SRP 601

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 the past 4 years, I have been working extensively with the Sonodyne SRP 500 and SRP 400 monitors, and they have consistently delivered exceptional results. Their accuracy and translation are outstanding — even after calibration with Sonarworks, the difference remains subtle, proving the reliability of Sonodyne’s tuning. As a music composer, producer, mixing engineer, and studio consultant, I only recommend equipment that I have personally tested in real studio environments. To date, I have recommended over 20 pairs of Sonodyne monitors to my clients, who have all been highly satisfied with their performance. In direct comparisons with industry-standard monitors such as the Neumann KH120, Genelec 8330, and Genelec 8030C, the Sonodyne SRP series has stood out as an equally if not more impressive choice. I can confidently say that Sonodyne monitors are an outstanding investment for professionals who demand precision, reliability, and musicality.

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

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

Grammy Award winning recording producer and engineer, Eddie Kramer's testimonial on Sonodyne's Studio Monitors. Eddie has worked with The Beatles, David Bowie, #EricClapton #JimiHendrix , The Kinks, Kiss, #LedZeppelin , #TheRollingStones , John Mellencamp, #CarlosSantana and numerous others.

Sonodyne joins the “bandwagon”. Bandwagon Studios and Spaces is a unique concept among studios. Primarily due to the unique personality behind it, Zubin Balaporia Zubin has been a core member of Indus Creed (nee Rock Machine) since the early 80s and before that with the iconic Atomic Forest. A pianist by training, and keyboard player, he has since ventured into production and curation. His recent pet projects were the curation for Serendipity Arts Foundation, globally. Bandwagon Studios started in 2006 and has been recently rechristened “Bandwagon Studios and Spaces.” Operating out of a mindfully laid out space in Mahalaxmi, it features not only a studio, but a well fitted - out live recording floor. This area is also used for various other activities like full band rehearsals, podcasts, and art exhibitions. Zubin’s ears have been trained with the organic sounds of the classic rock area, which he has captured in the form of samples. He tests the trueness of his gear with these samples. He has used Sonodyne SRP 601 monitors in the past and currently uses the SM 300. His reference samples sound true on the Sonodyne monitors, he says, and translation to mixes is real. He adds “The sound is pure and flat without being boring” Thank you Zubin and may you rock on!

"No mix is finished until I check it on a Sonodyne” Tom Lord Alge received two Grammy Awards for his work on Steve Winwood's Back in the High Life (1986), and Roll With It (1988)—both winning in the Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical category. Lord Alge's third Grammy was for Santana's Supernatural (1999), which won Album of the Year. Lord Alge has mixed records for U2, Simple Minds, #TheRollingStones , P!nk, Peter Gabriel, OMD, Sarah McLachlan, Dave Matthews Band, #blink -182, #AvrilLavigne , Sum 41, #Oasis , Manic Street Preachers , Story of the Year and Marilyn Manson, among others.

I had been looking for a while for the right speakers to connect to my electronic piano for practicing and to use with Logic Pro. My sound engineer friends Bunty Sinha and Sayan Ghosh highly suggested I get the Sonodyne SRP400s. I got in touch with Anindya Mukherjee at Sonodyne about their studio monitors. Today I’m proud to announce that they signed me on as a Sonodyne Artist and now I am using the SRP400 studio monitors. For the first time I am hearing resonant tones from my keyboard and the piano tones sound so life like. When I listen to music on these I can hear every single instrument as if it was beibg played right in front of my ears. I cannot recommend these studio monitors enough! It has made a massive difference to my daily practice, programming and music listening. If you are looking to get studio monitors, get these!

Grammy Award winning recording producer and engineer, Bob Power's testimonial on Sonodyne's Studio Monitors. Bob Power has worked with A Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu, Citizen Cope, D'Angelo, De La Soul, India Arie, Jungle Brothers, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ozomatli, The Roots and many more.

Leslie Brathwaite is a Grammy nominated Mix-Engineer who has worked with some of the biggest stars in the music industry from #Beyoncé , #Jay -Z, #Madonna , #CardiB and #MichaelJackson amongst several others.

The Best Monitors you never heard of! Sonodyne SRP 500

I have my Sonodyne SRP 400 for a few years and can admitt that I spend more and more time with them when mixing, comparing to bigger full range monitors. It's unbelievable how such small monitors can show the entire music spectrum in such natural way, not just the middle frequencies without reference to the rest of the frequency response

Immersive audio is the future of surround sound. Sonodyne SRP 400 user Tom Van Achte, mastering and QC engineer at Auro 3D, on immersive sound, mastering...and more!

The Sonodyne SRP 400 delivers crystal clear, and detailed sound. Fatigue-free, it is ideal not only for long hours of music production but also for critical listening of your favourite tracks. I highly recommend the Sonodyne SRP 400." ~ Anupam Roy Over the years, Bengal has continuously produced thought leaders. In this generation, Anupam Roy, is a shining example. A prolific song-writer and poet, his words and melodies have touched a chord with millions worldwide. Anupam is not afraid to stray off the beaten track, to create a sound that is unique to him. We are proud to have Anupam Roy as a Sonodyne user-endorsee, and wish him continued success in his sound journey.

