PM 4040

For audiophiles, Sonodyne has been a legendary Make in India brand, & the Bandish offers 120W of pure grade sound!

Sonodyne is an Indian brand many of us (and some of our parents) grew up with, and my earliest memories of the brand date back to the late '80s/ early '90s, when I used to regularly visit an uncle in Kolkata who was a big fan of the brand and its single-minded focus on recreating music "as the artist intended". Fast forward to 2024, and while the brand continues to serve the serious audiophile and pro-studio markets, it's their Bluetooth wireless speaker range that caught my eye, specifically the most powerful in their range, the aptly named Malhar (after the raga , Malhar which, as the myth goes, has the power to induce thunder and rain). Not one for slimline aesthetics, the Malhar resembles a cajón (or a clapbox as many may know it), an immediate throwback to when audio equipment was engineered for producing clean sound, first and foremost. With its wooden cabinet, classic aesthetics and all, the 8-kilogram Malhar is pleasing on the eye, but it demands pride of place — it's not one to disappear into the décor. Around the front are two 5" glass-fiber cone drivers accompanied by two 1" tweeters, and the sides have two 5" passive radiators. Inputs are all clustered towards the rear, with optical, aux, USB ports along with a handy 5V DC USB port to charge a phone while it's connected to the speaker. Controls to switch between these inputs and change tracks/volume are all on the top and are mirrored on the supplied remote. No buttons to fiddle around with bass/treble settings (intentionally so to retain the original feel of the track), and I would have preferred the indicator LEDs to be more visible, so you know the speaker is on or which input is selected. No app or Wi-Fi connectivity, which one starts expecting at this price point. Any reservations you may have had subside the moment you start playing music on the Malhar. Irrespective of genre, the speaker stands up and delivers, with a balanced sonic signature that accurately renders the highs, mids and lows without colouring the audio, so to speak. Streaming tracks as varied as Simon and Garfunkel to the Beach Boys to some of AR Rahman's classics, Malhar reproduces the tracks damn near flawlessly across its wide 40Hz – 20kHz frequency range. Throw in some punchier tracks and bump up the volume, and you really have to wake up the neighbours before the speaker starts showing the slightest hint of distortion at the top end. Worth noting as well is the expansive soundstage and the open quality to the playback. At its price, Malhar is likely to appeal to audio purists, and despite its name, this truly is a speaker for all seasons. The 'Made in India since 1970' is bonus appeal. Rating: 8/10 Price: INR 37,500

Since its inception in the early 70s, Sonodyne is a company that has been at the forefront of the innovative Indian professional audio market

Having had the luxury of a large space in London with Dynaudio speakers, on transferring to a smaller space in a Bombay home environment I needed something that would give me power and quality but would not let the environment or space affect the sound of my mixes and my listening pleasure I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to try out the PM 100s from Sonodyne who have been making great waves in the Indian music industry and in particular with those writing for film for many years. This has taken me a long time to get pen to paper as I have been so busy enjoying the speakers! But from day one the sound and beauty of these speakers has been prevalent. Its always a concern how your mixes will carry from your environment to other spaces where they are played be it iTunes on a phone to a large cinema. So it always takes effort and time and patience to ensure that what you are giving your client and/or your fans is as good in their environment as it is in yours. So that what you mix is true to what they are hearing however good or bad their system is. So high praise for a product competing on the global stage that is home grown in India – not that its an issue, but they all ring true as the moment I switch them on in the morning to the moment I switch them off many, many hours later they have given me a great aural listening pleasure but at the same time quality that I need whether it be classical music or electronica with heavy beats. So for an affordable pair of speakers or should I say monitors, Sonodyne’s PM 100s completely fill that space and I wholeheartedly recommend them as a wonderful near-field speaker that successfully have great control over sound whether it is quiet or loud. Having had the luxury of a large space in London with Dynaudio speakers, on transferring to a smaller space in a Bombay home environment I needed something that would give me power and quality but would not let the environment or space affect the sound of my mixes and my listening pleasure I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to try out the PM 100s from Sonodyne who have been making great waves in the Indian music industry and in particular with those writing for film for many years. This has taken me a long time to get pen to paper as I have been so busy enjoying the speakers! But from day one the sound and beauty of these speakers has been prevalent. Its always a concern how your mixes will carry from your environment to other spaces where they are played be it iTunes on a phone to a large cinema. So it always takes effort and time and patience to ensure that what you are giving your client and/or your fans is as good in their environment as it is in yours. So that what you mix is true to what they are hearing however good or bad their system is. So high praise for a product competing on the global stage that is home grown in India – not that its an issue, but they all ring true as the moment I switch them on in the morning to the moment I switch them off many, many hours later they have given me a great aural listening pleasure but at the same time quality that I need whether it be classical music or electronica with heavy beats. So for an affordable pair of speakers or should I say monitors, Sonodyne’s PM 100s completely fill that space and I wholeheartedly recommend them as a wonderful near-field speaker that successfully have great control over sound whether it is quiet or loud.

