Sonodyne is an Indian audio producer that has been round for over 50 years, and whereas it often caters to fanatics, its newest merchandise are aimed toward a wider viewers. The Malhar joins Alaap, Antara, and Bandish, and it’s the strongest wi-fi speaker Sonodyne has to supply.
I used dozens of Bluetooth audio system over the course of the final decade, together with transportable choices just like the Tribit StormBox 2 and the outsized StormBox Blast, or greater models that are supposed to be plugged in, like Trettitre’s distinctive TreSound 1 or the Marshall Stanmore. In reality, I used the Stanmore repeatedly for practically a decade now, and it has served me very effectively.
The Malhar is in the identical class because the Stanmore in that it must be related to a wall outlet. That’s comprehensible when you think about that the speaker produces 180W of sound, and it’s even bigger than the Stanmore. The Malhar debuted at ₹37,500 ($445) again in 2022, and it’s now out there for ₹31,999 ($380) on Amazon India — which is lower than what you’d shell out for the Stanmore III.
The speaker has a particular design, and the chassis is made out of MDF — giving it rigidity — and completed in a shiny coat. I’m not an enormous fan of shiny designs basically, however the Malhar appears to be like good in its personal proper, and the construct high quality is beautiful. There aren’t any rounded edges, however the blocky design works within the speaker’s favor, and the sizing offers it a domineering presence.
You’ll discover the ability and quantity buttons on the high of the unit, and you’ll swap between 3.5mm in, USB, optical, or Bluetooth modes with relative ease. The buttons are on the smaller aspect, and fiddly to make use of. Thankfully, the Malhar has an IR sensor positioned up entrance, and also you get a distant bundled within the bundle. This is how I managed the speaker within the month I used it.
The distant helps you to management music playback, change connectivity modes, alter quantity, and it has a mute button. Rounding out the connectivity, the optical, 3.5mm in, and USB ports are positioned on the again, and there is a secondary USB-A port that delivers 5W of energy. Coming in at 8kg (17.6lb), the Malhar is significantly heavier than the Stanmore III as effectively (5.4kg (11.9lb)). This is not a speaker you possibly can simply carry round; it is as an alternative to be positioned in a single location.
Sonodyne sells the Malhar in white, black, crimson, and pure wood variants, and I bought the black model of the unit. If something, the black model does a disservice to the Malhar, making it look somewhat uninteresting; in the event you’re within the speaker, you must get it in white or crimson. Given the shiny end, the speaker picks up a variety of mud, and it’s simply seen on the black variant.
There’s a steel grille masking the woofer and tweeter models, and it provides a little bit of distinction to the design — in the event you’re getting the white mannequin. Like all different Sonodyne merchandise, the Malhar is designed and manufactured in India. The Sonodyne emblem is highlighted on the entrance, and the way in which the brand is written is paying homage to sure dental model, and it is amusing.
Coming to the sound, the Malhar has two 5-inch woofers, two 1-inch silk-dome tweeters, and twin 5-inch passive radiators positioned on the edges. The speaker makes use of a Class D amp, and it goes as much as 180W. I related the Malhar to my Pixel 9 Pro XL and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and I did not see any issues with Bluetooth connectivity — it maintained a rock-solid sign.
Interestingly, the Bluetooth pairing sound must be instantly acquainted in the event you’ve taken a practice in India; Sonodyne put in the PA techniques in a number of Indian railway stations, and the Malhar makes use of the identical jingle whenever you join a cellphone to the unit.
The sound high quality is nothing in need of phenomenal; the Malhar produces a reverberating bass with loads of vigor, however it’s managed, and would not bleed into the mid-range. The mids are pure and clear-sounding, and vocals shine by. The treble has glorious vary, and that is the place the Malhar stands out in opposition to its rivals.
Sonodyne clearly is aware of what it is doing with regards to tuning its audio system; the Malhar is simply as succesful at dealing with orchestral ensembles as it’s at heavy steel — and every little thing in between. I used the speaker for dozens of hours, alternating between RATM, Ghost, Nightwish, Batushka, Thylacine, Daft Punk, Com Truise, and Miles Davis. The Malhar had no bother with any style, and it has a particular edge over the Stanmore on this regard.
The solely omission (because it had been) is that you aren’t getting the choice to regulate the EQ. This is not strictly obligatory as Sonodyne did a masterful job with the tuning of the Malhar, however there have been cases the place I wished to crank up the bass a bit, and that is not doable. I always alter the dials on the Stanmore to tailor the sound to my preferences, however there is not a approach to do the identical right here.
That stated, there is a vibrancy to the sound that you simply simply do not get with different Bluetooth audio system, and it’s addictive. Ultimately, the Malhar is among the finest — if not one of the best total — Bluetooth speaker I’ve used, and the truth that it would not price greater than the Stanmore makes it an prompt suggestion.
The Malhar appears to be like nice, is constructed to final, and it sounds higher than another Bluetooth speaker I used up so far. If you are in India and need a house speaker, you must simply choose this up.
