While lifestyle images on the company’s website show the Sony SRS-XB33 portable speaker set against white sands and sun-drenched swimming pools, its rugged exterior and waterproof features mean it should keep going in any weather – ideal for winters as well as summers, then. It’s dustproof, so sand, soil and dried mud are of little concern, and it has undergone extensive shock testing for knocks, bumps and scrapes, meaning you can drop it and it’ll keep working. Those include some flashing lights – controlled via the Sony Music Center and Fiestable apps – which can also dance in sync with up to 99 other compatible wireless speakers thanks to Party Connect.
You’ll notice the Extra Bass advertising, which nods to this speaker’s dual passive radiators, but it’s the main driver units that are most interesting. Sony calls this its X-Balanced Speaker Unit, where non-circular diaphragms make for a maximised surface area, and an increase in sound pressure aims for punchier bass. Not that this Bluetooth speaker needs the extra help; we connect our smartphone (NFC is available) and immediately the party starts, the SRS-XB33 throwing its voice across the room with real energy and verve. This might be a speaker built to shout across busy rooms and fill a space in the infinite outdoors, but we’d still appreciate a little greater subtlety and maturity that would hold our interest better when not in party mode ourselves. There are speakers around this price, such as the Audio Pro Addon C3, that combine expert rhythm and sensitive dynamics with striking richness and clarity, but these are only built to be portable in the sense they needn’t constantly be plugged in.
Sony SRS-XB32 review
Het merk Sony is tot nu toe onderbelicht op deze website. Het merk heeft met de Sony SRS lijn bluetooth speakers van klein naar groot.
Door de serie nummers in plaats van een naam per speaker, zoals bij merken als JBL en Ultimate Ears, is er niet echt een lijn te ontdekken in het verschil tussen de speakers.
Wat we in ieder geval alvast kunnen vertellen is dat als je op zoek bent naar een bluetooth speaker met lange batterijduur en een diepe bas, je zeker even deze Sony XB32 review moet lezen. Dankzij NFC en Bluetooth is het eenvoudig om de speaker met een smartphone of tablet te verbinden. De bluetooth verbinding is stabiel en heeft een bereik van maximaal 10 meter.
Hiermee kan jij of iemand anders eenvoudig en snel verbinding maken met de speaker. We moeten wel opmerken dat in de Extra Bass modus lage frequenties erg worden benadrukt, maar deze bass modus is ook weer eenvoudig uit te zetten als je hier geen fan van bent. Volgens Sony is dit de manier om het feest tot leven te brengen met een unieke driedimensionale geluidservaring en te zorgen voor festivalvibes.
De Extra bass blijft ook in deze modus behouden en verder lijkt het volume iets te worden verhoogd, waarbij de midden tonen worden verbeterd, maar verder voegt deze functie niet heel veel toe naast de Extra Bass modus. Een heel groot pluspunt aan deze speaker is de batterijduur. Met een gewicht van 900 gram neem je de speaker eenvoudig mee.
De speaker is onder meer verkrijgbaar in het zwart, blauw, groen, rood en wit. Zo kan je deze instellen op verschillende sferen, waaronder ‘Calm Daylight’, ‘Strobe’, ‘Cool’ en ‘Hot’.
Bij een normale verlichting zal deze feestverlichting het feest niet op gang brengen. Dit zou sfeer verhogend moeten werken tijdens een feestje.
Wellicht dat ze dit in Japan een gave functie vinden, ik kan me niet voorstellen dat er Nederlanders zijn die deze app ooit gebruiken. Je kan de speaker dus ook eenvoudig in het water onderdompelen om schoon te maken.
We hebben dit uiteraard getest en het voeren van een gesprek ging prima. Via de speaker is het ook mogelijk om Google Assistent op je smartphone te gebruiken.
Hiervoor zal je een echte slimme speaker moeten aanschaffen. De XB32 is iets breder, maar het is nauwelijks een verschil te noemen.
In het design is wel een groot verschil aan te wijzen. Maar mocht je al in het bezit zijn van een XB31, dan is er op dit moment geen reden om de nieuwe XB32 aan te schaffen, daarvoor zijn de verschillen te klein.
bij 10,5 neem je de speaker minder snel mee op vakantie.
Sony SRS-XB43 Review
In addition to its rugged build and big sound, it features built-in LEDs for a fun light show, and adjustable EQ so you can dial in your audio preferences. It also fills a gap between tiny and massive portable models, earning it an Editors’ Choice for outdoor speakers.
