Soundbars are making quite the buzz in India. With Smart TVs with 4K resolution out there, more and more homeowners are looking at creating some of the most classic and minimal looks in the house. So, soundbars are becoming part and parcel of the household electronics that one would buy. There are several reasons why one goes for a soundbar, and looks for the best soundbar in India.
Why buying a soundbar makes sense?
A soundbar is one of the most compact electronic devices. They are small enough for one to carry them around if the need arises. The soundbar also makes sense because you won’t need to play around with the wires to connect the soundbar to the computer.
Most soundbars have just one AUX wire that connects to your device, and there’s Bluetooth connectivity. The best part of the soundbar is that it’s a single device – unless you buy one with a sub-woofer. So, there are fewer parts that can stop working.
When soundbars first came to the market, one couldn’t trust the companies that developed them and the ones that they could have exorbitant rates for their products. But since the past year, several low-cost soundbars have made their way to the market.
There are several reasons why one would opt for a soundbar. To begin with, they are a single device – so you mostly don’t need to bother about various wires and attachments. Secondly, they no longer have proprietary wires, so you don’t need to hunt around for the premium costing wires if you ever lose or break a wire that connects the device. The device might connect to various others via Bluetooth or Wifi, but it still needs an electric cord to connect to the electrical point.
What should you look for while buying best soundbar in India?
A soundbar today has several features and settings that make your digital life easy. To begin with, make sure that the soundbar has sound settings on the device, which will ensure that you don’t have to look for your phone or laptop if you have a sudden need to change the volume or pause the music.
Also, make sure that the soundbar connects to your laptop or mobile device via Bluetooth. Some modern soundbars will connect to any device via the Wifi network.
Another aspect that you would need to check is the devices you can attach – not connect – to the soundbar. For example, you would need to attach a memory card or a USB drive – because you don’t have the songs you want to play on a mobile or a laptop device.
Last but not least is the warranty. Some soundbar companies will offer you the replacement, while some will offer to repair. Some would have you come to come to their store, while others, doorstep service. You will need to check which one is which.
Before buying one, you will also need to decide your exact need. While some soundbars are portable, others are not. Decide the acoustic requirements. For example, some soundbars are perfect for light use as laptop speakers, and others are more inclined towards playing soulful music for the whole room.
Also, make sure that you plan the budget for your latest digital buy. Some headliner companies offer soundbars for up to 15000 rupees, while others start with about 1500 rupees. Each of these models has its positives and negatives, so you will need to check which one suits your requirement.
Where to buy the Best Soundbar in India
There’s always e-commerce. With the sales and quick turnaround times, buying a soundbar on any of the websites make sense. But if you are looking to try out soundbars, you can also visit your local electronics store and look at the various local brands that might be available only in your area. With this, even if the product isn’t up to the mark, you have spent only a minimal amount. Here’s a list of the top soundbars in India
Sennheiser Ambeo
Sennheiser is a trusted name in the world of audio, and their soundbars are the ultimate when it comes to sound quality. It has a bold claim with the Ambeo – that it will replace the 5.1 set-ups that we typically see in the house. Of course, the claim has tech and hardware backing it, so be ready for some rich, quality sound when you buy this one.
The Ambeo has an inbuilt Chromecast, so you have the freedom to play the music that you want without fiddling around for a remote, as long as you are okay with playing music from an online source. The Ambeo has Bluetooth connectivity and has four HDMI ports, making it easy to connect the soundbox to all streaming devices you have in the house, one of the hallmarks of the best soundbar in India.
LG Soundbar SN10YG
The LG Soundbar SN10YG is a perfect addition to this list. At the price that it’s available, it supports 4K and also offers Dolby Vision. The LG Soundbar has an inbuilt Google Assistant and Bluetooth connectivity. Along with it, it has two HDMI ports with a 4K pass through. The other connections available are Wifi and one eARC HDMI port. The soundbar imitates surround effects due to the unique placing of the speakers, which makes it pretty near the list of the best Soundbar in India.
These are the soundbars available in the market with almost prohibitive prices, ranging to even a lakh. However, several sub-brands offer soundbars at entry-level prices, allowing you to experience using and owning a soundbar. The entry-level soundbars might not have options like a subwoofer and connectivity features like Bluetooth, Wifi, etc.
If you plan to buy any of the models listed below, don’t expect earth-shattering quality. These will mostly be perfect for the laptop or the home tv and get sparsely better audio quality than the speakers of the laptop or the tv. With TVs becoming slimmer, many brands are cutting corners when it comes to adding speakers. So, a soundbar or another audio solution is becoming important, if not compulsory. Also, most of these do not have advanced features like Chromecast and Alexa.
TCL TS3015
Don’t be surprised if you see TCL as one of the big brands at the local electronics shop. TCL has a winner with the Iffalcon model that’s giving incredible experiences to first-time buyers of 4K and Smart TVs. The company has its TCL TS3015, which it says gives theatre-like quality right in the comforts of your home. The TCL TS3015 is a 2.1 speaker system, which means it has a woofer attached. The soundbar offers Bluetooth and AUX connectivity. At 180W, the TCL soundbar offers the highest sound wattage in this list, making it the best soundbar in India.
Blaupunkt 100W SBA
And if you are looking for a monster among music devices, opt for the Blaupunkt 100W SBA, which gives one of the highest volume options in this list. The soundbar has excellent sound, sharp and crisp when you want it and all bassy when the requirement arises. Blaupunkt goes old school with this, and you have the option to connect via USB, AUX and Bluetooth. The Blaupunkt could have been a better product if it were to have inbuilt Google Chromecast or Alexa, it would become the best soundbar in India.
