DLS Audio XL Flatbox and Bluetooth Sub Review – Best Sounding Bluetooth Wall Speakers?

Now accommodating speakers in your room can often be a real challenge, especially when you’re dealing with limited space, kids, a spouse or even roommates.  And sometimes, unless your speaker choice has a high WAF or “wife approval factor” then you’re just out of luck. With this in mind, DLS audio created the Flatbox speaker range which is designed to be appealing visually without compromising sound quality.

Now a quick spoiler alert here, these sound ridiculously good. But that being said, these may not be the perfect choice for everyone. So in this review, I’ll not only cover the features and sound quality but compare these to some other options as well.

DLS AUDIO

Now here in the US, DLS Audio isn’t as well known yet as it is in other parts of the world. They’re actually a Swedish company, that started back in 1979. They make their own drivers, tweeters and have developed a number of proprietary technologies which is what allows them to get the best sound quality possible from such small enclosures.

DLS Flatbox Bluetooth SpeakersTaking a quick visit to some international websites and you’ll start to see tons of rave reviews and endorsements of their audio products. It’s no wonder they’re recognized now as one of the top car audio and speaker manufacturers in the world.

Now with these Flatbox speakers, you notice right away the sleek, modern and attractive look. They strike a wonderful balance of not taking over the visual landscape of a room, yet their minimalistic styling can also enhance your room’s appearance by the way they can be seen as wall art, just as much as a speaker.

FEATURES

Included with the Flatbox XL speakers is a manual, gloves to handle the speakers with, and both a white and black cloth speaker grill. You can choose the color you like best, but just a note that for the best sound performance, you’ll want to keep the cloth grill on the speaker.

The cabinet is made of MDF and comes in either piano black or a satin white finish.

The Flatbox XL is a 2-way bass reflex speaker that weighs only 13 lbs per speaker. It contains 2, 4-inch paper cone mid-bass drivers that flank a 30 mm soft-dome tweeter. The enclosures are ported via slots on the side which is a well thought out design as this allows for better breathing instead of air exiting straight toward the wall. And then at the rear you have easy-to-use banana plug contacts for connecting your speaker wire.

From an installation standpoint, hanging these on a wall couldn’t be any easier. There are 7 keyholes so you can hang these on a wall just like a picture, either horizontally or vertically, from a sound quality standpoint, it sounds basically the same either way. You can even just have them sit on a desk, table or any flat surface which makes them one of the more versatile on-wall speakers around.

Now Included with the Flatsub is a manual, gloves, both a white and black cloth grill, a bluetooth receiver, right angled gold plated RCA adapters, and two different power supply cables.

The Flatsub is an efficient, active subwoofer with a built-in 80 watt, class D amplifier for the sub and 2, 35 watt amplifiers to power a pair of flatbox speakers. The speaker contains uniquely developed, 7”, long-stroke woofers with a powerful magnetic system combined with a passive radiator to improve the bass response.

Behind the front grill you have separate volume controls for the the satellites, subwoofer, as well as crossover frequency control which can be set anywhere between 50 and 250 Hz, and finally a bass EQ switch. When this switch is turned on it increases the bass level 5 dB @ 35 Hz which gives you a nice low end boost.

At the rear of the sub, you have the amplifier panel which includes an RCA line low level input, a 3.5mm aux input, a high level input, USB power supply, the main power switch as well as an “on” and “auto-on” switch to save power., there’s also the satellite speaker output which you use to connect your Flatbox speakers to and a voltage selector switch which allows you to adjust the amplifier to either 115 or 230 volts.

The sub likewise is incredibly versatile as it can be mounted on your wall, set on the floor or even placed under a couch. And it really works this well, this is not one of those picky subs that you have to place just right to get the bass to sound amazing. I experimented with placing this sub all over the place and no matter where it was, it sounded great and produced lots of incredibly thunderous bass.  And then you have some rubber feet and a special bracket are provided for mounting the unit.

BLUETOOTH

Regarding the Bluetooth feature, this works great and pairing is super easy as long as you follow the steps provided. The range if pretty normal at around 30 feet and it keeps a good signal though you might experience the occasional hiccup.  Audio quality is constrained just a bit compared to a wired connection but this is normal for Bluetooth.

Overall though, the signal is very clear and you don’t have to worry about regular pauses or disconnects.  And this is the only hi-fidelity on-wall speaker I know of that even has Bluetooth as a feature!

SOUND QUALITY

Now regarding the sound quality. Every time I listen to these speakers, I’m floored by how incredible they sound. Everything about this 2.1 on-wall speaker set-up truly exceeded my expectations. From how incredibly musical and thunderous the bass is to the level of clarity and full-bodied sound these produce.

Despite being much smaller than typical loudspeakers they create a surprisingly wide soundstage and a very coherent and well-balanced sound. The sound signature is full-bodied without ever getting too heavy and there’s a slight emphasis in the mid to high frequencies. The overall result is a tonal character that’s extremely pleasing to listen to, which never sounds harsh or boring. They’re just flat out enjoyable and amazing to listen to.

Now the dynamic range can be a little loose as you approach the maximum volume, but the overall sound is very vivid and accurate and the tonality is spot on. For being such compact speakers, they produce a surprisingly musical, full and airy sound. And any genre you listen to, whether classical, jazz, rock, dance or rap, it all sounds phenomenal. T

Now looking at the size of the sub, at first glance you may not think it would be capable of much, but fortunately, that is not the case. The bass goes surprisingly deep, it can hit hard when it needs to and is responsive in a very engaging way.  Bass lines are exceptionally smooth, clean, and musical. The sub also blends seamlessly with the other two XL speakers.