The back of the speaker houses a covered compartment with connections for the included power adapter, a wall unit that terminates in USB-C. There’s also a 3.5mm aux input and a USB-A output for charging other devices with the SRS-XB43’s battery. Callahan’s baritone vocals receive some added low-mid richness as well, but benefit from a high-mid and high-frequency presence that keeps things crisp. If there’s a complaint here, it’s that the scooped-out sound signature favors bass and treble over mids, and will not appeal to those looking for an accurate portrayal of the mix—but the EQ can tame the sculpting somewhat. Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, definitely get more bass depth than purists will be looking for, but the overall result is still a balanced, crisp sound with solid low-frequency anchoring.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we understood every word we recorded, and while there was a little bit of Bluetooth distortion around the edges, the mic signal was strong. The SRS-XB43’s excellent waterproof rating and powerful audio output are marks in its favor, and the LED lighting is a fun added bonus.
Sony SRS-XB43 4.0 Editors’ Choice See It $248.00 at Amazon MSRP $249.99 Pros Powerful audio performance with strong bass depth and sculpted highs Bulky The Bottom Line The Sony SRS-XB43 is a bass-forward Bluetooth speaker with an outdoor-friendly design, built-in LED lighting, and lots of power for the price.
Sony SRS-XB23 rood
Net zo groot als een flesje water en daardoor lekker makkelijk op te bergen in je tas als je naar het strand gaat. Hij staat gewoon aan, koppelen met je telefoon gaat snel en eenvoudig. Hij is meerdere keren gevallen maar tot nu toe merk ik geen verschil. Dit zou betekenen dat hij ook mee onder de douche kan!
Sony SRS-XB13 Wireless Speaker Review: Punches Above Its Weight
There are plenty of brands making affordable wireless speakers, but Sony is among the oldest and most established names in the segment. The company’s Bluetooth personal audio products, including its headphones, earphones, and wireless speakers, are among the best you can buy, albeit often at relatively high prices. 3,990, the Sony SRS-XB13 is a compact wireless Bluetooth speaker with IP67 dust and water resistance, and it promises big sound for a device of its size. Most wireless speakers of this size offer a sound that is usually tuned and focused for small spaces – essentially just one or two people sitting near the device itself.
2,499 Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker, the SRS-XB13 comes close in terms of loudness and sound quality, in a much smaller and more convenient form factor. The Sony SRS-XB13 can still easily fill up a small space with clear, precise sound, offering a good combination of bass, treble, and mid-range detail.
Listening to Hot Like Dimes by Pretty Lights with the Sony SRS-XB13 at my work desk, the sound was impressive, clean, detailed, and punchy at moderate to high volumes. The synthesised samples, bass-heavy beat, and electronic highs all sounded distinct and sharp, at a quality level that far exceeds anything else of this size that I’ve heard. Turning the volume up to high levels didn’t cause the XB13 any trouble at all; the sound remained free of distortion while maintaining its balanced and attacking sonic signature and overall cohesiveness.
The Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker (16W) is bigger, louder, and sounds nearly as good at a much lower price, so it might be worth looking at other options as well in this crowded and competitive space.
Sony SRS-XB13 Bluetooth Speaker review
For $39.99 (£39, AU$48), it was an affordable entry point into portable audio with performance that was surprising for its size – but now that torch will now be carried by its successor, the all-new Sony SRS-XB13. It’s slightly more expensive at $59 (around £40, AU$80), however with better sound dispersion, Sony designed the speaker to offer 360-degree audio so that everyone at the party, beach or bonfire can hear the music wherever they sit. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum and it’s worth spending a bit more to get the genuinely great Sony SRS-XB23 from last year instead – it’s typically just $79.99 on sale and the sound quality is significantly better. At the top of the speaker is a grille that guards a standard 1.5-inch driver while on the underside you’ve got a passive radiator for better bass response.
In fact, the design is pretty similar, but the Wonderboom moves the controls to the top and adds both a second driver and a second bass radiator. In an interview with us ahead of launch, Sony told us one of the big focuses for the development team this year was a flatter sound quality, and that definitely feels like the case. Songs that typically have a distinctive left and right channel like Jimi Hendrix’s All Along the Watchtower just sound flat on the SRS-XB13 if you don’t pair two of them together. Sony has improved it, but friends and family we spoke to said that we sounded incredibly distant and hardly audible, despite standing a few feet from the speaker.
In the box you’ll find a USB-C cable for charging, which is nice, and it plugs into the back of the speaker underneath a removable rubber flap. Of course, if you need to crank the volume up higher to fill a larger space, that total battery life might be closer to 12 or 13 hours, but it’s still more than enough for a day outside. Although it’s $60 (around £40, AU$80) at launch, we’re eventually going to see this drop down below $40 – and, at that point, it’s going to be one of the lowest-priced Bluetooth speakers from a name brand company, making it pretty appealing. Having a lower max volume isn’t always a bad thing – in fact, if you have easily upset neighbors, they might actually appreciate you buying the XB13 instead of something that has more power than you’ll actually use.
