INTRODUCTION

   For the past 2 years or so we used and tested many portable Bluetooth wireless speakers some of which offered a very good size/performance ratio while others were not really as portable but offered amazing amounts of volume at reasonable prices. Still all these are not called portable without reason and so no matter how we see it in the end they can't go up against a good stereo desktop solution especially when it comes to volume levels. However it's not very easy to find a high quality stereo desktop system featuring both Bluetooth and wired connectivity that doesn't really cost an arm and a leg so with that in mind we set out to see what's available in the market. The answer came from our friends over at NuForce who've been manufacturing a very successful pair of speakers for quite some time now the S3-BT High-fidelity Bluetooth speakers for audiophiles so it didn't take long for us to grab a sample in order to find out the reason behind their popularity.

   NuForce was founded with a singular vision: to provide consumers, audiophiles, and audio pros stunning sound with classic and elegant design. Since then NuForce products have earned the loyalty and passion of consumers while getting top marks from the most prominent publications and press in the world. NuForce is more than just products - it's about making highest-quality sound part of an everyday lifestyle. Our growing array of home and portable products bring music and movie sound to life while providing inspiration, transporting you to another place, and making you feel more connected to your recordings and soundtracks, wherever you are. As music is a universal language everyone can appreciate and enjoy, NuForce products are sold around the world. We remain firmly committed to providing the highest-performance consumer electronics adhering to the most stringent quality standards, and ensuring integrity and value in every product.

   When you choose the right stereo set to place next to your bed or inside your living room one of the first things you always need to check is the power output and with a total of 36W RMS (thanks to the class-D built-in amplifier) the S3-BT may not be powerful enough to throw a large party but they should be more than enough for reasonable situations. Each speaker is made by a single 1" soft dome tweeter and a single 3.5" composite paper cone woofer (anti-resonance) and features a frequency response of 50Hz-20KHz with 0.5% harmonic distortion (1W/1KHz) and 75dB signal/noise ratio. As already mentioned the S3-BT can be used both wired and wirelessly and so aside the usual RCA stereo connectors the speakers also have a 5v/1A USB charging port for mobile devices and also support the latest Bluetooth 4.0 version featuring aptX, SBC, ACC codecs, A2DP and AVRCP profiles. That's not all however so NuForce sells extra accessories for the more demanding audiophiles including an Air DAC Receiver, iTX Transmitter and an uTX Transmitter. So just by reading the specifications and features of the S3-BT I’m starting to see why they’ve been so popular but since that's not enough let's move forward with our review and dig a deeper.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The S3-BT black arrived inside a red box with a large product picture at the front and the main product features listed right next to it.

At the left side we see a picture of the top controls along with some of its features.

Moving at the rear we see yet another product feature this time showcasing the rear connectors.

Another product image is also present at the rear this time over the rear is painted black.

The speakers are placed inside two thick cardboard spacers.

Unfortunately the bundle contains just the essentials so leaving out the stereo speakers you are also getting a quickstart guide, user’s manual, AC power adapter, 3.5mm plug to dual RCA cable and one interconnect speaker cable.

THE S3-BT

After extensive examination the enclosure of the S3-BT seems to be made by wood while the coating is good quality leatherette. Each speaker measures 18cm in height, 11.6cm in width and 19cm in depth and weighs 2.5kg (the D-Class amplifier and Bluetooth receiver are placed in the right speaker).

As you can see we placed the S3-BT right next to the A360 Wireless Portable Speaker by TDK to show exactly how large/small they are.

The NuForce logo is placed on small piece of cloth placed on the top right corner of each speaker.

The controls are placed at the top of the right speaker so here we have the volume +/- buttons, next/previous track buttons, play/pause button and the source button. Unfortunately although at first i thought that the controls could come out in the form of a remote (it does seem as a separate section) that's not the case.

Taking a look at the rear as expected all of the connectors are placed on the right speaker (left on the picture).

Both speakers have a single speaker port and the two interconnect ports.

The right speaker however also has two RCA ports (stereo), 5v/1A USB charging port, DC power in and the on/off power switch.

At the bottom of each speaker we see 2 rubber anti-glide stripes (far left/right) which keep the speakers in place.

Here we see the soft dome tweeter and the composite paper anti-resonance cone woofer.

CONCLUSION

   Although we did compare the sound of the S3-BT with several portable speakers and even a couple desktop ones we didn't compare it to that of tall floor speakers since we felt it wouldn't be fair especially since the floor speakers currently in our disposal cost many times more than the S3-BT. With that out the way let's talk about what kind of audio quality you can expect from the S3-BT. First of all vocals are well detailed while the accuracy and clarity of both mids and highs is pretty much excellent something which i haven't really experienced for a long time especially when it comes to desktop/bookshelf speakers. Bass is also very good and although i did read that some people find the S3-BT lacking in that area i simply can't figure out why that is. Certainly like i said you can't expect from two bookshelf speakers to be equal in bass with floor speakers or a lot larger speakers in general but for their size the S3-BT deliver plenty of bass. Same goes for volume levels (wish the S3-BT delivered a bit more punch) but surprisingly enough in this area even at maximum volume the S3-BT exhibited no distortion so kudos to NuForce for that.

   The S3-BT by Nuforce have been around for roughly a year and so naturally their price is set quite lower compared to what it was then. Still you always get your money’s worth and the S3-BT is obviously not your average speaker set something which is reflected on its current price which is set at USD235 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 249Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). On the other hand not everyone needs a set of bookshelf speakers like the S3-BT but the ones that either need or want such a set then the S3-BT High-fidelity Bluetooth speakers for audiophiles is perhaps the best sub USD300/300Euros choice currently and that's enough for us to give it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size
- Excellent Mid/Highs
- Very Good Size/Bass Ratio
- Wired & Wireless Connection (Stereo RCA/Bluetooth V.4)
- 5V/1A USB Charging Port
- Available Accessories (Air DAC/iTX Transmitter/uTX Transmitter)
- Crystal Wireless Signal (aptX/SBC/ACC)
- Top Controls

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- A Remote (even as an accessory) Would Be Great