India in recent years has witnessed a resurgence of feature phones. While the mainstream mobile market is oversaturated with smartphones, feature phones have found themselves a sizeable chunk of the market. While Nokia brought back the nostalgic 3310 and XpressMusic in a redesigned form factor, Saregama has now launched a Carvaan feature phone priced under the 2.5K.
The Saregama Carvaan mobile
The key feature of the Carvaan mobile is that it comes preloaded with 1500 Hindi songs. The songs feature artists like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, M. Rafi, Asha Bhosle, and many more known musical legends. The tracks can be without an internet connection or commercial breaks, making it an uninterrupted experience for the listener. The device features an 8GB memory card with 2GB of free data for users to load up videos, music, images, and more. Keeping up its focus on offline music, Carvaan mobile offers a 3.5mm headphone jack, Aux out, Bluetooth, and FM Radio. The device also features multi-language support.
The Saregama Carvaan Mobile is available in two screen sizes, 2.4-inch, and 1.8-inch respectively. It features a 0.3MP camera at the back and a LED torch. The feature phone houses a MediaTek process with 2GB RAM and 32MB storage. Whereas, it has a 2,500mAh battery unit. While the 2.4-inch variant is priced at Rs 2,490, the 1.8-inch will cost interested buyers Rs 1,990 respectively.
The Saregama Carvaan Mobile is available in three colours- Royal Blue, Classic Black, and Emerald Green. As of now, the device is only available in Hindi and Tamil across e-commerce and retail markets. However, it is reported that the company will be releasing the device in all regional languages.
It is said that money can’t buy you happiness, but we’re sure that if anyone had all the money in the world to spend upon high end sound setup, you probably would. Most of us rely on the poor sound quality of their flat-screen television, or, if they’re feeling extravagant, they may spend few grands on upgrading.
However, there are people out there mostly, musicians, sound engineers, and possibly billionaires with money to blow extravagantly – that are willing to spend a large sum of money on the most high-end or most expensive audio systems. But believe it or not there are numerous systems on the market that are priced well over an exorbitant amount of money. Though, if you’re an audiophile, you know that you cannot put a price tag on good sound.
So, which are the most expensive stereo systems and just how expensive can they get?
Home theatre
Building up the perfect sound system can be an expensive endeavour out of which speakers are one of the most important components an audiophile needs to work upon to achieve the ultimate sound. If money is no object, the the possibilities are endless.
Priced at $5 million, the Hart Audio D&W Aural Pleasure speakers are the true definition of luxury. The 76 cm cabinet of this speaker has been crafted from solid 24-carat gold.
This incredible earbud like design was created by Hart’s Audio, a loudspeaker brand which has been in the business since 2003.
Believe it or not but Hart’s Audio only made a single set of these luxury speakers and hence it is viable to say even the richest audiophiles won’t be getting their hands on these ultra-expensive sound machines.
Beyond their extravagantly expensive materials, these speakers offer a well-balanced & clean and clear audio.” The system runs on three speaker drive units packaged inside a 110-pound body which gives the design the needed sound production for all audio levels.
Costing near about at $1 million, the Ceasaro Horn Acoustics Omega 1 Bass Horns are exquisite, ultra-luxurious speakers which look like a fine sculpture.The astonishing transducers promote sound that can fill absolutely any space. Perfect for large spaces , one can be sure that the music is crystal clear with the Ceasaro Horn Acoustics Omega 1 Bass Horns.
Kharma Grand Enigma – Rs.8 Crore approx
Made by a high-end Dutch manufacturer, the Kharma Grand is an exquisite sound system which has been designed in a massive cellar to ensure that total concentration is maintained while perfecting its performance and its body. Costing around $1 million, only 25 pairs of these wonderfully robust speakers were ever made.
It all starts with the imposing setup which features a wall of audio equipment where in each channel really looks more like huge tower than a speaker system! Next up is an array of impressive tech that makes listening to music sound like a live concert.
Headphones
Whether listening to your favourite podcasts while travelling or working out while listening to some head-banger music, a good set of headphones has become a must-have accessory:
With a range of headphones out there, we jot down the most expensive ones you can get your hands on. And while some headphones are made for comfort, others offer superior performance and wearability, these are insanely exquisite.
Focal Utopia by Tournaire – Rs. 95 lakhs approx
Designed and manufactured in France, and featuring exclusive Focal technologies, a sleek design and high-end materials, these exceptional headphones soon made them a reference of luxury in the global audiophile headphones market.
The design of these exceptionally classy looking headphones was customised by a jeweller. The result is that of a unique product with new aesthetics designed and crafted by jeweller father and son, Philippe and Mathieu Tournaire. It bears the mark of the Trilogy, the symbol of Tournaire jewellers which represents the evolution of life.
Onkyo H900M with 20-carat diamonds – Rs.79 lakhs approx
The Onkyo Diamond Headphones are pair of headphones that are meant to be worn by the truly elite. Unveiled at CES 2017, it was apparent from the fact that they are made out of diamonds. Noticeably, the driving design philosophy here is of “making a statement.” Specifically, a statement about the fact that you can afford a truly spectacular pair of $100,000 diamond studded headphone jewellery.
To make it clear, those are real diamonds, not Swarovski crystal or glass. Each pair contains 20 carats of diamonds, which are rated between G-H on GIA’s colour scale (nearly colourless) and between VVS-VS for clarity.
