T3 India

Music

LG Introduces XBOOM Series

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LG Electronics, announced the launch of its latest ‘LG XBOOM’ series. The speakers aim to transform the way people enjoy music and audio by prioritizing convenience, delivering potent sound, and providing captivating lighting effects.

The XBOOM series features the XL7S and XL5S models, both delivering unmatched features and advantages for music lovers and those who love to celebrate. For outdoor adventurers and outstation travellers alike, the XBOOM series ensures an immersive musical experience and captivating lighting wherever the journey takes them.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Hak Hyun Kim, Director- Home Entertainment, LG Electronics India said, “We are delighted to introduce the LG XBOOM series, representing a significant advancement in audio technology. These meticulously designed products are poised to revolutionize the audio experience for our consumers. Moreover, boasting outstanding features, robust sound reproduction, and captivating lighting effects, the fresh LG XBOOM series is poised to establish itself as the top pick for gatherings, occasions, and everyday enjoyment.”

The USP of the LG XBOOM series lies in its convenience features. The LG XBOOM speakers are designed for convenience with a rugged build and ergonomic handles, making them a grab-and-go solution that’s easy to carry wherever you need it. The LG XBOOM XL7S has 20-hour battery life while the LG XBOOM XL5S has a 12-hour battery life and both the speakers have an IPX4 Water Resistant rating that can withstand water splashes.

LG XBOOM XL7S

The LG XBOOM XL7S produces immense sound booming bass and clear high notes. With a colossal 250W output, the LG XBOOM XL7S is made for large gatherings, providing an immense sound that can easily fill any venue.

The LG XBOOM XL7S features an impressive beat-driven light show called Multi Color Ring Lighting. These vibrant lights dance in sync with your music, infusing dynamic energy into any party or gathering. In addition to the vibrant Multi Color Ring Lighting, the XBOOM XL7S also boasts an exhilarating “Double Strobe” lighting feature. The synchronized double strobe lighting isn’t just visually stunning—it enhances the overall audio-visual synergy, giving your event a club-like ambiance.

The XBOOM XL7S offers specialized tools like DJ Pad, DJ effects, and DJ loop, elevating performances. DJ Pad provides seamless beat control, while DJ effects and DJ loop enable dynamic mixes. Personalized messages through the XBOOM app add a fantastic touch, ideal for DJs and hosts to amplify the occasion, ensuring a lively and memorable experience.

Moreover, the XBOOM XL7S is not only about stunning visuals and pulsating lights; it’s also incredibly versatile when it comes to live performances. With two dedicated inputs for karaoke microphones and a guitar, this audio powerhouse transforms into a complete entertainment system.

LG XBOOM XL5S

Turn on the LG XBOOM XL5S anywhere, and watch as it effortlessly transforms any venue into a private club, immersing you in jaw-dropping, massive sound with crystal-clear high notes.

With its 16.51 cm Giant Woofer, it delivers powerful bass that truly sets the stage for any venue. The speakers are equipped with Dynamic Bass Optimizer that allows you to enjoy balanced sound without distortion of the bass. With two 6.35 cm dome tweeters, this speaker ensures crisp and clear sound, allowing you to hear high-frequency notes clearly whether you’re indoors or outdoors.

With a remarkable 12-hour battery life and a convenient handle, it’s designed for on-the-go fun.The XL5S is built tough with ergonomic handles, ensuring easy portability. Plus, its IPX4 Water Resistant rating means it can handle those unexpected water splashes, adding durability to the excitement.

The LG XBOOM XL7S and XL5S models will be available at a starting price of Rs 54,990/- and Rs 44,990/-, respectively.

itel T1Pro Earbuds hits markets

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itel, unveiled its itel Earbuds T1 Pro. With AI ENC (Environment Noise Cancellation), these earbuds redefine the calling experience by effortlessly eliminating external noise. The itel T1 Pro offer a remarkable 35 hours of playback time on a single charge, delivering a seamless and uninterrupted user experience priced at just INR 849.

Commenting on the latest launch, Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, itel India, said “The Indian audio device market is growing at an unprecedented rate and the demand for personal audio devices will continue to increase significantly. itel stands as a trailblazer, committed to equipping every individual in Bharat with technology that is not only accessible but also innovative and stylish. The itel T1 Pro Earbuds exemplify this mission by delivering advanced features like AI ENC, long-lasting battery life, and immersive sound. These earbuds are more than just accessories; they are the embodiment of style, performance, and connectivity that cater to the needs of the masses”

The itel T1 Pro earbuds house 10mm drivers that elevate bass to new heights, ensuring an immersive audio adventure combining with powerful sound. These earbuds seamlessly marry style and resilience with their IPX5 water-resistant design, guaranteeing protection against water splashes. The T1 Pro comes with smart touch control providing convenience for the users.  Engineered with smart touch control, the earbuds offer users with unparalleled convenience and control over their audio experience.

