Prime Options
Massive bassy sound
Engaging compact design
Light-weight
The notorious ephemeral rap-rockers Limp Bizkit’s observe ‘My Era’ — launched the yr that ushered within the new millennium — spoke a couple of dissatisfied younger technology that doesn’t care concerning the world’s opinions about it. Nevertheless it cared about music that drove it and gave an expression to its angst. Reduce to 2018, that technology might need been changed with a brand new one, however the spirit stays basically the identical. It cares concerning the music it listens to, the escape it gives and the desires it sows. And audio system are one thing that give a music buff the ability to faucet into the world of music and reside it vicariously, from studio recordings to reside performances. Xander Audios have launched the subsequent of their collection of idea multimedia audio system — the Stealth-2 XA-339 — at a price ticket of Rs 9,999. The Stealth-2 XA-339 is the successor to the Stealth XA-333 that got here with a price-point of Rs 8,999. Did the speaker unit fare effectively on our exams? Right here is our assessment of this audio gadget.
Design
The XA-339 is a one-channel (1.0 CH) multimedia or Mini-HiFi speaker system. It consists of 1 single 6.5” subwoofer unit within the centre and two 3” satellite tv for pc items on both aspect of the subwoofer, all three packed right into a single subwoofer cupboard. So, basically, it’s a 2.1 channel set-up bundled into an all-in-one, compact unit. The construct is a plastic one and the speaker unit doesn’t really feel that heavy regardless of its measurement. It may be lifted simply with each fingers. As a result of common construct high quality, the speaker unit is liable to some injury if it falls. Although the speaker is extra on the lighter aspect, a carrying strap of leather-based or material with the speaker unit would have been appreciated as it will have been an excellent assist in lugging it round. Nevertheless, there isn’t a such provision of a carrying strap.
The XA-339 might are available a plastic physique however its trendy appears proclaim it to be a music system. The catchy appears are additional accentuated by the built-in mixture of vibrant neon lights: lights that blink in accordance with the kind of music you placed on the audio system.
The size of the speaker unit are 550 x 215 x 309mm (W x H x D). The frequency response vary for the subwoofer is 20Hz to 170Hz and that of the satellites is 120Hz to 20KHz. The RMS energy or the imply energy is 120 watts which signifies that the speaker can deal with a steady stream of an influence of 120 watts from the built-in audio amplifier.
The speaker bundle contained a subwoofer cupboard, a distant management, an audio enter twine (AUX cable), an FM antenna and a consumer guide.
On the roof of the unit, there’s a USB enter and an SD card enter on the appropriate. On the again, on the rear panel, there’s an AUX enter, a DVD enter, a gap for the antenna and the AC enter. The AUX and the antenna cables have been supplied with the bundle. On the rightmost nook of the entrance panel, an array of buttons has been housed into the unit. These are the buttons for standby/play/pause, supply, tuning+/subsequent, tuning-/earlier, quantity+ and volume-.
The distant management is fabricated from plastic and requires two AAA batteries to operate. The batteries didn’t include the bundle.
The XA-339 comes with these music enter modes- AUX, DVD, USB, SD, FM and BT(Bluetooth). By way of the AUX or DVD enter, the speaker could be related to sound sources like a pc, CD participant, MP3, smartphones and so forth.
Efficiency
The XA-339 has been launched into the market with Bass Reflex know-how ‘for enormous sound’. Nicely, the sound is certainly enormous for an average-sized room of 11 x 12 x 13 ft (L x B x H). It could additionally handle to rock out a small corridor effectively however solely at full quantity on the related gadget and the speaker each. Nevertheless, it doesn’t have encompass sound.
The speaker could be stored in each horizontal and vertical place as per your selection.
There isn’t any approach of understanding the amount degree at which a observe is taking part in as there isn’t a separate volume-bar show on the speaker. We might have appreciated a neon show for quantity ranges too.
Trendy-day audio know-how is seeing a shift in direction of wi-fi connectivity from wired connections like different applied sciences. Whereas audiophiles have been scoffing on the concept of wi-fi medium conveying a richer audio expertise than the wired one, the longer term is wi-fi. Taking into account the development in Bluetooth know-how through the years, the unstated change to expectations of a speaker that performs effectively with wi-fi know-how has already been made by the customers at some degree.
Within the case of the XA-339, the speaker performs finest when related with an AUX cable. That doesn’t imply it doesn’t sound effectively on Bluetooth. It delivers a ‘sound’ sound efficiency on Bluetooth too however doesn’t carry out at its finest due to its Bluetooth-connectivity points.
The Bluetooth pairing with smartphones and laptop computer was easy sufficient. We examined the gadget connectivity by inserting the audio system in a room and in a corridor after which checking the vary.
We encountered connectivity points with the XA-339, with the Bluetooth connection breaking off at times if the related laptop computer or cell went exterior the vary of 15 ft, i.e. 4.57 meters.