Sennheiser Orpheus/HE 1 – Rs.48 lakhs approx
Sennheiser is known for making top-quality headphones. But these take it to a different level.
Equipped with unique features and state-of-the-art technology, these headphones transform music from something you listen to, into something you live in. The HE 1 supports the audio transfer protocol ASIO (Audio Stream Input/Output) for native playback of high-resolution audio files.
They come with their own valve amplification. The chassis is made from Carrara marble, the same type Michaelangelo used for his sculptures. The build quality alone would have been worth it, but the headphones are also some of the best available right now. But be ready to pay $68,000 for these.
Portable speaker
Devialet Gold Phantom Opera de Paris – Rs.5 lakhs approx
Implosive, you don’t get that much of an adjective in wireless speakers. The Devialet Phantom Gold wireless speaker has a 22-carat Rose Gold finish. It looks exclusive and is just worth its price. This intelligently-made speaker is made in France. It produces a sound quality that’s optimised in a revolutionary process by Devialet’s brilliant engineers. Imagine a 4500-watt of power and a 108 dB physical compact with zero distortion. You’ll feel you’re inside a concert venue when playing music from this speaker.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A9 4th Gen Wireless Multiroom Speaker – Rs.3 lakhs approx
Another expensive wireless speaker from Bang & Olufsen is the Beoplay A9 wireless home speaker. It’s delicately crafted like a piece of furniture in your home to add to its interior design. Let it stand in one corner or mount it on a wall. The premium fabric delivers acoustic transparency and superior aesthetics.
The Beoplay A9 has everything in it. Beautiful design, excellent craftsmanship, and incredible audio performance in one package. It features a 480-watt amplifier system. It has separate amps for every five built-in speaker units. You can hear every audio detail the way your favourite artists want you to listen to it. The sound production automatically changes according to its position in your room.
The Gotham v2 is the epitome, unfettered expression of JL Audio’s deep commitments to beautiful design, exceptional build quality and truly great audio.
The Gotham® v2’s massive fibreglass-composite enclosure is hand-finished in luxurious gloss black and complemented by machined aluminium and stainless steel accents. It amplifies a mind-numbing 4,500 watts of crystal clear, controlled power, while a completely new signal processing system employs DSP for all functions. This particular system includes a more powerful, digital version of our automatic room optimization technology, with 18 bands of response correction to flawlessly integrate the Gotham® v2 into your room’s acoustics.
Gone are the days when budding musicians used to pay money for weekend music classes. The world has changed for the better over the last few years, thanks to the technical revolution. Nowadays, musicians are more inclined toward mobile technology and prefer to learn and create music with the help of their smartphones. Today, there are thousands of apps available in the online market to help you on your way.
Cleartune
Whether you’re a violinist or a guitarist, you will need a chromatic tuner to tune up your work easily. The Cleartune app is perfect for budding musicians as it allows you to create your temperaments and notations. The app features an ultra-responsive 25-cent range fine-tuning display to help you get your pitch spot-on, a note wheel display for easier reading, a Needle Damping option, full support for transposing instruments and many more necessary features. The chromatic tuner app is available for iOS and Android devices, allowing you to find the ideal pitch for various instruments easily.
Hum
A musician is just a person who knows how to play and arrange music; it’s what lyrics that put life into their music. Earlier, artists used to write the verse on scraps of notebook paper in-between classes and hum into a tape recorder. Hum is the app that helps you combine the vocal storage of Voice Memos with your favourite plain-text app and offer a place to note down lyric ideas. The iOS-exclusive app is loaded with features, and perfect for storing audio and notes. It also allows you to sync up with Dropbox to help ensure nothing gets lost and share ideas through iMessage or email.
Garageband
Garageband is one of the most familiar apps among musicians as it’s been ruling in the hearts of modern musicians since its inception. The app lets anyone from an experienced sound engineer to a budding teenage musician cut a professional-sounding track to make it directly onto the radio. The iOS-exclusive app is a popular music-making tool and is used by many renowned artists to produce a demo and sometimes even finalize master recordings. The user-friendly app is a great entry-level music creation app which features various instruments, including keyboards, drums, and guitars.
Band Mule
BandMule is a private band organizer to plan your gigs and rehearsals better with your band members. Whether you’re on the road or anywhere in the world, and an idea hits your mind that you want to share with your band members, then Band Mule is the app for you. The app is designed for musicians to communicate privately with band members, and one can easily share messages, schedules, setlists, gig dates, ideas and comments and more.
Topline
Topline is a free app designed by musicians, and it lets artists save their music ideas instantly and accurately before the thought jumps out of their minds. The app is owned by Abbey Road Studios and is ideal for songwriters to ensure they never forget an idea. The app allows you to import files such as instrumentals or vocal tracks, and along with all the top-notch features, it also allows you to share completed works over WhatsApp.
Who wakes you up in the morning? Now, don’t say your parents or sibling(s), for heaven’s sake! Yeah, they like turning off the air conditioner, fan and our MOOD every time they see us sleeping after specific hours. Jokes apart, but every morning or perhaps, every afternoon (cheers and more power to night owls), for most of us, an alarm clock does the job of waking us up with a piece of music we have set up beforehand.
