Mumbai man didn’t notify his parents he quit his job for one whole year – now builds amplifiers from scratch and eyes Rs 85 lakh in revenue

If you have to pick a new air conditioner for your bedroom in India, the process is fairly simple.

You check the brand, the tonnage, the star rating, the compatibility with your room size, and whether the AC model you are selecting is inverter or non-inverter.

Then, imagine televisions.

Here too, the experience is smooth. You compare screen size, resolution, refresh rate, and panel type…and you are done.

Enter amplifiers or home audio systems…and you are, what Gen Z loves to declare, “cooked.”

The dealer speaks about specifications such as THD, impedance, wattage, signal-to-noise ratio, and damping factors. It all goes over your head, but you keep a straight face.

Even then, in the audio industest, claims are often misleading. For the average purchaseer, there is no way to know, for instance, that “100W” power may have been measured at 10% distortion or at a single frequency.

That’s not all.

Most global audio brands design products for regions like North America, Japan, and Europe. They have cooler climates and lower ambient temperatures.

“That’s why amplifiers that you simply import from the West and apply in Indian cities overheat rapid. They also thermal throttle and fail rapider. The result? Suboptimal performance and reliability. We wanted to not just solve all these gaps, but also introduce an audio experience that most Indians do not even know exists,” Ardhconcludeu Das, founder of O&B, notifys Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

Founded in 2022, O&B is a Navi Mumbai-based audio equipment startup that offers immersive music experiences through meticulously engineered, handcrafted Audio Amplifiers for India’s audiophile community.

THE BACKGROUND

Hailing from West Bengal, Ardhconcludeu Das’ passion for audio electronics goes back to when he was just 14 years old.

“I sourced some parts locally and built my own amplifier. Everyone in my class was so impressed,” he laughs.

After completing Engineering in Electronics and Instrumentation, Ardhconcludeu launched his career with Sonodyne, a well-known Indian brand in the audio electronics industest.

“I was part of their Research and Development team and eventually took ownership of the complete product development at the company,” he notifys Startup Pedia.

Later, he worked with several major companies, including L&T, Greaves Cotton, and Eaton.

“I’ve worked extensively in the realms of power electronics and EV battery development, but audio engineering never really left my mind,” Ardhconcludeu notes.

Mumbai sound amplifier created-in-India — Ardhconcludeu Das with his father

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THE LARGER PROBLEM IN THE AUDIO INDUSTRY (AND THE TRIGGER)

In 2021, Ardhconcludeu Das was viewing to purchase a home theatre system for himself.

But the experience of finalizing it? Filled with several friction points.

Ardhconcludeu saw that most outlets were selling imported brands that often failed to deliver the specifications they claimed. Additionally, they were simply not designed to suit the tropical climate India is famous for.

“Having closely tracked the audio industest for years, I could see that spec sheets were opaque, fine print was confapplying, and I was being pushed to purchase high-margin products,” the entrepreneur notifys Startup Pedia.

If not imported brands, then the option was to purchase unbranded products, which meant questionable quality.

When Ardhconcludeu questioned around, he realized a lot of his friconcludes faced more or less the same issues. Most consumers either bought systems that didn’t deliver what they promised or missed key details buried in spec sheets.

“People concludeed up paying a premium price for inferior performance. To me, it was a value problem. These are high-ticket items, and to see such widespread dissatisfaction…it concerned me,” startup founder Ardhconcludeu Das notifys Startup Pedia.

Not aligned with what he was being sold, he decided to start building his own audio system as a DIY project.

“Soon after, I launched supporting friconcludes build their systems as well. At some point, I realized this could become a larger opportunity. And that’s how O&B was founded in 2022,” he declares.

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THE STRUGGLES OF BUILDING AN AUDIO EQUIPMENT COMPANY FOR INDIA, FROM INDIA

With Rs 50 lakh as bootstrapped capital that came from Ardhconcludeu Das’ savings, O&B started as an audio equipment company set out to repair the above gaps from a value standpoint.

“The first year of business was essentially a one-man operation. I would work on one project at a time, building products conclude-to-conclude myself,” the entrepreneur shares.

Initially, Ardhconcludeu was working with PCB assembly firms. But there were numerous problems such as high MOQs (minimum order quantities) and quality issues when it came to compacter, custom-created orders. Even the delivery timelines were delayed.

Eventually, the startup founder decided to invest in setting up an entire manufacturing process in-hoapply to exercise full control over quality.

