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 fairly neutral sound profile with adequate bass and warmth. 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.

There are some notable deviations in their response. We measured a difference between the left and right drivers, particularly in the low-bass and mid-range. The right driver delivers more thump and rumble than the left driver, but the left driver is more flat and neutral in the mid driver than the left. We verified our test rig's left ear canal by swapping the earpiece out and using silicone epoxy to repair our rig. This helps us ensure a proper seal within the internal ear canal. We then verified our calibration against our original results and used the HiFiMan Arya to spot-check our consistency. Finally, we performed subjective listening to see if we could spot the deviation for ourselves: the deviation is there but not as dramatic as what our results show. You can also see driver deviation in the phase response. This deviation may be unique to our unit, but if you've noticed something similar with your own, please let us know in the forums.

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 follow our target curve quite well, although there's still some deviation present in the low-bass. There's a bit of extra thump and rumble, which is more emphasized in the right driver. The rest of the range is very flat, so mixes have adequate punch and warmth.

The mid accuracy is excellent. Overall, the range is quite flat, although there's some deviation present in the mid to high-mid. The right driver is underemphasized in the mid-mid, nudging vocals and instruments to the back of the mix. Vocals and 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 excellent treble accuracy. There's some roll-off that starts in the high-mid range and continues into the treble range, but it's fairly minor. Vocals and instruments are still mostly clear while sibilants are present.

The peaks and dips performance is excellent. 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. Two peaks in the treble range affect both drivers, brightening vocals and instruments while sibilants become very piercing.

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 can block out much of the low rumble of bus and plane engines. It even does a better job with longer sweeps, which means that the ANC performance improves when exposed to the same sound for long periods. However, in frequencies above the low-mid, the ANC does a worse job on than when off. 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 with ANC on. Still, the headphones can passively block out a lot of mid and treble-range noise like ambient chatter and the hum of AC units.

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.