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Old 9th June 2009, 15:06   #1
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Best Indian Audio/Speaker brands/Manufacturers??

On my quest for a budget 5.1 sub/sat system on another thread,a thought was triggered off by a post by our Navinji.

Years ago, I read a magazine (not sure which audio mag), that had as it's cover story,India's best audio speaker brands. That got my attention, as the only brands I ever heard of were largely European or American. Out of sheer curiosity I picked up the mag. It opened my eyes to quite a few audiophile class speaker brands that were world class but made in India and relatively unknown to me.

I am sure we are a nation of bright minds and surely do have the capability of producing speakers that are world class.

After so many years, I can recall only two brands from that list - Cadence Audio and Sonodyne.

Just wondering, if there are any more such Indian brands that you may be aware of that deserve mention,discussion, recognition, and recommendation?
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Old 9th June 2009, 15:16   #2
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I'm not gonna say who(because that is a closed discussion topic), but a significant % of the installs featured here on team bhp are of an indian owned and manufactured brand

Its just that they are "designed in the USA" and people assume they are made there/elsewhere

Last edited by greenhorn : 9th June 2009 at 15:20.
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Old 9th June 2009, 15:30   #3
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Greenhorn, I am soon going to be a customer. Know any more that can be discussed here on the thread?

Last edited by pranava999 : 9th June 2009 at 15:49.
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Old 9th June 2009, 15:41   #4
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@ pranava - the names you mention are those that originate from India, and market and sell the products under their own brand name.

There are others that are OE manufacturers for other popular brand names. Unisound and Peerless are examples. Sonodyne also does OEM business.
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Old 9th June 2009, 15:55   #5
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@B&T Why do you think OEM manufacturers such as Unisound and Peerless have not ventured into creating domestic retail brands? I am sure they are all capable of manufacturing quality sounding speakers for a good price.

From your professional experience you should also be aware of a few other reputed Indian Audio brands right such as Cadence. Want to share a few and increase awareness?

Last edited by pranava999 : 9th June 2009 at 15:56.
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Old 9th June 2009, 16:54   #6
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Anyone heard of Himatone??

Please note am basically referring to the home audio segment.

Last edited by pranava999 : 9th June 2009 at 17:03.
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Old 9th June 2009, 16:58   #7
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why isnt anyone talking about bolton!

OOH, and before we forget, arguably the best sounding mallu speakers
..:::: rethm ::::..

Last edited by greenhorn : 9th June 2009 at 17:02.
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Old 9th June 2009, 17:23   #8
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.Thanks greenhorn. Nice to see two more additions to the list. Bolton and Rethm, interesting. Any specific speaker range,package that they are known for? any user opinions?

Last edited by pranava999 : 9th June 2009 at 17:25.
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Old 9th June 2009, 18:25   #9
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bolton and rethm are actually opposite ends of the spectrum

bolton is not high end by any stretch of imagination. but they made some pretty good sounding drivers for the DIY on a budget ( like myself ). a 6" bolton woofer would cost about 500. add to that a "philips" dome tweeter, a crossover and a well made box + a home made amp, you'd have a pair of bookshelves that would sound better than stuff available for over 5 times the price
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Old 9th June 2009, 19:14   #10
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A few other good ones are Audire, Lyrita, Lithos.

I own a lyrita pre that I paid 20 odd grand for and it can easily keep up with big brand stuff costing three-five times more.
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Old 10th June 2009, 10:39   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pranava999 View Post
@B&T Why do you think OEM manufacturers such as Unisound and Peerless have not ventured into creating domestic retail brands?
Why do so many clothing manufacturers prefer to export rather than tackle the domestic market? it is their business model. Some prefer OEM some prefer retail.

Quote:
Originally Posted by reignofchaos View Post
A few other good ones are Audire, Lyrita, Lithos.
Economical brands - some make drivers some make speaker systems.
Norge (eastern), Pandam, Telome, Sonotone (PA - Paudio Thailand), Ahuja (PA), Skyking, R.S (Pulz), Capital (the one in Delhi), Bolton, Salora, Sonodyne, Dhawni (closed now), Dhakshin, Acoustic Potrait by Corson (imported drivers from Vifa - Thailand), Lithos, Advance Audio-Pro FX (Fusion brand)...and a few other local brands (there are 2-3 people in Mumbai alone who make speakers here and there).

"Audiophile" brands
Rethm, Audire, Lyrita, Cadence (Shikre), ..

B&T what is the brand AG electronics sells under (I forget it) and if any of you go to Choudhry on Lamington road he claims to be a manufacturer too!

When I met Cosmic last they made Motorbike helmets for export to Germany.

Last edited by navin : 10th June 2009 at 10:41.
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Old 10th June 2009, 20:40   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by navin View Post
Why do so many clothing manufacturers prefer to export rather than tackle the domestic market? it is their business model. Some prefer OEM some prefer retail.



Economical brands - some make drivers some make speaker systems.
Norge (eastern), Pandam, Telome, Sonotone (PA - Paudio Thailand), Ahuja (PA), Skyking, R.S (Pulz), Capital (the one in Delhi), Bolton, Salora, Sonodyne, Dhawni (closed now), Dhakshin, Acoustic Potrait by Corson (imported drivers from Vifa - Thailand), Lithos, Advance Audio-Pro FX (Fusion brand)...and a few other local brands (there are 2-3 people in Mumbai alone who make speakers here and there).

"Audiophile" brands
Rethm, Audire, Lyrita, Cadence (Shikre), ..

B&T what is the brand AG electronics sells under (I forget it) and if any of you go to Choudhry on Lamington road he claims to be a manufacturer too!

When I met Cosmic last they made Motorbike helmets for export to Germany.
I'd not club Acoustic Portrait with the rest - the stuff that Siva makes is seriously high end. His entire current range of speakers are based on scanspeaks.
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Old 11th June 2009, 15:53   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by navin View Post
Why do so many clothing manufacturers prefer to export rather than tackle the domestic market? it is their business model. Some prefer OEM some prefer retail.
Excellent point Navin. Guess another reason could be the perception that even at the entry level foreign brands will be far superior than Indian ones.

BTW that's quite a list. Any 'Indian' favorites or good ones in your opinion for you on that list?

The intention of creating this thread was to basically understand why we don't have any mainstream Indian audio brands. Maybe it's just my perception and there could exist mainstream popular Indian brands at lower price points/non metro markets, that I may not be interested in or aware of.

In other Continents of the world there are at least a few home grown brands that are mainstream and compete with brands that are more international/global.

Guess it's a lot more complex and there's more to it ....

Last edited by pranava999 : 11th June 2009 at 15:56.
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Old 17th October 2012, 11:41   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reignofchaos

I'd not club Acoustic Portrait with the rest - the stuff that Siva makes is seriously high end. His entire current range of speakers are based on scanspeaks.
I agree, I have poor vifa driver floor standers with the poor pre power combo and it sounds amazing.

Last edited by Technocrat : 19th October 2012 at 02:03. Reason: corrected typo as requested, thanks
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