This means that you can stream music at highest bit-rate currently available (if that all sounded like gibberish to you, don’t worry. If your phone doesn’t yet have Android Oreo (or if you use an iPhone), then you won’t be able to use LDAC and will be bumped down to a lesser codec like AAC or SBC. There are also two smaller lights on the side of each driver that flash rapidly, similar to what you’d see on the wings of an airplane. But that’s a small price to pay for being able to completely submerge a speaker like this in the first place.
Around the back of the speaker is a small rubber flap that protects all of the inputs and hides a few buttons. One of them tells you how much battery is left in the speaker and also turns off the light strip if you hold it down.
You can control the color of the lights and some other cool stuff as well via two Sony apps called Fesitable and Music Center, both of which suck. And God forbid the speaker does one of those random skips it does when connected to more than one devices, because then everything just stops working. Sony claims a battery life of 24 hours with the lighting off, but on average use, this speaker has lasted way longer than that. Once it does die though, it takes about five hours to charge back up fully, but that’s to be expected because of how large the battery is.
This time, I might as well just point you back to the same sound quality section from the XB40, because I got about the same impression with a few slight differences. I’ll admit that there’s a little more overlap between the mids and lows here, making for a not-so-clear listening experience.
The bass notes in Frank Ocean’s rendition of Moon River feel way too strong compared to the vocals. At high volumes, this means you won’t have to worry about harsh sounds, but at standard listening volumes, this just resulted in cymbals and hi-hats in the song Generator ^ Second Floor by Freelance Whales being too weak to push through the mix. Like the XB40, this speaker is easy to recommend to anyone who finds themselves needing to power a party or two.
The lights, combined with the bass-heavy sound signature, and the nearly indestructible build make it perfect for basically every college party I’ve ever gone to—and more than a few backyard barbecues. The overall design looks a little better than the XB40, in my opinion, but the live mode button is pretty useless and the apps still need work. Both speakers were made for parties and, let’s be honest, the one with the flashing lights is sure to turn more heads. If you have a budget around $350 and want a durable speaker that gets loud, sounds good, and gets the job done, this is easy to recommend.
Sony SRS-XB41 Bluetooth speaker review
Unfortunately, what that means is that, unless you’re adamant about bass-heavy sound and don’t care that it comes at the expense of most everything else, Sony’s latest speaker just isn’t the portable music box for you. That means this portable speaker is waterproof up to a certain depth and time limit – immersion protection of up to 1 meter (or about 3 feet) of freshwater for 30 minutes. Despite the coolness factor of a speaker with glowing multi-color LEDs around its ring, the one problem we had was that the lightshow didn’t always flash in time with the music.
Wait for the power button to start blinking and now you can slap the back of the speaker to create chimes, dings and synth beats in time with the music. Design is clearly important – a speaker built out of a cardboard box with exposed wiring and impossible to access control buttons wouldn’t be much fun to use – but so is audio performance. The audio performance isn’t so bad that your music will feel foreign or absolutely wrong per se, but the bass bump doesn’t come without consequence to the rest of the sound.
(If you’re feeling masochistic, though, you can throw it into Live Mode – a setting that attempts to give the sound an echo-y, concert-like experience – and you’ll really struggle to hear any details.) To make matters worse, mic quality is poor and, because there’s no volume-matching software running in the background, audio often goes from listenable during music one second to a blaring cacophony of sound the next when an ad comes on.
We’ve had the speaker playing for days on end and have yet to hear any indication that the battery is running low – a promising sign for those of us who can never seem to keep our gadgets charged.
But if you want something that sounds better – and you don’t mind sacrificing some of the extra party-focused features to get there – there are plenty of other waterproof Bluetooth speakers just waiting to be fished off the shelf.
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Sony SRS-XB41 Review
Before we get to our Sony SRS-XB41 Review, let’s start by remembering that it was a Dutchman, Jaap Hartsen, working in Copenhagen for Ericsson that gave us Bluetooth. It is one of those creations; we won’t say inventions, that has changed a lot of things. It might introduce us to new music and even allow us to take and make phone calls. If you have been with Pink Floyd on the Dark Side of the Moon for the last 75 years, it is possible that the name Sony might be new to you.
