Every month at the Digit Test Centre, there are multiple products that show up and spark a sense of curiosity in our minds. The same was the case with the Crossbeats Blaze 24 W soundbar.
A soundbar that can be carried around at ₹ 1,799. Sounds interesting, right? Well to find out where the Crossbeats Blaze stands, I took it out for a spin and here’s what I found out when using it –
With the Crossbeats Blaze, you get a soundbar that is built well for the price. The plastic body complimented with the metallic front grill, makes for a solid package for the money you are shelling out on the soundbar. There are some basic play/pause and mode controls on the top of the bar, with the front sporting a nifty little display. On top of the bar you get two woofer membranes that are exposed, and light up when you are playing music, which I think is a nice addition to ensure that you have the mood set right when you are enjoying your favourite tunes.
As for the back of the bar, you have three input ports, a USB-A port, a micro-SD card slot, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. There’s an on-and-off toggle switch and a USB-C port to charge it up. The base of the soundbar has two textured rubber feet, which are meant to ensure that the bar is in place and does not rattle around when you are playing music. They worked well for the most part, but at max volume, when I played some bass-heavy tunes, the experience was not the best as there was some rattling which I saw seeping through.
The bar overall has a nice heft to it, which gives it a nice feel when you are moving it around. The size is considerably smaller than many other soundbars out there, which is also nice to see. Being a budget offering, Crossbeats has cut some corners, but not in places where they become a pain point when you are using the bar. For the price, there are only a few other soundbars which I’d say match up to this. Now, let’s move on to the features of the Crossbeats Blaze.
When talking about features, the Crossbeats Blaze is not the most feature-rich device out there. The feature set is limited, but in my experience, it is well implemented. Let’s start with the first of the lot, which is TWS pairing mode.
If you have read up on Bluetooth speakers and similar devices, then you’d know that this feature allows for two devices of the same kind to be paired together and play music simultaneously, making a TWS stereo setup. While I did not get a chance to experience this during my time of use, as I had only one unit of the soundbar, it is pretty easy to implement, and I am sure Crossbeats would have done well when including this on the bar.
Then come the customisable RGB LED lights on the woofer membranes of the bar. I did play around with this during the time I spent with the bar, and apart from a couple of hiccups here and there, the feature worked well for the most part.
Given that this is a portable soundbar, it comes with a 1200mAh battery. Crossbeats claims that the battery on this bar is supposed to last up to 8 hours. I was able to get close to 7 hours of playback at 50 per cent volume, which is respectable for a product like this. And, when you are out of battery, you can plug in a USB-C charger and juice it up.
Crossbeats promises that you can feel the home theatre experience with this soundbar. But, in my time with the Crossbeats Blaze, I found it lacking on that front. The loudness of the bar is enough to fill a small to medium-sized room but not a larger one. The 24 W Dynamic speakers, when you play them head on give a decent listening experience, but when you move away, the quality takes a plunge.
Now, I am being picky here, having tested speaker systems that cost about 15 times more than this bar. But I honestly expected a much fuller sound from this device. When listening to vocal-heavy tracks or radio, which is also present on the bar, the experience was awesome. The mids and highs on this bar are crisp when you consider that it is priced under ₹2,000. But, when I was listening to Bollywood, pop, or hip-hop tracks, the bar sounded kinda hollow. This especially stands out after the fact that the brand heavily advertises the 43 mm dual bass membranes that are located on top of the bar.
But when you factor in the price and look at what you can get for the same price in the same category, things make sense. The sound is serviceable for the most part, and what you are getting here in terms of pure performance is decent value for the money you are spending on this bar.
The Crossbeats Blaze is a nice attempt by a relatively newer brand at making a product that is trying to make a space of its own in a highly competitive space. Brands like MiVi, boAt, and F&D have been dominant in this space and the entry of Crossbeats with their Blaze soundbar seems to be the factor that would tip the scales.
The soundbar itself I would say is ideal for use on your desktop setup for casual content consumption and some gaming. Gaming I say, is because the bar has an AUX port, which, when used, would eliminate the problem of lag, which could creep in when you are connected via Bluetooth. And, if you are a fan of old-school media, then FM radio is something that you’d love.