Whether you’re planning the perfect beach afternoon, or a picnic with friends in some local greenery, there’s one accessory that you’ll need for the ultimate day, and that’s a Bluetooth speaker. The Sony portable Bluetooth speaker range is packed full of products designed to give you compact transportability combined with sensational sound quality at a great price. This compact and high-performance speaker delivers a decent quality of sound for its size, and it comes with fun LED bands that light up to give you a festival-style experience on the move. Like many leaders in the Bluetooth speaker world today, Sony is keen to prove to its audience that it can still deliver sensational performance in an itty bitty package.
Available in a range of colours, including eye-catching red, green, blue, and grey, this Sony Bluetooth speaker shows off your sense of style while delivering your playlist at incredible volume. What’s more, like some of the other Sony wireless speaker choices on the market, it comes with an IP67 rating, which means that it can be fully submerged in water for up to a meter without taking damage.
The rubberized feet on the button of the speaker help it to sit comfortably on tabletops, or you can just leave it lying in the sand if you prefer. Similar to options like the Sony SRS-XB12, this product also comes with a plus button that you can use to combine multiple speakers for stereo surround sound. At the back of the device, there’s a grille to support efficient air movement, and a snap-shut lid for micro USB charging, and your 3.5mm aux input. This Sony attempts to provide a high-quality speaker with extra functionality built-in, without forcing customers to spend a fortune. The device comes with access to various sound effects, ideal for creating your own party on the go, and there’s built-in LED lighting delivered through a strip that’s embedded around the speaker grille. Behind that grille, dual 1.65-inch drivers are responsible for offering a fantastic level of sound, supported by a passive bass radiator.
What’s more, the device has undergone extensive testing and shock durability examination to ensure that it can withstand little bits of damage too. While the free app for the Sony SRS-XB22 isn’t brilliant, it’s easy enough to use, with plenty of adjustable EQ technology built-in.
Sony SRS-XB22 Review
Its IP67 rating means it’s fully dustproof and waterproof—it can be submerged up to a meter, so it can definitely withstand poolside splashes or being used in the shower. And behind the grille, dual 1.65-inch drivers deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz, aided by a central passive bass radiator.
The free Sony Music app for Android and iOS isn’t terribly graceful, but it’s easy enough to use and the adjustable EQ is a strong feature that allows you to dial in your preferred level of bass depth and high frequency presence, within the limitations of the drivers. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the SRS-XB22 delivers decent bass depth at moderate volumes.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the SRS-XB22’s general sound signature. Callahan’s baritone vocals get a pleasant low-mid richness through the SRS-XB22, but mostly, this is a crisp, bright, clear sound signature.
The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are more implied than delivered, but they still pack a decent punch for a speaker this size, particularly with the Live mode enabled. Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound bright and clear through the SRS-XB22.
When you add in the LED lights and the IP67 rating, it’s not hard to imagine that much of the budget went into the physical build of the SRS-XB22, with perhaps a little less focus on audio than usual.
When it comes to portable speakers, we’re fans of the Anker Soundcore Flare, the JBL Charge 4, and the pricier Sony SRS-XB32. There’s nothing glaringly wrong with the Sony SRS-XB22, but if truly solid audio is your goal, there are more compelling options if you can spend just a little bit more. The Bottom Line The travel-friendly Sony SRS-XB22 speaker gets plenty right, but its waterproof build is ultimately more impressive than its audio performance.
The Best Speaker For The Price?
It’s almost like you can feel the high quality durability when you pick it up with it weighing 2 pounds. I was disappointed that they didn’t have lights across the entire speaker like the Sony SRS XB41. It also floats which is amazing because you wont have to worry about losing the speaker under water.
Sony SRS-XB22 Review Portable Bluetooth Speaker
The sound is decent for the speaker’s size, and the LED bands that encircle the drivers bring even more fun to the party. Sony SRS-XB22 has an ergonomic shape, fits well in hand, and can stand horizontally and vertically, so there is always room for the speaker. Next to it is the connection panel, covered with a snap-shut lid, housing the micro USB and a 3.5 mm aux. The Add button is for adding a second speaker and assigning right/left channels to make a stereo pair.
The batt button displays battery life (it gives verbal response), but it also serves as an on/off switch for the LED. The free Sony Music app for iOS and Android is easy to use and has adjustable EQ so that you can dial in the preferred bass levels and the high-frequency presence. Sony SRS-XB22 is completely capable of filling up small rooms or medium-sized open areas with sound. The bass has decent depth at moderate volumes, but the speaker starts to distort and rattle slightly when maxed out on tracks with powerful sub-bass content.
