Very nice and detailed review. Would go for its cousin a-520 (just because of looks).

I wish I could too !!! I also admit the satellites being more aesthetically pleasing than A510, but woofer are power rating is all same (52 RMS). Got to know about that model just after my purchase, and since I was so in love with the piece, I didn't feel like asking for the replacement. You can go ahead with A520 because of the fact that it has identical performance index.

This is the best review i have ever read about speakers. You surpassed those professional hardware reviews we see in youtube. Keep up the great work! By the way i am also going the a520 way for my pc from my current measly frontech 2.1 (880 pmpo) and my wife (not interested about pcs) wants the f6000 5.1 as a home theater setup.

You can definitely go for F&D A520 because of its visually pleasing satellites with the advantage of wooden cabinets for them (A510's is made of Plastic but still sounds great). And make sure you tweak the bass & volume settings at optimal level to milk out the best from Subs. I knew both had same performance because of the identical core components, but my hostel-mate bought the above piece (A520) confirming my belief. Just go for it !!!

As for F6000, here is more enlightenment:
http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/audio/137550-f-d-f6000-home-theater.html

I was also thinking of how to not annoy my downstairs neighbours with my audio operations..u know if i keep the subwoofer on the floor, they are bound to get the vibrations and my neighbours are really sensitive to vibrations..any ideas what to do ?

If you are talking about F6000, then as per the reviews I've read and rated power, let alone neighbors, I'm afraid that you'll be getting complains from the whole colony !!!

Jokes apart, it is the woofer diaphragms which vibrates and produces the rumbling bass deep down the table (Subs are best placed over the floors only). But if you still feel that the Subs don't have enough weight to keep themselves firm over the ground while playing, then have it seated over the even cushions or the rubbery pads. This will shock-absorb all the vibrations (if any). Make sure that you do it beneath the 4 standing points only (though they already come with the one, but you can add more with greater or thicker base).

Also, make sure that you don't put the whole base area touching the cushion (there is one more configuration where speaker base comes up with metal spikes to maintain the area in contact - as less as it can). Furthermore, you can tinker with different cushioning arrangements until you come up with optimum level of vibration free arrangements.

Last but not the least, you can also try adding some more weight over the Sub-woofer itself. Though a crude method, but I've seen few people having a piece of brick or heavy material sitting atop. This will also minimize the speaker vibrations with floors. Combine both tricks - Cushion within + Weight atop with proper ratio and do let me know if it worked.

And your last ditch attempt will be to offer your neighbor a pair of ear-buds if they are too sensitive out of envy !!!

I will be buying it in 7 days. Actually i have an old philips stereo system (LP) with 2 wall speakers having 6.5" drivers. They are mounted 5' high in the wall with custom made wooden racks. They are set about 4' distance with 90 degree angle to each other. 2 days ago i connected them to my pc and was listening to Akon songs using foobar..with the equalizer of 55hz and 77hz set to very high. Not only was the window panes in that room was resonating (like there is a hurricane outside) the floor in the other adjoining room was vibrating too. I was thinking if the speakers are set at 5 feet high in the walls, why would the floor in the other room vibrate too ? But if i listened the songs with normal eq settings, not vibration at all.

Well, resonance with a typical sonic formation in environment is one thing, and physical vibration of the speaker itself is another. The solution provided in above comment was to prevent physical vibrations. Your case reminds of the ruggedness and performance of the old system that Philips used to have in its heydays. Now a days, it is churning out mediocre audio systems with no acoustic appeal.
To prevent Sonic boom in the room, you have no option but to lower down the volume or compromise with equalizer settings. Or studio grade room with sound dampers will be too much to ask. F&D A510 & A520 also makes my window panes vibrate at max volume but plays blissfully at normal listening settings.

Good Passionate review!
Kudos!

Im thinking of going in for d A520 as well
Just a bit confused between the F&D A520 and Creative SBS A335
Your suggestion wud be helpful.

and also im thinking of mouting d satellites on separate corners of the wall in my room
So im concerned bout how long the connecting cables are.

