Listening to Ethiopian jazz on two new sound products
What's the verdict on the Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker and Redmi Buds 6, especially when you're listening to some pretty eclectic music? Let's find out
Can the limits of a small and inexpensive speaker be pushed? If you ask Xiaomi, the Chinese designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics, the answer is always a resounding yes. As consumers, we are glad that Xiaomi is finally back in the market with a brand-new speaker, the Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker (winner of the Red Dot Design Awards 2024). But that wasn’t the only audio product the company launched at an event in New Delhi, India, on December 9. The company also launched the Redmi Buds 6 (TWS earphones).
The Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker retails for ₹3,999 (with an introductory price of ₹3,499). On the other hand, the Redmi Buds 6 will be available at an MRP of ₹2,999 (with an introductory price of ₹2,799). Let's get deeper into these two products.
Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker
There are plenty of small Bluetooth speakers in the market. Over the last few years, JBL, Marshal, Sony, and Bose have dominated this space. The JBL Charge series of Bluetooth speakers has been one of the leaders in this space. Its form factor may be quite small, lightweight, and portable, but its sound output is anything but tiny. The sound profile is 10 times what you’d think.
Straight off the bat, though, you may be thinking about what happened to the creative folks at Xiaomi. The name ‘Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker’ just doesn’t roll off the tongue. It’s very unimaginative. The design is compact (21x6.8 cm and weighs 597 grams), waterproof (IP67 rating) and shockproof. There’s a silicone mesh (with the Xiaomi logo) on top, and the speaker is excellent for gripping. In fact, there are silicone pads on the bottom of the unit to prevent it from sliding around, even when the bass is amped up. It has a rubbery surface and an orange lanyard (attached to one end of the speaker) to hang wherever you’d like.
It has a 2600mAh battery (good for 12 hours of playback at 50 percent volume), which takes about three hours to charge from zero to one hundred. The speaker has two drivers inside and two bass reflexes (one on each side), providing a 30W power output.
Setting up the speaker is as easy as biting into an apple. The moment you power it on, it’ll be in pairing mode. To do so, go to the Bluetooth settings on your smartphone and select the speaker from the list. It’s that easy. There’s a pairing button on the speaker and an additional button to sync up multiple Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speakers (up to 100).
Let’s talk about sound quality
The soundstage and sound signature are very balanced. I liked that the vocals were crystal clear, even on extreme volumes (20 percent or over 80 percent). I was listening to podcasts from NPR, F1, and more, and never had any issues understanding accents or voice profiles. There is a warm and playful sound profile here. Xiaomi has managed to tune the speakers well. Thanks to All We Imagine As Light, I've gotten into Ethiopian jazz. I played songs like Muziqa Heywete by Getatchew Mekurya and The Homeless Wanderer by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru. The melodies and instrument separation are top-notch for a speaker in this price range. The mids and the highs were well-balanced.
The bass was slightly overpowering while belting out songs from Iron Maiden. At higher volumes, it was too much for me. Thankfully, it never distorted, even when listening to Metallica or any metal band’s songs. It’s a tuning that will appeal to a wide range of listeners.
The speaker has a party trick up its sleeve. Thanks to its IP67 rating, it can be submerged in water. Furthermore, playing a rock/metal song and water will spurt out in a waterfall-like motion. There’s also a built-in microphone if you need to use the speaker for all your calls.
The Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker gave me a punchy sound output that I wasn’t expecting from a speaker in this price range. Yes, it didn’t feel like I was in the midst of a concert, but maybe that’ll come if I connect a few of these speakers together.
I used the Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker for about a week. My average usage was with the volume set at 60 percent. I comfortably got over 9-10 hours of playback before I had to plug it in.
Verdict (and other options to pick from)
Unfortunately, there aren’t many good Bluetooth speakers in the under- ₹5,000 price segment. Hence, everyone is cheering on Xiaomi’s return to the Bluetooth speaker category. One product, the Sony SRS-XB10,0, will be Xiaomi’s biggest competitor in this price segment. It also has an IP67 rating, a bigger volume output than its size suggests, and a well-rounded listening experience in a compact package. It currently retails for ₹3,990 on Amazon India.
Xiaomi edges out Sony with a better design, robust build quality, and excellent sound output (across various genres). However, you won't be disappointed if you opt for Sony, as it offers a crisp sound output.
boAt is one of the most popular companies in India. Their Stone Lumos 60W Speaker ( ₹4,999) isn’t compact but has good sound output and a built-in LED that changes colour depending on your use.
JBL Go ( ₹4,000) and Anker Soundcore Motion 100 ( ₹4,000) are two other competitive options.
Finally, the Amazon Echo will do the trick if you need to go the ‘smart’ route. The Echo Dot and Echo Pop, both of which are under ₹5,000, will suffice for all your needs.
Redmi Buds 6
Yet another truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphones in the market, flooded with TWS earphones in 2024. The Redmi Buds 6 is launching a few months after the Redmi Buds 5, a pair of TWS earphones I didn’t think were very impressive. The Redmi Buds 6 has an impressive set of features for its price. There are 42 hours of playback time, 49dB of active noise cancellation, an IP54 rating (making it dust and water-resistant), gestures, in-ear detection, dual drivers, and more. The case doesn’t have a rating, which is disappointing.