They are into everything, and they do it all well, working at all levels, from entry-level products through to high-end professional equipment. The design and build quality of this speaker tells us that it is intended for one occupation – party time.
It is fun, and to make sure that the party goes on all night, there is enormous battery life. Sony has not made this for the critical ear to discuss the sound quality.
The most obvious change to the speaker from its forerunner is that the XB41 is covered in a fabric material. It covers all of the speaker, except for the LED lighting strips, which have a rubber coating.
In fact, very waterproof, you can submerge it in water up to three meters for a period of time. Dustproof is a good idea as it will protect it from the sand on the beach.
The speaker has a rounded edge design, and the light strips follow the shape. It is a nice idea and gives the speaker a sleek and impressive look.
The addition of the original Sony logo in the front center is a simple idea.
The inputs and some of the buttons are protected underneath a rubber flap on the back.
Sony claims 24 hours of battery life when used without the lighting. It takes a full five hours to recharge it fully; it is a big battery after all.
They are really only practical at night, so daytime use will give you plenty of power. Probably the first thing to say about this speaker is that the sound quality was not high on Sony’s priority list.
But if you are expecting top-notch Sony quality sound, you might be disappointed. You are possibly then in volume level problems if you have a few people there and need a bit of extra power. We think the idea of this was to try and create an outdoor concert feel to the music. Not a feature most people will probably use because of the very apparent deterioration of the sound quality.
One acts as a battery level indicator and also turns off the lighting. The final button turns the sound into left or right channels if you are using two speakers. This speaker is Bluetooth 4.2 enabled and is also AAC and LDAC compatible.
It also benefits from NFC, Near Field Communication, which gives you quick pairing with other compatible devices. Sony says that you can connect up to 100 speakers using Bluetooth, which to us, seems a rather pointless statistic. You will have access to two Sony apps Festival and Music Center.
Their operation is not very functional, and it seems like they may have been thrown together quite quickly to satisfy a commercial demand. Or take a look at our comprehensive reviews of the JBL Charge 4, the Bose Soundlink Color II, the OontZ Angle 3 Ultra, the UE Hyperboom, and the JBL Flip 4.
We are great fans of Sony, but there are just one or two issues with this speaker that we were a little disappointed with. ‘Extra bass’ control will be an asset for some who like their music bottom heavy. However, it does disturb the overall frequency balance, and the mids, with vocals, of course, become crowded out. Aso, it hasn’t been given a 360 degree sound performance like some speakers have, which to us is also rather limiting.
The functionality of the associated apps needs a little work to make them operative easily, but that is a side issue, really. Given the light show and its design being with the party in mind, it doesn’t carry an awful lot of volume. It carries a few very good features which will justify the price tag. If you want a tough speaker to take to the beach with a few friends or have in the backyard for smaller parties, it is fine.
Despite a few misgivings, we think it is still a decent buy with a great light show and a good build for the right environment.
Sony SRS-XB41 Bluetooth Speaker Review
Sony recently refreshed its audio lineup in India with three new Bluetooth speakers and six pairs of wireless headphones. As the speaker is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, the inputs are protected by a flap at the back with a rubber gasket. The flap also covers three additional buttons; one to check the battery status and trigger the lights, one to link another SRS-XB41 so you can listen to music in stereo, and one labelled ‘WPC’ which allows you to daisy-chain up to 99 of these speakers together. Before we examine the sound quality in detail, we have to talk about the multitude of ‘party-friendly’ features that Sony has crammed inside this device. For those who prefer their speakers to keep a low profile, the lights can be disabled by long-pressing the battery button at the back. The lights can also be managed via the Sony Music Centre app, which is hard to use and has a clunky interface. However, it adds a considerable amount of echo and basically kicks the mids out of the sound mix. The bass is tight and punchy, and does not hijack the sound mix entirely, but critical listeners will still find it a bit excessive. The soundstage (with Live Mode off) is also wide and open and the maximum volume is enough to fill even large rooms with sound. This lack of clarity becomes evident in densely layered tracks such as Radiohead’s Paranoid Android and John Mayer’s Gravity (Live), in which all the guitars just merge into one another. You can get better sounding speakers without any of the aforementioned frills such as the JBL Flip 4 and Ultimate Ears Boom 2 for less money. Call quality is average with the usual caveats that Bluetooth speakers entail – hollow sound and a slight echo on the receiver’s end.
