Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Learn more.
BlueAnt Soundblade Review
A slender soundbar with big audio.
In This Article
Verdict
The BlueAnt Soundblade is a solid PC soundbar with a sleek design, interesting form factor and reasonably strong audio with lots of volume. Connectivity here is solid, and the addition of a remote control is a convenient feature. What its audio has in volume and power though is traded for middling detail and a narrower soundstage.
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The BlueAnt Soundblade aims to solve a big problem with omore traditional looking soundbars.
As much as soundbars such as theSonos Beamoffer a smaller form factor that’s more compact than separate speakers, some of them are still a little large and unwieldy to place under a monitor. BlueAnt’s Soundblade aims to solve this issue with an intriguing form factor while still packing a punch in terms of its audio.
At £200 / $200, it’s also priced among more premium gaming headsets and above other gaming soundbars such as theEdifier MG300. I’ve been testing the Soundblade for the last couple of weeks to see how well it performs.
Design
Arguably the most interesting thing about the Soundblade is the way it looks. It’s unlike any other soundbar I’ve tested or laid eyes on, carrying a sweeping curve across the middle which looks fantastic. Available in black, green, blue, pink or white as tested here, it’s got heaps of style that’ll fit well in a modern office environment.
As much as it’s stylish, the Soundblade’s form factor is designed with a specific purpose. The problem with a lot of soundbars is that you can’t really put them under a monitor neatly because of the protruding base of the stand it sits on. With this, you have two options – either put your monitor on an arm as I have, or use the Soundblade. That’s because this is designed go over the monitor stand to hide it, and fit neatly underneath.
The underside of the Soundblade features a series of legs at either end to achieve this purpose, and it works rather well. In addition, while the plastics used are smooth and have a solid finish, the soundbar is reasonably light at 1.7kg to be moved without much hassle.
The front side of the speaker is fabric, which is mostly where its drivers live, while the back is made of black plastic. The reverse side is where you’ll find inputs, which totals an AC power jack port, a USB-C port and a 3.5mm jack. There are some on-board controls here too, with a on/off button and volume controls found on the right side of the top panel.
Features
The Soundblade offers decent connectivity too, working over wired means either USB-C or 3.5mm, while wireless connectivity is handled byBluetooth 5.3. Wired connectivity is as easy as plugging into the supported device, while pairing over Bluetooth with mySamsung Galaxy S21 Ultraor HiBy R3 II was a doddle.
As well as offering useful connectivity options, you also get the benefit of a solid remote control with clicky buttons for doing everything from pairing over Bluetooth to changing volume and even choosing different sound modes. It’s powered by a pair of AAA batteries, which are included in the box.
There isn’t any additional companion software with the Soundblade though, which is a fixture of more premium PC soundbars, such as theRazer Leviathan V2. It is also a single unit, with no additional subwoofer, although the one kept internally in the Soundblade is reasonably beefy.
Sound Quality
For such a slim and slender soundbar, the Soundblade doesn’t half pack a punch with its audio, carrying 120W of amplification, which allows it to get seriously loud. Its built-in 80mm neodymium subwoofer also provides a generous helping of bass, helping immersion in my playthroughs of Counter Strike 2, or listening to heavier rock tracks such as Fish’s Carnival Man or a dose of disco with Let’s Groove from Earth, Wind & Fire.
Vocals here are also clear, especially on the Soundblade’s movie mode, which softens the bass a tad in the name of a mid-range boost. The synth brass and vocals in Gloria Estefan’s Get On Your Feet were strong, although the top-end of the track’s cymbals lacked a certain crispness. It was the same story with the prominent cymbal work on Steely Dan’s Doctor Wu, with the cymbal beat coming across a tad cumbersome.
The soundstage here isn’t the widest either, with audio feeling quite confined to the physical limits of the Soundblade against other similarly-priced speakers and larger soundbars. It’s immersive but lacks some directionality, as demonstrated with the percussion being lost in the soundscape of Earth, Wind & Fire’s September. On the very best speakers, it’s away from the main track.
The Soundblade is better-suited to films and games, with clear dialogue and impactful low-end though and solid separation of said voices from background noise. Reasonable detail is also captured overall, although against other compact soundbars, such as my first-genSonos Beam, the Soundblade isn’t as strong.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You wanta sleek, compact soundbar
The Soundblade excels with its compact, slender form factor that fits well under monitors of varying sizes, and looks smart, too.
You want more detailed audio
The Soundblade lacks some detail and finesse its audio against its rivals, although offers solid dialogue handling.
Final Thoughts
The BlueAnt Soundblade is a solid PC soundbar with a sleek design, interesting form factor and reasonably strong audio with lots of volume. Connectivity here is solid, and the addition of a remote control is a convenient feature.
What its audio has in volume and power though is traded for middling sense of detail and a narrower soundstage. The likes of theSonos Rayis a better option overall for a similar price, though.
How we test
We test every soundbar we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in ourethics policy.
Tested over several weeks
Tested with multiple devices
Tested with real world use
Tested with wired and Bluetooth connection
You might like…
FAQs
Yes, the BlueAnt Soundblade has Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, as well as USB-C and 3.5mm.
Full specs
Reece has been writing for Trusted Reviews since 2019 on a freelance basis thanks to a few days’ work experience and writes about all things computing. He’s a soon to be graduate from the University o…
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
