Here are my post listening impressions:
Disclaimer: I'm neither a musician nor an audiophile. So, my impressions, at the best, should be taken as random observations of a learned layman.
First, some data to put things in perspective and help remove any subjectivity as much as possible.
1. The listening volume that I am most comfortable with is about 65-75 db (measured at the listening position using an iOS app). Roughly, this translates to the volume levels of our regular speech. Human ear cannot perceive low frequencies effectively at lower volumes, so I can safely assume that I'm not a bass head. Having said that, I like the bass, provided it is tight and not overly coloured and/or forward thus interfering the vocal frequency ranges.
2. The room size is 12*14 feet. The speakers are kept along the longer side of the room, 15.5'' away from the side walls and 8.5'' away from the rear wall. They are separated by about 80'' by a bed & mattress in between. The main sound absorbing materials in the room are an 8'' foam mattress and two carpets that run along the length of the bed in front of the speakers. The sound reflecting materials are a glass teapoy in front of the speakers (covered with a thick bedsheets to reduce the reflection as much as possible) and the glass windows (covered by curtains). One wall of the room, opposite to the speakers, is fully covered by engineered wood wardrobe.
3. The most often listening position is at the near field by sitting in the middle of the bed. But, for checking the sound stage and imaging, few sessions were done in the best possible listening position (apex of the listening triangle) available.
If someone doesn't want to read the details, Here is the summary.
- Audio Indiq Platinum Achals combine nicely with Yamaha RN 603. Yamaha is a good choice if one wants an integrated streamer + DAC + stereo amplifier with FM/AM and headphone jack.
- Platinum Achals do their job reasonably well in a bedroom of the above mentioned dimensions/acoustics. Their side firing woofer doesn't create any sort of boomy effect while hitting the low frequencies.
- The sound signature is balanced with special emphasis on the mid frequencies.
Details:
1. My Platinum Achals are driven by a Yamaha RN 603 stereo amplifier. RN 603 has an in-built streamer and handles Apple Airplay very well. In my experience, it works best in its "pure direct" mode. All other signal processing controls (bass, treble, loudness etc.) are a gimmick and spoils the sound signature when used. For example, if I increase the bass, it introduces an artificial tone in the low frequencies, against my taste. The internet radio is handled by 2.4 GHz wireless receiver (no support for 5GHz band). I didn’t find the internet radio's local channels that great and still prefer FM. I’m facing some difficulty in tuning certain FM channels as Yamaha’s auto mode is not picking them up. During my research for a suitable stereo amplifier, Yamaha had ticked most of my check boxes and it performs just as expected. I’m glad that I chose RN 603 over RN 303 since the additional USB port is handy for charging my cell phone at night and the sub-woofer out is a useful functionality though I don’t use it at the moment.
2. Achal performs perfectly fine in a small/medium sized room. The bass doesn’t boom and interfere with the mids and highs. (This was my main concern while opting a floor stander over a bookshelf speakers for my bedroom). I find them very suitable for near field listening for 4-5 hours at 60-70 db. Looking back, a pair of bookshelf speakers would have taken almost the same floor space in my room if I had to keep them on speaker stands. So, contrary to many online reviews, I feel that a good pair of floor standards, which does not have an over powering bass, is not at all a bad consideration for a 12*14 sized Indian room (which often will have adequate sound absorbers).
3. Achal is definitely a mid-oriented speaker and that is its USP. I find that they are very balanced and reproduces the source truly. While listening to film songs, I never felt that the background instrumental score is overpowering the vocals at any time. For example, in a song like Satrangi Re, I found that both the vocals and the instruments go hand in hand without one overshadowing the other.
4. If one's music taste is more bass-oriented, he/she should audition them before taking the buying decision. Amit reconfirms that the bass will open up with time and will become more tight and clear as the speakers are broken in. But, at the moment, the bass is no way near to that of Q acoustics 3050i, which I happened to hear after I purchased Achal. When I compared the same films songs, I felt that Q acoustics 3050i often push the instruments forward making the vocals to take a backseat. The bass is very prominent and makes some genres of music very appealing to some ears. However, I felt that it's mids are not as sharp and clear as that of Platinum Achal. Though they are great speakers, personally, I wouldn't have preferred such a sound signature for my bedroom, which in my view may demand better room acoustics.
5. Achal's default sound signatures are very suitable for low-volume listening & near field listening. I found that it makes it a better choice in an apartment type set up. For example, when I close all the doors & windows, the sound is contained pretty much within the room. So, I can comfortably listen to them even at late nights, without disturbing my neighbours.
6. My listening space isn't to the best to make an informed comment on its soundstage and imaging. If sit at the most appropriate listening position the sound stage is reasonably good. If I close my eyes, the speakers vanishes in the air and I start to notice the expansive sound stage. However, in this small room, even if I’m 1 feet from away the ideal position (triangle apex), I can feel the speaker separation. Someone who has a bigger room with a better speaker set up will be able to comment on these aspects better.
7. The speakers does not tolerate bad quality source. When I played some of the poorly recorded You Tube uploads, it sounded awful. For such music, I would rather stick to my equally bad quality Apple ear plugs.
Note: One of my friends who purchased Platinum Achal for his living room HT set up (70% music + 30% movie) is still figuring out whether it's the perfect choice for his taste. Even though I and him have many listening habits in common (e.g., low volume listening, genres of music that we listen to), he prefers a strong base. For example, in his opinion, some songs like “Maya Machindra” from the Tamil movie "Indian" does not sound that great in Achals as per his taste. He is extremely happy with the mids & highs that Achals are producing. But, at the moment, he feels that he may have to add a sub-woofer to his set up if the speakers are not opening up the bass frequencies further after break in.
My conclusions on Platinum Achal so far:
Pros:
1. Favourable performance to price ratio
2. Very Crisp and Clear mid/high frequency rendering. I consider this aspect as their ultimate selling point.
(I read somewhere that the name "Achal" itself is derived from the standing notes Sa and Pa of the seven swears)
3. Reasonably tight bass, which does not overpower the mids even at higher volumes (90 db).
4. Reasonably tolerant to limited room dimensions & poor room acoustics. Reasonably good sound stage and imaging even with less-ideal speaker positioning.
5. Performs well even when we stick to near field, low volume listening
6. Platinum Achal has good looking dimensions to my taste (due to the side firing woofers) and a decent finish (I was a bit skeptical about this in an Indian brand). Personally, I didn’t like the box dimensions of Audio Indiq's Gold series
7. Very customer friendly 15 day return policy (though I don’t know anyone who has exercised this option so far).
8.Customer service: Amit literally walked me through setting up a music system of my choice. For installation, he came to my house and set the system up and running. I found him to be very committed, punctual and accountable.
Cons:
1. Bass response may not be appealing to all, especially out of the box. Those who like very strong, forward bass may find it less attractive unless played at higher volumes. I'm not sure if a power amp/breaking in will change this dynamics drastically.
2. Brand Sustenance: Since Audion Indiq is not established player in the filed, I’m not sure what will be the future service options as and when a need arises. Having said that, I don’t even know if passive speakers will ever need any type of post sale service. For example, I haven’t had any issues with my Elac HT set up for last 10 years. But, there is always risk when going with a relatively new brand. I may not do it, say with a new car purchase.
3. Not much information regarding the longevity of the system and how it performs over time. Again, a risk that we are taking with a relatively new brand.
4. One tends to listen music more critically. This may open up a rabbit hole and make our wallet lighter and lighter over time
I’m lazy to proof-read such a long post. So, pardon any typographical or grammatical errors.
Regards,
Dileep
