OontZ Angle 3 Ultra Review - A low-cost Bluetooth speaker
Ever since its inception in 1988, Cambridge Soundworks has gone through a fair share of ups and downs but still manages to roll out some impressive audio equipment. The founders had one simple goal; to provide cheap but high-quality speakers and market their products directly to customers!
Their maiden release proved a hit with the public, and this led to an expansion of the product range. However, a spate of challenges along the way saw the Company get acquired by Creative Labs in 1977 and a new Oontz site was established for online visitors.
Although the product line was dramatically reduced; the manufacturer still produces speakers, and one of their latest offerings to the market is the Cambridge Soundworks Oontz Angle 3 Ultra.
96/100
our score
Last Updated: October 2023
Oontz Angle 3 Ultra Speaker Review: Specs and Features
Oontz Angle 3 Ultra Bluetooth Speaker Review
The name "Oontz" has become the major brand associate of Cambridge Soundworks. Its tradition has always been to produce great sound at a cost-effective price. This is what it sought to achieve with the release of the fourth generation Oontz Angle 3 Ultra.
The Bluetooth speaker does more than just that; it produces a sound good enough to rival more expensive models in the market without costing you an arm and a leg! So, what makes this speaker perform so well?
Let us figure that out as we take a closer look at the speaker in the following Oontz Angle 3 Ultra review.
Oontz Angle 3 Ultra Design and Construction
Overall, the Angle 3 Ultra may not be nominated for an innovative design award! If anything, it looks just like any other Bluetooth speaker in the market. However, whatever it lacks in style it makes up for in other ways; particularly in performance as you shall see.
That being said, the Oontz Angle Ultra 3 comes with a compact and lightweight build. It has a triangular design with sides measuring 6.5 x 2.9 x 2.8 inches. With a weight of only 15 ounces, the Angle 3 is pretty easy to carry around, ensuring that you can take wherever you want to go.
This makes it a good choice for people on the go! The angles and curves also mean that there aren’t any sharp corners, which allows the unit to play your music just as well when positioned horizontally as it does when placed vertically.
Generally, the contraction of this speaker is more than you can ask for from a speaker in the $30 range! The Oontz Angle 3 Ultra is made out of plastic but conveniently rubberized and reinforced. The rounded edges are covered with rubber to enhance their durability and feels nice in your hands.
However, the manufacturer doesn’t suggest that the unit is shockproof, so don’t go around dropping the Ultra 3 thinking that it can cope with the impact. This speaker is also water-resistant, but some confusion arises when it comes to the weather rating.
Looking at the specs, you’ll realize that the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra is quoted as being IPX5, IPX6, and IPX7. The mix-up comes about because the speaker is available in two versions; white and black.
The white version features an IPX6 waterproof rating, which makes it water-resistant but not necessarily waterproof. This is to say that it can handle water spray or a light shower but nothing beyond that
Meanwhile, the black version (which is the focus of our review) is rated as IPX7. This means you can submerge it to a depth of up to 3 meters for 30 minutes and it will come out unscathed. Furthermore, it is sand and dustproof, giving you the perfect opportunity to make your weekend getaways at the beach fun and lively.
Another differentiation between the white and black versions is that the white has a lower 4.2 Bluetooth rating compared to the 5.0 on the black version.
You’ll be impressed by the battery performance on the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra. Although the manufacturer doesn’t provide info on the battery capacity, you’ll be able to squeeze up to 20 hours out of the Ultra at 50-60% volume.
At max volume, the hours reduce to 10 or less. This makes the speaker a great choice when you want a mini party with a few friends that will last into the night.
On the downside, the battery takes quite a bit of time to recharge. You will need around 8 hours to get it back to full capacity and the battery is charged using a micro USB charging cable.
Inside the speaker cabinet, you will find two neodymium drivers, as well as a downward-facing passive bass radiator. These manage to give out an unexpected loud sound that remains distortion-free even at max volume.
The triangular make of the 3 Ultra allows for an even spread of sound while resulting in good stereo separation between the drivers and bass radiator.
Furthermore, a built-in mic on the unit ensures that you can receive your calls hands-free when the speaker is connected to your phone.
From the above review, it is clear that the build quality is pretty solid and will easily pass for outdoor use. The IPX7 rating enables you to take the device into the shower and swim with it at the beach without hassle.
There is also a possibility that the 3 Ultra will remain intact when you drop it, but you shouldn’t do this as an experiment!
Controls
The control features on the Oontz Angle Ultra 3 are extremely straight forward and easy to use. The design was aimed to get your phone connected and do most of the controlling from there. As such, there is no remote control included; your device takes its place.
