Xander Audios XA-599BT 5.1 review: Powerful sub-woofer crammed with features but disappointing sound

Xander Audios, a Delhi-based company, is a new comer in the consumer space with audio entertainment offerings from 2.1 channel speakers, 5.1 surround speakers to tower speaker offerings. Today we review XA-599BT 5.1 surround speaker and see how it holds up. Build and Design: 4.5/10 Personally, one look at this speaker and it didn’t exactly give me any confidence. But not being of the biased kind, I was eager to try out a new speaker from a new brand and see how it sounds, sometimes you can get some really pleasant surprises. [caption id=“attachment_307751” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] These are not what you’d call good looking speakers[/caption] I for one did not like the styling of these speakers at all; it looks very average and feels very average too. You will not get the finish and class you’d expect from well-known brands like Logitech, Creative, Sony, etc. In fact, right out of the box, you’ll notice scratches and finishing issues. Though overall the finish of the sub-woofer felt a lot better than the Satellites. [caption id=“attachment_307745” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The bad finishing on the subwoofer unit straight out of the box[/caption] The satellites are exceptionally light, it’s as if there is no real weight to the speakers inside. The entire make is of plastic and wood and; one of the satellites even made a rattling sound indicating something loose inside. Xander is seriously going to have warranty claim issues from consumers. [caption id=“attachment_307746” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] One of the Satellite speakers[/caption] The front panel has the main buttons to control the unit. The buttons take time to respond and feel very tacky. The volume button is a little too sensitive as many-a-times I switched off the unit by mistake when trying to lower the volume quickly. [caption id=“attachment_307747” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The main control is right in the front[/caption] Jack of all trades… The subwoofer is where all the features are dumped. I say dumped because the XA-599BT is really full of features to the brim. It has Bluetooth, FM, USB, SD card reader, and is a 5.1 speaker. Why does a 5.1 speaker need all these features? Basically, Xander seems to be going for one speaker for everyone with everything just short of a kitchen sink. They seem to be aiming at an “All-in-one” but it really doesn’t make sense. [caption id=“attachment_307748” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The USB and SD card support is on the right of the speaker[/caption] Those who want an all-in-one, don’t really go for a 5.1 speaker and even if you do, you’ll need to keep the subwoofer which has the amp and all the features built into it below on the floor, doing so will mean that you’ll always have to bend down to operate it or rely on the remote heavily by pointing it down and not at the general TV direction where the amp would technically fit. Since the subwoofer is the main unit, you cannot keep it in a corner or out of sight as that’ll prevent you from operating the entire unit conveniently. This is typically a computer speaker way of doing things which Xander Audios seems to be trying to translate to an “All-in-one” solution which feels like a total mismatch. [caption id=“attachment_307749” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] All the configuration you’d need for a full blown 5.1[/caption] What’s in the box? Xander Audios gives all the necessary cables for a 5.1 speaker system, including a 3.5mm Y-shape cable, an FM transmitter cable, plastic mounting brackets and screws, a quick read manual and, of course, the remote. For some reason, though, the remote just didn’t work right out of the box in spite installing fresh new Duracell batteries. [caption id=“attachment_307750” align=“aligncenter” width=“1280”] Not your typical good quality cables[/caption] Specifications with a Pinch of Salt Take Xander Audios speaker specifications with a pinch of salt. While the marketing suggests these are 10,000 Watt PMPO output speakers, the box states 9000 Watt PMPO. And those who are of a keen eye know that PMPO doesn’t mean anything (except for marketing), it is RMS value that one needs to determine true power of a speaker. Performance: 4.5/10 Interestingly, the first response when you hear the speakers is “cool, nice, not bad” which my family members retorted. And this can be attributed to the 8-inch sub-woofer alone. This sub is powerful, it can really rattle the windows and shake the floor. When the bass drops in Charlie Puth - Betty Boop (Original Mix) , you can really feel the whole house shaking. But unfortunately, the satellites can’t really keep up. They aren’t clear and some sounds actually come out jarring on these satellites. What really lacks are strong mids in the satellites, and this was very evident in songs that required the voice to stand out a lot more. Also pumping up the EQ somehow had the satellites jarring in stronger mid sections. Due to this, you’ll feel the bass eat into and overpower everything. I had to dial down the bass from the default setting just to balance the sound. When it comes to games and movies, well you can be a lot more forgiving of the sound. The powerful sub-woofer doesn’t fail to impress here, explosions, gun shots really sound boomy and powerful. Mids again felt as if they had not much body nor clarity and highs just about made their presence felt. Verdict and Price in India Would I recommend these? Certainly not. Xander doesn’t manage to Xanderize anyone and there are several reasons. One, the sound doesn’t stand out, yes it has a lot of features and a powerful sub-woofer but that’s all these XA-599BT 5.1 speakers have going for it. Also, for a brand that no one knows, after-sales-service support and the demanding price of Rs 9,950 makes this a total no-no. If it is 5.1 speaker you want under Rs 10,000, Logitech, Creative, Altec Lansing come to mind or Sony, LG, Philips very own 5.1 speakers with DVD players are definitely a better buy. Double Take Wait a minute, isn’t this the same speaker with the same styling, finish, remote, being sold as MAK Tech 5.1 speaker on Flipkart and that too for Rs 6,999 for a hilarious 40,000 Watts PMPO? Lol, isn’t this a typical case of Indian company rebranding over-the-shelf one-size-fits-all products from Chinese manufacturers? Honestly disappointing.