Basically, from waking up in the morning with a favourite alarm tone to trying to sleep while listening to your favourite songs, we’re surrounded by the term MUSIC. We live on a planet where music plays a vital role in almost every ceremony, be it a marriage or a funeral; we pursue relief in the presence of music. Being a solitary person, I’ve heard all types of popular music, but my heart only beats for the Indian melodies.
An ode to the Indian music
It is said that the art of music was introduced to Earth by Narada Muni, and since then, music has been an inseparable part of Indian culture and tradition. Back in the days (when the Gharana system was present), the students would spend many years with their guru to learn the music, and over time they used to share a spiritual bond and principles with their teachers, which further shaped their life.
Originated in South Asia and the identity of the Indian subcontinent, Indian classical music is one of the oldest music forms in history. It is divided into two major traditions – the North Indian classical music known as Hindustani and the South Indian classical music known as Carnatic. It was formed 6,000 years ago from sacred Vedic scriptures and is closely connected to nature.
Note: Hope you’ve heard the stories of Megh Malhar Raag, which has the power to bring out rains in the area where it is sung.
Bollywood Music Vs Classical Music
We all love (or used to love, thanks to the remixers) Bollywood music even though it doesn’t have a specific style. In comparison, Indian classical music has a rich history and numerous types as it is influenced by the natural elements of the earth. Indian classical music is the primary vocal training genre of Indian music, while Bollywood music is just a type of music we hear in the Bollywood movies.
Bollywood music or songs consists of different types of music and has every element of music from traditional to folk, classical to western. The primary and most noticeable difference between these two music genres is that Bollywood is commercially very profitable, while Indian classical music helps enlighten the soul. Classical music has a limited audience, while we can see all age groups grooving to Bollywood music.
Why are Indian Musicians still struggling to have a global presence?
We have about 22 major languages and 19,500 dialects in India as mother tongues, which obviously creates a linguistic barrier. However, in India, most artists write lyrics for the music/song in Hindi or respective major/regional languages. The language barrier among the people creates a downpour into the popularity, and that’s the sole reason Indian music reaches the outside world but fails to make a mark.
In western countries, musicians usually produce their records/albums and are open to exploring the art form. Whereas, in India, musicians are more into being a part of Bollywood and singing a song or two for a particular movie. Independent musicians from western countries gain recognition under their name, which helps them to have a worldwide audience. Also, they do frequent concerts making them popular among the youth.
Top 5 instruments used in Indian Music Industry
Sitar – The instrument has a long neck with twenty metal frets and seven cords.
Renowned Sitar Players – Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Abdul Halim Zaffar Khan
Flute – A cylindrical instrument which provides vitality to the mind and soul.
Renowned Flute Players – Pt Pannalal Ghosh and Pt Hari Prashad Chaurasia
Shehnai – A double-reed instrument with a tapering bore progressively increases towards the lower side.
Renowned Shehnai Players – Ustad Bismillah Khan
Tabla – Everyone knows what is Tabla? A pair of drums – one is called Tabla and the other one is called Bayan.
Renowned Tabla Players – Zakir Husain
Harmonium – The harmonium is also called Reed Organ. It has a free-reed keyboard of over two and one-half octaves and works on a bellows system.
Renowned Harmonium Players – Late R. K. Bijapure
Top 5 Music Companies in India
T-Series
T-Series is an Indian music record label and film production company run by Bhushan Kumar, son of the founder and music producer Gulshan Kumar. On YouTube, it has a multi-channel network of over 29 channels and over 390+ million subscribers.
Saregama India Limited
Saregama India Limited is an Indian music company, formerly known as the Gramophone Company of India. The company was founded in 1901 and is India’s oldest music label, currently owned by the RP – Sanjiv Goenka Group of companies.
Universal Music India
Launched in 1999, Universal Music India is a part of the Universal Music Group, an American-based, Dutch-listed multinational music corporation. The worldwide revenue of the Universal Music Group is over $6 billion, and it is one of the youngest music companies in India.
Tips Industries Limited
Tips Industries is one of the renowned film production and film distribution company. The company was founded by Kumar S. Taurani and Ramesh S. Taurani in 1975, and over the 3 decades, it has grown to become a leading entertainment company.
Times Music
Times Music is the number 1 music label in the spiritual music genre. The company started operations in 1998, and since then, it has produced over 60,000 tracks in all languages and genres. In India, the company is more famous for its spiritual music releases.
Valuation
After engineering, medical and MBA, music is the only career or perhaps the only acceptable art form in the society in which Indian parents believe. Otherwise, parents are very precise about their children’s career choices, especially in our country. Once called “The Global Music Industry’s Sleeping Giant”, – The Indian music industry has topped the charts for the third time in a row with annual revenue of over ₹1,500 crores.
The pandemic caused a big hole in the earnings of the Indian music industry as 70% of recorded music in India is film-based. However, many people bought memberships and paid the charges on several apps, which helped the industry stay intact. Currently, the Indian music industry is ranked 17th in the world, and it is valued at around 19 billion Indian rupees at the end of 2021 and is expected to cross 28 billion rupees by the end of 2024.
Musical Records
Aap Kaa Surroor, a debut album by Himesh Reshammiya, released in 2006, is the highest-selling album ever released in India, with over 55 million copies sold.
Asha Bhosle is the most recorded artist in music history. She has recorded up to 11,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs in over 20 Indian languages since 1947.