On one side of the speaker, there is a power button to turn the speaker on and off, alongside a Bluetooth pairing button. These are rubber protected, which gives a smooth and nice feeling when you touch them.
Just above the Bluetooth button, you’ll notice a light that turns blue when Bluetooth is enabled. Furthermore, a small red light will start to flicker, informing you that the battery is running low.
This means the main controls are left to your phone, which needs to be paired to the device via Bluetooth to enable operations. Another useful battery-saving feature is that the speaker will automatically go off if the controls have been left untouched for a while!
Connectivity
As earlier noted, the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra is Bluetooth 5.0 enabled. This gives you a lightning-fast connection and the signal remains stable within the recommended range. The 3 Ultra offers a Bluetooth range of up to 100 feet, as long as there are no obstacles in the area.
However, you can get even more range depending on the phone you are using. The range significantly reduces indoors because of walls and similar obstacles, but you can manage a range of at least 30 feet through the walls.
The speaker is also compatible with a range of devices thanks to the advanced antenna design included. This makes for limited compatibility issues, enabling you to connect to everything from a Samsung Galaxy S9, an iPhone 8, a MacBook Pro, an Apple tablet, a Hp laptop, a TV, and Siri to Alexa.
In case you want to connect to a device that’s not Bluetooth enabled, there is a 3.5mm socket made available to you.
Unfortunately, the Angle 3 Ultra does not support NFC pairing. Nevertheless, there is an interesting feature known as "daisy-chaining", which allows you to pair two Oontz Angle 3 Ultra speakers together. Once paired, you can choose either stereo mode (one speaker serves as the right channel while the other one is the left channel) or dual stereo mode (both units playing the same audio).
Extra Features
There are very few extras on the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra, which is expected considering the affordable price of the speaker. Included in the package are a 35mm audio cable and a micro USB charging cable that you can charge the battery with from your computer.
Don’t expect to find any carrying case, but you can buy one separately if you feel it’s necessary.
Oontz Angle 3 Ultra Sound Quality
Honestly, I was amazed by the hi quality sound offered by the Angle 3 Ultra; it certainly hits above its weight class. You won’t believe how much sound the tiny unit can produce. Overall, the sound is loud enough for outdoor use.
What I like about the speaker is that it functions without sound distortion, even when you turn up the volume. This is due to the integrated Digital Signal Processor (DSP), which serves as a volume limiter. The digital audio processor also eliminates frequencies to avoid distortion.
I must say the speaker handles both the high and bass sounds very well. The bass sounds coming from the speaker is better than what you get from other small speakers in the market, which tend to struggle. The 3 Ultra produces a thundering bass, that still manages to remain warm and clear.
The good sound dispersion offered by the speaker also ensures that the mids and highs sound good too. These are produced clearly and accurately to deliver excellent stereo sound. The two precision stereo drivers help to enhance clarity.
The feature proves useful when it comes to improving the clarity and sharpness of sounds at the top end. But as you’d expect from many speakers in its budget price range, the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra reproduces some frequencies better than the others.
This tends to make the unit perform unevenly across music genres. In this case, the low-frequency sounds got the short end of the stick. As such, the 3 Ultra sounds better at the top end and progressively suffers as you get to the lower sounds.
Luckily, the extended bass provides you with just enough oomph to make for a well-rounded sound experience. While it may not be able to handle music tracks with a prominent bass sound to your satisfaction, the Bluetooth speaker still impresses at this price level.
If you want more than what the Angle 3 Ultra is offering, the manufacturer suggests that you link up two Oontz Angle 3 Ultra speakers together. This way, you can have one speaker playing the right channel as the other one plays the left channel.
The result is a much better stereo effect with nice sound separation. Overall, the sound quality is more than decent with one speaker but you can take it to the next level when you link two Bluetooth speakers and place them a few feet apart.
Oontz Angle 3 Ultra Performance
I was quite happy with the performance I got from the Oontz Angle 3. The controls are very simple to use and it doesn’t take long to learn your way around them. Pairing the speaker with your device also takes a matter of seconds.
Once you turn on the speaker, it automatically goes to Bluetooth mode (which you can confirm from the Bluetooth indicator flashing blue) and all you have to do is search for the speaker on your phone, tablet, or laptop then pair the two devices.
Typically, the speaker will always try to pair with the last connected device. However, there is an exception when it comes to Amazon Echo or Echo Dot devices. This is because you have to order Alexa to connect to your home speaker for it to be paired.
