nuPro AS-3500: High-Quality Soundbar with Hi-Fi Sound

The soundbar market is booming—in every sense of the word. It enhances sound quality for evening TV marathons and relaxed music sessions alike. And it’s very popular: more and more audio enthusiasts are equipping their living rooms with these long, usually space-saving speakers. The nuPro AS-3500 is an excellent example of top-notch sound quality at a good price-performance ratio. But how does it compare?

nuPro AS-3500 vs. Canton Sound L: A Comparison

Both soundbars are powerful and significantly improve the tinny sound of most TVs. Which model comes out on top?

Sound Quality

The nuPro AS-3500 offers optimal stereo sound thanks to Nubert’s sound design technology. With 240 watts of power, it delivers clear and powerful audio. The Canton Sound L, with a 200-watt amplifier, offers precise sound reproduction with clear highs and deep bass.

Connectivity

The Nubert model comes equipped with HDMI eARC, optical, and coaxial inputs. It allows digital connections with CD or network players and supports Bluetooth aptX HD for wireless streaming. The Canton offers HDMI and optical inputs, as well as Bluetooth for easy connection with various audio devices.

Additional Features

The nuPro AS-3500 includes Voice+ for optimized speech reproduction, Dolby and DTS decoding for an immersive audio experience, and intuitive control with a premium remote. In contrast, the Canton soundbar provides various modes to adjust the sound to your preferences, along with a simple remote for easy control.

Design and Appearance

The elegant lacquered surface of the nuPro AS-3500 and its modern design ensure that the soundbar integrates well into your living room. The grilles are magnetic for a sleek look. The Canton Sound L features a slim and compact design.

Price

The Nubert soundbar is slightly more expensive, offering better performance and additional features. With a lower budget, the Canton sacrifices some sound quality but still provides good connectivity options.

Which is the Better Soundbar?

Both the nuPro AS-3500 and the Canton Sound L are high-quality soundbars with good sound and connectivity options. The choice between the two models depends on your personal preferences, budget, and desired features. The Nubert model clearly provides superior sound quality, albeit at a higher price.

Device Type and Recommended Use

Enhance your viewing experience with the active nuPro AS-3500 soundbar! This soundbar eliminates the tinny sound of your TV, letting you enjoy cinematic soundscapes, feel like you’re in the stadium during sports broadcasts, and follow news programs more easily thanks to Nubert's new Voice+ speech enhancement technology. Simply plug in, connect, and enjoy!

The nuPro AS-3500 is powered by a robust and crystal-clear digital amplifier with a full 160 watts of rated power that drives two tweeters, two midrange drivers, and two subwoofers on the underside. The soundboard creates a room-filling soundscape with true home theater quality: transparent highs, powerful mids, and driving bass deliver impactful sound effects and crystal-clear speech, bringing concert recordings or blockbuster soundtracks to life. With extensive settings, viewers can adjust the sound profile to their liking, such as dampening bass or enhancing low-frequency reproduction at lower volumes using the loudness control.

Like the compact nuBox AS-225 and Nubert’s top model nuPro XS-8500 RC, the nuPro AS-3500 also features Nubert’s electronic panorama expansion, known as "Horizon Expansion," which audibly enhances the stereo effect and creates an acoustic stage that is both three-dimensional and wide. This effect is particularly impressive given the compact size of the soundbar! Music recordings especially benefit from this smart algorithm. A new feature, the "Voice+" option, focuses on speech reproduction, making dialogues in movies or commentary in news programs and documentaries much clearer. Combined, Loudness and Voice+ make low-level television viewing much more enjoyable.

The nuPro AS-3500 is also the first Nubert soundbar with an integrated decoder for the Dolby and DTS audio tracks from DVDs, Blu-rays, and streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. The powerful signal processor optimally prepares surround information for two-channel playback.

Setting up the nuPro AS-3500 is a breeze. Thanks to its ultra-flat profile, the soundbar fits perfectly under the TV. Its rounded cabinet edges, high-quality multi-layer lacquer, and detachable magnetic fabric cover allow the soundbar to blend seamlessly into any living environment. It is best connected to the TV’s ARC or eARC-enabled output via HDMI, enabling both audio signal and control information transmission. This allows you to adjust the soundbar’s volume with the TV remote and power on/off both devices simultaneously. Detailed settings can be made with the high-quality AS-3500 remote control included. Alternatively, you can use a rotary knob on the front of the unit; multi-colored LEDs provide essential information such as the selected input or volume.

The nuPro AS-3500 is recommended not only as a beautifully designed TV sound system but also as a compact stereo system for music enjoyment. Fully digital signal processing provides recordings with absolute authenticity and sound purity. Classic hi-fi devices such as network streamers or CD players, as well as game consoles, can be connected directly via the analog or digital inputs of the stereo board. Smartphones, tablets, or laptops can even connect wirelessly via the built-in Bluetooth receiver. With support for aptX HD (Android) and AAC (iOS), audio signals are transmitted in excellent quality. However, the nuPro AS-3500 does not support the high-resolution wireless X-Connect standard used to network nuPro X series models. With the optional nuConnect trX transceiver, nuSub series subwoofers can be connected wirelessly. Alternatively, standard active woofers can be connected via the sub-out using a cable.