For a little speaker it has an amazingly good bottom end ... even better is that you don't listen to the speaker at all, you just listen to the music Josh Blair is a producer/engineer for artists like Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Duran Duran

Watch the amazing Gino Banks, India's most versatile drummer, talk about his experience with Sonodyne monitors

No more second guessing any of my decisions because if it sounds good through my Sonodyne SRP 400s, it will sound good everywhere else

After picking up the 400s about two years ago and pairing them up with my Presonus sub, the Sonodyne's have quickly become my main monitors for mastering. The human ear is most sensitive in the 2kHz to 5kHz region, so getting the mid range well balanced is a big part of mastering. This is is where the Sonodyne's shine. Phenomenal midrange detail that translates great to other listening systems. They also have great high frequency response and have a surprising amount of low end for such small speakers (I'm guessing the solid aluminum frame probably has a lot to do with that). Can't live without them at this point.

Louiz Banks has been spearheading the Jazz movement in India for the past 3 decades. Watch him talk about his experience with the Sonodyne SRP 600s and more

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

Sonodyne is proud to be associated with ASCAP as the ‘Sound Partner’ for the ASCAP Retreat in France. Held at the 14th-century Château Marouatte in the Dordogne region of France, the ASCAP songwriting retreat was designed to produce hits and get cuts in a variety of genres. Each session placed a producer, a topliner, and a recording artist together to write and record in a different room of the castle. By the end of the retreat, nearly all of the participants had worked together. They left France with hard drives full of professional-grade demos, ready to pitch to artists and record labels. This is what they have to say about their experience with the Sonodyne monitors.

I've been using the SRP 600s as my primary set of monitors for about 6 years now and they are truly a pleasure to work with every day. They are such well designed, robust set of monitors and I feel like these 6.5'' woofers give me just the right amount of low end information I need to make an informed decision on my mixes. The Sonodynes don't lie. They give you a true representation of your source, which in turn helps you get the best results on your mixes.

Watch Andriy Khlyvnyuk, lead singer Boombox, Ukraine, talk about his experience with the Sonodyne SRP 400s at Studio La Fabrique, France

Sonodyne is proud to be associated with ASCAP as the ‘Sound Partner’ for the ASCAP Retreat in France. Held at the 14th-century Château Marouatte in the Dordogne region of France, the ASCAP songwriting retreat was designed to produce hits and get cuts in a variety of genres. Each session placed a producer, a topliner, and a recording artist together to write and record in a different room of the castle. By the end of the retreat, nearly all of the participants had worked together. They left France with hard drives full of professional-grade demos, ready to pitch to artists and record labels. This is what they have to say about their experience with the Sonodyne monitors.

Keertghana studios stands as a perfect example of a small studio set-up delivering great music for feature films, albums and advertisements alike

Sonodyne is proud to be associated with ASCAP as the ‘Sound Partner’ for the ASCAP Retreat in France. Held at the 14th-century Château Marouatte in the Dordogne region of France, the ASCAP songwriting retreat was designed to produce hits and get cuts in a variety of genres. Each session placed a producer, a topliner, and a recording artist together to write and record in a different room of the castle. By the end of the retreat, nearly all of the participants had worked together. They left France with hard drives full of professional-grade demos, ready to pitch to artists and record labels. This is what they have to say about their experience with the Sonodyne monitors.

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!

Xavier Redeye, master sound engineer from France giving Sonodyne his seal of approval in this testimonial video.

Sonodyne is proud to be associated with ASCAP as the ‘Sound Partner’ for the ASCAP Retreat in France. Held at the 14th-century Château Marouatte in the Dordogne region of France, the ASCAP songwriting retreat was designed to produce hits and get cuts in a variety of genres. Each session placed a producer, a topliner, and a recording artist together to write and record in a different room of the castle. By the end of the retreat, nearly all of the participants had worked together. They left France with hard drives full of professional-grade demos, ready to pitch to artists and record labels. This is what they have to say about their experience with the Sonodyne monitors.

Robin Reumers, SAE Brussels Manager, talks about their Auro 3D room and why they chose Sonodyne SM100AK for this truly amazing system. We would recommend that if you get a chance to hear the Auro 3D system yourself, then grab it with both ears, you won't be disappointed. And if you can hear the system with Sonodyne SM100AK's then it will be even better.

I have my Sonodyne SM 300 for quite a few years now and I have found them to be very clean and very solid with a surprising natural low end response

The detailed tops end of the SM 100s translate extremely well when I get to the mix theatre

Watch Adam & Ruben from Peking Duk and Al from Cloud Control talk about their experience with Sonodyne studio monitors at Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai

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.