Rahul Dev (RD) Burman is known as the King of Bollywood Music and is one of the influential music directors in the Indian film industry.
Shree Hanuman Chalisa by Hariharan is India’s most viewed music video, with over 2,486,720,895 views. The video is on the T-Series Bhakti Sagar channel.
Lut Gaye, a song starring Emraan Hashmi, composed by Tanishk Bagchi and sung by Jubin Nautiyal, has become the fastest Indian single to reach 1 Billion views on YouTube.
Madhavan has risen from being a cute romantic hero of the early 2000s to being the first A-list actor to make an OTT debut, and now he has added one more star on his shoulder by writing and directing the upcoming film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. The biographical film is based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the ISRO, who was falsely charged with espionage and arrested.
Release: 1st July (in theatres)
Genre: Biography
Directed by: R. Madhavan
Stranger Things S4 Volume 2
Stranger Things S4V1 revealed a few new characters, two of whom are quite brutal, the villains of the story – Vecna in the upside-down and number ONE in the laboratory. At the end of the S4V1, we saw Nancy fall into a new dimension while trying to climb the rope of the new world. Volume 2 of the Season 4 consists of two episodes of about 2 hours each called ‘Chapter 8 – Papa’ and ‘Chapter 9 – The Piggyback’, respectively.
Release: 1st July (Netflix)
Genre: Science Fiction Horror
Created by: The Duffer Brothers
Thor: Love and Thunder
The Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are going crazy over the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. The 29th superhero film in the MCU is based on the Marvel Comics character Thor and is the direct sequel to Thor: Ragnarok (2017). The film shows the story of Thor returning to action after spending a brief time looking for inner peace. In the process, he recruits Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods.
Release: 8th July (in theatres)
Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Boo, Bitch
We have seen Lana Condor as Lara Jean Covey in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, and now she’s returning with yet another mind-boggling character. Her upcoming mini-series – Boo, Bitch is a supernatural comedy which depicts the story of a high school student who lives a life of a wallflower and wakes up one morning only to find out she’s a ghost. The series is labelled as a mini-series, and it will have eight episodes.
Release: 8th July (Netflix)
Genre: Comedy
Created by: Tim Schauer, Kuba Soltysiak, Erin Ehrlich and Lauren Iungerich
Jaadugar
Jeetu Bhaiyya is back again with another movie, and this time he plays the magician’s character. His recent release, Panchayat 2, is already breaking the records and the audience across genres appreciates his performance. With Jaadugar, the actor is looking forward to expanding his movie resume. In the film, Jitendra Kumar plays a role of a Jaadugar with no athletic skill and must win a football trophy to marry his love interest.
Release: 15th July (Netflix)
Genre: Sports Comedy
Directed by: Sameer Saxena
Shabaash Mithu
We have seen films/documentaries based on many cricketers, be it an MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar or the most recent one, Kabir Khan’s 83, but what about the female cricketers? Yes, we have two films in the pipeline based on the female cricketer’s life journey, and one of them is Shabaash Mithu, based on the life of former Test and ODI captain of the India women’s national cricket team, Mithali Raj, and it stars Taapsee Pannu in the titular role.
Release: 15th July (in theatres)
Genre: Biographical Sports Drama
Directed by: Srijit Mukherji
Hit: The First Case
The remake of 2020 released Telugu-language action-thriller film with the same name, which starred Vishwak Sen and Ruhani Sharma in the lead role. The Bollywood remake of the movie stars Rajkummar Rao and Sanya Malhotra in the lead role and follows the same plot where the lead character Vikram Rudraraju (Rao), a police officer of the Homicide Intervention Team (HIT) who is tasked to investigate the missing case of a young girl.
Release: 15th July (in theatres)
Genre: Action Thriller
Directed by: Dr Sailesh Kolanu
Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi
Recently, Netflix India declared they are on the other side of the success and trying to rise from their current situation in India. However, the company has done great homework over the course and observed what the Indian audience wants to watch! After “House of Secrets – The Burari Deaths”, now they’re all set to release their next true-crime documentary “Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi.” In the end, Netflix realised good documentaries could prevent them from drowning.
Release: 20th July (Netflix)
Genre: True Crime Documentary
Directed by: Ayesha Sood
Shamshera
June was all about Ranbir Kapoor. We witnessed the actor being the part of the two trailer launches (Brahmastra and Shamshera) and, of course, the pregnancy announcement with his wife, Alia Bhatt. When people experienced the trailer for Brahmastra, they were in awe, but when they saw the trailer for Shamshera, they hailed him like a king. The period drama film is set in the 1800s and tells the story of a dacoit tribe and their fight for independence against British rule.
Release: 22nd July (in theatres)
Genre: Period Drama
Directed by: Karan Malhotra
Vikrant Rona
Since the theatres opened after the pandemic South Indian movies are going on another level. With every new release, they’re coming up with a masterpiece, be it a Pushpa, KGF, Vikram or 777 Charlie. Vikrant Rona is a fantasy action-adventure film which stars Sudeep in the title role alongside Nirup Bhandari and Neetha Ashok. The movie is based on incidents in which people from a remote village start witnessing a series of unexplainable supernatural events.
David Brown Automotive has recently given an enticing glimpse of its upcoming, limited run version of Mini Remastered, produced in collaboration with another iconic British brand, Marshall Amplification.
