F&D A180X Bluetooth Multimedia Speaker Review

By Xite - June 1, 2016
683A5807
With wireless 2.1 speaker systems catching the fancy of customers, F&D launches its latest product, the A180X. We test it to find out if it makes for a good buy at an affordable price.

With wireless 2.1 speaker systems catching the fancy of customers, F&D launches its latest product, the A180X. We test it to find out if it makes for a good buy at an affordable price.

The appeal of wireless 2.1 speaker systems has been growing in the recent past, and in a world increasingly filled with wireless communication devices, its easy to see why. No longer are users interested in docking their phones or music players into dedicated docks, and would rather just connect their devices to speaker systems wirelessly. Not to mention, this method is far more convenient, and in a speaker system with multiple input options like the A180X – Bluetooth, 3.5mm input, FM radio, USB and SD card – it provides them a variety of options of devices to play from. Useful, the A180X certainly is.

At first glance, the A180X comes across as a pleasing design, with the diamond quilted pattern featured on all three units – two satellites and one subwoofer – with the small LED display on the subwoofer unit displaying vital information. One could even say that the design is fairly modern and edgy and wouldn’t look out of place in a living room or a study.

The connectivity to the unit is fairly easy too, the Bluetooth connects seamlessly and works up to a distance of 15 metres. All other connections are fairly easy, and can be setup with minimal fuss. The remote included with the device is easy to operate and can be used for volume controls as well as switching between the various sources and even changing FM channels. However, if you need to adjust the bass levels, it has to be done physically with the controls on the rear of the subwoofer unit.

So, the A180X is decent to look at and offers a plethora of source options and is fairly easy to use. However, when we talk about the sound quality, the A180X lags behind. The sound from the 42W unit – 14Wx2 for the satellites and 14W subwoofer – overall, is not as clear as we would like and the bass output from the subwoofer unit could do some bolstering. Overall, the sound comes across as weak and not very convincing when it comes to the bass production levels.

However, in its defense, with a retail price of Rs. 3,990/- the A180X does offer a decently built, easy to use, versatile unit for a very affordable price. So, if you’re on a really tight budget, the A180X will do the job satisfactorily. But, if you’re looking for sound quality as your primary criteria, we would suggest you look elsewhere.

REVIEW
OVERVIEW
7.7/ 10
OVERALL SCORE
  • Design 7.5
  • Performance 8.5
  • Pricing 7.1
  • Tags
  • F&D A180X Bluetooth