The OXS S3 2.0 Sound Bar has a reputation for breaking down quickly, yet over 100 units sold in the last month on Amazon (as of today, Nov 27, 2025). That’s surprising — it seems like people are drawn more by the low price, hopeful thinking, and impressive-sounding features than by careful research.

To understand what’s going on, we looked through hundreds of customer reviews to see what satisfied and dissatisfied buyers had to say.

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That Sweet Price Tag and the Black Friday Effect

At $69.99 (down 30% from $99.99), it’s basically a no-brainer if you’ve got a gift card or some Prime credit sitting around. Right now, it’s flashing a Black Friday Deal badge — just the nudge needed for impulse buying.

The internal dialogue is clear: “Under $70 for 60W power and surround sound? Worst case, I return it and try again.” The free returns until Jan 31, 2026 make it feel zero-risk, even if the odds of a lemon are real.

The Good Reviews Outnumber the Bad Ones

To be fair, over 70% of buyers have given the OXS S3 a 5- or 4-star review. With a 4.1-star average across 700 plus reviews, the positives leap out at browsing customers: “Really loud“, “like theater sound” and “smooth Bluetooth connection“. It’s easy to fixate on multiple mentions of the quick setup and powerful sound while glossing over problems with remotes crapping out or spotty TV sync.

What Satisfied Buyers Are Saying

• Super easy and fast to set up — the one thing the happy customers agree on.
• BT for Phone is Great: Bluetooth connection to phones works well for music streaming.
• Loud Enough: Surprisingly decent volume and clarity in small rooms (15×15 ft, bedrooms, campers)
• The Travel Champ: Compact, tough, all-in-one build — protected speakers are perfect for camping, kids’ rooms, or throwing in a bag for travel/gaming rigs. No finicky subwoofer to lug around.
• Viewing-Friendly Design: No eye-piercing LED lights in your face — the indicator is discreetly on top.
• The Stop-Gap: Good as a temporary solution while you save up for that Sonos Arc Ultra.
• Value is Subjective: Some users genuinely like the sound and think it’s a steal at this price point.

The Flip Side

• The Inconsistent Build Quality: A noticeable number of units stop working entirely — sometimes in a day, sometimes after a few months. Buying this unit is truly a roll of the quality dice.
• TV Trolling: Doesn’t play nicely with many common Smart TVs (especially Roku, some Samsungs, Fire TV/Stick). It’s a gamble whether it syncs with your source.
• The Missing Auto-Wake: This is the ultimate annoyance for most people. It doesn’t seem to have an auto-on feature — you must turn the soundbar on separately each time or power-cycle the TV.
• Malfunctioning Remote: The remote died in several cases and free replacement remotes are impossible to get from the company.
• The Bluetooth BEEP: When connected via Bluetooth, it makes a very loud, unadjustable “BEEP” every time it pairs. Great if you enjoy jump scares at 3 a.m.
• Audio Reality Check: The “dynamic bass” is weak, and overall sound is only marginally better than most built-in TV speakers.
• Missing Parts: Some buyers in 2024 reported receiving boxes missing the accessories such as the power cable, connecting wires and remote control.

In other words, if the OXS S3 were a car, it would fail the inspection every year.

So Why Buy It?

Because it does work… for the right, low-stakes crowd. Not everyone’s building a Batcave home theater. Judging by the buyer profiles, these sales are fueled by specific needs:

• Older TV Savior: The inclusion of legacy ports, coaxial and optical, alongside AUX and USB makes it a plug-and-play solution for older TVs or specific setups such as guest rooms and garages where modern HDMI-ARC isn’t an option.
• Budget Gamers/Campers: Folks grabbing it for portable Bluetooth jams or a quick TV boost in a guest room or RV.
• The All-in-One Design: No finicky subwoofer and the wall-mount option are just what some people want.
• The Phone-First Streamer: Wireless music streaming gets solid marks. Strip away the design and you’ve got a cheap, compact Bluetooth speaker.
• Small Space Users: For $70, you can actually hear dialogue in a small space instead of battling your TV’s tinny built-in speakers.

The Bottom Line: Know Its True Purpose (and be at peace with it)

The OXS S3 is less a true home theater upgrade and more a cheap, portable Bluetooth speaker that happens to plug into your TV. It’s good for casual phone music, camping, or a guest-room stopgap, but it is not a reliable, everyday TV companion.

Buy the OXS S3 only if:

• You’re spending an Amazon gift card and won’t mind if it ends up as a $70 paperweight.
• You’ll mainly use it for Bluetooth music from your phone or very light, occasional TV duty.
• You’re genuinely okay with the real chance it stops working sooner than anticipated.

(And you have no qualms about potentially contributing another piece of unworkable e-waste to the landfill shortly after the return window closes.)

OXS S3 Sound Bar Specs

Feature	Detail
Channels	2.0 Channel
Power Output	60W Max Output Power
Drivers	4 x 2-inch full-range drivers
Connections	Bluetooth 5.0, Optical, Coaxial, AUX, USB
EQ Modes	3 Modes (Movie, Music, News/Game)
THD (Claimed)	Less than 1% Total Harmonic Distortion
Dimensions (on Amazon)	36.59″(D) × 3.74″(W) × 5.75″(H)

Looking for something better? Read our “Budget 2.1 Soundbar Showdown: TCL S55H vs. Hisense HS2100“.