The special variant of David Brown Automotive’s popular reimagined classic Mini has been conceived to mark a momentous achievement in Marshall’s storied history – their 60th anniversary.
In addition to the complete restoration and enhancement applied to all Mini Remastered models, Mini Remastered Marshall Edition will present a number of new Marshall audio features, developed in collaboration between the vehicle engineers and the artisan technicians at David Brown Automotive, and the expert engineering team at Marshall Amplification. With its comprehensively upgraded speaker system and an array of other Marshall Amplification audio enhancements, Mini Remastered Marshall Edition will pack a serious, modern & sonic punch.
For each Mini Remastered Marshall Edition sold, David Brown Automotive and Marshall Amplification will make a charitable donation to the Music Trust Venue, which is working to help get the UK’s independent music scene back on its feet after the disruption of the pandemic.
About David Brown Automotive
David Brown Automotive was started in 2013 by British businessman, David Brown and was born out of his admiration for iconic classic cars and passion for hand craftsmanship combined with state-of-the-art engineering. He believes that cars should not only be beautifully designed and crafted but also usable and reliable.
The company is based in an 18,000 sq ft build facility in Silverstone, with a showroom in St John’s Wood, London, and a worldwide distribution and service network.
Its current model line-up includes Speedback GT, Speedback Silverstone Edition, Mini Remastered and the recently-launched, Mini Remastered, Oselli Edition.
About Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification has a vibrant and dynamic history within the music industry and is celebrated by some of the greatest artists in the world. Catapulted from humble beginnings in Hanwell, London, Marshall is now a global brand achieving manufacturing excellence. Creativity and innovation are at the heart of the business and every product they create. With 60 years of music experience, Marshall continue to push the boundaries of possibility for the musicians of the future.
About Music Venue Trust
Music Venue Trust, founded in 2014, is a registered charity that seeks to preserve, secure and improve the UK’s network of small to medium scale, mostly independently run, music venues. We have a long term plan to protect that live music network which includes, where necessary, taking into charitable ownership freehold properties so they can be removed from commercial pressures and leased back to passionate music professionals to continue their operation.
Travelling and music are synonyms to each other. Travelling cannot come to a pass without music. Centuries have passed, but music is regarded as the jewel of the crown of any journey to date. Reminiscing my personal experience, no travel, especially by a car or a train, was ever considered complete without a fulfilling game of “Antakashri”. Before the evolution of technology, people sang folk songs or bhajans on long journeys. It also acted as a perfect way of relaxation during the tiresome journey. With the evolution of technology in the 21st Century, travelling has been more enjoyable because we can bring music with us everywhere we go.
A good playlist will undoubtedly be your ultimate travelling companion if you’re a solo traveller. When shared with your travel companions, music also increases the energy and excitement of the journey. Thanks to technological evolution, everyone wants to have the most pleasing music system in their automobile, which has resulted in a surge in music system sales and market. It’s a unique sensation to listen to music while travelling. You may not return to a location after you have visited it.
Why do we listen to music while travelling?
Research elucidated that music may transport you back in time to a specific location or occasion in the same way that images can. Now at a touch of a button and as per your mood, you can get your favourite playlist for working out, travelling, rainy days, cold evenings, house parties, meditating, and other activities.
Medically also it is proven that if you suffer from motion sickness while travelling, music might help keep your mind occupied. According to thorough research, music is one of the most effective treatments for nausea and motion sickness. The manner and duration of the trip may be uncomfortable, in which case music might come in hand.
To insulate oneself from the environment and unexpected noises, all you need is a pair of good headphones. We can use music to de-stress after a hard and exhausting day at work. Reduced stress levels also result in a better sleep pattern and a more enthusiastic start to the next day. While listening to music, chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin are naturally released in the body.
Some benefits of listening to music while travelling include:
While travelling, music may help you create relationships and memories with your loved ones.
Music makes long car rides more tolerable.
Music can help you make new friends.
Music helps to divert one’s attention away from anxious thoughts when travelling.
Good sound or good music has the ability to delight your soul. A good audio system in your car is pure eargasm while on the move. If you’re new to the world of car audio systems, check out our article on how the in-car infotainment system evolved with time here and they seem to have become more sophisticated with each passing year.
Almost everyone has different opinions on car audio systems, and some people love the look of their factory stereo. If you have a late model car with an integrated infotainment system, upgrading the stereo can be difficult. In either case, there are several ways to improve a factory sound system.
One interesting thing about upgrading your car audio is that there’s no right way or wrong way to go about it, in fact, the best thing about upgrading factory audio systems is that almost any component you replace will at least represent a marginal improvement.
The guide to “car audio” starts with an understanding of what each component contributes to the overall audio experience you have. But it’s important to be able to identify the pitfalls that you notice in your car audio, then know the right fix for each problem.
However, no matter how many complexities arise in the technological aspect, a car audio system only has three basic components. So if you’re considering upgrading your car’s audio system, keep in mind that the components listed below are the ones you must include.
If you are going by the budget-conscious piecemeal route, then you must plan on how you want the final system to look and sound like. If you do that, you’ll end up with components that work pretty well together.
There are many options when you build a car infotainment system from the ground up, so people who have never performed this task may shy away from that sort of drastic change.
Now, if you dive in, consider the types of features you want your car to sound like.