Usually, small portable speakers don’t offer any sound stage, which is not the case with Sony SRS-XB22. Sony’s live feature allows the SRS series to be able to project a greater surround angle (about 270 degrees), which helps so you don’t have to turn the speaker towards you when you move around. But if you need an affordable Bluetooth speaker for personal entertainment, take it with you when hiking or picnics, then Sony SRS-XB22 is a great choice.
Customer Reviews: Sony SRS-XB22 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Blue SRSXB22/L
These have some similar features (Extra Bass, Live Sound mode, water and dust proof case, inter-speaker connectivity, lighting effects) but differ in speaker size, battery life and price. After extensive testing of the Sony XB22 speaker in a wide variety of applications my conclusion is that this very compact unit has a superb combination of features, power and sound quality which surpass the vast majority of its competitors in its price range. First, consider that the Sony XB22 is packed with a great set of features and specifications: • It is very compact, 8” wide, 2.9” tall and 2.7” deep • Weight: 1pound, 3 ounces and feels very solidly built • Shock-resistant: Survives 4 foot drop test • IP67 rating: Water proof in up to 3 feet of fresh or salt water for 30 minutes • Dust proof and easy to clean • Two 42 mm (1.7 inch) Mica Reinforced Cellular speakers plus two passive radiators • Amplifier provides 4 watts of power for each speaker (at 4 ohms) • Frequency range: 300 Hz to 15,000 Hz • Total Harmonic Distortion of just 1% • Sensitive microphone for use as speaker phone • Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity with 33 foot range • NFC for easy connections • Mini jack (3.5 mm) input (to connect other sources) • Power supply: lithium ion battery, micro USB recharge cable included, full charge time 4 hours • Battery life up to 12 hours (6 hours at maximum volume level) • Lighting effects can be turned off entirely to extend battery life • Sony Music Center app may be used to control most speaker functions • One year parts and labor warranty The XB22 differs in a few respects from last year’s XB21.
The twin speakers are slightly angled toward each other to increase the stereo effect and it has a DSP for a “3D Live Sound Mode.” The XB22 has considerable bass due to the passive radiators employed.
One nice bonus feature is the ability to connect a chain of up to 100 Sony speakers which can extend your music throughout a large home or provide multiple sound sources in the same room.
SRS-XB22 Reviews & Ratings
Bluetooth performance is good, connection is stable with my phone and pairing is easy with NFC.
Sony SRS-XB22 Review – Does This Sound Good?
You can access the Adjustable Audio Equalizer, a feature which allows you to zero in on your preferred high frequency and bass depth. You can also tweak the LED lights and dial in your chosen bass settings. Standing at 3 feet away from the speaker the person on the other side will hear you with a bit of an echo.
There is a thin LED strip which runs through the front grille of the speaker and is in sync with the music.
There is a playback button which also doubles as track forward/backwards and calls answer/end depending on the number of times you tap it. The plus/minus ( +/-) is for volume and power and pairing and a Live button that operates as the control for the Extra Bass mode.
At the back is a mesh for air movement and a connections panel covered by a snap-shut lid. It houses connections for a 3.5mm aux input and a Micro USB Charging cord. The Add button is for adding another speaker and designating it to left/right channels when making a stereo pair.
The WPC (Wireless Party Chain) is for connecting multiple speakers to a sound source. The Batt is for showing battery life and control of the LED light, that is on and off. In the event that your speaker falls into a pool or off the boat, you can easily retrieve it as it floats.
The SRS-XB22 Bluetooth speaker has a battery life of 12 hours on a full charge with the LED and Extra Bass off. It offers a Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connection which is known to not sap battery life.
Played at mid volumes, this speaker can last longer than 12 hours with battery life to spare. As an existing owner of a Sony XB portable speaker, you can pair your old device with this piece and it will work just fine.
This means you can increase the sound in a room by pairing your speaker with other Sony XB owners. The production material is durable, doesn’t leave any scruffs when dropped and looks like it can’t hold off water. It also allows you to tune the EQ and determine what depth of bass you want on your track all within the limits of the drivers. If you need an affordable Bluetooth speaker for your personal entertainment, the SRS-XB22 is a great choice. It has a decent sound for the price and the Live mode opens up a larger stereo area.
If you enjoy hiking or picnicking, this speaker will sure add some colors, pun intended to your experience.
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