BlueAnt XT100 2.0 Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar (AV review)

The BlueAnt XT100 2.0 Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar is a low-cost way to enhance your TV’s terrible sound. It adds instant relief for a low $349.

But I need to make one thing clear. Like so many other soundbars, BT speakers and even toasters, it claims Dolby Atmos sound. FACT: It can decode Dolby Atmos (DA) 3D spatial height metadata and downmix to its stereo Left and Right speakers. There is no DA effect.

We strongly suggest that you read Five tips for better TV sound – Dolby Atmos for beginners (guide) to understand that the minimum for effective Dolby Atmos is 5.1.2 – or Left/Centre/Right front-firing + Left/Right side-firing surround (5), Left/Right front up-firing (2) and a sub-woofer (1).

Then read How to buy a soundbar that meets your needs? (guide) because unless you need Dolby Atmos, plenty of decent lower-cost soundbars will make a world of difference to your TV viewing.

Australian Review: BlueAnt XT100 2.0 Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar

Website	Product Page and Manual
Price	$349
Warranty	1-year ACL
From	BlueAnt online
Country of Origin	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 Soundbar news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – Basic Black – Pass

Why do most soundbars and speakers come in basic black? Sure, it is innocuous enough to fit into any décor, but it would be nice to see other designer colours too. It has a dimmable LCD screen on the front.

The low-cost soundbar market is inundated with 2.0 and 2.1, 100-200W from as low as $129 – brands like FFalcon (TCL made), TCL, Monster, Hisense, Sony, LG, JBL, and Samsung all have entry-level models. And for $399, you can get the excellent Sonos Ray 3.1, Samsung S61B 5.0, and TCL 3.1.2 Dolby Atmos capable soundbar.

So, what we need to do is justify the cost/benefits.

It has

• 2 x 50W (100W RMS) Left and right forward-firing speakers. A standard TV has 10-20W, so you not only get better volume, but you get less distortion
• 2 x HDMI inputs (version not disclosed but likely 2.0 for 4K@60Hz)
• 1 x HDMI eARC (version not disclosed but likely 2.0 for 4K@60Hz)
• Coaxial out
• Optical Out
• 3.5mm AUX out
• USB-A (version not disclosed but likely 2.0 5V/.5A/2.5W) Max 32GB MP3 only
• Remote control with four sound pre-sets – voice, sport, movie and music
• Wall brackets
• BT 5.1 (no Wi-Fi)
• 869 x 160 x 76mm x 2.5kg
• Power use: Up to 30W but mostly 10-15W for typical listening volume

Setup – Plug and Go – Pass+

There is no App (good), so connect to the TV via HDMI, Coax or Optical (you could use BT as well).

Most modern TVs will detect an eARC/ARC device, but you may have to enable that and CEC in the TV settings and switch from the TV speaker to an external speaker.

How does it sound? Pretty good, but we expect that from BlueAnt – Pass+

It reaches 85dB with slight harshness or distortion (30 on the volume scale). The sound stage when playing PCM 2.0 stereo appears to come from the TV (good), but our test unit is the 75” LG QNED91, and it was not quite wide enough – this is more for a 50-55” TV.

On Dolby Atmos content, the sound stage was a little wider, and there was an increased sense of left and right surround but again no 3D Spatial height as it does not have up-firing speakers.

It has the typical BlueAnt sound signature – balanced with enough mid-bass starting at 47Hz and flat to 6kHz before a slight dip to avoid harshness and then flat to 20Hz. The pre-sets did little. The best overall is Music that gives the most balanced sound. Voice backs off the harsher mid/upper treble for clear dialogue but lacks that sense of ‘air’ and direction. Sport is the worst, making it more of an analytical signature.

To be clear – music provides an excellent listening experience.

CyberShack’s view – BlueAnt XT100 2.0 Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar is a good TV enhancer

The sound quality does not disappoint, which is the main reason to buy this over most of the cheaper soundbars.

It has enough mid-bass to satisfy for TV and music listening, but no low-bass for room-shaking movies – that is where a dedicated sub-woofer would have made this so much better.

I would spend $349 on this over any lower-cost 2.0 or 2.1 soundbars. But knowing what I know from reviewing so many, I would completely ignore the Dolby Atmos claim completely and spend a grand or more on a real Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 with dedicated rear speakers.

Rating Explanation – BlueAnt XT100 2.0 Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar

• Features: 80 – it is a soundbar with DA decoding to its 2.0 speakers
• Value: 80: One of the better sound signatures, but it is swimming in a shark-infested market
• Performance: 90 – Excellent balanced sound signature with enough bass to satisfy
• Ease of Use – 90 – plug and go with several connection options
• Design: 75 – Basic black like all the rest