Indian consumer electronics brand TAGG launched its latest flagship product, the TAGG Sonic Angle 1 bluetooth speaker on Wednesday. The speaker is equipped with bluetooth 4.2 technology that allows it connect to multiple speakers, forming a stereo sound setup. The speaker is priced at Rs 2,499 and is pitted against Logitech X300, F&D E200 and JBL Go 2.
The Sonic Angle 1 is about 5.5-inches tall and 2.7 inches wide and features a prismatic design that is rounded on the corners. It is not pocketable but can easily fit in a bag without issues. It has rubber paddings on the sides to provide extra shock protection. The speaker grills are present on two sides.
It is also devoid of any flashy branding on its grills or the rubber side – the only branding present on the speaker is on the bottom face that you won’t be seeing a lot as it faces down. Two lights on the side of the speaker tell you if the bluetooth is enabled or paired and if it is ready for pairing with other bluetooth speakers.
Powering the sound experience are two 45 mm drivers and 50 x 80 mm passive radiator, which allows for a better bass response. It is powered by a 2,200mAH which the company claims to last for 10 hours of music play time. It has Siri and Google Assistant support, so you’ll be able to use voice commands on your phone while it’s away. It is also IPX5 splash and water resistant for added durability.
Other connectivity options include a USB type-A port, 3.5 mm audio jack and the speaker comes bundled with a tiny USB and aux cable.
The speaker is great with its treble and mids response, so I enjoyed watching TV shows and movies on this. The bass drivers are good, but the sound tends to get muddy especially when playing live rock and roll songs that feature a bass guitar, but they vibrate well enough to make you physically feel drums and percussion. The speaker design allows for an average distribution of sound since it’s not a 360-degree design. Hence, you might want to keep this against the corner of a wall or table for best results.
The buttons are rubberised, but have a good tactile feedback, so you know exactly when you’re pressing them. They are not colour coded though, which makes it tough to determine their placement in dark surroundings. The rubber paddings are a dust magnet though, so it’ll often look a bit dirty especially when you’re carrying it in your lint laden bag.
The interface is not tacky, which means there are no annoying welcome sounds or animations – just a simple “Hi” – which is an honest relief. Google assistant works fine, it did miss a few commands but the mic quality is passable, nothing fancy. The bluetooth range is undisclosed but it surprisingly allowed me to use it throughout my home.
Overall, the speakers offer good build and sound quality for the price they come at. They are good for casual listening and watching movies, but you might want to invest more if you want a better sound while listening to rock and roll and metal music. For that, you can have a look at the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom, which comes at a higher price of Rs 5,995.