Speakers take different forms to fit into different corners of our lives. There are headphones that fit on our heads for private listening and speakers that sit on our walls to spread the music to everyone. Well, what about speakers that are a nice middle ground between both? A speaker that can double as a personal speaker for when you’re working and a general speaker for when you’re hanging with friends. I was given the opportunity to review the BlueAnt SoundBlade.
This is a soundbar, but it’s not like the typical soundbars that you’d get from Sonos. You’re not going to put this under your TV. While it may be powerful enough to power your whole media-watching experience, this is a soundbar that’s meant to sit under your computer monitor. That’s a bit of an odd thing to think about for some people. Much of the time, when we’re at our computers, we’re using our headphones. If not, then we’re using the speakers that came with our monitors.
However, there are those times when we want to sit back at our computers and watch some movies and TV shows. Why not have a cinematic experience at your computer? The right speaker can actually make the experience of using your computer even better, and it might encourage you to consume content there even more.
The BlueAnt SoundBlade is designed to do just that. Does it accomplish this task, or is the SoundBlade a dull blade? Let’s find out in this review.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Design
The company didn’t name this the SoundBlade for any old reason, Since this speaker is designed to fit under your monitor, it has to be sleek, so it’s definitely blade-like. This is an extremely sleek speaker, and I really like the design. I’ve reviewed some pretty flashy speakers before, and one of them literally had lights on it. However, the SoundBlade banks on its sleek and minimalistic design.
The top of the speaker is bare, completely void of any sort of branding or embellishments. The only branding we see on the top plate is the SoundBlade logo on the right side of it. The top plate juts out a bit, and it curves downward on either side to give the speaker a distinctive look. Under the top plate, we see the less curvy speaker mesh with a flat bottom. In a way, it contrasts the curviness of the top plate. So, there’s a subtle clash of design mentalities that I like.
The thing about the SoundBlade is that it has this understated beauty that gives it character. It’s the kind of design that just looks good without even trying. I love the brushed metal look of the top plate, even though it’s plastic. It goes with the black speaker mesh that gives it this nice two-tone look. BlueAnt was able to do a lot with the design even though there’s not much to it in terms of bells and whistles.
True to its name, the SoundBlade is a rather thin speaker. It has to be pretty flat if it wants to fit under monitors. This speaker is designed to be short enough to sit under most monitors. It sits comfortably under my monitor with about 2 inches to spare.
The thing about this speaker is that it has this minimalistic aesthetic to it overall. It doesn’t stick out all that much when it comes to the design. It’s mostly flat with subtle curves, and it doesn’t go above and beyond to look like the coolest speaker in your collection. Depending on your setup, this speaker will be able to blend right in.
That’s a good thing depending on the kind of setup you have. You’re probably just looking for a speaker to disappear into your setup. If you want a more professional look to your setup, then you won’t have to worry bout the SoundBlade clashing.
Even if your setup has more color and light to it, the SoundBlade will also go along with it. It’s the kind of understated design that can go with a wide range of setups.
The only issue
I only have one small issue with that SoundBlade, and it’s that the speaker tends to be a bit wide. What the SoundBlade lacks in height, it makes up for in width. It’s a bit wide, and that means that it sticks out quite a bit from my monitor. So, it might not go with your setup quite as seamlessly, as it will stick out from under your monitor quite a bit. It sticks out about 4.5 inches. So, if you’re using a cramped setup, then you might have trouble using this speaker.
It’d be nice if the company shaved just a few inches off so that it can better fit under your monitor.
Overall
I can tell that BlueAnt really wanted to build a sleek, thin, and good-looking speaker, and that’s exactly what it delivered. The gray brushed metal look of the top plate along with the nice black speaker mesh makes this a beautiful-looking speaker. It looks just as sleek as the name implies.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Build quality
When it comes to devices like speaker, we sometimes tend to forget about the build quality. The thing is that build quality is a major factor for most kinds of devices, whether we know it or not. If you’re using a device that’s meant to provide a premium experience, then you won’t want to pick it up and feel like you’re holding a cheap and plasticy device.
The SoundBlade is in a weird spot. It’s a device that’s supposed to be slim and lightweight while giving the impression that it’s a high-quality device. That’s tough to do, but I think that this device pulls it off rather nicely.
When I pick it up, I get the impression that I’m holding a quality device. There’s a bit of reassuring heft that lets me know that the company went the extra mile to get quality materials. Sure, the top plate is made from plastic, but it doesn’t feel like cheap plastic. This goes for the internals; I know that the materials driving the sound are high-quality and designed to last.
