T3 India

Music

The return of Sony Walkman, but now with Android

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With a mix of new-age tech and nostalgia, the latest Sony NW-A105 Android Walkman is here to build on its predecessors to change the way people listen to music on the go. It comes with a 3.6-inch HD touchscreen display and a 26-hour battery life. The NW-A105 runs on Android 9.0 and has a built-in 16GB memory which is expandable up to 128GB.

The NW-A105 is built around Sony’s promise to deliver a high-quality audio experience like the iconic Walkman Series. The NW-A105 features Hi-Res Audio support like DSD and FLAC to enhance the joy of listening to studio-quality sound and even common MP3, WAV, WMA formats.

The new Walkman also features the S-Master HX digital amplifier that helps deliverING high-res audio with reduced noise and distortion, enabling listeners to enjoy the subtleties of any song. It also enables users to connect to Wi-Fi to stream music. The NW-A105 supports Bluetooth and Near-Field Communication (NFC) that allows to connect to nearby devices seamlessly.

Priced at Rs. 23,990, the Walkman NW-A105 is equipped with a USB Type-C port for fast charging. The NW-A105 is available in black colour and will be available at Sony Centers, major electronic stores and e-commerce websites from January 24, 2020.

Saregama launches Carvaan GX01 earphones

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Saregama’s Carvaan range consists of audio products that allows users to enjoy retro Bollywood songs without having to search for them across various sources.

However, the new line of product is a little different. Pitched as an “extension” of the Carvaan brand, the GX01 is the first Carvaan branded earphones.

Priced at Rs. 1,599, the 3.5mm earphones feature 14.2mm drivers to deliver Carvaan’s signature sound an enhanced bass. The earphones also feature angled buds for a better fit, in-line mic for calls and audio control.

We are thrilled to enter into a completely new retail category, which cuts across all generations and age groups. This will be a great brand extension, allowing the brand Carvaan to become relevant to younger age groups also. The product will be retailed from Carvaan’s existing 32k strong retail network.

Vikram Mehra, Managing Director, Saregama India

Carvaan GX01 is now available on the Saregama website and in retail stores.

Review: Hifiman TWS600

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Smartphone companies have started moving towards a 3.5mm headphone jack-free future, that has led to a surge in the sales of wireless earphones and smartphones. One particular sub-category that has grown exponentially, is the true wireless earphone category. Here at T3 India, we have seen our fair share of true wireless earphones at varying price points and the new one to join the fray is Hifiman’s TWS600.

Unlike the AirPods, the Hifiman TWS600 does not have a stem, which means it sits just like you’d have an earbud but it’s a tad larger than a regular earbud. The TWS600 is a blend of silver and translucent body with an action button to control media playback, volume and voice assistant. The idea to integrate a button is good but loses its importance once you realise pressing it actually pushes the TWS600 deep inside the ear canal. The earbuds are also IPX4 rated that gives it some resistance against dust and water. While we are fine with Hifiman’s approach to the earbuds’ design, we didn’t like how they designed the carry case. 

The egg-shaped case matches the listening unit’s silver colour but using as our daily driver, we found the case to get scratched easily, even when kept in a bag. It’s a flip-out style case with a rubberised bottom surface for better grip on the surface and USB Type-C port at the back, adjacent to the hinge. Another thing missing is the battery indicator on the case, which means there’s no way of knowing the remaining battery life until you actually open the case. The ridge to open the case is small that makes it difficult to flip the case open with one hand. It may look like we are nitpicking here but it is something to take a look at considering it competes with the Apple AirPods and the ilk in the same price range. However, things get better once you open the case. The battery LED indicator is placed right in the middle with a docking area for the earbuds that start charging automatically, once they are adjusted to their correct position with the help of the integrated magnet.

Hifiman bundles a number of eartips to give you the perfect fit and after using it for weeks, we can safely say, the TWS600 have an excellent fit. You can use them during a run or a workout without any issues. The fit also helps with noise isolation, making it a good commuting companion. 

As far as audio quality is concerned, the TWS600 does not disappoint. The audio is crisp with great-sounding mids and highs but underwhelming bass. The built-in mic performance is decent but the main highlight is the battery life that gives around 30-32 hours of listening time with a fully charged case. The TWS600 also touts long-range Bluetooth connectivity and while we couldn’t get the promised 150m (that depends on multiple factors), it was certainly better than other devices. 