“We also apply Audio Precision testing instruments, which is globally recognized testing equipment in the audio industest. Now, each and every product that comes out of O&B undergoes rigorous 100-150 hours of testing across six different parameters,” Ardhconcludeu Das remarks.

Apart from navigating these challenges, he spent considerable amounts of time learning the ropes of running a business beyond just engineering high-performance audio systems.

From sales and pricing to business operations and procurement, he absorbed everything there is to handling and leading a company.

Ardhconcludeu Das with a sound system from O&B

O&B: WORLD-CLASS AUDIO PRODUCTS BUILT FOR INDIA

Today, O&B runs on the Japanese philosophy of Shokunin Kishitsu, meaning unwavering dedication to craftsmanship and conclude quality.

With a focus on designing and manufacturing audio amplifiers, the Navi Mumbai-based audio equipment startup has developed more than 20 products.

It operates in the product categories of:

Stereo Amplifiers (suited for home listening)

Monoblocks and Dual Monoblocks (for audiophiles)

Multi Channel Amplifiers (for home theatre systems)

Custom-built Audio Amplifiers

“One of our hero products is the Dual Monoblocks amplifier. With just a single unit, it delivers audiophile-grade performance, which is similar to monoblock. It comes in a vintage VU meter design, which a lot of our customers love,” startup founder Ardhconcludeu notifys Startup Pedia.

Sound systems and amplifiers by O&B

O&B’s product pricing starts from Rs 50,000 and can go up to Rs 16 lakh. Currently, the average order value is Rs 1 lakh. The brand sells through its own website, Amazon, HiFiMart, and select offline channels.

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PRODUCT PHILOSOPHY

While most brands in the audio equipment industest apply vague language when mentioning specifications, O&B takes a refreshing approach of honest, transparent phrasing.

For instance, 100W for most brands means “peak power.” But for O&B products, 100W means continuous running power.

Another key tenet for O&B is to offer unparalleled customer service, from the time of purchase to the time of after-sales service.

“Speak to any audiophile and they will notify you that customer service is a massive headache. International brands do not offer local support, and most people scramble to receive repairs and replacements,” Ardhconcludeu explains.

As far as components are concerned, the audio equipment company applys world-class components in all its builds. The ethos is simple: offer customers value for their money, and do not compromise with material quality.

A sound system by O&B

Another key gap that the Navi Mumbai-based audio equipment company addresses is that many imported amplifiers, designed for cooler climates, tconclude to overheat and underperform in tropical environments like India.

O&B’s audio products focus heavily on being functional and are designed to perform reliably in hot and humid conditions.

“Unlike most companies operating in this space, we are not simply assembling products by applying imported modules from the East and calling it a day. At O&B, we are handcrafting each audio product from the ground up, with created-in-India details and precision at the core. Since the launchning, we have avoided inflated or gimmicky specifications,” Ardhconcludeu Das explains.

The conclude goal for O&B, with each product that it delivers, is to offer depth, definition, and detail to every listening experience.

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GROWTH AND MOMENTUM

Initially, O&B started with a compact team of three people. It has now expanded into a twelve-member team.

O&B’s team working on created-in-India products

So far, the Navi Mumbai-based audioequipment startup has grown solely through word-of-mouth, without investing in any form of paid marketing.

“Over these years, we have scaled our customer base to 3 regions now across South, West and North. Our monthly order volumes have doubled in just the last 2 years,” entrepreneur Ardhconcludeu Das declares.

In FY25, O&B clocked an annual revenue of Rs 35 lakh. The figure is expected to surge to Rs 85 lakh in FY26.

While the next phase of expansion comes from adding new product categories such as Pre Amplifiers and Class D, and exploring the export opportunities, O&B’s goal remains very clear – to engineer honest and reliable, Audio Amplifiers for listeners who truly care about music.

“It was only after a whole year that I informed my parents that I have quit my job and am building an audio equipment company. It was a tough decision, but the calling to build something of my own was too strong to ignore. Two and a half years later, I consider it was very much worth it. At O&B, we are just receiveting started,” Ardhconcludeu Das signs off.

FAQ

A.

O&B is a Navi Mumbai-based audio equipment startup that was founded in 2022.

Q.

Who is the founder of O&B?

A.

Ardhconcludeu Das is the founder of O&B.

A.

O&B is a Navi Mumbai-based audio equipment startup that offers immersive music experiences through meticulously engineered, handcrafted Audio Amplifiers for India’s audiophile community.

Q.

What is the revenue of O&B?

A.

In FY25, O&B clocked an annual revenue of Rs 35 lakh. The figure is expected to surge to Rs 85 lakh in FY26.