I have finally found a speaker system I can focus with, hear the depth and is tight on the hi and low end." Bil VornDick's artistry as a producer and engineer has helped earn his clients 40 Grammy nominations that encompass 7 that won (among them Alison Krauss' very first Grammy). He has worked on many albums during his 40 years in music. These include projects for such other Grammy recipients as Ralph Stanley, Marty Robbins, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Mark O'Connor and jazz bassist Charlie Haden, as well as for legendary troubadour Jesse Winchester and bluegrass empress Rhonda Vincent.

Uday Benegal (lead singer, principal songwriter and one of the founding members of the pioneering Indian rock band Indus Creed) talks about his love for the Sonodyne SRP 400 and why he takes them along for every recording gig

Mark "Tufty" Evans is a highly regarded producer and mixer. He has worked with a whole bunch of acts including the Beverly Knight, Imelda May, Elton John, Boyzone, Melanie C and the list (really does) go on. Wispington Studios is Mark's own facility and boasts a pristine 96 fader Euphonix C3000 console, Manley Massive Passive EQ, Summit MPE200, Eventide H3000-D/SE along with a Lexicon 480L and some other choice toys. In this film, Mark talks to us about his recent purchase of the Sonodyne SM100AK's reference speakers and also gives some useful tips on mixing. SHOW LESS

I love using my Sonodyne SM 200AKs on remote classical sessions. Since they are self-powered I don't need to haul a power amp to the session and their extended low frequency response means I get more than adequate low end content without having to rig a subwoofer and spend time on its adjustments. Best of all, the 200s sound great!

SONODYNE BANDISH ~ A sound engineer’s perspective Ok so let’s have the verdict straight away… I’m really loving this offering from Sonodyne!!! It’s taken a bit of running in but now I’m really enjoying what I’m listening to. When recording/ mixing in the studio I want to listen to audio from speakers that reproduce sound in the most accurate manner. A critical reference. I don’t want to hear coloration of the sound because of cabinet design, driver alignment etc. So, what a sound engineer requires in the studio is a neutral, unbiased response from the speakers in order to do his/ her job correctly and well. However, when listening to music for pleasure, whether at home, on the go (headphones), at a club etc. I’m definitely not averse to a little coloration of the sound from the speakers. This should bring in the excitement to the experience. Note that I said “a little coloration”. Which means that I’m not a big fan of excessive, overpowering bass or treble or mid frequencies. The loudspeakers’ response should be relatively well balanced across the audio spectrum with a bump here and there in the response for the excitement. Now let’s get to my experience with the Sonodyne Bandish Bluetooth speaker. I started with some of my favourite tracks (both reference as well as pleasure listening) from Steely Dan, Porcupine Tree, Dil Chahta Hai, Aquarium Rescue Unit etc. My initial experience wasn’t very encouraging because there was too much bass response. This excessive bass was distracting me from the other frequencies. Also, a low mid bump was muddying out the sound so I was losing clarity in the music. There was, in addition an unnatural sharp edge in the high frequency range. Then I remembered that the unit is brand new and probably required some running in, so I decided that I would ignore my discomfort and let the speaker settle in with use. It would have been great if I could have been playing music at least 8 hours a day for the run in but that was not possible. I did have to leave home for work. But, every morning for a couple of hours, I would (and still do) listen to music on the Bandish ranging from Jazz to Rock to Pop. Now, over a month down the line since I got this lovely little speaker, I am very happy to report that it is settling in very nicely indeed. The initial complaints that I reported have greatly diminished and I am able to listen very happily to my favourite music in my library as well as streamed playlists. The bass response is still a little bit on the strong side but the muddiness is gone and it’s much better defined. I’m really loving it because it’s adding to the excitement without distracting from the other frequencies. Also, the high frequency edge that bothered me very quickly went away. I guess all that really was required was a little bit of playback and the drivers settled in nicely.