Cheers!

Glad it helped !
If you are concerned about the sound quality and the power packed performance, Creative SBS A335 is worth the MISS !!! Also, as far as I know, SBS happens to be an inferior counterpart of Creative's productline (Inspire is somewhat better). Secondly, SBS A335's total power output is somewhere around 21W against 52W of F&D A510 & A520.

Yes, but the wire length can be a minor issue with F&D, my Creative Inspire had it more than enough. But you can check it manually to observe if this suits your need. Satellites are wall mountable though in both the models.

Last but not the least, there is a price difference of Rs. 400-500 between the two (SBS being cheaper). To sum it up :
Price - SBS
Performance - F&D

so the decision is yours !!!

My main concern is d sound quality nd most importantly good bass
Ive been using cheap panasonic speakers worth Rs.600 or so with no hint of bass at all
The experience of listening to music wid crisp vocals,no distortion nd powerful bass is what im looking for now!

So im guessing i shud go with the A520?
Was planning to buy it off flipkart..its being offered for Rs.1684

Then A520/A510 should be your preferable pick. And Flipkart is doing to much of price jugglery here. It was around 1680, then 1950 and now again 1684. So the difference is now even less than what I quoted above. Happy Buying !!!

Hi,

Your's review is very helpful.

I was looking for a speakers under budget from Rs.2000 to Rs.5000,
but lots of popular brands I had searched for my next 2.1 speakers, Like logitech, creative, iball, frontech, altec lansing etc, None of them has good sound quality and price matched to my budget, if price matched, but sound quality not according to me, What I am looking for. I already have creative 2.1 M2600 speaker, but not satisfied with the sound quality, I am using creative xtremegamer 7.1 soundcard, This soundcard is awesome but my creative M2600 speakers are not, creative speakers generally has superb build in quality, but sound quality is not.

Now come to the point,
Finally, I bought the F&D(Fenda) A520 2.1 speakers. It's sound quality is better than creative M2600 2.1 speakers, I had test this speakers with lots of songs, In English genres,

Rock = Takida - Give into me.
Trance = Basshunter - Now You're Gone.
Pop = MLTR - Romatic Balcony.
Country = brad paisley - find yourself (disney pixar cars).
and many more.

All the above mentioned tracks I had listened in F&D A520, its surprised me, the highs, mids, and lows every frequencies are balanced. I think I got the best 2.1 speakers in this Budget. And I use this product for music listening every day atleast 1 hour or more. I pump up the volume upto 100% and it hasn't distorted, and this speakers will start shaking every thing almost, but the best thing is that, this has a best sound quality in this budget, Now about the specification of F&D A520,

Subwoofer Speaker : 6.5" , 20W RMS.
Satellites Speakers : 4" driver , 16*2 RMS.
Total power output : 52 RMS.
PMPO : 5000W.

What's come in the Package Contents?
2 Satellites Speakers.
1 Subwoofer Speaker.
2 cables.(one is for pc 3.5mm pin to RCA & another is RCA cable for DVD or some other devices).

This product may available on price Rs.2000 in my town. And last but not the least, This is value for money products, If you listen this you definitely want this.

You almost wrote yet another review confirming my experience with those units !!!

And what I have found as the conclusion in sharp contrast with Creative/Logitech Speakers is that they will tax almost double than it, but would still deliver mediocre sound. None of the speakers in this category and budget (sub 2K by this time, I got it for Rs. 1800 but my friends latter on purchased it for Rs. 1650) has performed this well. Creative, Logitech & Altec can still compete with this, but maybe they would perhaps charge anywhere between 3-5K for such an output.

