Let’s see, why does the Gemini 2’s truly stand out as Endgame bluetooth earphones. For me, it comes down to sound without compromise. They remind me of what the Az80(which were my first Diamond award) are only with better sound, better phone call quality, better battery, and better comfort. They deliver on everything they claim. They last the promised 5 hours of battery life when not using ANC and, however, don’t require lower codec quality to reach the hours promised(like the az80 and others). They don’t drop out, stutter, or crash. They have the perfect custom touch controls that are accurate, and best of all, the fit is unequaled to anything. I feel so relaxed and less stressed vs. the Pi8s because with the pi8’s, I never knew if I might not have a fully charged earphone randomly even after days of charging or if I used them, how long it would take to charge them back up due to its very slow charging abilities. Not so with the Devialet.
I finally know that I can trust that they will actually charge 100% and remain that way longer than 3 minutes after first putting them in, unlike the pi8s who drop from 100% -93% before the first song played finished playing. I can trust that I don’t have to put them back in the case just to get them to work on both sides like I had to do sometimes with the Pi8s. I can trust the controls to respond accurately and fast, unlike the Pi8s who have horrible delayed touch controls. I can trust that the ANC will be effective, unlike the Pi8s. The magical fit that they made with these ties into the soundstage and imaging is pure genius. I’m still in question about how magical they fit and feel, which ties into material that covers the buds. They even disappear in my ears. Even the sure look of them is so different from anything else on the market. They are flat-out beautiful pieces of art.
And because of this, the understanding of what I truly need vs. want becomes changed. I have tons of different earphones, and they all cross paths on a lot of streets going into the same directions. H0p⁰aving something that actually works as designed is such a rare thing, but to tie into the greatest sound ever produced is something on a whole other level. Trust is such a difference-maker for me because I can spend my time enjoying them and not looking at things over and over to see if they are doing what they are supposed to do, which is what I spent the majority of my time doing with the Pi8 and others in the past.
I also get that every tech product can have issues. So objectively, I won’t pretend that someone out there might not have the same experience with earphones I’ve mentioned. Someone could have had problems I didn’t with the Az80’s or Gemini 2. Or have a different experience or tolerance on the things that bother me about the Pi8s. All are possible in the world of Tech. In many ways, my appreciation for the Gemini 2 and Az80 stems from all the issues I’ve seen with other bluetooth earphones, so I’m thankful for those experiences. They helped me appreciate things more.
At the end of the day, do I still wish the Gemini had the battery life of the Cambridge M100? You bet. Do I wish they had an off-mode with the ANC and Hear-thru modes? Yeah. And most importantly, do i wish they were under $300? Heck yeah! But these aren’t things they promised, and therefore, I believe the Devialet Gemini 2’s deserve my Perfect 5 out 5 Diamond 💎 award.
Tech-N-Things 