For the last 20 years or so I used 2 sets of monitors to produce/mix on. Yamaha NS10s and Mackie HR824s (which I really only ever used towards the end of a mix to check the bottom end which the NS10s didn’t have much of). I fancied a change! I knew my NS10s inside out and while I didn’t mind the sound I didn’t love them either. I wanted something more pleasurable to work on with an extended low end yet still accurate. A couple of producers had mentioned the SM100ak monitors made by Sonodyne……..a company based in India who I’d never heard of. I also want to get some smaller monitors equivalent to the old Auratone 5Cs so I bought a pair of Avantones which are useful for checking the levels at the very end of a mix but certainly not essential because as soon as I heard the SM100AKs I was blown away!!!!!! The Avantones are an added bonus but really the SM100AKs are all I need for everything. I have never in my life heard such a natural beautiful sounding pair of monitors. Whether monitoring really quietly, really loud or somewhere in the middle the sound is warm and so accurate. My mixes translate brilliant on all systems and the Sonodynes are such a pleasure to use. My ears never get fatigued now and the lows and mids sound gorgeous with a beautiful top end. Nothing is harsh unless you make your mix sound harsh and then these mornings will really show it up as well as any other mistakes. Also the low end shows up any sounds which shouldn’t be there. More than anything the Sonodynes sound so clear. You can hear every little details and who up sounds I never before realised were there! The Sonodyne SM100ak monitors are in my opinion the best around even compared to monitors 10 times more expensive………… A no brainer in my book!

For audiophiles, Sonodyne has been a legendary Make in India brand, & the Bandish offers 120W of pure grade sound!

Sonodyne is an Indian brand many of us (and some of our parents) grew up with, and my earliest memories of the brand date back to the late '80s/ early '90s, when I used to regularly visit an uncle in Kolkata who was a big fan of the brand and its single-minded focus on recreating music "as the artist intended". Fast forward to 2024, and while the brand continues to serve the serious audiophile and pro-studio markets, it's their Bluetooth wireless speaker range that caught my eye, specifically the most powerful in their range, the aptly named Malhar (after the raga , Malhar which, as the myth goes, has the power to induce thunder and rain). Not one for slimline aesthetics, the Malhar resembles a cajón (or a clapbox as many may know it), an immediate throwback to when audio equipment was engineered for producing clean sound, first and foremost. With its wooden cabinet, classic aesthetics and all, the 8-kilogram Malhar is pleasing on the eye, but it demands pride of place — it's not one to disappear into the décor. Around the front are two 5" glass-fiber cone drivers accompanied by two 1" tweeters, and the sides have two 5" passive radiators. Inputs are all clustered towards the rear, with optical, aux, USB ports along with a handy 5V DC USB port to charge a phone while it's connected to the speaker. Controls to switch between these inputs and change tracks/volume are all on the top and are mirrored on the supplied remote. No buttons to fiddle around with bass/treble settings (intentionally so to retain the original feel of the track), and I would have preferred the indicator LEDs to be more visible, so you know the speaker is on or which input is selected. No app or Wi-Fi connectivity, which one starts expecting at this price point. Any reservations you may have had subside the moment you start playing music on the Malhar. Irrespective of genre, the speaker stands up and delivers, with a balanced sonic signature that accurately renders the highs, mids and lows without colouring the audio, so to speak. Streaming tracks as varied as Simon and Garfunkel to the Beach Boys to some of AR Rahman's classics, Malhar reproduces the tracks damn near flawlessly across its wide 40Hz – 20kHz frequency range. Throw in some punchier tracks and bump up the volume, and you really have to wake up the neighbours before the speaker starts showing the slightest hint of distortion at the top end. Worth noting as well is the expansive soundstage and the open quality to the playback. At its price, Malhar is likely to appeal to audio purists, and despite its name, this truly is a speaker for all seasons. The 'Made in India since 1970' is bonus appeal. Rating: 8/10 Price: INR 37,500