If you’re working on a tight budget, you can do some things to improve the sound quality. You can even replace components one at a time, depending on what your speculated budget permits, and eventually, you’ll have a completely custom car sound system.
Know the main components!
Head Units
This is the brain behind everything. In the beginning, head units were simply radio tuners which, as time went by, became proficient in providing audio signals from cassette tapes and CD players. In the modern-day vehicles, the head unit is often integrated into its entire “infotainment system”, which is the central console that also often houses climate controls and provides navigation.
Today, most head units have USB ports, Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, etc to connect other devices and play digital music, built-in satellite and Internet capabilities, and whatnot.
Now it is entirely up to you what you want in your car.
Either way, we advise you to end up with a head unit that is capable of powering the speakers. You can also go for a head unit with pre-amp outputs and an amplifier capable of fully powering the speakers.
Speakers
It’s an old rule of thumb, but it remains true: even the best car stereo won’t sound great on lousy speakers. If your car’s stock car audio system shows distortion, lacks clarity during high-frequency ranges, and blasts hollow bass notes, you may improve the sound system in your vehicle with a worthwhile speaker upgrade.
If your car only has two or four-speaker slots, they are probably coaxial speakers, which means a single speaker head features both the woofer and a tweeter. The easiest way to replace them is with better coaxial speakers, preferably made with more superior materials.
A decent set of front speakers might only set you back less than ten grand. Component speakers provide even better sound, but that’s a complicated upgrade that’s better paired with a new car stereo.
Discrete speaker components sound even better because the tweeters and woofers operate separately, producing greater sound clarity. But this upgrade often requires cutting new speaker mounts, complex rewiring, and other actions best performed by a technician, an experienced installer of sound systems for cars.
At least four speakers make up most car audio systems, although you can play with various configurations that will allow you to add more.
There are several types of speakers, including coaxial, component, and subwoofers. A coaxial speaker is one unit that houses both the tweeter, which takes care of the treble or higher range notes and the woofer, which deals with the Bass or the lower to mid-range frequencies. On the other hand, component speakers are simply a set of speakers that separate the woofer and the tweeters. Subwoofers, meanwhile, are designed to reproduce Bass and sub-bass that is typically lower than what a woofer can generate.
More often than not, car owners prefer upgrading the speakers that come with their car because its sound quality is often poor. Go for speakers that are constructed better and are usually made of cloth and foam. Some excellent speakers have rubber, metal, silk, and other synthetic materials. Car owners can enjoy full-bodied Bass, pristine sound in high-frequency ranges, and a lack of distortion with these speakers.
Amplifiers
Turning up the volume.
If you’re concerned about high volume, an amplifier is still an essential component you need to add to your system. You’ll probably need an amp with speaker-level inputs if you’re leaving the factory stereo in place, but some premium factory fitted head units come with line-level outputs.
It’s easy to overpower the speakers when you add a powerful amplifier to a factory sound system. With that in mind, consider upgrading the speakers first if you want to crank up the volume all the way blasting out of the windows.
As mentioned above, the speakers receive the audio signal from the amplifier and serve as the output devices that in turn convert the electrical energy of that signal into sound.
Despite what we said above about having great speakers, it’s also quite true that great speakers only sound as good as their amplifier. You may get an uplift in quality with new speakers alone. Still, discrete car audio systems will require more sophisticated amplifiers that can output to multiple, distinct speaker channels. A good amp can output well to tweeters and woofers, for example, and even subwoofers, for that matter.
An amplifier does precisely what its name implies; it takes the audio signal that the head unit sends out and amplifies it on its way to the speakers. Not only does an amplifier increase the power of that audio signal from the head unit, but it also improves the quality of the sound. With speakers hooked up to an amplifier, you should be able to turn up the volume without it producing crackling sounds and distorting the audio quality. The sound is cleaner, more unmistakable, all making your listening experience much much better.
Not all amplifiers are created equal, though, so you can vastly improve your car audio by simply upgrading your amplifier to superior ones.
Adding more Bass
If the only thing you’re missing is Bass, add a subwoofer to your factory system in either of the two ways:
Add an amplifier and a subwoofer.
Add a powered subwoofer. Subwoofer in a car trunk
Powered subwoofers are a more straightforward proposition, but adding an amplifier and a subwoofer allows you more flexibility. Either way, a subwoofer is the best way to get that bass thumping.
If you want to go by the easiest way to add more bass to your car audio system, a powered amplifier with speaker-level inputs is the way to go. These units combine an amplifier and a subwoofer into one unit, and they can be hooked up to any factory or aftermarket head unit.
Doing it right
The most important thing to look for is a good wiring harness specifically designed for your vehicle requirements. This harness plugs into the factory wiring, so you won’t have to cut into any of your car stereo system wires and mess up with the electricals.
Some of these wiring harnesses are even designed to plug into a new head unit altogether, which means there’s no wiring involved at all. This is the easiest way to install a new head unit, and it ensures that you can pop the factory stereo back to stock any time you want.
What Does Your System Lack?
While many other components can affect the overall audio quality, those are the top three pieces of every car audio system. Now, consider the fact that your vehicle’s sound isn’t up to your expectations. What complaints do you have?
Your Speakers Buzz
Factory-installed speakers aren’t of the best quality, but you can easily upgrade to an aftermarket set that provides a broader range of sound. If you want an upgrade, particularly in the speaker department, install a separate woofer and tweeters along with component speakers for a good midrange sound.