These earbuds are powered by Bluetooth V5.3, providing consumers to enjoy uninterrupted connectivity within 10 meters (30 feets). Each earbud is equipped with a 30mAh battery, while the charging case boasts an impressive 500mAh battery capacity, allowing for six full charges. Additionally, they support a convenient Type-C charging interface. The itel T1 Pro also features in-ear detection and voice assistance, enhancing the overall user experience. 

The earbuds are available at your nearest retail outlets at an impressive price of INR 849. itel T1 Pro comes in Deep Blue and Grey.

Creative Newtech Partners with Ruark

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Creative Newtech  announced its partnership with Ruark, UK’s premium Audio brand, which will see them available in India. Ms. Ajita Hathlia – Deputy Director, Trade & UK Exports, South Asia , British High Commission & Farhad Unavala – Senior Trade Adviser, Lead for Western India – Technology, Education, Innovation & Smart Cities, were present alongside Ketan Patel, CMD, Creative Newtech, Richard Mckinney , Global Marketing & Sales Director, Ruark UK , at a press conference held to announce its India entry.

In her remarks, Ms. Ajita Hathila, Deputy Director, Trade & UK Exports, South Asia, British High Commission, said,” The UK Government congratulates Ruark Audio and its partner Creative Newtech on their entry into the premium Indian Audio marketplace. Ruark’s arrival in India builds on its export successes in other markets and its strong reputation as a UK export champion”.

Commenting on the India entry, Richard Mckinney, Global Marketing & Sales Director, Ruark UK, said,” We are delighted and happy to be here in one of the world’s fastest growing economies with a growing audience whose appetite for great music is apparent. The credit for us being here entirely goes to the team at Creative Newtech who helped plan the entire India entry meticulously. Their shared passion for quality and consumer delight combined with their in-depth understanding of the Indian market, the nuances of distribution and their large network both offline & online, am sure will help Ruark fins its audience of audio lovers across India.”

In his comments, Ketan Patel, CMD, Creative Newtech, said,” Ruark is a great addition to the ever-growing portfolio at Creative Newtech. Being a premium brand targeted at true music lovers and those with a design bent, it’s part of our strategy to bring more high-end brands into our portfolio. Indian market for high quality audio is still growing and the appetite has only grown post covid aided by the growing affluence particularly among millennials and GenZ. We thank the team at Ruark for believing in us and am sure it will be a mutually win-win partnership. With this global launch, Ruark is introduction the below mentioned range of products MR1 MK2, R2 MK4, R3S, R410, RS1 available in India. With starting range INR. 69,000/- upto INR 4,99,000/-

Review: Yamaha TW-E5B

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Price: ₹14,200

Yamaha has experienced, replicated, and engineered probably every sound that can be produced by wind, string, membrane, or any other vibrating surface. A leading manufacturer of audio equipment and easily one of the most recognisable brands in musical instruments, Yamaha traces its origins to a legend surrounding reed organs. And this is the legacy and expectation that their debut line-up of true wireless earbuds tries to live up to. The TW-E5B is the mid-range model in Yamaha’s TWS line-up and joins a crowded and competitive space. 

The Yamaha TW-E5B comes in the largest charging case we have ever seen, and it is certainly not comfortable to be carried in your jeans pocket. The earbuds too are uncomfortably big. To give credits where due, both the case and the buds offer premium build quality. The device carries IPX5 ingress protection rating, making it resistant to water splashes. There is no touch interface, but the physical buttons are quite responsive and offer much better control than most touch sensitive buds. The earbuds have a twist-to-fit design. The fit depends much on the shape of your ear and the size of your ear canal. Yamaha has included four sizes of eartips. Even though I managed to get a good fit, the top-heavy design and the large protruding body made it extremely uncomfortable to wear during my walking and workout, checking the fit often. I also felt the tips were sensitive to temperature changes since the buds were coming loose often while flying onboard chilled aircraft cabins.


The E5B doe not feature active noise cancellation, and hence noise cancelling depends on the fit of the buds. The buds connect with smartphone via the Headphone Control app. Like the earbuds, the app is quite basic. It lets you activate ambient sound mode, gaming mode and Listening care mode. It also provides an equaliser with six presets along with a customisable user setting. Apart from the ambient mode, we did not find much difference in sound by toggling the other settings. The equaliser certainly helps in fine-tuning the sound profile, but with a limited range. The app shows battery status only for the buds and not the case.