Since its inception in the early 70s, Sonodyne is a company that has been at the forefront of the innovative Indian professional audio market

Having had the luxury of a large space in London with Dynaudio speakers, on transferring to a smaller space in a Bombay home environment I needed something that would give me power and quality but would not let the environment or space affect the sound of my mixes and my listening pleasure I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to try out the PM 100s from Sonodyne who have been making great waves in the Indian music industry and in particular with those writing for film for many years. This has taken me a long time to get pen to paper as I have been so busy enjoying the speakers! But from day one the sound and beauty of these speakers has been prevalent. Its always a concern how your mixes will carry from your environment to other spaces where they are played be it iTunes on a phone to a large cinema. So it always takes effort and time and patience to ensure that what you are giving your client and/or your fans is as good in their environment as it is in yours. So that what you mix is true to what they are hearing however good or bad their system is. So high praise for a product competing on the global stage that is home grown in India – not that its an issue, but they all ring true as the moment I switch them on in the morning to the moment I switch them off many, many hours later they have given me a great aural listening pleasure but at the same time quality that I need whether it be classical music or electronica with heavy beats. So for an affordable pair of speakers or should I say monitors, Sonodyne’s PM 100s completely fill that space and I wholeheartedly recommend them as a wonderful near-field speaker that successfully have great control over sound whether it is quiet or loud. Having had the luxury of a large space in London with Dynaudio speakers, on transferring to a smaller space in a Bombay home environment I needed something that would give me power and quality but would not let the environment or space affect the sound of my mixes and my listening pleasure I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to try out the PM 100s from Sonodyne who have been making great waves in the Indian music industry and in particular with those writing for film for many years. This has taken me a long time to get pen to paper as I have been so busy enjoying the speakers! But from day one the sound and beauty of these speakers has been prevalent. Its always a concern how your mixes will carry from your environment to other spaces where they are played be it iTunes on a phone to a large cinema. So it always takes effort and time and patience to ensure that what you are giving your client and/or your fans is as good in their environment as it is in yours. So that what you mix is true to what they are hearing however good or bad their system is. So high praise for a product competing on the global stage that is home grown in India – not that its an issue, but they all ring true as the moment I switch them on in the morning to the moment I switch them off many, many hours later they have given me a great aural listening pleasure but at the same time quality that I need whether it be classical music or electronica with heavy beats. So for an affordable pair of speakers or should I say monitors, Sonodyne’s PM 100s completely fill that space and I wholeheartedly recommend them as a wonderful near-field speaker that successfully have great control over sound whether it is quiet or loud.

I have finally found a speaker system I can focus with, hear the depth and is tight on the hi and low end." Bil VornDick's artistry as a producer and engineer has helped earn his clients 40 Grammy nominations that encompass 7 that won (among them Alison Krauss' very first Grammy). He has worked on many albums during his 40 years in music. These include projects for such other Grammy recipients as Ralph Stanley, Marty Robbins, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Mark O'Connor and jazz bassist Charlie Haden, as well as for legendary troubadour Jesse Winchester and bluegrass empress Rhonda Vincent.

Uday Benegal (lead singer, principal songwriter and one of the founding members of the pioneering Indian rock band Indus Creed) talks about his love for the Sonodyne SRP 400 and why he takes them along for every recording gig

Mark "Tufty" Evans is a highly regarded producer and mixer. He has worked with a whole bunch of acts including the Beverly Knight, Imelda May, Elton John, Boyzone, Melanie C and the list (really does) go on. Wispington Studios is Mark's own facility and boasts a pristine 96 fader Euphonix C3000 console, Manley Massive Passive EQ, Summit MPE200, Eventide H3000-D/SE along with a Lexicon 480L and some other choice toys. In this film, Mark talks to us about his recent purchase of the Sonodyne SM100AK's reference speakers and also gives some useful tips on mixing. SHOW LESS

I love using my Sonodyne SM 200AKs on remote classical sessions. Since they are self-powered I don't need to haul a power amp to the session and their extended low frequency response means I get more than adequate low end content without having to rig a subwoofer and spend time on its adjustments. Best of all, the 200s sound great!

