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Review: Want Bass For Your Buck? This BlueAnt Speaker Boosts Bass Like No Other

Ashley Riordan | 02 Sep 2023

The BlueAnt X3i speaker, the next generation speaker in the company’s Xi-Series has been launched three years after the original X3, and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to review it, and decide whether it’s the next best thing.

AUDIO / SOUND

Characterised as a “bass boost” speaker, it has been designed to enhance clarity through sharper acoustic properties and powerful bass, and is able to deliver rich lows and a dynamic room-filling soundstage.

I decided to test this speaker to its limits within the workplace environment, and let’s just say, some of the music I chose to test entertained those around me. I will admit, I asked my colleagues if they had any bass heavy song suggestions, so I could see the difference between standard mode and bass boost mode.

Some worked very well, and the clarity and sound changed massively, while others only had slight differences.

At the beginning of testing, my colleague put on our “workplace playlist” which has a range of songs added by our co-workers. So, it has everything from country, to rap, to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. We listened to it all morning and with some songs, I swore the music was hidden behind the vocals of the artist while on standard mode.

That afternoon, my colleague and I excused ourselves to the boardroom and decided to test on some truly bass heavy songs, maxing out the volume and figuring out the difference between standard and bass boost.

A couple of the songs that I noticed had quieter music than vocals were ‘She’s Got That’ by We Three and ‘Rush’ by Troye Sivan. However, upon testing more heavy bass songs, I came to find with some the bass boost changed the song massively, with some the bass boost was subtle, and some barely had any change.

For example, the songs I noticed the biggest change in were; ‘Sail’ by AWOLNATION, ‘Without Me’ by Eminem, ‘Thug Luv’ by Bone, Thugs N Harmony, and ‘Hip Hop’ by Dead Prez.

The songs that had subtle changes were; ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson, ‘Hysteria’ by Muse, ‘Livin on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi, and ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem.

The main song I noticed very little difference with was ‘Jump Around’ by House of Pain.

Standard and Bass Boost functions I found were very similar, especially with most songs. Other songs the most notable difference was the bass was a bit deeper.

When testing the bass boost, my colleague and I turned the volume all the way up to see what it sounded like. The volume reach is awesome, as it gets super loud, and the music doesn’t distort even with the sound turned all the way up. The audio is also very clear no matter the level.

FUNCTIONALITY

Moving on to another aspect; when trying to connect to the speaker a second time, I noticed it struggled to connect and the phone got confused between speakers and which one it was trying to connect to, as we had previously connected to another speaker. But I perceive this as more user error because afterwards the speaker would connect right away.

Upon user error when connecting the second time, I also noticed some glitching in songs, but this could very well have been the WiFi connection to Spotify as I haven’t noticed it since.

The play button also doubles as a Siri/Google button or a call button, allowing you to answer, end or reject calls with the push of a button. Press it once to answer/end a call, press it twice to reject a call, and double click it to activate/cancel Siri/Google.

In my opinion, this is the perfect speaker for throwing a party as the volume reaches tremendous heights, and it’s much cheaper than a regular “party” speaker. Plus, it’s a lot smaller, meaning a lot lighter, and you wouldn’t have to drag around a giant thing on wheels unnecessarily.

Inside the box, users will find the X3i speaker, a USB charging cable, 1x product manual, AC charger body, and charging pins.

To charge the speaker, simply use the supplied USB cable and AC charger. A full charge will take about 3 hours.

To pair the speaker to a phone, short press the power button, upon hearing “Bluetooth” a light will appear in the Bluetooth indicator, search for “BlueAnt X3i” in the Bluetooth settings menu on the phone, and once paired, “Connected” can be heard.

To change from standard mode to bass boost, short press the B, and short press once again to change back to standard. Every time the speaker is turned on, it will revert back to standard mode. It will also reset to 25% volume each time it’s powered on. After 10 minutes without connection, it will automatically power off.

BATTERY LIFE

This speaker has been claimed to have a play time of over 15 hours on 50% volume, and 4-5 hours on 100% volume. I was unable to test this as I was only in the office for eight hours at a time, and we don’t listen to music for the full eight hours.

Battery life is expected to vary depending on type of music, level of Bass, or environmental factors, and in order to utilise 100% volume for longer than 5 hours, it’s recommended to use the supplied AC charger.

The built in power bank has an output of 5V1A, doesn’t require the speaker turned on to work, will lower the overall play time, and will turn off to conserve power once the battery becomes very low.

SAFETY

Some safety features that I thought were super important to note were:

Do not leave or use the speaker in an area exposed to humidity, dust, soot, foreign objects, smoke, or steam.
Do not use household detergents/cleaners to clean the speaker. A simple wipe with a dry/slightly damp cloth will work.
Do not leave the speaker plugged into a wall for long durations of time.

This speaker is also rated IP67 against water (waterproof) but ONLY when the back port cover is COMPLETELY closed/sealed.

DUO MODE

I also tested DUO MODE which worked best when the speakers were in clear vision of each other, horizontally at the same level. Soundwaves travel best in this position, and I noticed when one speaker was on the desk, and the other on the cupboard, the music would glitch or drop out. This could be due to the fact that there was ‘blockage’ in the way of the soundwave travel.

Once in the optimal position, music was very clear and sounded just like a surround sound system. The audio was clear and didn’t distort no matter what volume the speaker was on, or what music was played. It’s been claimed these speakers should reach up to 30 meters in direct view.

PRICING / AVAILABILITY

This speaker costs $249.00 AUD, and for that price range, it definitely fits the bill. It’s available in three colours; Crimson Red, Ocean Blue, and Slate Black, and can be purchased from select Telstra stores, or direct from the BlueAnt website.

CONCLUSION:

In my opinion, I think this speaker is excellent for various scenarios, whether it’s a party, relaxation, or cleaning the house due to the vast variety of volume levels, and the option to pair two speakers together. The audio is clear, doesn’t distort, and bass boost really does make some music much better.

For only $249.00 AUD, this speaker packs a punch and dictates clear clarity no matter the volume level. It’s available in multiple colours; Crimson Red, Ocean Blue, and Slate Black, perfect for any aesthetic and personality. One thing I would’ve liked better was if ALL songs were affected by bass boost, as that’s what this speaker was designed for.

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