Every brand in the consumer electronics arena, new and established alike, is pumping out bluetooth speakers a dime a dozen. Standing out in this market is becoming exceedingly hard as scores of products are available at every price point. However, Boult, the Indian brand that has become a household name post launching in 2017, is trying hard to make a case for its new Retro Amp lineup of home audio Bluetooth speakers.
Currently, Boult sells 2 speakers under the Retro Amp line: the Reto Amp x60 (60-watt peak output) and the Retro Amp x40 (40-watt peak output). We received the smaller unit for review.
The packaging is a disposable cardboard box with a matte finish and comes with an image of the speaker front and center. Boult lists out the key specs and features right on the box, which are as follows:
●Classic rugged leather body
●Dual dynamic drivers
●Exquisite Rosegold metal grill
●Multi-compatibility (USB, AUX, TF Card)
●Bluetooth and FM modes
Open the box and nestled between two thoughtfully placed foam pads sits the speaker itself. Also included inside the box are one each of USB type-A to type-C cable, a rather short 3.5mm male to male audio cable and a standard user manual cum warranty card leaflet (12-month warranty).
The Retro Amp x40’s body comprises 3 different materials and finishes; the front grill is Rosegold aluminum, the back textured black ABS plastic, and the top, bottom and sides are clad in a patterned black faux leatherette material. You feel all 3 surfaces simultaneously while taking the rather compact speaker out of the box and from the very first touch, it feels robustly put together and the quality belies its humble price tag. 4 rubberised pegs at the bottom corners signify that it is meant to be placed horizontally, but being cuboid-shaped, it can also stand vertically. There is Boult branding on the front-right-bottom corner and the top houses 4 control buttons: Power, Mode, Next/Volume Up and Previous/Volume Down. The input ports (Type C for charging, USB-A for pendrives, 3.5mm AUX jack and a TF card slot for microSD cards) sit flush in the back plastic panel.
Switch it on and you are greeted by a gruff voice narrating the status of the speaker. The standard dialogues like “Power on, Bluetooth mode, You are now connected to the Boult Retro Amp etc.” sound like any standard Bluetooth speaker with budget components but can still be lived with.
Coming to the sound, Boult claims 40-Watt peak output from the dual drivers. The actual performance seems to fall short of this mark while listening to music. The sound is decidedly bass-boosted to the point that the treble and mids become muffled. The highs sound acceptable. However, the bass itself comes out sounding tinny and flat, which further detracts from a pleasant listening experience. This might not the best speaker for listening to music, but I used it while playing games on my laptop and am happy to report that it does a decent job at rendering sounds of racing games (NFS), action games (GTA V) and shooting games. I concluded that the hardware is adequate for indoor usage, but the sound signature needs fine tuning to be pleasant for dedicated music listening. It also features a mic to patch through phone calls and people on the other end reported decent voice clarity, so thumbs-up for that.
Boult seems to have focused on the aesthetics, and the speaker does, indeed, look Instagram-worthy. This speaker might not impress serious listeners of music, but then again, such people might not be looking at any products in this budget range. The Retro Amp x40 is meant for casual music listening, light gaming, and at its introductory price of ₹1,999, is ideal to take out for picnics and small outdoor gatherings as well. But its combination of good looks, compact size, and good call clarity make it an ideal desktop companion for attending work meetings and a cool addition to your bookshelf.