I’ve used plenty of cheap speakers that just feel empty. It feels like I’m holding an overgrown plastic case with a singular driver. In the case of the BlueAnt SoundBlade, I can tell that the internal space is being used properly.
I can feel the weight of the internals, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel bulky. It’s designed to be a sleek and lightweight speaker, so the company went the extra mile to make sure that it doesn’t feel cumbersome to use. I can easily pick it up and move to where I need to move it without any issue.
So, at the same time, the BlueAnt SoundBlade feels hefty and lightweight. It has a nice bit of reassuring weight to it, but it’s not too heavy. That’s just how a device like this is supposed to feel.
Along with that, all of the components, from the top plate to the speaker mesh, to the rubber feet feel top-quality. At no point do I feel like I’m holding a cheap or low-quality device when I have it in my hands. This is a top-of-the-line speaker, and it feels that way.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Bass
One of the selling points of this speaker is its emphasis on the bass. The BlueAnt SoundBlade has a unique driver setup. Dual neodymium drivers handle the majority of the sound, and there’s a dedicated 80mm neodymium subwoofer that drives the bass. And, boy does it drive the bass.
I’m not going to lie, this is a speaker for bass heads. The emphasis on the lower end is unmistakable. I played all types of music, and it seemed to do the best with more modern music designed with thumping bass. Not to sound dramatic, but I don’t just hear the bass, I feel it. That’s not just me blowing smoke; when I’m playing music with this speaker, I can feel the bass vibrate my desk. For some reason, it adds to the experience. There’s something about feeling the thumps of the bass while you’re hearing it. It makes the bass seem that much more impactful. This isn’t only for modern bass-heavy music. Even when I’m listening to orchestral music, I can feel the vibrations radiate through my desk.
This is the benefit of having a dedicated subwoofer to handle the lower notes.
Clarity
The thing about the bass in this speaker is that it manages to do something that I commend extremely. I’ve used speakers that have a focus on the bass, but they often make one fundamental mistake; they conflate bass and muddiness. There are some companies out there that are wreckless about the bass that they add to their speakers. They wind up emphasizing the frequencies that muddy up the sound along with the other lower tones. This makes music sound unappealing to listen to.
The bass in the BlueAnt SoundBlade is clear. It’s like it selects the right lower tones to give the music a nice clean “boom”. When listening to music, hearing synthetic kick drums, they decay nicely and they duck out of the way to let the other tones sing through. The same goes for electric basses and other low instruments. I can hear all of the notes clearly in the mix.
This is something that I give the company a lot of praise for. It didn’t just throw in a subwoofer and crank up the lower frequencies in its EQ. It tuned the woofer to deliver a clear and punchy sound.
Even though I said that I listened to some orchestral music with this speaker, I wouldn’t recommend you get this speaker if that’s your jam. You’re going to want to use this speaker if you’re looking to rattle your skull with some intense bass. I’ll go over some of the music that I listened to the most with this speaker, but you’ll definitely want to get this speaker if you’re looking to listen to some pretty powerful bassy music.
A bit too bombastic
My complaint about the bass is that it overtakes the sound a little too soon. Oftentimes, when I start listening to some music, and I start turning the volume up, the volume of the bass becomes a bit too much before the rest of the sound can come up to a good volume. I’d start to hear the bass overtake the sound and get too loud before I could properly hear the rest of the sound. It feels like the subwoofer has its own volume control.
That might not be an issue if you’re looking to rumble your skull with some powerful music, but you might use this speaker for other reasons. You might watch some videos or movies. It’s possible for the volume to jump when you’re consuming content like that. The bass could start booming above the rest of the audio. Imagine trying to watch an action movie. This might just come down to personal preference, but I think that the bass could have been matched to the sound a bit better.
Overall
This is one of the kinds of speakers that educate you on a simple fact: there’s no one way to do bass. We tend to think of the bass as just the lower tones, but there’s more to that. Companies can tune the bass in different ways to give you different results for the sound. Bass can sound hollow, it can sound muddy, it can sound crystal clear, etc.
How would I describe the bass of the BlueAnt SoundBlade? I’d describe it as creamy. That’s an odd way to put it, I know. The thing is that the lower notes are clear, but they’re not too tactile. There’s a smoothness to them that I liken to the smoothness of melted chocolate. The lower notes come out with a nice soft quality. There’s some nice decay to the bass; my desk vibrates for a nice bit of time as the bass continues to rumble a bit.
