Wide-range response in a compact body for concise monitoring on any desktop 

TASCAM’s new VL-S3 and VL-S3BT bring great-sounding compact studio monitoring to the price of a set of headphones. The 2-way powered monitors include a 3” woofer, and rear ported design packs a surprising punch.

A pair of RCA inputs accept any line-level input, and a stereo 1/4” to RCA cable is included. Also available is a 1/8” stereo mini jack for playing from smartphones or MP3 players.

The efficient 14W per side stereo power amplifier drives the two monitors. The compact, ported cabinets fit almost anywhere. Ideal for home studios, dorm rooms, or video editing suites, the VL-S3 is an affordable solution for great-sounding mixes. 

The VL-S3BT builds a great-sounding Bluetooth receiver directly into the speakers, for wireless playback from smartphones, tablets, and other devices. 

Main Features

VL-S3

VL-S3BT

Compact 4.5” x 6.7” Cabinets Fit Almost Anywhere

Even with professional 2-way drivers and rich power amplifier, the footprint is a compact 4.5” x 6.7” (110mm x 170mm) - perfect on a desktop or next to your laptop PC. There's no need to make space for speaker stands. The compact monitors can fit below many monitors or in crowded machine or server rooms.

2-way system and bass reflex port provides a wide frequency response of 80 Hz to 22 kHz.

Even though they're priced like standard PC desktop speakers, the VL-S3 provide professional monitoring quality. With a frequency response of 80 HZ to 22 kHz, every sound is faithfully reproduced - from the body resonance of a bass drum to a tinkling wind chime. The wide response is reproduced by the 2-way system design - consisting of a woofer, tweeter, and the bass reflex port located on the rear of the cabinet.

Built-in Power Amplifier with 14 Watts Per Channel

Designed specifically for desktop systems, the integrated 14 W + 14 W power amplifier provides you not only powerful, full volume monitoring, but also features well-balanced sound at low volume. The VL-S3 work great in areas where excessive volume might be a problem, such as bedrooms, dorm rooms, and apartment buildings.

RCA and Stereo Mini Jack Line Inputs 

The dual RCA inputs provide a common, compact interface for connecting with unbalanced sources. A 1/4" stereo phone plug to RCA conversion cable is included for sources like an audio interface or Portastudio with a 1/4" phone output jack can be interfaced. 

The VL-S3 also includes a 1/8” stereo mini input jack, which automatically shuts off the RCA inputs. Using a standard stereo mini cable, a portable MP3 player, iPad or smartphone can be connected. 

Bluetooth® playback compatible with aptX®/AAC codecs for low latency and high definition (VL-S3BT)

A Bluetooth® receiver is built into the cabinet, making wireless playback possible from a smartphone, PC, or any Bluetooth®-enabled device where the reference sound is saved. Bluetooth® playback supports aptX® and AAC codecs - higher definition and lower latency than the typical SBC codec. So, without any cables, the sound can be compared to the sound in production - resulting in high-definition playback which does not feel wireless. Switching input and pairing can be done using the buttons on the front side of the body.

Music playback over Bluetooth®

Transmission protocols, called profiles, are standardized for the purpose of wireless transmission via Bluetooth®. VL-S3BT uses the profile A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), and can wirelessly play back from devices compatible with A2DP.
Furthermore, the sound is compressed for wireless transmission. This compression method is called "codec." Confirm which codec your device is compatible with on the webpage describing your device.

Codecs supported by VL-S3BT

SBC (Sub Band Codec): This is the standard codec which all A2DP-compatible equipment support. It is higher in definition than a headset mic, for example, but is inferior to the codecs described below. Also, latency occurs at the time of compression, so a time lag may be felt when listening to a video or the like.

AAC (Advanced Audio Codec):This is the codec used mainly in iPhones and other iOS devices. The time lag is negligible. The compression rate is on par with SBC, but has superior definition.

aptX®: The compression rate is low, allowing for playback in high definition - closer to the original sound. The time lag is also negligible.

Functions common to both the VL-S3 and VL-S3BT

• Power amplifier output: 14W + 14W (LEFT speaker contains the power amplifier)
• 3-inch woofer/0.5-inch tweeter
• Bass reflex port
• Specially tuned 8kHz crossover circuit
• RCA terminals(stereo) and 3.5mm stereo mini unbalanced input(the stereo 1/8" mini jack is preferred)
• Volume control
• Power switch/Power LED
• Dedicated AC adapter included (TASCAM PS-P1524E)
• RoHS certified

Unique features for the VL-S3BT

• Pairing button of Bluetooth® on front panel
• Bluetooth® wireless playback function by A2DP profile
• Supported A2DP codec : SBC/AAC/aptX®