BlueAnt X3i BT speaker – BT, IP67 and loud (speaker review)

The BlueAnt X3i BT speaker is a Bluetooth, IP67-rated, battery/mains, portable, 30W speaker. Perfect for the beach, pool or even at home as a stereo pair.

This market has grown exponentially, with over 100 brands/models at major retailers. Names like JBL, Sonos, Sony, Ultimate Ears, Bose, Marshal, Marley, SOUNDBOKS, and more are part of an often-confusing decision process.

So, where does BlueAnt fit?

BlueAnt is an Australian-owned consumer electronics audio brand based in Melbourne. Its R&D facility employs a local team of audio professionals. The BlueAnt BT speaker range includes X0i, X1i, X2i and X3i (i is for the 2023 range), which are similar in concept to JBL Charge, Ultimate Ears Boom, and Sony SRS-XE – all of which you would be happy with.

BlueAnt sells online, and you will find it at David Jones, Officeworks, Betta, and Videopro (online).

Australian Review: BlueAnt X3i BT portable speaker

Website	Product Page and Manual
Price	$249 for Slate Black, Ocean Blue and Crimson Red
Warranty	1-year ACL
From	BlueAnt online
Made in	China
Company	BlueAnt is 100% Australian, Est 2004 in Melbourne, by passionate music lovers; it designs a range of musically accurate speakers, soundbars, headphones/buds, and microphones.
More	CyberShack BlueAnt news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – Solid, Shimmerweave – Pass+

It is a 230 x 90 mm x 1.1kg slightly tapered cylinder with two rubber feet below, large +/-, Play/Pause/Siri/Google, BT pair and power integrated buttons at the top and two X (marks the passive radiators) at the end. It is meant to sit in landscape mode.

Behind is a rubber access panel with USB-C, USB-A (For power bank 5V/1A/5W output) and 3.5mm AUX-in. It has a 5V/3A/15W USB wall charger and USB-A to USB-C cable.

Speakers and Power – Pass+

It has two 57mm front-firing drivers and two (X) passive radiators driven by 2 x 15W @10% THD, amps. So while it can get loud, it is best to back off a little.

BlueAnt claims 150Hz-20kHz, which is pretty typical of BT IP67 speakers. But as we found in tests, it is capable of much lower bass.

Battery – Pass

BlueAnt claims 12 hours of playtime, but that is at 50% volume with Bass Boost off.

At 75/100%, we got 7.5/4.5 five hours. BlueAnt recommends using the charger for full volume.

The recharge time is about three hours. Any PD/PPS charger with a 5V/3A output is fine.

The battery is 3.7V/9.6A/34.56W, so the power bank should be enough to slowly charge a phone once.

Bluetooth and stereo pair – Pass

It is BT 5.0 with the 16-bit/44100Hz SBC codec only. BT 5.0 range is a maximum of 30 metres – we recommend 10m for the best signal.

AUX-IN – Pass

We used a Microsoft Surface Pro with a 3.5mm port to the 3.5mm BlueAnt port. There was no perceptible sound quality difference, but the volume slipped back to 80dB (still quite loud). Any AUX-in device needs a pre-amp.

Sound quality and volume – Pass+

It can reach 85dB with reasonable clarity, although the treble is noticeably clipped (compressed). At 75-80% volume, THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) is well under control with no noticeable treble clipping.

Despite BlueAnt claiming 150Hz-20kHz, mid-bass cuts in way sooner at around 50Hz, building to flat before 100Hz. This is excellent for an IP67 sealed speaker. It is then flat (good) until about 6kHz, where it takes a characteristic dip to avoid harshness and then back up from 8-14kHz before declining to 20kHz.

This is a very listenable, almost neutral sound signature with surprising mid-and-high bass for ‘oomph’, excellent low-mid-high mid for vocals, crisp low-mid treble, and an unexpected feeling of reality. It is typical of all BlueAnt speakers.

Despite having two forward-firing speakers, the sound stage is also quite wide – at least a metre from each side of the speaker. We tried it with Dolby Atmos content, and it added a slight horizontal (no vertical) spatial effect.

Stereo Pair – Pass

Stereo pair means to pair between the two speakers. One is the master that connects to the host audio device and passes one channel to the other speaker. This can induce a little lag and slightly reduces the overall music quality. It is not bad, and only an audiophile would notice.

The stereo effect is quite good, but you need to increase the volume over using it as mono. It remains in Duo mode until you cancel the mode.

The speakers are best placed at least two metres apart for the best stereo sound stage. We tested to five metres, and they were fine. BlueAnt says up to 30 metres is possible. You can use the pair with either BT or AUX-In.

IP67 – Pass

It is IP67-rated, but no specifications are given, so assume 1m for 30 minutes with the rear rubber port closed. It sinks, so if using it around water, maybe tie a float device to it.

The rating is more for use at the beach or pool where sand and water don’t affect it.

Siri or Google voice control – phone-related

This refers to using the attached phone, not controlling the speakers. It is not Wi-Fi, so it cannot be part of a multi-room system.

It can act as a hands-free speaker when connected to a smart phone. Volume is good, but callers commented on low voice volume.

CyberShack’s view – BlueAnt X3i is an excellent mono (or stereo pair) BT speaker

No other Australian review has done battery and sound tests – just regurgitates the press release. We don’t make glowing and unsubstantiated statements – just the facts, ma’am.

So when we test and find a near-perfect neutral sound signature, great volume and a wide sound stage, you can be assured it is. Musically, it is very good if you drive it at 75-80% volume. Yes, you can belt out at 100%, but the extra 2-3dB is not worth what you lose.

At $249, it is a direct competitor to the Sony SRS-XE200, except that it is only for landscape, forward-firing use. Having heard both, this is perhaps sweeter sounding.

Its nearest JBL competitor is the $199 Charge 5 with a 40W, 20-hour battery (smaller Wh); you can use the JBL App for updates. It has a slightly better sound signature as it has a 20mm tweeter, 90 x 52mm woofer and dual passive bass radiators. Our review stated, ‘Class leader – no better sound at this price’.

Rating

• Features: 90 – BT 5.0, IP67, 35Wh battery and BlueAnt’s neutral sound signature.
• Value: 85 – Reasonable value coming within 20% of the class leader.
• Performance: 90 – excellent all around, but back off the volume slightly for the best music.
• Ease of Use: 90 – Plug and play,
• Design: 85 – Typical cylinder design with passive radiators at each end. At least BlueAnt has the sense to incorporate feet so it is used horizontally.