There Is Not Enough Power
If the sound quality simply feels like it could need more “oomph”, your amplifier is likely the culprit in this scenario. Since it delivers more power to your new speakers, you should get more clarity without any kind of distortion.
There Isn’t Enough Detail.
If you’re a music-head audiophile, you know that layers of audio are very much essential to the full sound experience. An upgraded head unit could help enhance your jazz or classical listening, taking your hearing experience to another level.
Evaluating Your Car Audio System
If your car stereo sounds OK to you, that’s exactly what all the OEMs are looking for. Even factory-installed premium sound systems usually aren’t up to mark. So how can you tell if your factory audio needs a little tender loving care?
Here’s a test that anyone can do:
Sit in your car and close all the doors and windows.
Play your favourite music and turn up the volume.
Don’t be afraid to go higher than you usually would, but try avoiding blasting the sound and go blow-out-your-eardrums high.
Listen to the music and start noticing the drawbacks.
If you need to turn up the treble due to lack of clarity, that’s something that a speaker upgrade can fix.
If you turn up the bass figure, you have the Bass sounding hollow or empty, that’s also something an upgrade can fix.
If the music sounds distorted when the volume is up really high, that’s another thing you can take care of with a bit of tinkering with the amplifying system mentioned.
So, where do you start from? There are different ways to dig into a factory sound system upgrade. Answering a handful of questions can set you on the right path:
How important is your budget? Do you have much money to spend on upgrades?
Do you want to improve the sound while keeping your factory stereo?
Would you instead ditch the factory stereo and start fresh?
How important is Bass?
Do you like listening to your music loud?
You might be surprised at how the simple act of pondering those five questions sets you on the road to building a great car audio system.
We can’t help you with the answer of who came first, an egg or a chicken? But we can certainly help you with the solution of what to prefer between a wired headphone and a wireless one? Choosing a headphone is always challenging for everyone as there are many different options available in the market, from the cheapest possible to the costliest one.
A headphone is a fundamental gadget that we all need. Most people favour listening to music to zone out themselves in a world full of chaos and babble, and to do that, we all need a sustainable device. There are many platforms for listening to music, be it Spotify, Apple Music, Gaana, Hungama, JioSaavn, Wynk or the latest YouTube Music, and to enjoy every single beat of the music, we all need a perfect headphone which should also suit your lifestyle and music taste.
A few years ago, wireless earphones were not as popular, but ever since Apple discontinued the 3.5 mm jack from its devices, everything transformed. As most of the smartphone companies started following in the footsteps of Apple. However, there are still many smartphone companies offering a 3.5 mm jack in their latest devices, and this is how one of the biggest questions came to be, what to prefer between a wired and a wireless headphone?
Looking from a neutral point of view, wired or wireless both have their cons and pros, but in the end, it all depends on the individual’s choice. To know them better, let’s have a look at them individually. Owning the latest wireless headphone will help you stay on top of the newest technologies, while possessing a wired headphone will keep you a little away from excess radiation.
Wired Headphones:
Wired headphones work in the same way as other wired devices work; plug them in the headphone jack, and they’ll dispatch sound from it. Despite being an old school gadget, they are still a dependable choice for a vast number of people. Also, nothing can beat the audio quality of wired headphones, thanks to the technology that made vital improvements in them over the years.
Advantages:
Wired headphones receive an analogue signal, which can manage more data than Bluetooth; this is how they offer the best sound quality. Wired headphones don’t need charging or batteries, so there’s no requirement to recheck them before going out on a trail or work, but if you’re looking for wired active noise-cancelling headphones, then you must know, they need batteries.
Wireless technology is more expensive than wired ones; that’s why wired headphones always cost less than their wireless counterparts. Also, wired headphones are easier to repair. They are more user friendly as there’s no requirement of pairing devices before use, plug them into the device, and you’re ready to enjoy your favourite music.
Disadvantages:
Everything in this world comes with some level of disadvantages; nothing’s perfect. With all the benefits, wired headphones have a few downwards factors, like you can’t move beyond the length of headphones wire; if you want to listen to the music, you must have to stick to the limits.
One of the most significant issues people face with wired headphones is that if the wires get damaged, it could result in music playing on only one ear. Also, the cord can get in the way or get caught in something when you’re exercising, walking in public places, making your task difficult.
Wireless Headphones:
One of the great conveniences of human life is having a pair of completely wire-free headphones as they keep you away from the worry of tangling your wires all the time with their wireless structure. Wireless headphones use radio transmission technology to carry audio data from the device to your ears, and it works mainly with the help of BlueTooth or Radio Frequency or Infrared frequency. Radio Frequency is more commonly used for wireless headphones explicitly made for TV.
Apple introduced AirPods and gave birth to a new product category called true wireless earbuds, which completely changed the wire-free experience. In a short span, they became the go-to listening device among consumers. To advertise wireless headphones better, most manufacturers started using the word freedom on their products and campaigns because these headphones give you an option to roam around without wires, keep you motivated and focused during a workout session, board in a public train without wires getting in your way.
Advantages:
The wireless headphones make the process of listening to music more comfortable for joggers who prefer to run, commuters who get to work in crowded transportation, and gamers who play video games by sitting far away from the TV as they provide. Some wireless headphones even offer up to a 100ft range from your audio source.