I really love the punch and power that this speaker delivers to the low end. BlueAnt did a great job tuning the SoundBlade’s subwoofer to give a rich and engaging sound. I just think that it can be a bit much compared to the rest of the frequencies. If you’re into tinkering with your sound, you should be able to cater it to your own liking using a customizable EQ on your device.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Treble
Speakers like these are bittersweet. They’re great when it comes to producing excellent bass, and they’re perfect for people who like a sound like that. But, the unfortunate thing is that you’re not likely to buy this speaker for any other reason. The sound profile is very much tuned to cater to the lower audio.
As such, the higher frequencies get the short end of the stick. This is the case with the BlueAnt SoundBlade. I’ve listened to different genres of music with this speaker, and I hear that lack of balance that comes with other bass-heavy speakers. So, while the bass sounds nice and encompassing, the treble is nothing to write home about.
This could be an issue depending on the type of music you’re listening to. I’ve already ruled out orchestral music. The sound is just too unbalanced to really make it sound good. If you’re looking to listen to music that’s really percussion-heavy, you might not hear the best. You just won’t really hear those higher tones in the drums that make them tactile and satisfying to listen to. They’ll sound flat.
When it comes to listening to certain music from the 80s and 90s, you’ll be missing out on some of those higher tones that really characterized their respective sounds. In the 80s, we heard a lot of crunchier bass that hit on some higher frequencies. Also, we can’t forget about that higher-pitched synth. You’ll still be able to hear them if you use the Sound Blade, but it won’t sound as crisp.
Also, in the 90s, we heard a lot of augmented high-hats and snare drums in the music. The bass will more than cancel those out. That’s only a few examples of how the sound can be a bit lop-sided.
It’s a matter of taste
I think that this is mostly a problem if you’re really looking for a more balanced listening experience. Again, if you’re going to be using this speaker to listen exclusively to headbangers, then you really won’t have much of an issue.
However, if you’re planning on using this as a general-use speaker, then you’ll need to know that some of your content will sound a bit off.
Overall
I don’t want to say that the treble performance is bad, as this isn’t designed to give you crisp highs. If that were the case, then it would have a dedicated tweeter sticking out from the top. Rather, the SoundBlade is designed to be a skull rumbler, and with this comes sacrifices. The treble isn’t bad, it’s just not emphasized.
I can get by with listening to certain types of music and watching movies, but this just isn’t designed to be your all-around everyday music speaker. It very much has its focus.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Mids
Sadly, the story is pretty much the same with the mids. I thought that, with the bass being so accentuated and the highs being so muted, there would be a nice middle ground with the mids.
I won’t say that the mids are all that bad. They’re just like with the highs, they’re nothing to write home about. They sit along with the highs in the shadow of the bass.
However, I want to say that voices actually sound pretty nice. Listening to songs, I feel like the voices project more than the rest of the mix (second to the bass, of course). I think that it was a good choice from the company to make sure that voices can be heard.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Stereo separation
Since there are separate drivers delivering the sound, the SoundBlade can give you some stereo separation. While using it, I’d say that the separation is pretty decent. I wouldn’t venture as far as to say that it gives me a surround-sound experience.
This speaker shines with parts that are panned pretty far to the left or right. When it comes to orchestral music, it’s a bit tough to tell where the instruments are panned. However, if you’re listening to music recorded with smaller studio sessions, the stereo separation is more evident.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Song selections
It’s one thing to talk about how a speaker does in different areas, but it’s another thing to listen to how it sounds with your favorite songs. I chose a list of some of the songs I listen to often, and I’m going to talk about my experience with listening to these songs.
I chose a few of my favorite songs over the course of a few decades. I’ll try to cover a wide range of moods with the music. Your experience will vary based on your tastes, but I thought I’d give you some specific examples of songs.
“Lily” by Hall & Oates (1972)
I chose this song because it’s a pretty middle-of-the-road song when it comes to the overall sound. It has that certain warmth that we had with many 70s pop songs, and it was recorded in, what I feel, was a small to moderate studio.
I think that this song plays well with this speaker. There is warmth in the song, and there’s some focus on the bass, but it’s pretty subdued. As such, the song got a nice boost to the bass. The electric bass sounds punchy and nice. The same thing goes for the kick drum.
Moving onto the voices, I think that they project nicely. I can hear the voices perfectly clearly. As for the rest of the mix, nothing really stands out among the sound. That’s not really a bad thing in this case. The mix sounds pretty balanced overall with a pleasant boost to the bass.
“This Is It” by Kenny Loggins (1979)
This is a good example of a late 70s song. There’s a bit more focus on punch, and I can hear that with the bass in this song. The kick drum and electric bass work together to give a nice punchy bassline, and I can feel that with the SoundBlade. Again, the subwoofer is great at projecting those lower tones and producing a pleasant sound. There’s some nice impact to the bass.