Yes, brother I know Creative, Logitech & Altec Lansing will be beat F&D A520 2.1 speakers, but we have to pay more than Rs.5000 to Rs.15000, If we look into creative 2.1 speakers, I definitely go with GIGAWORKS T3 2.1 speakers, It's cost around Rs. 16000, but it will delivery great quality, And we look into Logitech, We have to pay more than Rs. 8500, For Logitech Z 2300, But Logitech Z 2300 it will be soon discontinued by Logitech, And we look into Altec Lansing, We have to pay around Rs. 7000, For Altec Lansing MX5021, but Altec Lansing MX5021 is discontinued. But I am always in search of good sound quality as well as good build in quality of 2.1 speakers in cheap prices.

And in the end, If we have good budget for 2.1 speakers than definitely we have good speakers for our computer and for other devices.

Logitech Z2300 will be succeeded by Z623 (the unit I was willing to buy). MX5021 has been succeeded by MX6021(Expressionist Series), but the previous one had no match. It was still the best speaker in my opinion, but I don't know why Altec discontinued it. It would be interesting to see if F&D launches anything for the budget around 7-15K in 2.1 series as the premium product. I wonder what would be the quality then !!!

Yes, I will be also interested to see if F&D launches any 2.1 speakers around Rs. 7000 to Rs. 15000.

Try Philips SPA5300 2.1......

hey i just got a f and d a510 in just 2 hours of playing the brand new system its power supply became irregular and the green light kept flickering and produced contionus blasting(boom soun)from subwoofer?.. what should be the problem..should i buy them again or other product??,,i liked its sound though

If you purchased it from Local vendor, the you must ask for the replacement as you received a faulty piece which went malfunctioning just after 2 Hrs of playing. Though they may insist for "warranty" stuffs, but as the speaker went dead in the same day, you must convince them for a replacement.

ya i m gettin the refund but wondering if i should buy it again or some different stuff.. my query is can this happen again..was the prob in subwoofer or my electricity as it was playing good in the starting and suddenly picked the problem

Make sure you have constant electricity feeds (though this comes equipped with AVR) . And this hold true for every other electrical or electronic components, not only F&D. I guess you must have got a defective piece (My Nokia phone ceased to work after a week, so shall I count it as a mediocre company or not?) - so maybe a matter of chance. And if this happens again, you always have a warranty with you.

Hey Amit, I am looking to buy a 2.1 speaker system for my hostel room. Right now I am considering F&D A520,Creative SBS A335 and Altec Lansing VS2621 Speaker. Do you have any views on the other two speakers ? The internet is filled with positive reviews for them but I don't find many reviews of F&D. I only found 2 reviews, one on NDTV and other yours. I didn't even hear about this speaker before today. Are they really this good ?

Well, Ankur ... I was in the same doubt as you when it came to brandname and reputation (have mentioned it above in my review too). But it was the stellar performance of Fenda Speakers which blew me apart (and great value for money too). So personally speaking, you can anyways go for F&D stuffs. I wont suggest SBS series from creatives because they deliver mediocre performance and is the inferior counterpart of their own Inspire series. As far as Altec Lansing VS2621 is concerned, this no doubt delivers a good performance, but when compared with F&D A510 or A520, this again falls short before it. Also, the RMS values of both the speakers has a marginal difference where F&D has an edge with great power packed within. Again, the decision is yours !

Amit,
Your review is superb..... its better than any professional review. Many professional take money to write positive review about any brand. Its rare to find such a neat review from a person who is not a professional reviewer. Great work....

Thanks,
Manjunath Nayak

Hi Amit
Which one is better philips spa5300 (price rs2071) or f&d A520 (price rs1722) on timtara after 500 discount coupon on purchase of above 2000 on icici netbanking.

For which one i should go? can u explain if fenda speaker gets damaged then how to get cover under warranty considering fenda has office in new delhi only.

I'm afraid if I can help you on this juncture. Actually I've not auditioned Philips spa5300, so it will be unfair to make any comment. But you can google further & read reviews for them.
Personally, I wont go for Philips & Sony in this budget as they charge more as a Brand NOT for the performance. I've auditioned Sony speakers which comes for around 2-3K but left me disappointed as it sounded poorer than everything. So, I no more fall on brand values now.

Should I choose A520 over logitech z623/mx 6021?

