BlueAnt Soundblade Review

The BlueAnt Soundblade is different from your conventional gaming soundbar or the stereo speaker set you’ll have at your desk. That’s immediately apparent in its physical design, which eschews the standard box/bar approach in favor of rounded, tapered edges, and includes a built-in subwoofer for punchy bass without taking up a lot of space.

The company is behind high-end home theater soundbars like the XT100 and XT120, which sit under your TV while you mount them on a wall or media stand. But the Soundblade is completely different. Technically, its 120W of peak power easily matches even the best PC gaming speakers like the Logitech G560 Lightsync and Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2 Soundbar , in a much smaller all-in-one package.

When it comes to subwoofers, the built-in 80mm neodymium subwoofer punches above its weight, delivering powerful bass for gaming, listening to music, and media playback. It doesn’t quite match the dedicated woofer found in the Razer Leviathan V2 and its predecessor, given the size of the Soundblade subwoofer and its compact footprint, but the results are definitely comparable.

Unlike Razer’s latest gaming soundbar, the Soundblade boasts a wealth of connectivity options, including a 3.5mm jack, USB-C, USB-A, and Bluetooth 3.5. That means you can connect it wired to your gaming PC or go completely wireless.

During my testing, I mostly switched between USB-C for the best wired experience, and Bluetooth, both of which were nearly identical to my ears, so there’s plenty of praise for versatility here. Unfortunately, you do lose the optical connection, though, so if you’re counting on that, you might want to consider an alternative.

The range of colours the BlueAnt Soundblade comes in is a nice touch, and can add a bit of variety to your gaming setup. My review unit is the Charcoal (black) model, but you can also get it in blue, green, pink and white. They all come with an RRP of $200 / £200 / AU$399, but you can find them at a slight discount from major retailers like Amazon if you don’t want to buy direct from a retailer.

The sound depth here is solid, as far as 2.1-channel audio goes. You do lose out on the true 5.1 surround sound options, which apply the five internal speakers for enveloping sound. However, since you’re sitting so close to the Soundblade, which is a foot away at best, it doesn’t really matter in this regard. That’s true of the included remote. It lets me switch between three dedicated EQ modes tailored to games, music, and movies, respectively. You’ll want to keep the “Gaming” mode for the extensive majority of uses; the sound sounds deeper, and the bass is also more pronounced. Said remote feels a bit redundant given the touch controls on the right; you can adjust the volume levels, as well as switch between input modes.

Despite the lack of physical buttons, the options on the Soundblade work well, and I didn’t encounter any issues when adjusting volume, changing inputs, or selecting EQ settings. With that in mind, you’ll get the best results by keeping the soundbar at its highest volume, then moderating the volume using your keyboard’s dedicated media bar if you have one.

While the Soundblade impresses with its distinct physical profile, it’s also something of a double-edged sword. In all of its marketing materials, you can see this soundbar conveniently nestled beneath work machines like the iMac and other all-in-ones that have a completely flat stand. I apply the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM, which has one of the thicker, larger stands, due to the panel’s weighty 21:9 display.

Because of this, the Soundblade doesn’t sit flush under my gaming monitor, instead pointing upwards towards the stand. Yes, it’s under the monitor, but it’s not flat. That said, it takes up significantly less space than previous soundbars and speakers I’ve used, like the Razer Leviathan and Edifer G2000, and it has significantly improved sound quality. Ultimately, your results will vary; if your display has a diminutive stand or you’re using a dedicated monitor arm on your gaming desk, you likely won’t have this issue, but it’s something to be aware of before considering.

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During my tests with the Soundblade, I ran through a myriad of different genres to fully test its capabilities. Naturally, thanks to the included subwoofer, it was equipped to blast out some seriously weighty metal like Imperial Triumphant’s Metrovertigo, Gaerea’s World Ablaze, and Blood Red Throne’s Split Tongue Sermon. The drum and bass presence on all three tracks sounded as intended, with a thunderous roar pouring out without breaking a sweat.

The nuances in sound are even more appreciated when gaming. This was most evident when slaying demons in Doom Eternal, where Mick Gordon’s ripping score stood out clearly against the whirring chainsaws, hail of bullets, and the weight of weighty boots. This is also magnified in open-world games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Yes, the sword-on-sword violence is at the forefront of the mix, but the ambient noise in the distance is just as noticeable.

All in all, the BlueAnt Soundblade provides a satisfying alternative to the conventional soundbar and stereo speaker setup with reduced desk space. It may not play well under a monitor due to its design, but if you’re looking to free up space and take advantage of a powerful audio profile, there are plenty of reasons to go for it.