With its high-quality three-way technology, innovative digital amplifier, wireless features, extensive sound settings, special sound modes for effects and speech, easy expandability, and effortless operation, the nuPro AS-3500 is a sound deck that brings joy to your living room!

Build and Housing

The nuPro AS-3500 is a fully active all-in-one sound system. This means it connects directly to the TV, satellite receiver, Blu-ray player, or even game consoles, smartphones, or hi-fi equipment to play back movie sound, sound effects, or music. To achieve this, the sound deck uses a digital amplifier with 160 watts of rated power and 240 watts of music power, driving two tweeters, two midrange drivers, and two woofers across four channels. Frequency distribution is partially active, with a passive crossover separating low and mid frequencies. The signals are processed and enhanced by a powerful digital processor.

The housing of the nuPro AS-3500 is made of thick, low-resonance MDF wood fiber material and is carefully reinforced, providing a load capacity of over 100 kilograms for TVs placed on top. The rounded front edge minimizes harmful edge dispersion, contributing to precise sound reproduction. The bass reflex ports are located at the back of the cabinet, so a wall clearance of about ten centimeters is recommended. The subwoofers radiate downwards, with optimal spacing ensured by four spike feet. The elegant design and high-quality lacquered finish in black or white create a home-friendly aesthetic, further enhanced by the magnetically attached fabric cover (black in both versions). The status LEDs remain visible through the fabric cover.

The nuPro AS-3500 functions as a stereo system with left and right channels. The relatively wide housing enables a three-dimensional stage effect, which can be further expanded using the integrated Wide function ("Horizon Expansion"), maximizing the stereo experience. Specifically for movies and TV programs, the "Voice+" speech focus is also included, offering clearer speech reproduction. Purists can, of course, continue to enjoy pure two-channel sound.

Chassis

The high-frequency range is covered by two modern 25-millimeter dome tweeters, which are also used in other models of the nuPro series. Two polypropylene drivers with a diameter of 119 millimeters provide pronounced mid-frequency sound reproduction. In the low-frequency range, two long-throw drivers are embedded in the underside of the soundbar. All drivers are specially manufactured for Nubert and have been optimized over many development stages in collaboration with our engineers for their specific purpose.

Controls and Settings

The stereo board can be controlled either with the supplied remote control or using the rotary knob on the front of the unit. Key functions, such as volume control, are easily accessible through the TV when connected via the HDMI (e)ARC input. The included remote control, distinguished by its high-quality feel and elegant design, provides quick access to various sound settings.

Multi-colored LEDs around the rotary knob provide clear information about the selected input and device status and are easily visible through the detachable fabric cover.

Sound Adjustment

The soundbar offers several sound settings to tailor the playback image to the listener's preferences or the room’s acoustics. Bass and mid/high frequency playback can be adjusted in several stages. An adaptive loudness function automatically enhances low-frequency playback at low volumes. For expanded stereo staging, there’s also an advanced two-stage wide function to preserve the character of the recording as much as possible. Finally, for low-level playback of movies and TV shows, the Voice+ sound mode provides clearer, more understandable speech reproduction.

Connections and Audio Formats

On the back of the stereo board, there are four audio inputs. The most important is the HDMI input (version 2.1), which ideally connects to the ARC or eARC output of the TV (or another AV device like a receiver) and receives not only audio signals but also control commands from compatible TV models, such as volume control. Additionally, an analog RCA input, an optical, and a coaxial digital input are available to connect other hi-fi, AV, or entertainment devices. A sub-output allows the connection of an external subwoofer to further enhance bass reproduction (crossover frequency: 80 Hertz). The nuPro AS-3500 can also be paired with tablets, mobile phones, and other compatible devices via Bluetooth, enabling wireless audio signal reception. With support for aptX HD and AAC, high-quality transmission with minimal delay is achieved via aptX Low Latency.

The nuPro AS-3500 not only plays sound in PCM format but also decodes Dolby Digital (AC3) and DTS Digital Surround. The soundboard is therefore ideally equipped to play back audio tracks from Blu-rays, DVDs, or streaming videos and prepare them for optimal stereo reproduction. The correct format, output, and ARC function may need to be enabled on the source device.

Power

This soundbar comes with a practical automatic energy-saving function that switches the box on or into energy-saving standby mode when not in use. In this standby mode, which can also be activated manually via the remote control or rotary knob, the sound system consumes less than 0.5 watts. A toggle switch allows the nuPro AS-3500 to be completely disconnected from the power. The wide-range power supply allows this active speaker to be used at power voltages from 110 to 120 and 230 to 240 volts.

More Technical Information

For all technically interested music and home theater enthusiasts who are not put off by hard facts and technical details, Günther Nubert’s "Technik satt" offers numerous technical insights and electroacoustic background knowledge, as well as information on sound optimization and insights into the development and history of Nubert speakers and devices.