PRICE Rs. 11,999
RATING 4/5
WE’RE IMPRESSED Audio performance, battery life
WE’D IMPROVE Charging case
THE LAST WORD TWS600 is one of the better sounding true wireless earphones with a good battery life and wireless range

SONY SRS-XB402M: Extra Bass combined with Alexa Smartness

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Portable speakers are dime a dozen but the Sony SRS-XB402M is a cut above the rest. Packed within it are all the features you could ever ask for and more. Don’t just take our word for it, read on and see how.

Alexa inside
Amazon Alexa has been deeply integrated so now you can use your voice to perform a plethora of tasks. Be it playing a particular track, cranking up the volume, checking the traffic or heck, the weather – all this is possible without the press of a single button.

Battery galore
A full charge delivers a solid 12 hours of battery life whereas turning Extra Bass mode on gives 11 hours. It also remains on standby for an ample amount of time so you can easily resume from where you left. While some Alexa speakers don’t even run without a dedicated power cable, you can top SRS-XB402M up with the bundled AC adapter or MicroUSB cable.

Live in the moment
Now feel as if you’re right in the middle of a concert with Live Sound. Turning it on adds a unique three-dimensional experience that outputs the audio in a way giving them that special “live” touch.

Bass to the max
Get that added punch in your sound with Extra Bass turned on. The lower frequencies are enhanced and powerful sound pressure is distributed across a wider area bringing bass lines front and center. Never miss even a
single beat.

The party is LIT
Brighten your party with built-in lights comprising a flashing strobe and multicolour line lights that perfectly sync to the currently playing music.
This can be configured to illuminate in a large number of cool and futuristic patterns. Every room is a disco with SRS-XB402M!

Always in control
Be in full control of the experience with Sony Music Center app available on Android and iOS. An intuitive and responsive interface lets you queue songs, change lighting patterns, sound modes, select playlists with the list going on and on.

Complete IP67 Protection
Toughness and durability are assured in the SRS-XB402M given the IP67 rating. It can survive getting immersed in water up to 1m for 30 minutes and being rustproof, even seawater won’t damage it. It can also block dust so will fare excellent in any sandy environment as well. What’s more, it is shockproof and conforms to MIL-STD 810G testing standard and thus a small drop is nothing!

Supreme Connectivity
Pair seamlessly with your smartphone via Bluetooth upto a maximum distance of 30m and start streaming your collection in a jiffy. After connecting with Wi-Fi unleash Alexa or access a variety of streaming services and bask in aural delight.

Thoughtfully designed
The looks aren’t just for show with each and every design choice having a specific purpose. The revamped front grille has slanting holes that allow for more sound to escape while the rounded shape evenly distributes vibration to decrease interference and lower distortion.

TOP 11 TO 20 BOLLYWOOD SOUNDTRACKS

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We continue our review of TOP Bollywood soundtracks and, in this issue, look at number 11 to 20.

Words: H. S. Billimoria

11) JIS DESH MEIN GANGA BEHTI HAI
When Raj Kapoor narrated the story of ‘Jis Desh mein….’ to Shankar, the music director felt that the subject had very little scope for music. Raj felt otherwise and worked hard to extract a superlative musical score from Shankar Jaikishan. The music of ‘Jis Desh mein…’ is rooted in the soil of Northern & Central India and is very ethnic. The title song is almost like an anthem and the lyrics are good enough to make every Indian proud. ‘Mera naam raju’, ‘O Basanti’ and ‘Aa ab laut chalen’ are all tremendous tracks. ‘Begaani shaadi mein…’ is still played at every wedding. Never did a dacoit story carry such a superlative score.

12) AASHIQUI 2
Aashiqui 2 followed in the footsteps of Aashiqui and what followed was a superlative, intoxicating album. Aashiqui 2 had several music directors but this did not affect the overall quality of the score. Mithun Sharma, Jeet Ganguly and Ankit Tiwari provided the best they could and Arijit Singh gave the songs extra pathos. Numbers to remember include ‘Sun raha hai tu’, ‘Chahu main ya na’ , and ‘Bhula Dena’ are all heart wrenching, unforgettable numbers.