Coming to sound, the earbuds offer a more or less balanced sound with emphasis on strong bass, like we Indians prefer, which is enjoyable to most people. However, we felt some overlap in certain instruments like cymbals and high-hats in addition to amplifying the uncomfortable background hum in husky male vocals. The percussion and jazz notes sounded particularly pleasing. The earbuds use 7mm drivers. The E5B does not offer a lot of volume range and hence you could find it restrictive while playing old tracks with low reproduction volume. I found myself playing music at full volume, which Apple Health app found to be around 65 dB. Overall, the experience was quite enjoyable, particularly when the earbuds could afford a proper fit.

The TW-E5B offers Qualcomm cVc (Clear Voice Capture) technology for better voice clarity during calls. The buds support SBC, AAC, and aptX codecs, making it compatible with high-res audio from a wide range of devices. It also supports Siri and Google Assistant. The earbuds provide up to 6 hours of playback time on a single charge and the case holds enough juice for three additional recharges.

<strong>Rating</strong>

WE’RE IMPRESSED Excellent sound quality, IPX5 rating, supports a wide range of codecs, battery life

WE’D IMPROVE Hefty design, the fit is more like a hit-or-miss, software needs much improvement  

THE LAST WORD As a first attempt from Yamaha, the TW-E5B is a decent release. However, it’s a highly competitive space, and others are doing much better.

Review: Sony SRS-XV900

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₹79,990, sony.co.in

Sony’s magic hat never ceases churning out goodies, and 2022 has been particularly trying for us reviewers, thanks to their never-ending series of launches. After exotic flowers and rabbits, the brand has pulled out a massive, ear-shattering party speaker, the SRS-XV900, just in time for the New Year blast.

The SRS-XV900 is a full-size party speaker 88 cm high and weighs 26.6 kg. Like all Sony sound systems, the polycarbonate exterior provides a rugged feel with a matte finish that enhances the premium look. For the ease of moving around this monster speaker, Sony has incorporated two wheels at the back along with a sturdy ring-type handle on top. With this, you can lug the speaker around like a trolley bag without much effort. The touch-responsive control panel on top allows you to control volume, activate Mega Bass, and configure lighting effects. It also includes a Bluetooth button. On the rear are the physical connectors that include a USB port, 3.5 mm audio jack, and optical port for input. The USB port also offers 5V/1.5A DC power output to charge your smartphone. It also offers two karaoke MIC input jacks with individual volume controllers, one of them doubling as a guitar input. There are two buttons, one for switching to guitar mode and the other to activate Battery Care feature. The speaker connects to Sony Music Center app, which provides more than the basic adjustments including an equaliser. Connecting with Fiestable app allows you to access more party features like lighting and karaoke. The device supports SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs.

The SRS-XV900 is designed to deliver omnidirectional sound with an X Balanced main speaker unit aided by six tweeters, making it ideal for large parties. The front tweeter is approximately 50mm in diameter, while the side and read tweeters are approximately 40 mm in diameter each. The midrange speaker is approximately 120 mm in diameter while the woofer is about 320 x 320 mm. The tweeter pairs are positioned at the front, sides, and top for optimal spread. The device offers distortion-free sound even at high volumes. The speaker’s size has been utilised to its full capacity with a jet bass booster at the base providing a large chamber and optimised horn for thumping bass. With Mega Bass feature, this offers earth-shattering lows that do not interfere with other notes or drown the vocals in its reverberation. The speaker offers a Live Sound mode for the best party experience. The XV900 offers a TV Sound Booster feature that provides louder and clearer highs. In this mode, the speaker balances the position of sound to match the TV’s position even with non-central placement. If you are living in a multi-storied apartment, you may not be able to enjoy the speakers beyond 60-70 per cent volume.

The speaker offers a playback time of up to 25 hours on a single charge. It features quick charging feature that provides three hours of playback time with 10 minutes of charging. The device offers a Battery Care mode that prevents overcharging and optimises the charging cycle. The speaker supports Party Connect via Bluetooth pairing, which enhances the possibility of expanding the size of the party even further by connecting with up to 100 compatible Sony Bluetooth speakers.

Rating

WE’RE IMPRESSED Balanced distortion-free sound, high volume with fine control, deep and optimal bass, battery life, castor wheels for transport

WE’D IMPROVE Looks complete from our side

THE LAST WORD This speaker can serve any size of party you can think of and function as your personal TV or multimedia speaker when you are not partying.