Gadget review: Power up the bass with Fenda Audio's T-388

One of the most common complaints that TV buyers have is the poor sound output of their sets. And why wouldn't they? After, all, it's no fun watching a sci-fi flick if you cannot pick on every sound that's a part of the background score, right? Try imagining the The Witch, without its eerie background sound or The Lord of the Rings, minus it's haunting soundtrack. That's where a sound bar like F&D's T-388. comes to the rescue. If you feel cheated of the poor sound of your TV set, you would want this one.

What you get
The audio system comes with a 90 cm long two-channel sound bar with 2-inch speakers (with an impedance of 3 ohms) and 1-inch tweeters (8 ohms), placed on either sides of the bar, along with a large wireless woofer box featuring an eight-inch (3 ohms) speaker. Did we say wireless? Yes, the sub-woofer pairs wireless with the sound bar. Just connect the source of the sound to the sound bar and you are good to go for a wholesome sound experience at home. The 2.1 system can be controlled by a 2xAAA-powered remote control.

Besides, with support for multiple inputs - Bluetooth, RCA, co-axial and optical cable - the T-388 ensures that you are never out of choices when it comes to connecting your multimedia devices to the sound bar. It also comes with support for USB devices (up to 32GB) that you can play using the remote controller. The connection type is displayed via white LED indicators at the centre of the bar.

What we like
The sound bar looks attractive, and is well-built too. We also like that the soundbar comes with a screw that allows it to be mounted on the wall. Pairing (to the soundbar, and the soundbar with the subwoofer) is also easy. Even the instructions on the soundbar are easy to follow.

The frequency response of the subwoofer stands between 20Hz to 120Hz whereas that of the sound bar is at 130Hz to 20KHz meaning you will get to hear all the audible notes - whether you are playing a movie or listening to music. We played a range of movies (both dramas with subdued dialogues as well as action films) and music using wired and wireless modes, and the sound was crystal clear at all times.

It even managed to highlight sounds we couldn't otherwise hear on our TV set. What we don't like The soundbar and subwoofer come with bulky power adapters with very short wires, making it a pain to connect to a power source. While we are glad to see support for optical port, we would have preferred an HDMI port even more.