From my very childhood, I heard about Sonodyne. Finally after so many years, I have got a chance to bless myself with Sonodyne speakers (not actually, as they are active production monitors). I bought them not for recording or mixing purposes, just for home listening. After tremendous amount of research on internet and a thorough market study regarding sound quality (have come across the sound of KRK Rokit 8 and Adam A7x, Monkey Banana, JBL lsr 308 etc with live demonstration), I came to the conclusion with PM 100s. Many people may question, if it is for home listening, then why didn't you go for hifi speakers?. My answer to your question is that I have owned two renowned (not mentioning the names) hifi systems earlier. But they can never give you such detailed sound with dynamics. There would always be coloration (either at the highs or at the lows) to the tunes you play. Now coming to the PM's part, I seriously don't have words to express my feelings about Sonodyne. I love detailed sound with each and every note, being distinctly audible. Sonodyne exactly serves that with tremendous amount of power. Highly recommended for serious audiophiles, not for those who crave only for heavy bass response and not clarity.

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

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

I love Sonodyne. I love the quality of the product for the price you pay, they never let me down, you have to find your Sonodyne product for your own taste but you will never find a better product for the price.

Sonodyne monitors are the optimal choice for New York hit maker Greg Cohen

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