SONODYNE BANDISH ~ A sound engineer’s perspective Ok so let’s have the verdict straight away… I’m really loving this offering from Sonodyne!!! It’s taken a bit of running in but now I’m really enjoying what I’m listening to. When recording/ mixing in the studio I want to listen to audio from speakers that reproduce sound in the most accurate manner. A critical reference. I don’t want to hear coloration of the sound because of cabinet design, driver alignment etc. So, what a sound engineer requires in the studio is a neutral, unbiased response from the speakers in order to do his/ her job correctly and well. However, when listening to music for pleasure, whether at home, on the go (headphones), at a club etc. I’m definitely not averse to a little coloration of the sound from the speakers. This should bring in the excitement to the experience. Note that I said “a little coloration”. Which means that I’m not a big fan of excessive, overpowering bass or treble or mid frequencies. The loudspeakers’ response should be relatively well balanced across the audio spectrum with a bump here and there in the response for the excitement. Now let’s get to my experience with the Sonodyne Bandish Bluetooth speaker. I started with some of my favourite tracks (both reference as well as pleasure listening) from Steely Dan, Porcupine Tree, Dil Chahta Hai, Aquarium Rescue Unit etc. My initial experience wasn’t very encouraging because there was too much bass response. This excessive bass was distracting me from the other frequencies. Also, a low mid bump was muddying out the sound so I was losing clarity in the music. There was, in addition an unnatural sharp edge in the high frequency range. Then I remembered that the unit is brand new and probably required some running in, so I decided that I would ignore my discomfort and let the speaker settle in with use. It would have been great if I could have been playing music at least 8 hours a day for the run in but that was not possible. I did have to leave home for work. But, every morning for a couple of hours, I would (and still do) listen to music on the Bandish ranging from Jazz to Rock to Pop. Now, over a month down the line since I got this lovely little speaker, I am very happy to report that it is settling in very nicely indeed. The initial complaints that I reported have greatly diminished and I am able to listen very happily to my favourite music in my library as well as streamed playlists. The bass response is still a little bit on the strong side but the muddiness is gone and it’s much better defined. I’m really loving it because it’s adding to the excitement without distracting from the other frequencies. Also, the high frequency edge that bothered me very quickly went away. I guess all that really was required was a little bit of playback and the drivers settled in nicely.

For the last 20 years or so I used 2 sets of monitors to produce/mix on. Yamaha NS10s and Mackie HR824s (which I really only ever used towards the end of a mix to check the bottom end which the NS10s didn’t have much of). I fancied a change! I knew my NS10s inside out and while I didn’t mind the sound I didn’t love them either. I wanted something more pleasurable to work on with an extended low end yet still accurate. A couple of producers had mentioned the SM100ak monitors made by Sonodyne……..a company based in India who I’d never heard of. I also want to get some smaller monitors equivalent to the old Auratone 5Cs so I bought a pair of Avantones which are useful for checking the levels at the very end of a mix but certainly not essential because as soon as I heard the SM100AKs I was blown away!!!!!! The Avantones are an added bonus but really the SM100AKs are all I need for everything. I have never in my life heard such a natural beautiful sounding pair of monitors. Whether monitoring really quietly, really loud or somewhere in the middle the sound is warm and so accurate. My mixes translate brilliant on all systems and the Sonodynes are such a pleasure to use. My ears never get fatigued now and the lows and mids sound gorgeous with a beautiful top end. Nothing is harsh unless you make your mix sound harsh and then these mornings will really show it up as well as any other mistakes. Also the low end shows up any sounds which shouldn’t be there. More than anything the Sonodynes sound so clear. You can hear every little details and who up sounds I never before realised were there! The Sonodyne SM100ak monitors are in my opinion the best around even compared to monitors 10 times more expensive………… A no brainer in my book!