I think, they don't fall in similar category at all. Logitech z623 is THX based stuff whereas MX6021 from Altec itself comes in premium category speakers. Performance of A510, no doubt is stellar, but PRICE will the issue here to decide between them. The models mentioned by you comes for at least 3-4 times against what would you pay for A510. If money is not the constraint, then definitely go for them and if you are looking out for the one which gives you the best value for money inclusive of performance, then A510/A520 .

thanks

Hi, I own An Acer Laptop (Acer Aspire 5738G) with internal speakers. The laptop has Dolby Home Theatre but laptop speaker is completely sh8. I am looking for small, mid-range (2K most)good bass sound speakers. I read your review of F&DA510. I was impressed with the review & was thinking to make purchase of F7DA520 from Flipkart. However, reading from earlier comments posted, it seems flipkart has raised prices from 1684 to 1980 now!!. Is it worth buying from flipkart or from a local city vendor where I can haggle prices to 1600 level. Second thing, Is this speaker good for my laptop & Android Tablets? (Smasung Galaxy Tab 10.1). I don't have a P.C. Many Thanks for your feedback.

Like a typical customer, just head towards the one which is offering you a better bargain. If local vendor is offering you the piece with marginal difference then you should definitely go for them (service wont be the hassle too). For your second question, well, my Speaker is hooked with Laptop only and shall play equally good with all those device which has 3.5mm standard audio output - be it Desktops, Mobiles, iPods, mp3players etc ...

Hi Amit. Thx for the quick/valuable nuggets. Will check out local dealers for F&D. Regarding audio drivers. I think I have Realtek as the default audio drivers on my laptop. Do the quality of Audio Drivers also affect the performance of attached sound systems? Pls recommend free downloadable audio drivers for a 2.1.

Many Thanks once again.

Audio drivers are primarily hardware dependent (or vice versa) and are proprietary in nature. So, you can't install just any other drivers of your choice. But, you can install some additional equalizers and sound enhancement software like DFX, SRS Wow or the music players internal equalizer itself to tweak for the best audio output. You can also refer to the following article for more details and there we can discuss more :
Alternative Music Players

I want to buy F&D A510 after reading your review.I saw a deal in Tradus.in For rs1723 and after 10% discount they came to rs1550 do you recommend to buy at this price ??? and A520 are also price just a 50rs high than these .. which one to go for a510 or a520 ?????

Both are acoustically same with different satellites (read my separate review on A520 & and comments above to make the final decision, its all upto you). As for the price, I got it for Rs. 1800 few month ago in local market, so you are indeed getting a cheap deal !!!

ok thanks .. i will go for it then :) - A510

Hi Amit,

An excellent piece of writing.. I believe the company (f and d) itself must have not taken so much pain to explain their product for the marketing purpose. You have explored it to its peak...

I have bought the product yesterday only and absolutely happy with it. The only thing which I felt missing is the treble control (i knew before buying also, but with my budget I preferred this); though it can actually be adjusted by the mediaplayer/vlc equalizer.

Before buying this speaker I was in a mind to get a usb/mmc built in speaker (f&d A111) otherwise every time I have to connect my lappy..But later I found none of then give the o/p like this one (in this budget) and further your review confirmed me.

But I wanted to know 2 things related to it:

1. I connected the speakers through my mobile, the sound quality was pretty bad - more of a bass and the bass was making it dull. Later I connected it through my laptop and adjusted with treble, it worked wonders with the vol and equalizer control of the vlc. Why there is such a difference?

2. If there any sound quality difference between a usb/mmc built-in speakers and a normal speakers without usb. (Assumption: Both the speakers have the same o/p)

Appreciate your expertise on the above points.

Ans 1 : Well, I've plugged and played it with multiple input sources like Apple iPod (Touch), Mobiles, other MP3 players etc and none disappointed me or sounded anything different. It wasn't anything like it is sounding normal with headphones but radically different and out of the order with these speakers connected. Maybe you can tweak down the equalizer settings (if any) of your cellphone to minimize the boom. And make sure your cellphone supports 3.5 mm standard output.