However, this song also has some emphasis on the higher-pitched audio with the consistent high-hat line and the synth at the beginning. Unfortunately, they just don’t shine through. It sounds like the high-hats are a little bit muffled. They don’t sound too bad.
As for Kenny’s and Michael’s voices, I can hear them just fine.
“Synthicide” by SQQ (1983)
This is an excellent example of an early 80s new wave song, and it’s a nice representation of some of the music that we heard in the 80s. I feel like many songs in the 80s were tuned with more of an emphasis on the higher tones.
In this song, there’s a consistent snare drum playing on every off-beat, and Also, the introduction has a melody on a pretty high-pitch synth. There were some other examples of high-pitched synth.
Even the bass in the song has more crunch to it and not a lot of lower tones that give the bass its rumble. As such, the speaker sounds a little bit more balanced than with the 70s music. The music is prioritizing the higher tones while deprioritizing the bass. Even the kick drum at the beginning of the song lacked bite.
So, I don’t think that the subwoofer is really overworking with this song, but there’s still some pleasant bass. I’d say that the music in the 70s had a bit of a better balance when it came to the bass.
As always, the singer’s voice sounds amazing.
“Feelings of Forever” by Tiffany (1987)
Moving onto the late 80s, we had a bit of a heavier and more bass-heavy sound. Be that as it may, there was still some crunch in the bass and a ton of high-pitched synth. The song I chose is a good example of that.
There’s definitely more low-end in the bass compared to Synthicide, and I can hear that. It shakes my desk just a bit more. The speaker is good at extracting those lower tones in the bass.
There’s also a consistent snare drum crash throughout the song (I mean, it was the 80s after all), and just like with other higher tones, I just wasn’t feeling it. At this point in the 80s, pop music had adopted the really loud and crashy snare drum off beats. Even though they were stronger in this song than in Synthicide, they still didn’t really project like I would have liked.
“Losin’ Myself” by Debbie Gibson (1993)
Moving into the 90s, we started hearing warmer and bassier music hit the market. In this song, we have some synthetic kick drum hits along with some rather warm bass. These two worked in tandem to deliver a low and punchy sound. The subwoofer got back to working hard. I’d say that this is where this speaker shines.
Everything else that I mentioned before was true with the sound. There were some pretty powerful snare drum off beats, and I think I heard them better than with the 80s music, but they were still a bit underwhelming. As for her voice, it sounded great.
“Inseparable” by Robin Gibb (2003)
Moving onto the early 2000s, I felt the same thing about this speaker that I felt about “Losin’ Myself.” We heard a lot of those punchy synthetic kick drum hits during this period and after, and they play nicely with this speaker’s subwoofer.
“Magnetized” by Jonny Hates Jazz (2013)
Jumping ahead a decade, here’s a song with bass that doesn’t have as much punch as with the past two songs. The kick drum is a bit more mellow, and the bass is rather soft.
As such, I don’t feel as much impact with the bass in this song, but I can still hear those nice rumbly tones. I can still feel my desk rumble a bit as the bass notes decay.
Overall
I’d say that this speaker does great with songs that are engineered to be warmer. The subwoofer projects those lower tones beautifully. While I listened to different songs with differing levels of warmth, not of them sounded muddy. I can tell that the company put a ton of effort into tuning the subwoofer to deliver some amazing audio.
The only issue is that I found myself missing the other tones. No matter how much treble the song had in its mix, either through snare drums or synth, I just didn’t feel it. This is something that made some of the 80s songs I listen to sound dull. Those higher tones really characterized a lot of 80s pop and new wave.
When it comes to the voices, I didn’t have an issue hearing the voices. I think that the SoundBlade did a great job with all of the voices going through it.
Like I said, this speaker is very focused. It has its priority, and that’s creating pleasing and encompassing low-end audio, and it accomplishes it. I just feel that some of the other areas of the audio were left unattended.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: EQ modes
There’s a layer of customizability to the sound that enhances the listening experience. There are three EQ presets that will cater to the sound for different listening scenarios.
When you start using the speaker, it will automatically be set to the Music preset. This is the preset that delivers a more balanced sound. You’ll get the richest bass with this mode activated.
The next mode is the Games mode. This preset will make the audio more detailed so you’ll be able to hear what’s going on. You have to be able to hear what’s going on, especially if you’re playing an FPS game. So, you’ll hear more of the high-end audio.
Lastly, there’s the Movie mode. This mode is designed to accent voices, so you’ll hear an emphasis on the higher-pitched audio to help you hear the characters more.