The XA-339 provides a loud and wealthy sound output with Bluetooth too, however solely if you flip up the amount of the gadget that you’re utilizing — like a laptop computer or a smartphone — very excessive, close to most or most.
Distortion does set in at greater volumes, and the XA-339 appeared to lose management when stored in a vertical place, turning at its place nearly 45 levels after about quarter-hour of repeatedly being performed at very excessive volumes, each on the related gadget and the audio system.
It did full justice to bass-driven dance tracks like Ella Henderson’s ‘Right here For You’, Kygo’s ‘Firestone’ and the like.
Switching to Basic Rock after which Grunge, we placed on 320kbps MP3 information of classics like Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’, the Fab 4’s ‘Whereas My Guitar Gently Weeps’, Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and extra. The speaker gave an aggressive and detailed music output with a barely pointless further bass by which, regardless of the bassy output, we might hear the tiny particulars of the tracks and distinguish them from the excessive notes.
The speaker was in a position to deal with high-quality 1411kbps WAV information of Metallica and FLAC information of Oasis effectively. It didn’t give a superb audio expertise with information under 320kbps like ones with 256kbps and 144kbps. Enjoying a track by a YouTube video didn’t sound distinctive.
Of all of the musical genres that we put it to check with, Digital and Pop handed with flying colors. Additionally, any bass-driven observe.
The “Tremendous Heavy Dragon Bass”, as marketed by Xander, is certainly heavy and may spit out a sound that would rock a small corridor with ease. The bass is stellar for essentially the most half, essentially the most definitive side of the XA-339 and is the driving drive of the speaker unit nevertheless it additionally overshadows, superimposes, weakens or typically even drowns out the highs and mids with completely different music genres, thus tipping the steadiness between the treble (highs), mids and bass (lows) extra in direction of the lows and infusing a thumpy and boomy sound into tracks the place it’s not wanted. The quantity buttons on the entrance panel enhance or lower the general sound and to regulate the bass or treble ranges as per your requirement, you would need to faucet the ‘treble’ or ‘bass’ buttons on the distant after which enhance or lower both of the treble or bass ranges by the amount rocker buttons.
Individuals who wish to get rid of the bass from some track as a result of they really feel that it’s extraneous and never wanted and nonetheless want for a loud music output that can also be wealthy and balanced on this speaker might encounter some difficulties. Suppose you want to decrease and even get rid of the bass for the observe after which do it with the assistance of Vol- button, then it can wipe out the bass from the observe however it can additionally lower the general quantity. Should you want to enhance the amount with out growing the bass, you’d both must up the treble by the distant that will offer you a sound stripped-off the bass or go to the speaker unit and enhance the sound manually from the entrance panel which might then enhance the general sound that features a rise in bass too. So, if you want your observe to be free from bass typically, you might be by no means satisfactorily free from it.
The acoustic and the instrumental tracks sound heavenly on the speaker. It manages to play effectively high-quality studio album tracks additionally.
Enjoying information by USB and SD card labored effectively with none glitches. Navigating by the FM radio channels was simple sufficient, although we felt the necessity for a radio-frequency show panel to know which channel was taking part in. It was a trouble switching the frequencies by 0.1MHz by the tuning buttons each time. Watching a movie on this speaker was a pleasant expertise, with the speaker set dealing with the background themes and sounds effectively.
The neon-lights look particularly pleasing at evening.
There are another cons too other than no carrying strap, absence of show panels for quantity and FM radio, the Bluetooth-connectivity problem and distortion at excessive volumes. This speaker can’t work with out an exterior energy supply and wishes a continuing energy supply for output. There aren’t any rechargeable batteries as in at this time’s Bluetooth-enabled audio system. As such, in case of a power-cut, you’ll have to wait it out for the ability.
Though it’s lightweight for its measurement, it can’t be precisely referred to as a conveyable system since it’s a giant unit and to exacerbate the scenario, it comes and not using a carrying strap.
Verdict
The Stealth-2 XA-339 speaker is well-suited for single rooms and small halls, and in case your playlist consists of tracks which have a bit-rate of 320kbps or above, it performs admirably. The plastic build-quality of the audio system, although makes them lightweight and near-robust total, will not be that sturdy and they’re inclined to break. It comes with each wired and wi-fi connectivity however is completely dependent upon an exterior energy supply. There have been some wi-fi connectivity points too. Rock and metallic music followers will not be totally happy with it however if you happen to occur to be a celebration animal who loves and lives digital dance music and all of the sub-genres it is available in like Home, Electro, Dubstep and so forth or your music style includes listening to loads of pop, instrumental and acoustic tracks, or music from the Indian movie trade, then the XA-339 will float your boat. And rock it too, within the literal sense of the earlier figurative one.
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