Edifier CineSound B3 Soundbar Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Testing4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

The Edifier CineSound B3 soundbar is designed to sit under (or above) your TV and deliver noticeably improved audio playback – when compared to your TV's inbuilt speakers. However, it also offers Bluetooth functionality, allowing you to connect a phone, tablet or what-have-you and use it for general music playback, too. Priced at £134.99 in the UK, it sits in the mid-range – above budget offerings but not quite at the same level as enthusiast-grade options.

A long, thin device devoid of colour – the Edifier CineSound B3 soundbar certainly has a minimalistic design. How well does it perform day-to-day though? We tested it out over a number of weeks to find out.

Specifications

• Total Power Output: RMS 16W×2(Treble)+19 W×2(Mid-range and bass)
• Signal to Noise Ratio: >85dBA
• Frequency Response: 60Hz~20kHz (±6dB)
• Input Sensitivity: Line in:700±50mV, AUX:550±50mV, AUX:550±50mV COA 400mFFs ± 50mFFs
• Input Type: Auxiliary/Line in/Coaxial/Optical/Bluetooth
• Bass Driver: 2¾” (70mm)
• Treble Driver: 3/4″ (19mm) silk dome tweeter
• Subwoofer Driver: 8″ (210mm)
• Speaker Dimensions: 1000×79×80 mm
• Box Dimensions:1066×170×143mm

The Edifier CineSound B3 soundbar ships in a fairly typical brown box. On the front you will find the listed box contents, as well some key features of the soundbar.

Inside, there are a fair few accessories. In terms of cables, there are 1x RCA-to-3.5mm, 1x RCA-to-RCA, and 1x digital optical cable.

Additionally, you also receive a wall-mounting bracket should you wish to mount the B3 to your wall.

Finally, there is a small remote-control included.

Here we get our first look at the B3 itself. It is fair to say there is not a whole lot going on.

The front is a plain black fabric which covers the physical speakers underneath. Other than just the black fabric, there is a small Edifier logo in the middle of the soundbar.

Turning to the rear of the soundbar, we can see that the power cable is integrated into the rear I/O. The image on the right gives you a good look at all the connection options available.

What is great about the B3 is the ability to have 5 devices connected at once (four wired, one via Bluetooth.) This means you can have a TV, HTPC, games console and DVD player all connected simultaneously.

The right end of the B3 also has manual power, input and volume buttons should you need them.

To test the B3, I actually used it over a 3-week period to be able to fully appreciate its qualities and depth of audio playback. I had it wired directly to my TV via a digital optical cable, but also played music from my phone via the Bluetooth connection.

The first thing I want to comment on is the different modes the B3 can switch between – 3D, News or Movie. I must say these different modes disappointed me, as there was no discernible difference between News and Movie. I would have expected the news mode to have a slightly weaker bass but crisper treble to make sure voices can be heard clearly. However, switching between the two modes changes very little.

Fortunately, though, the sound is good enough for it not to matter a huge amount. The bass is solid but not overpowering, while the high-end is sharp enough to mean voices and subtler sounds are reproduced well.

For example, I watched a lot of the football from Euro 2016 using the B3 soundbar. Chants and boos from crowd felt deep and powerful (indicative of the decent low-end reproduction) while it was easy to hear the commentators due to the crisp mid and top-range.

However, I would still like to have some manual control over the EQ. As I say, the sound quality is good enough to get by, but in some instances voice do sound just a touch muddy. It is still easy to hear what is being said, but it could be clearer. Manual controls – even just two simple buttons, such as ‘bass up,' ‘bass down' would have helped here.

The unit is also impressively loud. It can easily fill a room when not even at full volume, while it can reach a maximum of 100 dB if you want to annoy the neighbours. At the very loudest volume the top-end does lose a fair bit of clarity, though I cannot imagine many people keeping the B3 at such a high volume for long as it can be painful on the ears.

It is also great to have so many options for audio inputs, and the supplied wall-mounting bracket could be very useful for some people with a wall-mounted TV. The B3 is also a good size to fit under 40-inch+ TVs, though for anything smaller it does look a bit unwieldy.

For £135, the B3 certainly offers a noticeable improvement over inbuilt TV speakers – as well as looking sleek and clean.For £134.99, one would expect good-quality hardware and sound reproduction. Fortunately, the Edifier CineSound B3 soundbar delivers.

For starters, it is well designed, with a sleek, minimalistic appearance. The back, however, is crammed with inputs, allowed four wired devices to be connected at any one time. There is always the option of a fifth device via Bluetooth, too. This makes the B3 very versatile, as it can be used for a lot of devices simultaneously.

Sound quality is also decent. The bass is strong without being too in-your-face, while the top-end is crisp enough for general usage.

The only thing that could be improved is manual control over the EQ. At the moment, the different playback modes (accessible on the remote control) change next to nothing. The audio quality from the B3 is good enough to get away with it, but it could be further improved with just some simple, manual controls.

Still, if you are looking for a soundbar that will be a noticeable improvement over your TV's inbuilt speakers, I have no hesitation recommending the Edifier CineSound B3 soundbar.

You can pick one up from OverclockersUK for £134.99 HERE.

Pros

• Well designed.
• Lots of input options.
• Reasonably priced.
• Good sound quality.

Cons

• No manual control over EQ.
• Default playback modes don't do much.

KitGuru says: For a soundbar that does not break the bank, the Edifier CineSound B3 soundbar is well worth a look.

Become a Patron!