Even when playing more bass heavy contemporary music, the bass stays musical and never gets boomy. No matter what you listen to, the low end remains incredibly tight and refined. I can’t stress how awesome the bass sounds. Granted, it’s not going to peel the plaster off the walls but it comes pretty close, and the quality is so high, and so clean sounding that you feel like you can never get enough of it.

And regarding the mids, they’re very detailed and musically balanced. Male and female vocals of all genres are shockingly accurate, smooth and clear sounding without any real coloration. They also have exceptional separation and seem to hang in the air, all on their own.

The highs are wonderfully transparent even with a slight bit of airiness to them. They’re also wonderfully detailed without being too bright or harsh in the slightest.

These speaker really being instruments to life in a very visceral and palpable way. Like listening to the way a saxaphone hangs in the air or hearing the taught bass response of cello strings being plucked or the way the vibration decays after the bow is removed from the strings.  Even lone piano notes attack and decay perfectly like what you’d expect to hear with a live piano.

Watching movies is equally impressive. Ths sub produces enough low level bass in order to really bring you into the experience. And the two XL speakers are bringing to life all the little nuances and details you’ve probably never been aware of.

Whether listening to faint whispers in quiet medieval halls or people talking while soundtracks are playing in the background, dialogue is handled incredibly well. There’s even great spatial imaging so that all dialogue seems to be happening right in the middle of your screen.

And what’s truly impressive, is that if you have a larger actor and smaller actor standing near each other you can actually hear how one voice sounds smaller or taller than the other.

These speakers will make you want to watch all your favorite movies because you’ll either hear new details that you didn’t notice before, or details that weren’t particularly exciting when you watched them in the past, will come to life in a whole new way.

As an example, I was watching the latest hunger games when Katniss has just landed and is going to visit a hospital. It’s not a particularly eventful scene, as she’s just starting to walk around the rubble, but you can hear the small nervous breaths she’s taking which are so real, so palpable, and you feel so close to the movie that you find yourself holding your breath waiting to see what’s going to happen.

Or watching Avatar and the sound of the blades on the helo flying over the waterfall is incredibly immersive. The transition from left to right as the helo moves across the screen is smooth as can be.

The bottom line on sound quality is that Everything about these speakers engages you on a very personal and intimate level with both your music and movies. And to be able do all that in such a compact and stylish form, is a true engineering feat.

Now something else worth noting is these speakers are extremely forgiving in terms of where or how you place them. These are not like your traditional speakers that have to be angled just right, or the subwoofer has to be located perfectly or the bass seems anemic. I tried these out in all sorts of arrangements, and whether you’re hanging them on a wall, sitting them on your desk or tucking the sub beneath your bed, you’ll be blown away by how great they sound.

COMPARISON TO OTHER SPEAKERS

Now comparing the DLS Flatbox to some other on-wall speakers such as the Mythos Ten by Definitive Technology. The Mythos Ten is slightly more lush sounding and doesn’t have the same weight on the bottom end as the Flatbox speakers.

Also, while they both are easy to mount on a wall, the Flatbox speakers can stand freely on their own, either horizontally or vertically on any flat surface, whereas the Mythos speakers can only be used this way vertically with the included foot attachment. So ultimately, the Flatbox speakers are more versatile in where and how you can place them, they have a fuller bodied sound, and they also give you the option to connect via Bluetooth.

Then comparing the Flatbox speakers to the MartinLogan Motion SLM XL on wall speakers you have a similar situation occurring with the low end. So while the MartinLogan’s sound very nice, the speaker is limited in it’s ability to produce the lower frequencies compared to the Flatbox speaker setup.

For example, bass notes on a viola lack depth and fullness and movies lack the thunderous bass compared to the DLS speaker combination. So even though two of the MartinLogan speakers cost about the same as the Flatbox speaker combination, the DLS speakers provide a fuller, more engaging listening experience, they’re again more versatile in how you can position them and of course you have the Bluetooth feature as well.

REASONS TO CONSIDER SOMETHING ELSE

Now even though the Flatbox speakers are an extraordinary value for the level of sound quality, features and versatility they offer, there are some reasons you may want to go with something else.

First, if having compact, wall mounted speakers doesn’t make a difference one way or the other, and you’re really just after as much sound quality as possible for your money regardless of how large the speakers are or how they look, then there are other options you might prefer.

And then, if shaking the walls with bass is more of a priority then having tight, musical bass then these speakers wouldn’t be for you. Although the bass is very substantial and sounds incredible with these Flatbox speakers, if you’re looking to shake the foundation of your home with bass then you may not be happy with these.

And then finally, from an aesthetic standpoint, if you prefer a look that that’s less minimalist looking, or perhaps you really want more of a natural wood look then you’ll probably want to choose something else.

RECOMMENDATION

But otherwise, if you’re looking for speakers with excellent sound quality, that are versatile to use, easy to mount on a wall, stylish and blend into your environment, then this is the speaker combination to get.

Personally, these are the speakers I look forward to using on a daily basis. I find myself creating an excuse to listen to some new piece of music or watching a movie b/c the presentation is so clean, so engaging.  I love hearing those nuances I haven’t heard before, or uncovering a new moment in a movie that these speakers make so personal, that it’s like watching it for the first time.

And at the end of the day, there’s just no substitute for being able to enjoy your favorite music and movies and have them sound this good.