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13) MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR
Prakash Mehra was a Kalyanji Anandji loyalist and with ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’ Kalyanji Anandji were at their best. Having megastar Amitabh Bachchan perform to their songs also helped. ‘Rote hue’, ‘O saathi re’, ‘Salaam e ishq’ and ‘Pyar zindagi hain’ rocked the charts and gave KA’s career a fresh lease of life. Clearly, Kalyanji Anandji’s best effort.

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14) DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE
The Yash Chopra banner had experimented with several music directors. Laxmikant Pyarelal, Khayyam, Shiv Hari and Rajesh Roshan come to mind. Jatin Lalit came in for ‘Dulhaniya…..’ and as they say, the rest is history. To be fair, the mega success of the film also boosted the music. For Shahrukh Khan & Kajol, DDLJ was a milestone film. Jatin Lalit have never done better. ‘Tujhe dekha to’, ‘Ruk ja O dil diwane’ , ‘Mere khwabon mein’ and ‘Ho gaya hai tujhko’ are all racy, romantic numbers and the lead stars have given the songs an extra punch.

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15) MADHUMATI
This Dilip Kumar – Vyjayantimala starrer was a whodunit. The music by Salil Chowdhury was his best ever. ‘Aaja re’ became the most popular ‘haunted’ song. Other songs were also very popular. ‘Suhana safar’, ‘Toote hue khwabon’, and ‘Dil tadap tadap ke’ are all immortal numbers. Lyricist Shailendra combined excellently with Salil Chowdhury for this 1958 album.




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16) NAMAK HALAAL
When Satyan Pal Chowdhury teamed up with Prakash Mehra, Bappi Lahiri came in as the music director. Both Namak Halaal and Sharaabi became mega hits. We prefer ‘Namak Halaal’ because it was a far more original effort than Bhappi’s ‘Disco Dancer’ or ‘Sharaabi’. ‘Pag ghungroo bandh’ is perhaps the best ‘fusion’ dance song ever! Bachchan’s performance in the song is also mind blowing. ‘Raat Baaki’ sounds fresh even today and ‘Jawaani jaaneman’ sees Asha at her vocal best.

17) SANGAM
Raj Kapoor’s magnum opus was a huge box office hit aided in ample measure by Shankar Jaikishan’s music. ‘Mere man ki ganga’, ‘Dost dost na raha’ and ‘Yeh mera prem patra’ were chartbusters. ‘Main ka karoon Ram’ saw Lata in a different avatar. In spite of superlative music, ‘Sangam’ did not win the Filmfare Award for Best Music. Industry politics swung the award in favour of ‘Dosti’, the musical score for which was markedly inferior and hardly remembered today.

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18) JULIE
Rajesh Roshan stepped into the industry shortly after the death of Jaikishan. He came in like a breadth of fresh air. ‘Julie’ with no star cast worth the name became a box office hit thanks to Roshan’s music. ‘Bhool gaya sab kuchh’, ‘Yeh raatein’ and ‘Dil kya kare’ remain evergreen even today. The initial years of Rajesh Roshan saw a pathos in his music which generated instant appeal. This gives the music everlasting appeal.

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19) SAAJAN
Fresh from the success of Aashiqui, Nadeem Shravan scored another mega hit with ‘Saajan’. The infectious beat of ‘Dekha hai pehli baar’ saw it top the charts. ‘Bahut pyar karte hain’, ‘Mera dil bhi kitna paagal’ and ‘Tumse milne ki tamanna’ also hit the bull’s eye. Nadeem Shravan could do no wrong.







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20) MILAN
This Sunil Dutt – Nutan film was a sad love story with Laxmikant Pyarelal giving the music.L V Prasad, who produced the movie, had switched over from Shankar Jaikishan and LP had to deliver. Lata and Mukesh did the playback and LP excelled with their tunes. ‘Sawan ka mahina’, ‘Hum tum yug yug se’ and ‘Main to deewana, were huge hits. Milan is easily Laxmikant Pyarelal’s top score. We wish it were more popular even today.