Intex MJ580: Pocket friendly sound

Intex MJ580
Price: Rs 5,085
Rating: 4.5/5

The MJ580 is like the flagship 5.1 speaker set from Intex , which has been one of India's top PC accessory makers for long. We say flagship not just because it is top of the line, but also because this set has got intimidating looks and performance to boot. While the company sells this as a multimedia speaker set for PCs, we think it can easily replace your home theatre system.

To start with, the main speaker unit has an LED display over the control panel to guide you with volume and other controls. This is good because the earlier Intex 5.1s did not have the same and user had to fumble about a lot especially while using the FM radio. There is also a large blue LED ring on the front which doesn't serve any purpose but acts as a nightlight if you want. The satellite speakers are made of wood, though they have a shiny chrome disc on the front. We would have preferred a meshed front considering the amount of dust in most parts of the country.

{mosimage}But then the wooden speakers mean the sound is true and not jarring even at high volumes. We tested the speakers both on the computer as well rigged to a large screen TV and media player. The performance was good in both cases, though we sort of preferred the latter because of the full bodied surround sound. To add to the movie watching pleasure, the MJ580 features 5.1 prologic output even two channel input and this really good with our PCs, which do not have 5.1 output. However, an SPDIF output option and Bluetooth connectivity would have been an added advantage.

Still, the MJ580 can play music directly from the USB drives or memory cards, for which there is a slot in front. The radio is also easy to tune and use. The remote is handy though it lacks an on/off switch. This is more of a drag because the power switch is on the read of the central sub-woofer and the remote just gives you a standby option, which does not power of the blue ring in front. This is a bit of a headache for the energy conscious among us. Then there is a large booming sound every time you switch on a connected device.

Overall, this is a pocket friendly option if you are looking for speakers to attach to your entertainment console or computer.