The compactness
The one thing you notice immediately is just how compact the earbuds are. I got the Titan White variant (there’s also an Ivy Green and Spectre Black colourway) for review. It’s slim and compact and can easily fit in your pockets. The case is made of plastic and has a matte finish. I’ve dropped it twice, and there hasn’t been a scratch or a dent. However, the white colour makes it prone to smudges and fingerprints.
The lid can be opened one-handed, as the case is very lightweight. The earbuds easily fit into place (thanks to the magnetic port). There is an LED light at the front (an indicator for charging/pairing mode) and a pairing mode button on the right-hand side. There is a Type-C charging port underneath the LED battery indicator on the front.
The earbuds themselves are incredibly lightweight. They hardly ever indicated that they’d fall out of my ears, and the stem-style earbuds were comfortable enough to be worn for many hours.
Do they sound good?
The Redmi Buds 6 is priced at ₹2,999. The sound quality is usually average in this price segment, and the ANC is almost non-existent. The Redmi Buds 6 features dual drivers, including a 12.4mm driver (with titanium coating) and a 5.5mm drivers. Thanks to these drivers, the music’s noticeable pop and the bass have been tuned up (although I don’t think it was a good move).
There is a balanced soundstage here, which I was pleasantly surprised with. But, like I said above, I’ve been recently obsessed with Ethiopian jazz. And in those songs, including Take Five (one of the most famous jazz songs ever), the earbuds couldn’t separate the instruments. At the song's piece, it sounded a little bit muddled.
The instruments themselves, though, are rich with depth and detail. The vocals are crystal clear (unless you venture over 80 percent volume). The problem, though, stems from the fact that there is no volume at which the sound quality is consistent. If you set the earbuds to 50 percent, then some songs may seem too low. Crank it up past 80 percent, and there is an audible distortion. 100 percent didn’t seem overbearing like it does in other earbuds.
The volume issue isn’t there when listening to podcasts. I kept it at 60 percent, listened to podcasts for over an hour, and could hear all the clear voices.
One thing that has improved vis-a-vis its predecessor is the ANC. There is a customisable ANC - from Light to Balanced to Deep - and it does a commendable job of removing the background noise. I wouldn’t be using these earbuds for a conference call when I’m outside and near the noisy traffic. The earbuds can also adapt to their surrounding when the ANC is disabled. ANC may not be the strongest in this segment, but it’s undoubtedly a step up from the Redmi Buds 5.
Will these last long on a single charge?
With a 475mAh battery and a rating of 42 hours of playback, the Redmi Buds 6's battery life is not to be worried about. I left them playing overnight to test the battery life. I managed to get about 38-39 hours of total playback with ANC disabled, which is quite impressive.
The earbuds themselves last about eight hours on a single charge. There’s also a 10-minute fast charge that provides three and a half hours of playback time. However, the earbuds and the case take over two hours to fully charge from a state of depletion.
The Flow LED indicator is quite a bonus at this price point. Thanks to this light, you can easily tell the charging status. If you want to know the battery percentage of the individual earbuds, you need to check it from the Xiaomi Earbuds app or the Bluetooth section of your smartphone.
The competition, you ask?
The main competitor to the Redmi Buds 6 is the Oppo Enco Air3 Pro (which can be found for as low as ₹3,599). The Enco Air3 Pro has consistently been rated as the top TWS earbuds in the under- ₹5,000 price segment. It’s got fantastic tuning (clean and detailed sound), great ANC, good battery life, and a comfortable design.
The OnePlus Buds 3 is another fantastic choice. It’s currently priced at ₹4,599 on e-commerce websites. For that price, you get excellent value-for-money earbuds. It’s got many premium features, like a slide gesture with touch controls, LHDC codec support, exceptional ANC, and great voice quality for all your conference calls.
Another decent option is the CMF Buds Pro 2, which has dual drives, 50db of hybrid ANC, and a unique design (a customisable Smart Dial). It is priced at ₹4,299.
Another compelling option is the Sony WF-C510 earbuds. These cost ₹4,875 (on Amazon India) and lack ANC, but they feature Sony’s exceptional tuning for a sound signature that’ll please a wide range of listeners.
To buy or not to buy?
The Redmi Buds 6, at ₹2,999, is a compelling option. The battery life is good, the ANC has been vastly improved, and the dual drivers provide superior sound quality. Unfortunately, while Xiaomi got the pricing right, the competition is too fierce.
The other problems with the Redmi Buds 6 are the volume issue (which I mentioned above) and the absence of an IP rating for the case. These earbuds are an impressive offering from Xiaomi, but unfortunately, they fall just short of the competition.
Xiaomi has been making strides in the audio segment, and I am thrilled they have re-entered the Bluetooth speaker market. The Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker is an exceptional product in a segment that needs more winners.
The Redmi Buds 6, on the other hand, failed to truly impress me (even though they made strides from the Redmi Buds 5) and fell short of competing earbuds in a crowded market with lots of excellent options for consumers.
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First Published:14 Dec 2024, 09:00 AM IST
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