Hello fellow saber enthusiasts, I recently got the Spectre Lightsaber equipped with RGB for Basic Sound. This review will mainly be about the soundboard as it seems to be a fairly new option (as of 2024) and I have not seen any other reviews over this particular Soundboard. But I will also be sure to post pictures of the Spectre saber and my options on the hilt design.
At this point, I have a decent collection of sabers (as you can see in my profile info below), my favorite being the Crimson Fallen (AKA "C.K.") with UltraProffie Lite & Pixel blade. I love all the effects the pixel blade offers and the ability to change colors on the go; however, I'm hesitant to do any type of dueling with the saber for fear of breaking the pixel blade (which is much more expensive to replace than a regular blade). So I started looking for a Base-lit saber that could easily change colors without dismantling the saber.
I decided to go with the Spectre hilt for 2 reasons: 1st because of its MHS Emitter & Pommel (which is an amazing feature that allows me to switch pommels & emitters with my other MHS sabers). And 2nd, because of the cool look of the hilt, especially the windowed emitter & "circuit board" handle design. (On a side note, I really love the disc at the bottom of this emitter, as it provides good hand protection while dueling & makes it easier to wield/control the saber with one hand).
At first, I thought about getting an RGB stunt saber that has 4 switches. Unfortunately, there's only a handful of hilt designs that offer that option & it doesn't include the full spectrum of colors, like the UltraProffie does. However, I was reluctant to spend a ton of money on an UltraProffie soundboard, just for it to be used on a base-lit dueling saber. Then one day, I noticed the "RGB for Basic Sound" option when looking at different customization options on the U.S. website. It states that it comes with 9 different sound fonts and the full spectrum of colors. So I ordered it to see what it was like.
When I got the saber, the first thing I noticed was it didn't immediately turn on (even after removing the battery sticker). This was because the Basic Soundboard has a Power Saving mode where the saber is completely shut off unless you hold the power switch for 3 seconds. Once you have the saber out of "sleep mode" there are several things you can do (full soundboard controls listed above). The coolest feature how you can turn on the saber from "standby" with just a swing of the blade. This motion-activated ignition is really fun to play with and I hope U.S. would incorporate this feature into their other soundboards. Also from the "standby" stage, you can select one of the 9 sound fonts listed below:
- Obi-wan Kenobi
- Rey
- Ben Solo
- Leia
- Kylo Ren
- "Darth Vader" (the boot up noise features a few lines from Luke & Vader from Empire Strikes Back)
- Luke Skywalker
- Master Qui-gon
- Anakin Skywalker
Unfortunately, most of these sound fonts are indistinguishable from each other. Also, they don't sound very good in my opinion (like static when searching for a radio station or the kind of noises an older TV makes when trying to insert the RCA cables). Also, the responsiveness to motion is lacking. The sounds are choppy & it takes pretty hard swings or jabs to activate the clashing noises. Personally, I think U.S. Obsidian sound font is much more pleasing than the Basic Soundboard, in both regards. But aside from the Sound & Responsiveness, the controls for the Basic Soundboard are fairly easy to use. the color selection isn't controlled by a wrist-flicking motion like the UltraProffie but instead relies on a timer, which continuously goes through the color wheel until you select a color (so if you miss the color you want, you just have to wait for it to cycle through the color wheel again). I especially like the blaster sound & flash being one click. Also, you have the option to make your blade color Stable (normal light), Pulsing (kinda like a Heartbeat but with blade brightness), and Unstable (like a flickering fluorescent bulb).
So to sum up my Review of the RGB for Basic Sound here is a Pro's and Con's list:
Pro's:
- Motion-activated Ignition
- Sleep mode (fully powered off)
- Full RGB color wheel (with timer selection)
- Can choose Blade lighting effects (Stable / Pulse / Unstable)
- Blaster effects & Flash on Clash Effects
Con's:
- Poor Sound quality
- Poor Responsiveness to motion (in terms of sound)
I hope this review helps those of you who were thinking about getting this Soundboard. Normally I wouldn't make a video review, but if there are a few of you who would like me to post a video showcasing the sounds from the Basic Soundboard, I would be willing to post a reply here (as long as someone can teach me how to post a video on Saberforum). Otherwise, I hope this review helps & May the Force be with you.