If the pairing to your device is successful, the Bluetooth indicator turns solid blue. Meanwhile, the button will turn solid green when you connect the AUX 3 5mm audio cable, and the Bluetooth connection disabled. In short, the AUX function and Bluetooth connection can’t be on at the same time; one has to be off for the other to function.
Things get a little more complicated when it comes to pairing two Oontz Angle 3 Ultra speakers together, although you can avoid this by going through the simple instructions provided. The included manual provides a step-by-step guide to save you the trouble.
First, you have to turn on the two speakers then pair your phone/tablet/laptop with one of the speakers (this speaker becomes the main speaker). With the other speaker still in pairing mode (blue light flashing), long-press the play button on your main speaker for around 5 seconds until you see the dual stereo speaker indicator flashing white (this is the LED light just above the play button).
The main speaker will then say “dual pairing” and after a few seconds, you should hear “left channel” from the second speaker. At this point, the wireless dual stereo sound indicator should be solid white to tell you that the two Bluetooth speakers are successfully paired.
You can now play your music in stereo mode and enjoy a better stereo separation. Usually, the main speaker will act as the left channel as the other one becomes the second channel. But if you want the same sound output from both speakers, you’ll have to set them in dual stereo mode.
To do this, make sure that both speakers are in stereo mode and once they are paired together, long-press the “next track” button on the left channel speaker for around 5 seconds until the dual stereo indicator turns orange on both speakers.
I also like the inclusion of the speakerphone on the Angle 3 Ultra. This feature works well, ensuring that the person on the other end of the line gets you loud and clear when you are in a quiet or even moderately noisy environment.
However, if the environment is too noisy, the built-in mic tends to pick up much of the noise and your voice will be notably muffled!
Overall, the performance of the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra is better than I expected at this price range. The Angle 3 is easily better than more expensive brands you can find on sale.
OontZ Angle 3 Ultra: Weighing The Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
FAQ
Are OontZ Speakers Good?
Oontz speakers are good for several reasons. They are built to be lightweight and compact, making them the perfect unit to carry on the go. But what impresses the most is the affordable price considering the hi quality sound they offer.
They are loud enough to be used outside and provide a high quality sound compared to more expensive models in the market. Not to mention extra features like water-resistance and a built-in mic that help to make the speakers more practical.
What is the Best OontZ Speaker?
There are five different categories of the Oontz Bluetooth speaker. These include the Angle Solo, Angle 3, Angle 3 RainDance, Angle 3 Ultra, and Angle 3 Pro. Overall, the five Bluetooth speakers come with more or less the same design; the main difference being in the size.
They also offer the same categories of features but when you take a closer look at the specifications, the difference in sound quality becomes clear. The Angle 3 Ultra and Pro notably stand out from the crowd. This is because of the higher power handling capacity and longer battery life compared to their siblings.
The Oontz Angle 3 Pro can handle 21W of power against the Ultra’s 14W but the Ultra turns the table with 20 hours of battery life compared to the Pro’s 15 hours.
Considering that it will cost you almost twice the price of the Ultra to acquire the Pro, I’d say the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra offers the best value for the money of all Oontz speakers.
How Loud is the OontZ Angle 3?
For a small speaker, the Oontz Angle 3 is louder than it looks! A glance at the specifications on the item reveals that the Angle 3 is 10 watts loud!
Is OontZ Angle 3 Ultra WaterProof?
Yes and No! There are two versions of the Angle 3 Ultra available- white and black. The white version features an IPX6 waterproof rating, which makes it water-resistant but not necessarily waterproof. This allows it to handle a splash of water or a light shower but nothing beyond that.
On the other hand, the black version is rated as IPX7, which means you can submerge it to a depth of 3 meters for up to 30 minutes and it will come out in one piece. Therefore, only the black Angle 3 Ultra is waterproof.
96/100
our score
Conclusion
If you are looking to acquire a portable Bluetooth sound system on a budget, the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra portable speaker fits the profile almost perfectly! The unit is practical enough to be carried to the beach and be used outdoors, thanks to it being water and sand proof.
You can also take it with you on a hiking or camping trip, given its lightweight and compact design. Overall, it delivers a sound performance that you would not expect on a product below $40, ensuring that you get a great bang for the buck!
I would recommend it to any person looking for loud music in a compact and manageable package!
About the author:
Barry Allen
I grew up to be a self-proclaimed stuck-up audiophile, and I – partially – blame Pinnacle Speakers for it.
The whole point of me starting this website was to keep the tradition going. Although the means have changed, the mission remains the same: Bringing „sterling sound“ as they once put it into home theaters and sound systems worldwide!