With the evolution of technology, a number of smartphone manufacturing companies are ditching the old-styled 3.5 mm jack from their newly launched devices, which makes Bluetooth a new standard in audio transmission. Fewer components and no wires help wireless headphones to lose some extra weight and become more portable and lighter. The fewer weight also adds comfort as lighter headphones typically give less stress to the users’ heads.
If you spend a little more, then wireless headphones can even deliver some sweat/water resistance. As mentioned earlier, wired headphones usually sound better than wireless headphones, but most average listeners can’t distinguish between them, except musicians and DJs.
Disadvantages:
Wireless headphones provide plenty of cool features, but they also have a heavy price tag. Along with high prices, another major disadvantage of wireless headphones is their batteries. However, the battery life of wireless headphones has dramatically improved over the years, but you still need a power source for wireless headphones every now and then. Bluetooth wireless battery offers 8 to 12 hours of usage, while high-end wireless headphones offer up to 30 to 40 hours of battery life without a recharge.
Conclusion:
A wireless headphone is ideal for athletes, fitness enthusiasts or people who are into jogging, while a wired headphone is great for DJs, RJs, music mixing artists, or desktop users. In short, if you need headphones for a short period and outdoor comfort, then go for wireless headphones, and if you work for a longer duration, then a wired headphone is the right choice, in the end, it’s all up to one’s personal preferences and lifestyle.
Do you remember all those attention-seeking gadgets the millennial generation used to have in their childhood? If you remember them, then you’re one of the good duns of memories, and if you don’t, then no worries, I’m going to take you on a nostalgic walk down memory lane, resembling some of the most desirable and most unique gadgets from the last few decades that has been outdated now by their talented cousins. Here is a list of 9 devices that will take you back to the world of millennials:
Camcorders
The earliest camcorders were tape-based, portable, and self-contained devices used to record videos without any film, which at that time was the most beneficial feature. When companies like Sony, Kodak and Panasonic launched their Camcorders in the market, almost everyone drooled over the device, from first-time parents to aspiring filmmakers, and started making videos. Nowadays, Canon is the only major manufacturer to announce new consumer camcorders (which happened in the CES 2017) due to their less demand in the current market.
Nokia 3310
Nokia 3310 has the honour of having excellent strength, it’s been 20 years since its launch, but still, the phone is famous for its durability and often features in the many internet memes. In November 2015, the Nokia 3310 was picked as one of the first three ‘National Emojis’ for Finland, referred to as the unbreakable. It was one of the first phones to have customized Xpress-on covers, and it also featured the hugely popular game Snakes. The phone was re-launched in 2017 with a colour display, 2 MP camera and micro-SD slot.
DVD Players / Portable DVD Players
Ever get caught watching some adult stuff on the DVD player, or have you ever dealt with the stuck DVD? Back then, people used to rent DVDs for days or two and used to enjoy newly released movies at home, but the Netflix Generation will never understand this kind of life. Some of the fortunate ones used to own Portable DVD players, a very rare gadget in India, but the relaxation after freeing the jammed DVD from a home-based DVD player always hit differently.
Walkman/Discman
People always prefer zoning out for me time; nowadays, they turn on Spotify, and back then, they used to own Walkman/Discman for some musical pleasure. Walkman or Discman was a portable cassette or CD player that allowed people to listen to the music of their choice on the go. Heading out to college with the Walkman was considered one of the coolest things as it automatically gets the attention one is looking for. Sony and Panasonic were the prominent Walkman/Discman makers at that time.
Video Games
We often scream our hearts out and talk about PUBG and other new-age games just because generation next is getting addicted to them but have you forgotten about your addiction to Video games? Come on, we all used to own and loved playing a Video game, be it Super Mario, Duck Hunting, Soccer or Contra; we spend most of our childhood days and summer vacations around them, don’t you count it as an addiction? Some of the popular companies which manufactured Video Games were Nintendo, Sony and Sega.
Cassette Tapes
Before the arrival of CD’s in the market, every Indian house cupboard used to hold at least 30 different cassette tapes, mainly Bollywood hits and devotional songs. If you still dig your attic or storeroom, you’ll find a handful of them. Cassette tapes are composed of a polyester-type plastic film with a magnetic layer, and they remained well-known for particular applications like car audio, personal stereo and telephone answering machines.
Film Cameras
The smartphone generation will never understand what it was like to click hundreds of pictures on a film camera and wait for a week in excitement to see the results, which turns out to be pathetic, most of the time. Yes, it’s true! Believe it or not, for most millennial, film cameras were just a one-day gig, especially a birthday photoshoot gadget. Today, the old film cameras of a golden era are more expensive than some of the full-frame DSLR cameras.
CDs
Generation X may have seen the Burning car but have you guys heard about burning CDs? Hold on, it’s not actual burning, but burning metaphorically. Nowadays, we have HDD, SDD, pen drives and other external storage devices, but back in those days, people used to store important data, music mixes and favourite movies on CDs, and to do that, they must have to drag the files they wish to burn from work in progress to the CD drive’s window.
Wired Telephones
Last but not least, wired telephones. Almost everyone from the millennial generation pranked their friends or random people by calling them during odd hours; it was such a happy moment for us, definitely not for the receiver. However, they are still in use at some of the old government and private offices; having them at home was a different kind of thrill, especially when you’re a popular school brat. Those were the days, my friend.
