Review – A few weeks ago, I reviewed Asakuki Avigator 455W video projectorSince its speakers are a bit boring, I want to see how the OXS S3 soundbar can fill the gap. Let us find out.
What is it?
The OXS model S3 sound bar is an independent audio amplifier and speaker system with optical, auxiliary, coaxial, Bluetooth and USB (MP3) input and infrared remote control.
Hardware specifications:
- 7.88 lb
- 37.72 x 6.34 x 4.25 inches
- Installation method: flat or wall-mounted
- 40W power (2x20W)
- Four 2-inch speakers
- Dialogue enhancement technology
- Bluetooth 5.0
- USB, Aux, optical and coaxial cable audio input
- 3 equalizer modes (music mode, movie mode, game mode/news mode)
- Infrared remote control
- 110-240VAC input power, 22V, 1.8A output, 50-60Hz
What’s in the box?
- OXS S3 sound bar
- remote control
- Two AAA batteries
- power supply
- Optical cable
- Coaxial cable
- Wall anchor
- user’s manual
Design and features:
How much! It’s here!
In the busy season of transportation, it is great to see that the packaging of the OXS S3 sound bar can handle the situation of being thrown around like a football.
The remote control requires two AAA batteries.
On the back of the OXS S3 soundbar are the coaxial cable, optical fiber, USB and auxiliary input and power connector. They are not recessed, so if the button of the soundbar is facing up, you need to leave a few inches of space on the back for wiring.
The power supply is of the “wall wart” type.
On the back of the speaker is a hook for wall mounting. They are strong and include wall anchors.
For wall-mounted installation, the direction of the soundbar must be such that the button is facing forward. This makes the power and input connections face up, which means that the wires on the top are exposed.
The top (or front, if you want the speaker’s direction) buttons are volume up and down, power, sound mode (equalizer), and media selector. The happy multi-color light indicates which mode is currently selected.
Auxiliary, coaxial and optical inputs are “plug and play”. They all started working at the moment of connection. Does not include auxiliary cables.
One feature I appreciate is that if no input is detected, the OXS S3 soundbar will automatically turn off after 15 minutes, and automatically turn on again if an auxiliary, coaxial or optical signal is detected. If it is not used, there is no need to waste energy.
USB input can play WAV, WMA and MP3 files, but the media must be formatted with FAT16 or FAT32. The remote control supports pausing, forwarding and rewinding one track at a time. Since it is not displayed, selecting a single file can be cumbersome and time-consuming. It is much easier to send music via Bluetooth and use the device as a user interface. In other words, when copying files to a USB memory stick, the USB file playback function can work well with some creative music selected in advance. I’m thinking of using scenarios, such as background Christmas or party music with a playlist loaded in advance.
I have zero problems when connecting Bluetooth and playing music or movie audio. There is no noticeable delay in the video “lip sync”.
The equalizer modes are “Music”, “News” and “Movie”. The backlight will light up in yellow, green or purple to indicate the selected mode. There is no provision for adjusting the equalizer settings.
The audio is good. For a $100 soundbar, this is not bad, and can beat the built-in audio system in most TVs and projectors. I found that the treble of S3 is good and crisp, but the bass is a little muddy. For example, S3 failed to reproduce the bass notes of the sternum vibration in Rimsky Korsakov’s “Russian Easter Festival Overture”. Nevertheless, the audio is good, and much better than the tin can sound of most common devices. The bass is produced through the tuning ports on both ends of the soundbar.
what do I like:
- Better sound than many built-in TV speakers
- Latency-free Bluetooth
- Auto on/off function
What will I change:
Final thoughts:
Although the OXS S3 sound bar is not the pinnacle of audio reproduction, it does a good job of making the audio sound better and winning the status of my bedroom TV.
Price: $99.99 from Amazon
Where to buy: Amazon
source: The samples for this review are provided by OXS.