The low max volume won’t matter to folks who plan on sitting a few feet from the speaker but if this is your primary sound system for outdoor parties you’re probably not going to love it. Admittedly, we love the flatter EQ Sony’s using on the XB13 this year – but, because it’s only using a single driver, the sound quality is confined and not especially clear. The Sony SRS-XB23, the XB13’s bigger brother, hits the sweet spot for price and performance, offering more expansive and refined sound for only slightly more money.
Sony SRS-XB33 review
It might look quite unassuming but the Sony SRS-XB33 Bluetooth speaker packs a punch when it comes to audio performance and is a great addition to any party. It might look quite unassuming but the Sony SRS-XB33 Bluetooth speaker packs a punch when it comes to audio performance and is a great addition to any party. Under that fairly average exterior, this Bluetooth speaker comes with fun LED lighting and, more importantly, plenty of power when it comes to music playback. With surprisingly powerful low frequencies, you might be worried that it sounds a little too bassy at times and, well, you’d be right –but it’s a small issue for a portable speaker that costs $150 / £150 / AU$229 and is already available for less at third-party retailers. While audiophiles may be a little disappointed by the sound, those wanting to create a party atmosphere will adore what the Sony SRS-XB33 has to offer. As a party speaker primarily, the Sony SRS-XB33 lacks the finer features of a more home-focused speaker such as a microphone or voice assistant support, but that doesn’t feel like an issue, because Sony has focused on one core aim for this device – being the highlight of the party. At the top of the speaker are sunken buttons for power, volume, Bluetooth pairing, and Live Sound. The only predictable downside here is that it means that orchestral pieces in particular can feel a little inaccurate at high volumes with trebles and mids not quite having the clarity we’d like.
It’ll take a bit of practice to find what works best for you with the Sony SRS-XB33, but at least there are plenty of ways to adjust its performance. Sounding good while being able to withstand some damage, you certainly won’t have to worry about it struggling to keep up with your soirées.
If you’re looking to buy a Bluetooth speaker, you may be able to save a lot of money over Black Friday – and the deals are already rolling in ahead of the big day. Keep your eyes peeled for models from Ultimate Ears, JBL, and Anker, which are likely to be heavily discounted.
More premium models like the Sonos Move should see some discounts too, but don’t expect enormous drops in price. Rugged to a quite impressive degree for the price, the Sony SRS-XB33 is waterproof (IP67), rustproof, dustproof, saltwater resistant and shockproof up to 1.2m / 3.9ft.
The buttons on the to of the speaker feature slightly recessed plastic symbols that are easy to feel around, although not entirely clear to see in reduced light conditions. They dictate power, volume, Bluetooth pairing, the Live sound mode, and play and pause. The Sony SRS-XB33 boasts a powerful sound, deep punchy bass, and decent clarity, and we can’t fault it too much. It has dual passive radiators and the promise of Sony’s Extra Bass, which means the lowest frequencies are very much where the attention lies. Thanks to that, you don’t have to turn the volume up much to get punchy and bold bass that feels quite exciting depending on your chosen track. It does a fairly good job of maintaining clarity and clearness at higher volumes, which we certainly appreciated – though we’d like to hear a little more detail in the trebles. Bold rich bass means you can’t help but feel thrilled at what comes up next on your playlist, whether it’s The Weeknd’s Blinding Light or an old favorite like David Bowie’s Life on Mars. In our time using it, we found that estimate plummets if you’re playing around extensively with the light show or you turn up the volume. During a party, we’d recommend making sure the speaker is fully charged or ideally plugged in, but it should still suit you reasonably well if you decide to take it hiking for a few days as hopefully, you won’t be scaring off wildlife with high volumes. It lacks any kind of smart speaker functionality, relying on your smartphone to cover that side of things if need be.
Sony SRS-XB13 Bluetooth speaker review: Sonic goodness on your wrist
Of course, there’s only so much you can do with its diminutive dimensions and a single speaker, but Sony seems to have maximized the potential in terms of audio reproduction. This is usually a recipe for a severe lack of bass, as low-frequency waves are far longer than the interior of the speaker. As you can see above, the standard Bluetooth speaker controls are present, as well as a microphone for use during phone calls and with your voice assistant.
The reason I dove into such detail about the button functionality is that the included operation guide seems bent on proving that a picture is not always worth a thousand words.
So, it’s not very sub-wooferish, but the sound from this tiny speaker is as good as you’ll find in the category. The SRS-XB13 can be pair with a second Sony speaker to produce true stereo, but the company didn’t send me a second to test that.
I also managed about 7 to 8 of the 10-meter range offered by the technology in my challenging apartment with its chicken-wire laden walls. As long as you’re aware of the sonic limits of monophonic speakers of this size, then the SRS-XB13 is as good or better than anything similar that’s out there.
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