Creative Labs Sound Blaster GS3

Details: Category: Hardware; By Jason Gress; 18.Jul; Hits: 1801

Hardware Info:

Creative Labs Sound Blaster GS3
Specifications:
Soundbar with RGB accent lighting
SuperWide technology for better soundstage
2x 75mm x 52 mm drivers
One rear port
2 x 6W RMS, 24W Peak
Frequency Response: 65-20,000Hz
Connectivity in: USB-C, 3.5mm AUX, Bluetooth 5.4 in
Connectivity out: 3.5mm 3-pole stereo headphone out
Supports Windows PC, Mac OS, PS4, PS5, Android, iOS, other via 3.5mm or Bluetooth
Powered by USB-C 5V 3A connection
Includes 1x 1.5m USB-C to USB-C Cable
Dimensions: 16.1" x 3.6" x 2.9"
MSRP: $49.99
(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you Creative Labs for sending us this soundbar to review!

While reviewing the Sound Blaster Katana SE last year, I noticed that Creative Labs has some neat products for listeners of all price points. I noticed their PC soundbars seemed to have incredible value, if they are as good as they look. So, when we were given the opportunity to review one, I jumped at the chance.

The Sound Blaster GS3 is a small, compact soundbar that projects a remarkably big sound. It's primarily designed for desktop use cases, with much of the marketing material shown with the bar below the monitor. I do believe that this is the best use case, but I also used it for background music in a room while working on a project and it did a pretty good job there.

The design is simple and yet well-thought out, with a surprisingly premium feel for something to inexpensive. Most of the black plastic molding of the body feels solid and sturdy to the touch, though the rough surface does somehow sandpaper off skin cells quite well, leaving a mark on the plastic. The front has a metal grill with a Creative logo on the bottom left, and on the far right center is a status LED that's purple in USB mode, blue in Bluetooth mode, and green in AUX mode. These can be selected with the top button on the right side of the soundbar. You can see the speaker drivers through the grill, and it looks really nice for what it is.

Speaking of the right side, it's there where most of the action is. There is a prominent volume knob that feels great to use, and is nice and large. In the center of that wheel is a button that doubles as a power and mute button; you long-press it to turn off the soundbar. Around the wheel is the aforementioned input select on the upper front. The front center button is how you enable or disable SuperWide processing; more on that in a moment. The bottom button is to configure the RGB LED lights. You can choose from one of seven modes, with the last being off. My favorites are off (a little RGB is nice, but not too much) or peak meter, where you can see the lights react to the music. Rather than the LEDs dancing to their own pattern, this reacts to the music, and I like that. On the far rear of the right side is a single 3.5mm headphone jack, if you want to just plug your headphones right into the soundbar rather than connecting them to something else then switching the input source. Very convenient.

Highlights:

Strong Points: Excellent value; great connectivity options; gets quite loud; headphone out works great; SuperWide mode sounds really good for some content; looks really nice; really portable, and takes up very little space; can be powered by a USB battery for a makeshift Bluetooth speaker
Weak Points: Sound quality belies its budget price; no support for Creative software on PC

The rear of the soundbar has the two cabled inputs, USB-C and 3.5mm AUX, on the far right. About 70% of the way on the rear left there is a port to help the soundbar have bass. All speakers with tiny drivers need something to help them hit lower notes, and the most common method by far is the classic port. It definitely helps this soundbar hit lower notes better.

The bottom of the soundbar has two rubber feel that proper the bar up at an angle, a sticker with boring stuff like model and serial numbers, and the RGB LED bar front and center. It is cool looking though, because the lights reflect off of your table rather than you seeing them directly. I think it looks better that way.

To hit the aggressive price, the GS3 does cut some corners, as it has all of these inputs but only includes a single USB-C to USB-C cable. There is an input 3.5mm AUX port, but no cable is included. I was able to use the soundbar with a USB-C to USB-A adapter, but again it's not included. On the flipside, at least with so many input options and the 3.5mm headphone jack out, you can use the soundbar for your headphones. I tested connecting headphones to the GS3 with a the USB and Bluetooth input sources and it worked great, so it could be a convenient way to connect a wired headphone to a phone with no headphone jack, though more portable methods certainly exist.

The expected primary connection method to a PC is likely via USB-C, or you can use a 3.5mm AUX cable if you want to. If you don't use USB-C for the audio data signal, be sure to plug it into a USB power adapter or some other USB source for power, as it doesn't have a battery inside and won't turn on otherwise. I tested it with a portable USB power bank, and it worked perfectly, so with this method you can create a make-shift portable Bluetooth speaker.

While I would say the sound is far from refined, it sounds pretty good for what you can expect out of an inexpensive, plastic speaker with small drivers. The default sound profile has more of a lower midrange emphasis, without much detail or soundstage. Out of the box, I found the sound quality more than enough for casual listening to background music or listening to podcasts, while it was a mixed bag when gaming. Enabling the SuperWide mode with the side button changes the character of the sound quite a bit. It actually does expand the soundstage dramatically, and makes the speaker sound brighter and clearer. I am not normally a huge fan of DSP modes for my audio, but on a self-contained device like this, they are sometimes useful, and this is one of those cases. When I tried playing a game with the soundbar, on default mode it was hard to pick out what was happening. When I turned on SuperWide, not only did the soundstage spread out more, but so did the details. You're not going to get audiophile sound quality out of a $50 soundbar, but it really helps a lot in this case.

I compared this Sound Blaster GS3 against a set of budget speakers we reviewed recently, the FIFINE Ampligame A20, which costs just a few dollars less than this soundbar. In my opinion, the Sound Blaster GS3 is head and shoulders better than that other budget speaker system. The FIFINE doesn't sound as good, it only has a 3.5mm input, and has much less bass especially than the GS3. I wouldn't call the GS3 a basshead by any means, but I remember listening to the FIFINE and remarking how a bass note actually went higher when it was supposed to go lower when a certain note dropped. I'd never heard that before. The GS3 thankfully didn't do that, it just got quieter when it couldn't play the bass note well, which is much better behavior.

The Sound Blaster GS3 soundbar is a remarkably good value for the space or budget conscious. It's feature set is packed given its price point, and the speaker gets remarkably loud considering its limitations. It's not going to replace my large desktop speakers, but if one of my kids needed speakers for their desk, this is a fantastic way to get them that without much clutter. It also seems durable, so it could be a perfect speaker if a younger child likes to try to break stuff. With USB, Bluetooth, and 3.5mm audio in, along with the headphone jack out, it's remarkably flexible, especially given the price. If you are looking for a small, tidy speaker for your desk on a budget, give the Sound Blaster GS3 a good look. If you need something for a TV this might not be a good choice, since it doesn't have a remote or other digital input outside of USB-C. Recommended for the right use case, and a great value.