Flipping through the modes, I found that they definitely changed the sound, but the differences between the modes are pretty subtle. I think that’s a good thing because some speakers tend to overdo it with their Movie and Game modes. I find that they sometimes make the sound rather shrill because both modes tend to boost the mids and highs. In the case of the SoundBlade, the difference is noticeable, but the sound keeps from becoming too much.
While the Game and Movies modes do boost the mids and highs, I still hear the strong bass that pervades the sound, so you won’t get a break from it if you’re not really into really bassy audio.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Features I like
The BlueAnt SoundBlade is a pretty meat and potatoes speaker. There aren’t a ton of bells and whistles with it, but has some nice core features that I’ve come to like. Many of the features don’t really warrant a full section, so I’ll just list them here.
Capacitive buttons
This is a bit of a small feature, but I really like the touch-sensitive buttons on the side of the speaker. There aren’t many. You just get the volume buttons and the power button. The power button also lets you switch the input modes.
I should mark this as a gripe, as it’s more practical to have physical buttons. If it’s dark, it’ll be better to physically feel the “+” of “-” buttons rather than guess that what I’m pressing is right. However, the touch-sensitive buttons all add to the overall sleek look and feeling of the speaker. This way, it’s able to maintain a completely smooth waterfall shape.
Input methods
I like that the SoundBlade allows for auxiliary, Bluetooth, and USB audio input. USB audio tends to be ignored in many consumer audio products. What’s neat is that the SoundBlade comes with USB cords in the box.
There’s a little light on the side of the speaker that lets you know what input method you have selected. It’s green if you’re in auxiliary mode, purple when in USB mode, and blue for Bluetooth mode.
Remote
I think that one of the best features of this is the added remote. You’re able to do pretty much everything with this speaker using the touch buttons, but the remote allows you to perform additional actions. It allows you to adjust the volume and there is a dedicated USB, Aux button, and Bluetooth button that lets you switch to the input mode you want right away. Using the capacitive button on the speaker will cycle through them, so using the remote could save a little time.
You’re also able to switch between Music, Movies, and Game modes. Lastly, there is a mute button along with track skip buttons. Just know that these will only work if you’re using the speaker in Bluetooth mode.
The remote is extremely responsive. I don’t have to point the remote directly at the speaker to use it.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: My main gripe
There’s really one thing that I’m not liking about this speaker. It’s something that is helpful, yes, but it’s still pretty annoying. It could just be a personal preference, but it still bothers me.
I’m not a fan of the voice prompts. Whenever you power on/off the speaker, change the input method, or change the audio mode, you hear a voice prompt letting you know what you changed to.
The voice prompts are pretty loud. It doesn’t matter if I have the volume low or medium, the voice prompts stay at the same volume. They can be rather annoying if you’re trying to keep quiet.
There doesn’t seem to be a way of disabling the prompts. What I know is that I don’t hear them if I mute the volume, which just involves an extra step. It’s important to note that I have to actually press the mute button. If I just lower the volume to 0%, I still hear them.
I would like the option to choose between the voice prompts and a variety of beeps. I’d rather hear a short beep or double beep to let me know that I switched to a new mode.
Just like how the lights on the speaker indicate which input method you have, it would have been nice to have a separate light to indicate the listening mode. I just find that the voice prompts are unnecessary.
BlueAnt SoundBlade Review: Final verdict
Most speakers are designed to be your all-in-one music-listening device. They’re designed to give you the best listening experience no matter what you’re listening to. As great as the BlueAnt SoundBlade is, I wouldn’t consider it one of those speakers.
Is that a bad thing? No. There’s another category that has a very specific focus. It’s such that you know what you’re getting when you buy it. When you buy the SoundBlade, you know that you’re getting a speaker that was designed around giving you a powerful and rich bass experience. It’s one of the major selling points of this speaker. So, when you’re buying this speaker, you know that you’re getting it for the dedicated subwoofer that will vibrate your desk.
So, I’m not going to judge the SoundBlade as an “every-speaker.” If you try to use it in that way, you’re going to be disappointed, to be honest. It’s not the speaker to give you all of the crisp highs and nuanced sound of a more traditional speaker.
What will the SoundBlade give you? It will give you an extremely powerful, rich, and bassy sound. It’s the speaker to get if you’re looking to listen to headbangers that shake the house. You’ll also want to get this speaker if you’re looking to watch movies or play games. It’s an extremely powerful speaker that’s designed to fill a room with audio.
I’m judging this speaker on how well it accomplishes its main goal, and I think it accomplishes it well. I would have liked just a bit more attention paid to the higher tones, but I can’t get over just how beautiful that bass is.
If you’re looking to have a truly bassy and cinematic experience, I recommend that you buy the BlueAnt SoundBlade. It’s designed to fit in a very particular part of your life, and it fits well.
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