Octavio Harmony: a French solution that brings spatial audio to your sound system

When we think of French start-ups that have managed to find a place in the French audio market in recent years, Octavio is systematically at the top of the list. Indeed, since 2021, the company has been developing a refined range of products covering all the needs of music lovers. Within it, we find the compact Octavio Amp connected amplifier, the small Octavio Stream network player and the pair of active hi-fi speakers Octavio Maestro.

In order to diversify its activity while maintaining the desire to allow users to modernize their audio system, the brand took advantage of CES 2025 to unveil an innovative spatial audio solution called Harmony.

An alternative to Dolby Atmos and proprietary spatial technologies

This concept comes into play in a context where more and more manufacturers are working to develop universal 3D audio virtualization technologies that completely free themselves from Dolby Atmos and its content specially mixed for the occasion. Among existing technologies, in addition to those found in headphones true wirelesswe mainly count Ambeo from Sennheiser, or more recently Eclipsa from Samsung and Google.

Not limited to sound bars, Harmony presents itself as a modular system mixing hardware And software capable of transforming any stereo content into a three-dimensional experience. More precisely, its ambition would be to allow the user to configure a spatial audio system with the sources and speakers already in their possession, without the constraint of cables.

A solution consisting of a hub and various wireless receivers

Designed to adapt, Harmony includes a multimedia hub designed to accommodate a variety of wired and wireless devices, as well as several receivers that can be connected to all types of speakers.

In terms of connectivity, the Hamony Bridge hub centralizes an HDMI eARC input, an RCA input, a phono input, an optical output, an optical input, a USB-C port and a USB-A port. Wireless streaming possibilities are also legion, with a Bluetooth receiver and a Wi-Fi module paving the way for Google Cast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect protocols.

Incorporating “Stereo to Spatial” technology, developed in collaboration with the Parisian research institute IRCAM Amplify, Harmony Bridge is responsible for transforming content into spatial audio. It then transmits signals up to 24-bit/96kHz to the Hamony Link Power and Harmony Link Core dongles via WiSA. Octavio would have taken precautions by using this broadcast protocol. Known to be free of latency, it would offer an experience similar to that of a wired connection.

Equipped with integrated amplification, Hamony Link Power connects directly to the passive speaker terminal blocks. The Harmony Link Core receiver, for its part passive, connects via RCA to active speakers and subwoofers. In both cases, note that it is still necessary to power these receivers using a mains socket.

Configuring spatial audio up to 6.1.2

To create a system, the user must obtain a receiver for each of their speakers, knowing that Harmony is capable of supporting 3 to 8 channels in order to implement up to 28 different configurations.

For example, in a maximum 6.1.2 configuration, Harmony allows you to create a spatial audio system composed of a center speaker, a subwoofer, two front speakers, two rear speakers, two surround speakers and two ceiling speakers. Note that a compatible soundbar can manage several channels on its own, or act as a central channel when optically connected to the Harmony Bridge. Just like the management of streaming platforms, the configuration of the system is carried out via the Octavio VirtuoseG2 app.

In some cases, Harmony has advantages

Compared to the various existing proprietary virtualization systems and traditional Dolby Atmos content, the primary advantage of Harmony would be its universal aspect. It can therefore be used to bring more immersion to any audio system made up of at least three speakers, whether for music, films or video games.

On the other hand, Harmony's innovation would be to authorize the implementation of a true three-dimensional system without the constraint of cables with passive speakers. It could also prove to be an alternative of choice for moviegoers wishing to offer a 3D dimension to all their content, by doing away with the expensive and bulky equipment currently necessary to enjoy Dolby Atmos soundtracks.

At this time, we have no release date or price for this new spatial audio system. However, on its site, Octavio allows you to keep up to date with its availability.