Aiwa Bluetooth speaker: Packs a punch

Bluetooth speaker products are becoming increasingly popular for their portability and good sound.

But how do you separate out the good ones from the ordinary sounding ones?

Old Japanese company Aiwa has come up with some really handsome Bluetooth speakers and we got a chance to review the SB-X350A.

It is about as big as a rectangular lunchbox and the power rating is 40 W and the frequency response is 60 Hz to
20 KHz. The Signal to Noise Ratio is >75dB.

It is meant to be laid flat with the Aiwa logo on the side. The control buttons are on the top right side and at the back are the Type-C and Type-A ports, and auxiliary port and a reset button. At the bottom are two longish rubber feet that ensure the set does not slip. It comes with the True Wireless Stereo (TWS) technology.

The perforated metal covering at the front encloses the tweeters on the side next to the logo, while the midbass drivers appear to be at the top of the set. Therefore, listening to it with the set at ear level will give the best when it comes to the high frequencies.

This author tried the speaker with various genres of music and the outcome was pretty satisfying.

First, I tried Mojave Club from the James Bond Movie The Spy Who Loved Me. The track has a lot of string instruments in the background and these were reproduced to a degree of satisfaction.

Next, I played tracks from Use Your Illusion II by Guns N Roses. The speaker held up very well with the heavy metal tracks and there was the punch of the bass and the bass guitar felt

The other test track I tried was I Feel Love by Donna Summer. The percussion was good and the mids and highs were good.

The strengths of this speaker are the high and low frequencies and it can go really loud. But the midrange is not so prevalent. The bass is good but can get overwhelming at times. If you are the one who loves thumping bass, this is the speaker for you. The battery also lasted quite a long time from a full charge.

The speaker is priced at Rs 19,990.