If there’s one discernible gadget trend we’ve seen in the 2020s, it’s the rise of the soundbar. It’s come at the cost of the old school home theatre system. Many of the key consumer tech trends of this decade have been shaped by the pandemic but consumer interest around the soundbar has been building even before that. Let’s face it, those multi-component home theatres were cumbersome to set up with myriad wires running all over your den or living room. Blaupunkt has positioned its 2022 soundbar as a 5.1 Audio home theatre. Is this the best of both worlds?
Uncomplicated set up
Most auto enthusiasts associate the Blaupunkt brand name with ‘aftermarket’ car audio systems. The German brand is now in India with a licensing agreement that offers multiple consumer audio products including soundbars and TWS earbuds. We’ll say this, the SBW600 is ridiculously easy to set up. There are essentially four components – the soundbar itself, a woofer and two satellite speakers. There are two power adapters – one that connects to the woofer and the other to one of the satellite speakers. You need to hook up the soundbar with the woofer for an audio and power output. The two rear satellites connect with each other with an audio cable and hook up with the soundbar via Bluetooth. This works well if you have a power outlet behind your couch where you place the two satellite speakers.
Multiple Connectivity options
I paired the SBW600 with multiple devices including a couple of smartphones, an iPad as well as a smart TV. I only used the Bluetooth connectivity option for our tests. There are multiple connectivity options that include HDMI-ARC, USB and Optical In. Pairing was a breeze. There’s an LED display on the soundbar that is handy. The overall design language of the speakers and the soundbar is quite premium. You can access all controls via the bundled remote. This includes switching to 3D mode or tweaking the bass and treble levels.
It all boils down to the soundstage
Blaupunkt is playing up the sound set up of the SBW600. The audio system comes with 360 watts of sound powered by 11 speaker drivers that include 6 in the Soundbar, 4 in the 2 Satellite Towers and 1 in the Woofer. The Soundbar and the Satellites have 2.5inch speakers and the Woofer gets a giant 8inch driver. The Woofer has a bottom firing design with a rear bass port. I caught the World Cup 2022 opener, a couple of shows on Netflix and an assorted music playlist with everything from 70s rock to lounge music. The SBW600 does really well when volume levels are around 50 to 70%. We felt the volume on the rear satellite towers was a tad low (You can’t control the volumes on these rear speakers separately) compared to the soundbar itself but you do get an immersive experience. The sound set up delivers a punchy bass while the 360-degree set up allows you to stay immersed in dialogue driven dramas.
Wrap up
The Blaupunkt SBW600 is a happy meeting ground between a soundbar and a conventional home theatre. You still need two power sources and the two satellites need to connect via an audio cable. But it’s still not the complicated set-up of home theatre systems from the 2000s. Sound quality is good not exceptional. But you have to judge its sound output against its sticker price. The SBW600 delivers decent bang for your buck and is one of the better soundbars you can buy right now under Rs 20,000.
The Blaupunkt SBW600 costs Rs 19,990