Ans 2 :USB/MMC input has got nothing to do with driver's (speaker) performance. Though built-in decoder might not be competent to your laptop or other stand alone players' output which can make it sound inferior. And if you are taking A111 for your assumption, then it is power rating difference here which is setting A510 apart i.e. 35 RMS vs 52 RMS.

Dear Amit,
Need help.
How to find Mobiles which supports 3.5mm Output by checking its tech specs?
Eg. Portable player ZEB CINEMA 3.0+ 2.8k has output for headphone & a/v out & output is wonderful when connected to better speakers/headphones
But, too good Sandisk Sansa xxxx has amazing output for headphones & if connected to 2.1/2.0 speakers the output quality is below average & bad.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Amit,
very impressive review dude.
Now i'm well confident to buy fenda speakers but in Fenda itself i am confused amongst A520, A555U and F-330U all of these are available at around 2-2.5k.
could you please help me in my decision.
sound quality would be my first preference.. but extra features may add up some spice to them.
thanks in advance dude.

Wow.. That's a great review for a speaker i had ever seen.
Your review is very good than reviews by other professional reviewers.
Previously I was planning to buy Altech Lansing or Creative Speakers. But after reading this review I changed my mind and bought an F&D A520 (A510's big brother)..
Keep this great work going...

Hey Amit,

I have been searching for a 2.1 speaker for past 26 hour now and I keep coming to you blog. Requirement : Best in class speakers for personal music listening (not for party and stuff, but I would want it to be decently loud).
Speakers that caught my attention:

1. Edifier C3/C2 - great reviews everywhere but a little big.
2. Logitech Z623 - I can afford these but I am coming across reviews that they are not the best for MUSIC.
3. F&D A520 - Great reviews everywhere. Great price.
4. F&D A33U or A55U - I am not excited about Remote ( I have wireless music receiver) or USB Stick. But FM radio , i like. But again if the quality drop from 520 to 33U is noticeable I would rather buy stand alone FM radio.
5. JBL Creature: Some reviews mentioned that they are not that loud but great sound.
6. Corsair: came across the name but not much reviews.
7. AE 2 : Great reviews for sound but are they loud enough???

I am sure you might not have heard demo for all of them but with your research inputs would help me make a decision here...

Thanks
Dhruv
Mumbai

I want an upgrade and is in same dilemma as you. I keep on wondering why Altec discontinued MX5021 which was going great with budget conscious audiophiles. If you can afford AE 2, then I'd better opine for MAudio or Swan M50W which shall satiate all your aural desires.

Hi Amit, Very informative article!!

I want to buy speakers for my Desk top.

I want good power o/p but with USB slot( Pen drive & MMC)

In case of F & D A510, there is no USB slot.

Can you pls suggest whether to go with F & D USB 2.1 A 111 / A 333 OR any other brand in range of 2k?

Thanks !!!

Both are decent sets of speakers. Though A333U will give you louder performance because of its higher power ratings and better satellites.

Happy to read ur reviews and comments.

Impossible to have a demo
here.

- info from fendaindia.com
A510/A111U Satellites have 4"full range driver except 16w/11w
A333U has 3"full range driver.

How will be the performance from satellites of A111U/A333U?

Kindly provide suggestions.

hi amit nice and detailed reviews by you. I have been searching for 2.1 for my home.. n m little confused between fendas A510 and W130BT... I also wanted to know more about W130BT(if u could help) as i couldnt find much about it on internet... m from agra so i cant get any demo here too(hoping its unavailable in agra).. and 1 more thing how BT satellites work? how do these get power or they come with power cords??
thanks in advance :)

hi how does the a510/520 compare against altec lansing vs4121. I am planning on buying the latter from my friend for Rs 2400 with 9 months warranty still left. Please reply soon.

Hi guys,

Has anybody bought or tested the recently launched F&D F680 which is a clone of Creative T3 and Bose Companion 3?