“It’s the best music I have heard outside of live performances,” music aficionado Anant Joshi commented when he bought a hi-end sound system worth Rs 65 lakh. “Even though the audio cost more than my luxury car, it is what actually makes my house and my every day come to life.”
If you have a great ear for music and are really finicky about sound quality, you might want to dip into the world of luxury audio -– highly-priced, technologically marvellous global brands that cost upward of Rs 5 lakh. We are referring to the likes of acoustics made by German brand Avantgarde, France's Jadis Electronics, Italy's Garvan Acoustics, and other companies such as Audio Physic, Rockport Technologies that are finding takers in the Indian market. According to Faisal Hamid, director, Sound of Music, who is an exclusive dealer of many of these brands in India, “There is a growing market with many HNIs willing to spend on a good audio system.” What is good audio? He says it is one that is supposed to recreate the live recording in your living room with as much realism as possible and also with as little colouration as possible.”
India has experienced unprecedented growth in the audio industry in the recent past. According to a report by IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), a body representing the recording industry worldwide, the Indian music industry grew 24.5 per cent to touch $156 million (Rs 1,068 crore) in 2018. India is well-positioned to break into the top-10 music markets by 2022 from the current 15th spot. Says Riversong India CEO Manvendra K Chandola, “India is a country known for music. Everyday something new is coming in the world of music and to get holistic experience, customers are looking for good sound system. Companies are working day and night by trying to deliver a great customer experience in this space.” There are evolving trends in how audio and music is created and consumed. Adds Chandola, “As far as Indian consumers are concerned they don’t just listen to music, they feel it and relate to it with all their emotions. But they are experimental as well as price sensitive.”
This speaker by Italian brand Garvan Acoustics “Drop” is a work of art and often an architect's favourite
The luxury audio market is small but there are many premium brands in India and the leading ones include Bose Corporation, which has a range of audio and video costing between Rs 8,000 and Rs 1.4 lakh. Then there is JBL, an American audio electronics company founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing, whose primary products are loudspeakers and associated electronics. Onkyo, a Japanese consumer consumer electronics maker is also popular in India. It specialises in premium home cinema and audio equipment, including AV receivers, surround sound speakers and portable devices. Other names include Denim, Yamaha (Japanese company Yamaha Pro Audio, Inc is part of the Yamaha Corporation group and offers a complete line of beginner-to-professional audio products for the live sound and sound reinforcement markets). Then you have Tanoi Ltd, a Scottish manufacturer of loudspeakers and public-address (PA) systems.
Turn on the old world charm and enjoy music while making a style statement with the vintage and utilitarian GPO Portable Vinyl Turntable
One should also not buy on recommendations. Ultimately you must know what you want. Take the case of tech guru Rajiv Makhni who goes for Avantgarde Acoustic for its “live sound, presence and natural reproduction of sound and retro modern styling". He says, “It’s very important for an audio system to have low-level resolution, detail and dynamics together with the capability to recreate the live performance in my living room.” The Avantgarde range of speakers of Uno, Duo, Trio, Trio-Plus series (Rs 33 lakh-Rs 2 crore) is one of the best in the industry and can be powered using moderately powered 50 watt amplifers from Jadis. It uses the unique horn technology and horn loudspeakers seem to produce among the lowest distortion. Finally music reproduction has come full circle. Once again, Vinyl records such as UK-based Phantom are becoming bestsellers in the global market, as are single-ended tube amplifiers and horn loudspeakers. Long-play (LPs) have achieved a cult status among music lovers.
Wireless and portability are the biggest thing today in audio for those who want a functional piece. According to Rohit Sahni, Director, WK Life, “The wireless category has finally arrived in India and consumers are enjoying it. The features are a must to look forward for such as Bluetooth-enabled for wireless audio streaming, accessing favourite internet streaming services through Wi-Fi, built-in CD player and FM tuner."
Finally, just as you choose your kind of home and your kind of car, so must you budget time and money to nail down your kind of sound system. It’s as personal as that. And the only way to know your kind of sound is to visit the electronics stores and exclusive dealer showrooms and just be “listening” rather than hearing.
| Brief | Price (Rs) | | Avantgarde Trio |
| The USP of German brand Avantgarde is its horn-based technology. Trio/Trio plus is the most premium range | 65 lakh-2 crore | | Avantgarde Duo |
| A horn is the most natural and powerful way to amplify sound. The middle range is Avantgarde Duo | 40 lakh | | Avantgarde Uno |
| The starting range is Uno. A horn funnel effectively guides the motion of sound waves and substantially increases the sensitivity and effectiveness of sound radiations | 33.5 lakh | | Ferrari Limited Edition |
| Called Art Engine, this is a floor standing audio system to be placed against the wall home | | German brand with omnidirectional sound | 15 lakh | | Audio Physic |
| A German made, precision product, which is a floor stander, with a small footprint and will not overwhelm smaller rooms | 5.5 lakh | | Garvan Acoustics Drop |
| Italian brand where the design of speaker is a work of art and often an architect's favourite | 5 lakh | | Bose Soundtouch 30 |
| A one-piece wireless music system with access to internet radio, music services, and stored music library | 60,000 | | Bose HomeSpeaker 500 |
| Bose HomeSpeaker 500 fills any room with wall-to-wall stereo sound with Alexa voice control built in | 40,000 | | Bose Soundlink Revolve |
This one is small and portable, but gives 360 degree sound | 20,000 |  "Bring home the finest in acoustics with these high-end audio systems")
