Music systems are passé, especially when sleek accessories promise to pump up the music! Aabhas Sharma gets you the lowdown on the best buys.
Till the last decade, having a powerful music system was a regular feature in most Indian households. A careful recce would be carried out to pick the ideal music system and then it would be flaunted once the purchase was made. Parties were thrown just to do justice to the system and audio CDs would be bought to get that which was missing in the good ol’ stereo system. But with the invasion of technology and digital explosion in our lives, it has certainly put the boot in to the music system. So what exactly are people tuning in to for their share of music, and what has replaced the as-good-as-defunct music system category? It’s actually quality speakers and headphones that people are spending their money on. And one look at the market and you will find a number of brands selling some excellent stuff.
There’s Bose, for instance, which has a vast range of speakers as well as headphones, which could be plugged into your iPod, or even laptops. Sennheisser is another brand which sells high-end earphones as well as headphones and has some staunch loyalists. Brands like Sony, Philips, Creative, Logitech and Altec Lansing are some of the other names which dominate the category. But which one should you pick?
Check out the offerings from Bose in the headphones category. The brand has two options — active headphones and passive headphones. The active ones — QC3 and QC 2 — come with noise cancellation features and deliver great audio clarity. They are wireless and could be synchronised with your CD player, MP3 player or even with in-flight entertainment. The passive ones, on the other hand, do not cancel noise but still deliver great audio. The QC3 is priced at Rs 21,263 while the QC2 comes for Rs 16,763.
Sennheiser, on the other hand, recently launched three new series of headphones which have some great features and crystal clear sound. For instance, IE series earphones allow the user to fine-tune the bass response according to individual preference. Priced at Rs 19,990, it is one of the most clear ear phones you could pick up. Sennheiser’s IE series has two other models priced at Rs 13,490 and Rs 9,990 respectively.
Bose’s offerings in the earphones segment are equally impressive. They come in three different sizes of ear types which allow a stable fit and are not a pain in the ear! The brand has two offerings in this category, priced at Rs 9,225 and Rs 7,763.
Sony and Philips, meanwhile, have various headphones and earphones available in the market. Sony’s MDR series is a popular choice and offers the noise cancellation feature as well. Available in two colours — black and white — the shape of the headphone is such that it can be folded inward and is priced at Rs 4,495. Sony’s range of headphones and earphones starts from as low Rs 890 and goes up to Rs 9,990.
Speakers, on the other hand, too, are seeing compact models, even ones which could easily fit in your travel bag. Bose’s portable Sound Dock, which allows you to plug in your iPod, is one such offering. Priced at Rs 23,513, it gives great sound clarity and is one of the best selling models of the brand. In th same category, Bose also sells Sound Dock II and Sound Dock Classic, which are priced at Rs 17,888 and Rs 14, 513 respectively.
Altec Lansing is another brand which offers docks to listen to music through your iPod. There are two variants available: T612 and Imotion Max, priced at around Rs 12,000.
However, when it comes to speakers, the floor ones — more compatible with home theatres — are sleek, stylish and expensive. Speakers from brands like Dali, Bang and Olufsen come in the price range of Rs 20,000-7 lakh. But then again, these are recommended for home theatres, which is why the heavy price tag. While you may not want to flaunt these speakers or headphones like you would the music system, these products and accessories offer much clearer sound ability, and the best part is that they don’t take up much space. So if you still have a music system gathering dust and occupying unnecessary space, it’s time to get rid of it and pick up something sleeker and more compact.
