The Maxell TT252AU Pedestal Soundbar, is a table-top all-in-one speaker for LED TVs and - at approx Rs 6000 - it costs only a fifth of equivalent products from well-known brands like Bose and Onkyo. After using it, I have to say, it is impressive and strikes the right balance of features, price and quality.
Background & Reasons for buying:
I had already spent 35000 on a LED TV and didn't want to spend a similar amount for an expensive audio. Also didn't want messy wires running across my hall. As such I didn't have major complaints wrt my TV's audio, but wanted to know if adding a budget soundbar could improve the audio experience, especially, while watching movies. The positive online reviews for pedestal/table-top soundbars/speakers left me wondering if I could find a budget model in India.
This is a relatively new concept in India and luckily, I found 1 piece of the Maxell soundbar available in Amazon India and the fact that it had digital connections like HDMI(I have HD set-top box) made the purchase decision a no-brainer.
Features and First impressions:
The speaker is sleek in appearance. tiny LED Indicators and touch-sensitive controls(as opposed to physical buttons) enhance the effect.
It has 3 HDMI-in, 1 HDMI-out, 1 Optical-in, AUX-in and RCA in.(HDMI & Optical cables NOT provided) Internally, it has 2.1ch sound, 4 tweeters and a bass unit and rated at total 70W power. There is also a 2 mode bass-boost(watching movies) and a surround-sound-boost(listening to music)
The TV is supposed to be placed on top of the speaker on the center, and glue-pads are provided to attach the TV stand to the speaker.
The ultra-tiny remote is too sleek for its own good. My 3 yr old, loves to tease me by hiding it in a different place every time. For her, it makes for a much better plaything than a toy phone. Thank God it has a tiny key-hole which enabled me to attach a key-chain to that and hang it on the key-stand.
Setup and Performance:
I am not an expert in audio, but, after connecting HDMI cables and muting TV volume, my first observation was that sound from speaker was deeper *(not louder) * compared to TV's output. Till then I had never had issue with TV audio, but now I felt that, just like the LED screen, the TV audio was also flat. The speaker provides more space, substance, depth to the audio.
Of-course this cannot replace a 5.1 system and even though the sound now feels more real, you can still sense that it comes from a single location. This is normally not an issue, if the speaker is placed, right under the TV, as it is meant to be, but in my case the TV is mounted in the center of the hall, and power outlet was in side-wall, so I had to place the speaker halfway between TV and power outlet. With the TV-volume muted, this resulted in eyes focusing on TV and ears on the speaker. To avoid this distraction, I had to keep the TV audio on at a low level, which is really a shame as I had grown to like the speaker output over the TV output.
One more thing you observe in addition to the audio quality is the volume or the lack of the loudness. Every-time the speaker is powered-off and back-on it goes back to the default-volume output which is not loud enough. This can be irritating, because at this default output level, it is less loud than the normal TV volume output. The first thing I do after switching on the speaker is to maximize output volume. And if you like it really loud then you will have to maximize the input volume also to achieve loud effect.
You also miss the punch in the music, because there is no dedicated external sub-woofer. This is not an issue for me, because I listen to music only occasionally, mostly when driving, (the car speakers are loud) or while going to sleep(soft music). The SRS & Bass boost options dont help much in this scenario.
However clarity of output is excellent, different sounds can be heard clearly and distinctly, and you can enjoy listening to the lyrics/soft-music and dialogue. So it is clear that this device is meant for listening to TV and not to groove to your music collections.
Verdict:
Buying an untested device, from an unknown manufacturer, with very few online reviews is always a huge gamble, but I have to say that it was a calculated risk and the result leaves me rather pleased.
It doesn't shake the room, like my Philips DSP475U https://mouthshut.com/review/Philips-Sound-Bar-DSP475U-review-llruuupptr but neither does it give me a headache like it.
In my opinion the Maxell TT252AU Pedestal sound-bar, while not loud, nails the purpose for which it was designed, i.e as an affordable speaker for full HD flat TVs. And the clarity and depth in audio output, makes it a no-brainer for those who cant afford costlier, branded options which cost as much or more than the TV itself!.
Alternatives
It goes without saying that, If you don't need an all-in-one device then you can purchase a proper 5.1 stereo system and no soundbar can come close to that.
If you need a traditional wall mountable soundbar, the F & D - T 780 W Sound Bar @approx Rs10, 000 seems to be a good option. MouthShut_Official Review is at https://mouthshut.com/product-reviews/F-D-T-780-W-Sound-Bar-reviews-925702894
If you are happy with this design, but need better sound, the CambridgeAudio Minx TV is another good option - @approx=Rs 21000=. If you need additional features like blue-tooth connectivity and panel display - then it would be worth waiting forMaxell MXSB 3000(expected to be launched at double the price of 252 or approx=Rs15000=).
Maxell seems to owned by Hitachi, and if you need a similar product from well-known brands, Bose Solo is available from Bose website for >25K. The Onkyo LS-T10 is available from Amazon's website for >40K. Models from LG, Panasonic, Canton etc are available in markets abroad, but none of them can provide the same value for money as Maxell.
