Pros
– Vintage design, rugged construct high quality
– Powerful sound with good element
– Loudness and bass adequate for mid to large-sized rooms
– Ease of use
– Multiple audio inputs
– Full-function distant management
Cons
– Lacks high-end Bluetooth codec assist
– No sound customisation in any respect
– Could have used a few trendy options
Price: Rs 31,999
Rating: 3.75/5
Wireless audio system are available in all sizes and shapes and a few even with sensible performance or voice inputs. The Sonodyne Malhar that now we have for overview as we speak prefers to maintain issues easy and virtually turns again time by a number of years. Despite that, it could be moderately unfair to name it only a wi-fi speaker, and the corporate rightly prefers to name it a high-fidelity music system. This is probably not a product for all however there’s lots to love about it.
If you have got been enthusiastic about a conveyable Bluetooth speaker, that’s not what now we have right here. Of course, it’s Bluetooth 5.2 compliant and you may transfer it round; it weighs ’simply’ 8 kgs. But a everlasting spot within the room could be a greater concept, and it must be plugged into an influence socket always. The Malhar is fitted with 4 energetic audio system and two passive radiators. To be particular, it has two 5-inch glass-fiber cone woofers, two 1-inch silk-dome tweeters with Neodymium magnets and two 5-inch passive radiators for bass.
Collectively they will ship as much as 180 Watts of sound output because of a Class D amplifier inside. The said frequency response ranges between 40 Hz to twenty OkHz. With the important thing specs out of the way in which, it’s time to inform you what’s good and what’s not about this wi-fi speaker or Hi-Fi music system from the 50+ years outdated famend Indian audio model.
What we preferred concerning the Sonodyne Malhar
The classic design appears to be like actually cool
It has an oblong boxy design just like the audio system of yore. A rugged picket (MDF) cupboard with a shiny end homes all of the drivers and different circuitry. The woofers and tweeters are lined with metallic grilles, including to the classic look. The uncovered passive radiators on the aspect additionally all to the aesthetics. Long story quick, we preferred the Malhar’s design and it made us a tad nostalgic. We bought a black variant for overview which appears to be like sober. It is available in three extra color choices which I consider would look cooler because of the distinct distinction with the black speaker grilles.
Powerful sound output with ample element in addition to bass
The Sonodyne Malhar makes good use of its dimension and parts and delivers a strong sound output. It is loud, punchy, with ample bass and glorious element in audio so long as you play it loud sufficient. The soundstage is fairly broad too. While you should utilize it for some tender nighttime listening, one can get one of the best out of it solely past a selected loudness stage the place the three main frequency ranges play nicely collectively and the finer element is distinctly audible.
Soft listening is ok for vocal-heavy tracks or classical music. But for bass-heavy tracks, the bass feels barely dominant and vocals in addition to some instrument sounds appear a bit recessed until you push the amount increased. At the precise loudness, it sounds nice throughout numerous genres of music. It is loud sufficient and has ample thump for a mid to giant sized room and one can simply use it for a home social gathering. Another factor to notice is that its efficiency on wired inputs is a notch or two increased than on Bluetooth.
Multiple audio inputs
Speaking of inputs, the Sonodyne Malhar has a bunch of choices on the again. It has an optical in, a 3.5 mm aux enter, Bluetooth 5.2 and one also can play audio by a USB drive. If you continue to have your outdated ‘legal’ MP3 assortment, you may put it on a drive, plug it into the USB port and luxuriate in. The efficiency by USB is sort of good, and even for those who change off the speaker, you may resume from the final monitor you performed whenever you flip it again on.
Do plug it into the precise USB port although. There’s a second USB port however that has been offered to cost units like wi-fi earphones or smartwatches and even smartphones for those who aren’t in a rush to juice it up briskly.
Easy to make use of and comes with a full-function distant management
One of one of the best elements of the Sonodyne Malhar is its simplicity. There’s hardly any setup or a studying curve. Just energy it up, select the enter supply and you’re good to go. There are bodily buttons on the prime of the speaker with an LED indicator, one for every enter and performance. It’s laborious to go improper with that. The firm bundles a neat trying compact infrared distant management that offers you entry to all of the inputs and capabilities from the consolation of your seat. Yes, I could have a small challenge with the distant that you’ll quickly uncover, but it surely covers all the important thing bases.
What rains on its parade
No sound customisations in any respect
This level could sound considerably contradictory to the earlier one however it’s what it’s. Yes, sound tweaks or equalisers could really feel intimidating for some however it’s all the time nice to have the choice to finetune the audio to at least one’s style. While the Sonodyne Malhar is tuned very nicely out of the field, one thing as primary as bass and treble controls would have labored nicely right here and added to its outdated world appeal together with the performance. I wasn’t even suggesting a full-blown companion app with a multi-band equaliser, however only a couple extra buttons on the distant wouldn’t have diminished its ease of use.
Scant Bluetooth codec assist
We didn’t discover the point out of the Bluetooth codec used right here and we safely assume it’s SBC. A speaker of this class (and funds) definitely deserves a bit extra bandwidth on the wi-fi entrance. While the speaker has a number of inputs, it’s extremely seemingly that Bluetooth would be the mostly used possibility on this age. And its sound high quality over Bluetooth is a notch or two decrease than the wired choices together with taking part in audio from USB. A greater codec like aptX or LDAC might have most likely bought extra out of this product.
Could have used a few trendy options
We do perceive that the theme is retro however I’d have preferred to see some trendy tech for connectivity, particularly given its promoting value. And I don’t simply imply the aforementioned codec assist. Two issues that will have benefited the Malhar are HDMI enter and a Bluetooth distant as a substitute of IR. The speaker is highly effective sufficient for use with TVs as a soundbar different. While you do have connectivity choices like optical and aux inputs and even Bluetooth, HDMI would have yielded greatest outcomes.
The need for a Bluetooth or perhaps a RF distant management as a substitute of IR stems from a behavior developed as a consequence of the usage of sensible TVs and streamers just like the Amazon Fire TV Stick over the previous few years. They have Bluetooth remotes that one can level anyplace, and never essentially at a receiver, earlier than urgent a button. With the Malhar, I needed to take that additional effort and at instances the enter wouldn’t register from sharp angles. I could also be nitpicking however a Bluetooth distant would have additionally allowed one to regulate the system from an adjoining room inside the wi-fi vary.
Sonodyne Malhar: Price and verdict
The Sonodyne Malhar is priced at Rs 31,999 and comes with a 2-year guarantee. It does miss out on a number of trendy options like assist for prime throughput Bluetooth codec, Bluetooth distant or HDMI ARC enter but it surely hits the bullseye with its sound high quality. It is definitely not an alternate for a conveyable Bluetooth speaker or a celebration boombox, nonetheless, it may possibly play each these roles nicely and with a contact of sophistication.
If you’re simply on the lookout for both of these issues, you may get quite a lot of choices for lower than half its promoting value. But if you’re somebody who appreciates the finer element in music and on the lookout for a excessive constancy speaker with a reasonably balanced sound output and a handful of connectivity choices, the Sonodyne Malhar is one thing you need to strongly take into account.