Here’s that list:
Boat Aavante
Boat is one of the fastest-growing brands in India. In just a couple of years, they dominate the market of audio electronics, starting from earphones to speakers. And the Boat Aavante is the model that punches above its weight with great ease. The design here is fantastic and sleek enough for you to think of buying it right off the bat.
The Boat Avante is a 60W soundbar. Boat caters to an audience who want it all at the lowest price possible, and the proof is the remote control. It’s 2.0 and has a Bluetooth connection. You can also connect a pen drive via USB.
If you know how the iBall brand conquered the computer and audio peripheral market in the early nineties, you will agree that Boat is going down the same route with its products. We see Boat product placements everywhere, even in the most exciting of music videos. Boat has an immense presence in the headphones market and the addiiton of its soundbar product is just an organic growth of the company and the brand.
Portronics Pure Sound Pro III
Portronics is another brand catering to the younger market, and its products have aggressive prices. The Pure Sound Pro III is one of the more portable soundbars on this list. It has a variety of features that makes it a complete entertainment device, including FM Radio. It has 10 watts of power, which makes it perfect for smaller rooms and homes. Most of the sub-brands will not be able to give you the playing power to fill up more than the hall in your house.
Amkette Boomer
Amkette has been in India for a while, and the nineties kids will remember this brand for their floppies. However, that’s not the only product that the company sells. It used to sell radios, and it also sells speaker soundbars. The Amkette Boomer is ten watts soundbar and has an integrated subwoofer. The Boomer offers Bluetooth and USB connectivity, apart from the usual USB connection.
Mi Soundbar
Mi is a formidable name in the Indian market today. It has an all-encompassing footprint in the electronics market today. One of their most inventive products is the Mi Soundbar, with eight-speaker drivers, promising an excellent bang for the buck. The soundbar is available in white and black and is the only model that’s available in white. The Bluetooth soundbar offers connectivity through Bluetooth and AUX. Mi is famous in the market for great products at affordable prices.
FD E200 Soundbar
FD has been in the Indian market for a while now. The company is popular among the sub-brands, and their computer and 2.1 speakers were visible in every house. Now, their soundbars share the same popularity. The FD E200 Soundbar is 2.0 and has 3W output, making it a good enough addition to watching tv at home or attaching to a laptop as a secondary speaker system. FD has been around in the market for a while, it’s only that the supermarkets didn’t stock this product – but those who did sold it aggressively. FD was one of the first models -apart from the expensive ones – to have a hardware audio volume button on their products.
Fingers
Fingers is a relatively new brand in the market but gaining a foothold in the suburban market. The soundbar is aggressively priced and is the perfect companion for your laptop or TV for home viewing. The Fingers model is available for under 1000 rupees. It doesn’t have connectivity options like USB, Bluetooth and Wifi. All it does is offer an AUX connection that connects it to your laptop and TV. The model has a 2.0 speaker system.
Currently, there aren’t many mainstream shops or franchsies that are stocking Fingers, but you can always find them online. The products also have a year’s warranty and are available at an affordable price.
Another addition to this list is the Iball soundbars. Though they are not available with every offline seller, their aggressively priced models give Fingers and Amkette a run for their money. The iBall model is the only one with an inbuilt timer and alarm clock setting, making it the perfect companion for the young crowd. The iBall products are immensely popular in India. In the early 2000s, they were the leaders in the audio peripheral market, even with foreign companies like Creative and HP ruled the market. Today, iBall has a considerable share in the computer peripheral market, including bluetooth speakers and in-ear speaking devices.
Another fun brand is the Zebronics one, which offers a unique aspect in their soundbars. You can either join them together as a soundbar or keep them apart, like typical desktop speakers. They also have dynamic lighting, making them somewhat of a party speaker. However, their firepower is not much.
To Sum Up
These are the top Soundbars in India that are worth a buy. While the top listed are worth more than a lakh, you can always go for the sub-brands like Amkette, Fingers and Portronics to experience the magic of a soundbar and then go ahead and take a plunge into the world of wireless audio. Keep in mind, the cheaper the soundbar, the lesser features it will have.
For example, the Fingers model doesn’t have a remote and has no connectivity options. Apart from the AUX, it doesn’t even have USB connectivity. But with mobile phones now sporting an AUX cable, it can become a mobile speaker that’s ultra-portable because it’s pretty compact. In some cases, you might not find the specific product in the supermarkets or the electronic store, so you might need to look around for them with the online retail websites.
Final Note about Best Soundbar in India
There is a misconception that the soundbars do not have the audio quality of the traditional speakers. Soundbars are basically the same technology and hardware, but engineers have made a breakthrough to add all of them in a compact body. This makes it possible to get the same sound quality but in a compact model, therefore taking care of the quality aspect as well as the aspect of space saving and looks around the house.
There are several options for you if you are looking to buy a soundbar in India today. You can walk to the nearest electronics store or even buy them online. With the festival season right around the corner, there will be some deals on soundbars as well. Also, nowadays, social marketing has become the latest buzz. You will see several e-retailers advertising their product on social media platforms, and they offer some deals on the sub-brands and the upcoming brands. So, keep an eye out for these deals, and you might save a considerable amount on your soundbar purchase.
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