Studio19 London: A 'sound' proposition
There seems to be a rough correlation between the price of an audio speaker and the extent of its bass boost. Enhancing the lower frequencies, somehow improves as you pay more. Studio19 London is a British audio specialist, whose products leverage its patented technology called Dual Pressure Air Compression (DPAC) to create a kind of all-around super-bass. You require a lot of internal space to create a deep bass — which is probably why the company's first product launched in India — the Solo E500X-EQ — stands 55cm tall and weighs about 4Kg. This is the largest Bluetooth speaker I have ever reviewed — and it produces a sound level to match, that seems louder than the rated 200 watts RMS. This is because, clever interior design, pumps the sound out in all directions, fooling one into thinking there are multiple speakers rather a single one.
This is for audiophiles who want to manually adjust the fine points of the sound — it includes an old fashioned analogue slider-based equalizer on the top, along with a select switch for movie or game mode. For inputs, the Solo offers three options: Bluetooth, HDMI and a 3.5mm AUX socket (with cable).
What it doesn't offer is, a mobile app or Wi-Fi options — serious users presumably don't want to be disturbed by incoming phone calls. It compensates by including a jumbo-sized 8800mAh rechargeable battery — good for some 8 hours — but I thought at the asking price of Rs 42,500 ( you can save Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 at online sites) they might have thrown in a mains adapter at least! That said, this is the speaker that those who are looking for a combo of high volume and high quality sound in the same package and are prepared to pay the price.