We got around 18 hours of use on a single charge with the lights enabled for around 30 minutes in total, and with music playing at around the 60-70 percent volume level. The LED lights and various party modes can be considered gimmicky, but help the speaker stand out from the crowd. While the bass is punchy and crisp and the highs are above average, the mids are repressed, and the sound that this speaker produces lacks clarity and detail. It does not sound bad per se, but similarly priced options such as the JBL Flip 4 and Bose Soundlink Mini 2 deliver better detail and clarity.
Customer Reviews: Sony SRS-XB41 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Black SRSXB41/B
The Sony XB41 is a unique bluetooth speaker that is set around being able to bring a party vibe no matter where you go. Flashing strobes and the ability to add in your own personal beats is a different design that i have yet to see on any other device of this nature.
The design quality of the speaker shows that it was indeed built with strength and water resistance in mind while still looking very good.
This makes this speaker IDEAL for a on the go unit seeing as how sand, water, dirt or any other environmental elements should not cause any issue or concern.
The second claim is that the unit is also shock resistant due to the design of the frame and fabric covering it. While i don’t recommend giving this test a try it is a nice feature to have as a kind of insurance policy in the event one of your thoughtful guest accidentally knocks the speaker off the counter.
So if you think that country song your listening to is lacking some more cow bell, well then my friend simply activate party booster and jam along to your song and add as much cow bell that you feel is lacking. There is another feature through the app that allows you to be your own DJ and add in effects to your music such as lasers, people cheering, hype men, etc.
This is a really cool feature that i was actually very excited about because it allows you to basically mix your favorite music and add in effects that you may feel would enhance it.
Until they can fix this issue with an app update i found this feature to be very disappointing and pointless at this time. Now Sony is claiming extra bass to push through these speakers that are supposed to be pretty decent. While listening to Anberlin ” Feel Good Drag” i noticed that the bass was pushing so hard that it actually sounded as if the vocals were being distorted.
Im very picky when it comes to my music and i know sometimes i can tend to pick things out that most people don’t find but for my wife to walk buy and even point it out to me only confirmed what i was already thinking. While blasting Young Jeezy ” I luv it” man that bass hit so clean and did not take away from any of the vocals or other effects.
One thing i noticed about this speaker is it really shines and sounds good with hip hop and dance music. While listening to some Shinedown on live mode the sound quality got louder with a bigger emphasis on vocals.
Sony SRS-XB41 review: Big on sound, style, and bass
When it comes to listing well-known names in the audio industry, Sony is often one of the first companies to come to mind. What’s more, Sony has a better wireless range to offer in the XB41, and a selection of attractive DJ-style features, like “Live sound mode”. It’s not as small and pocket-friendly as you might expect from a portable speaker, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble transporting it with the help of a backpack.
Sleek and stylish, the Sony ASRS-XB41 portable wireless Bluetooth speaker comes in a selection of four colours. On top of that, there’s lighting built-in, intended to give you a more immersive listening experience. The Sony SRS-XB41 has plenty of impressive features to show off to your friends and loved ones, including the option to sync your device with up to 100 other speakers.
One nice touch to counteract this issue is that Sony allows you to add visual and sound effects yourself, through Party Mode. Party Mode is a fun extra feature, though it’s difficult to determine how much value it actually provides. The Sony SRS-XB41 portable wireless Bluetooth speaker is a reliable device, with dependable connectivity. This means that all you need to do is tap an NFC enabled device against the logo, and you’ll receive a notification that allows you to connect.
Combine the fantastic range of connectivity options with the fact that the Sony comes with extra features to make your life easier, and you have a very nifty device. Unfortunately, it seems that Sony might have focused too heavily on design with this device, meaning that the company also forgot all about sound quality.
The extra low levels that you get from this speaker means that the mids and highs are often overwhelmed. If you love clarity in your music, then Sony’s Bluetooth speaker isn’t going to give you the sound quality you’re looking for. The audio performance feels very muddy, although it’s still better than some cheaper speakers we’ve tested.
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