilants like S and T sounds in vocals.

The peaks and dips performance is decent. Mostly, the response is quite flat, meaning the headphones can control their sound profile well. There are a couple of notable deviations, though. A peak in the low bass primarily affects the right driver, causing it to reproduce more bass than the left. Another deviation is in the mid-mid, where the left driver nudges vocals and instruments forward while the right nudges them backward. A series of peaks and dips in the low-treble range affect both drivers, brightening vocals and instruments, while a sharp peak in the mid-treble causes sibilants to sound a little harsh.

The imaging performance of these buds is excellent. It's the first pair of headphones we've tested from this manufacturer, and it's worth mentioning that imaging can indicate their quality control and ergonomics. Imaging varies across units, though, and our unit has an elevated noise floor, which is annoying as the headphones generate a hissing sound. There's a big peak in the group delay as well as the phase response's low-bass, which results in a bass that gradually rolls up and lacks depth. If you're listening to especially bassy songs like Satisfaction by Benny Benassi, you'll find that the track lacks punch and is a bit sloppy.

That said, the L/R drivers are well-matched in the rest of their phase response and in amplitude and frequency response, which helps ensure the accurate placement of objects like voices in the stereo image.

The passive soundstage performance is bad, but that's normal from in-ears. They bypass your outer ear, which needs to be activated by sound to create a more immersive sound. That means that the soundstage seems closed-off and small. Sound seems to be coming from inside your head rather than from speakers in the room around you.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance is great. There's a peak in the high-treble, but it's extremely hard to hear with real-life content, especially as we lose sensitivity to this range over time. All frequencies otherwise fall within good limits, resulting in clean and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the Devialet Gemini 2, and our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The Devialet Gemini 2 are equipped with a noise cancelling (ANC) system and performs superbly in our full range tests. Devialet advertises that they use a proprietary technology called 'Internal Delay Compensation,' designed to compensate for the internal delay created by the noise cancellation loop, creating a gain in noise cancellation. The high noise floor and louder frequencies may counter-balance outside noise, contributing to the high results we see in the treble range with ANC on. Still, the headphones can passively block out a lot of mid- and treble-range noise, such as ambient chatter and the hum of AC units.

It's worth noting that these earbuds don't allow the ANC system to be totally disabled. We had to conduct our tests after draining their battery life to achieve a baseline level for passive isolation. The only two modes available are 'ANC' and 'Transparency,' both of which utilize the ANC mics.

These buds have an incredible noise isolation performance in common scenarios. They excel equally across scenarios like airplane cabins, busy offices, and crowded streets. As a result, they're a great fit if you want to ensure a consistent level of noise cancellation in different real-life situations.

Earbuds can have a hard time cancelling out wind noise, as it interacts differently with ANC microphones. This can result in a loud and annoying noise, as the ANC system is countering a sound that isn't reaching your ear. The Devialet Gemini II True Wireless struggle with wind noise, which is unsurprising, given that they lack a wind noise reduction feature. If you find this noise bothersome, you'll want to avoid using them on particularly windy days.

The leakage performance is fantastic. Audio bleed is most prominent in the bass range, which sounds full-bodied. However, the amount of leakage is quite low, so you can listen to audio at high volumes without bothering others.

The integrated mic's recording quality is okay. Your voice sounds full-bodied but a bit muffled and dark. You won't have issues being understood clearly.

The noise handling performance is very good. The integrated mic can separate your voice from background noise well. If you're taking a call from a busy office, your voice won't be drowned out, although your words won't be as clear. Devialet also advertises a wind reduction feature, which can help reduce wind noise while you're on a call.

The Devialet Gemini 2 have an alright battery performance. The manufacturer advertises up to five hours of continuous battery life, and we measured a similar amount. That said, battery life varies depending on use. If you need more battery life, the carrying case supplies over four extra charges if you need it, and you can use one bud while the other charges. The buds automatically pause when you also take one bud out of your ear.

The Devialet Gemini app is great; you can see a video of how it works here. The app provides access to an EQ and presets so you can fine-tune their sound to your liking. You can also adjust the stereo balance, manage your control layout, check the battery life, and update the firmware.

The Devialet Gemini II are Bluetooth earbuds that you can't use wired. They come with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging the case.

These buds have great Bluetooth connectivity. They support multi-device pairing, so you can connect them with up to two devices at a time, and they support Google Fast Pair for seamless pairing with your Android devices. While the manufacturer also advertises iOS fast pairing, we couldn't get this feature to work with our iOS devices.

These headphones support SBC, AAC, and aptX codecs. AptX, in particular, is intended for better sound quality than the default SBC codec. That said, they have high latency on PCs via SBC and aptX. Some apps and devices compensate for latency, though.

The Devialet Gemini 2 can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs. However, you can't connect them in any other way.

These buds come with a carrying case that supplies over four extra charges. It also supports wireless charging.