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-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.
SRS-XB33 Reviews & Ratings
First Impressions: After removing it from the stylish packaging and reading through all the simple to understand and straightforward user guides – taking a closer look at it while charging the battery, my first impressions of its design, manufacture and workmanship was that it looks and feels Sleek, Durable, Compact & Modern and that it speaks of Quality. I think it is a brilliant idea to design this speaker with the added functionality of serving as a power source enabling Smartphone charging by means of a secondary USB Port. The ports are located in an easily accessible compartment in the back panel tightly covered by a rubber lid. Not only was I able to make this speaker part of my daily life by enjoying my music while exercising and training indoors & outside in the garden; shaving, bathing & taking showers in the bathroom; cooking and cleaning in the kitchen; doing chores in the house; washing my car and working in the garage; doing various bits of garden work and relaxing outdoors around the BBQ, but it is all still on the same initial charge!
Yes, of course I do take care of it according to the guidelines in the user guide and by applying common sense but it is good to know that this speaker was designed as being Waterproof, Dust Proof and Shockproof covering all the possible risks in the areas where I have used it to date. I can also see the benefit of connecting this speaker to my two other huge Sony EXTRA BASS Party Speakers and leave it in another room (let’s say the kitchen or toilet) enabling guests to still feel part of the party while getting food, a drink or freshening up…
This mode adds a magical three dimensional sound effect quality to music which fills the room. The lighting patterns and colours can also be adjusted or customised using either of the Sony Music Center or Fiestable apps. -Music Center app: After a quick and simple download and installation to your Smartphone this Sony app enables you to control the speaker unit functions remotely including accessing playlists, songs, lighting patterns and sound modes.
At the time the music playback is seamlessly and automatically paused and the audio of either the call or the voice note enabled. After two week this wireless speaker unit has become so entwined with my daily life that I would not be able to live without it or in other words if it was taken away I would definitely miss it!
Sony XB Bluetooth speakers: should you buy one?
Whatever your Bluetooth portable listening desires, Sony aims to have them covered within its Extra Bass speaker range. Here’s a list of the Sony XB key players, what they can (and can’t) offer, where to find the best deals and, ultimately, advice on whether you should actually buy one.
The XB01 and cute sibling, the XB12 (pictured) represent the smallest and most cheerfully budget-conscious of Sony’s Extra Bass Series. The larger versions (XB32/XB33 and XB41/XB43) of Sony’s funky XB speakers feature Live Sound, a sonic presentation supposedly suited to outdoor gatherings.
The XB22, XB32 and first-gen. XB41 are slightly older versions of the Sony’s newest lineup, the XB23, XB33 and XB43 – which now feature an IP67 rating, so they should perform no matter how dusty or drenched the surface. Sony claims the unit’s non-circular shape maximises the area of the speaker diaphragm, increasing sound pressure for more punchy bass. The XB32/XB33 and XB41/XB43 models also have light-up panels that you can customise in terms of colour and, er, flashiness, via the free Sony Fiestable iOS/Android app. The XB23 (above), the smallest of the new party-happy trio, is small enough to fit in the bottle-holder of your bike or the cup-holder of your camping chair, so if pedaling your own mini festival around town is your bag, the XB23 could be the one.
The XB23 is fully waterproof, dustproof and, while it can be beaten for battery life at just 12-hours, it promises loudness and EQ functions via the Sony app for competitive money.
Sony recommends a £100/$100 price-point, but thanks to this, its older sibling (the XB22) can be found a fair bit cheaper across several online retail sites. The Sony XB402M has that same light-up panel design, an outdoor boost party-friendly function and, this time, Spotify Connect embedded as well as Alexa. But with both wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, you’ll probably be able to bring Alexa out to the patio, get her to take care of the playlist and even complain to her when it starts to rain, if you like.
We’ve yet to get the range in to thoroughly test that extra bass claim (an especially bold assertion considering one is the size of a stubby Coke can), but the app’s EQ functions plus the various light shows represent great value for money in a speaker – if you like that kind of thing. If you’d sleep better at night knowing you definitely had one of the best sounds for your pound, though, and aren’t set on flashy (literally) features, you may want to play it safe and consider one of our tried-and-tested, five-star Bluetooth speakers.
The larger Ultimate Ears Megablast expands on its sibling’s fun and energetic sound and boasts Alexa voice control. For those with slightly heartier budgets (and an inclination towards everything retro), we’d also heartily recommend JBL’s boombox-like Xtreme 2, which is tough and rugged and has fun and excitement written all over it.
Sony SRS-XB33 review
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.
Customer Reviews: Sony EXTRA BASS Compact Portable Bluetooth Speaker Black SRSXB13/B
PROS: Excellent build quality, aesthetics, portable design, controls, battery life, multiway strap, and audio is crisp and clear for multimedia watching as you can easily hear what people are saying even at 2x speed. CONS: Despite the marketing boasting about EXTRA BASS it is very poor. Sound quality for music is solid but can come across slightly tinny. Voices are forefront, then instruments, and I would say that mids are the most pronounced followed closely by highs and bass being about equal.
Mids and highs sound great and comes across as quite accurate with good texture and depth. I noticed a very mild amount of bloat but no congestion, muddiness, or brightness.
All sounds were very crisp, but especially spoken content which again makes it great for vocal centric songs and multimedia. For the most part sounds were natural but slightly processed, especially instruments. When you first power it on, by just tapping the power button, the LED light above the power button will turn green, and then it will automatically go into pairing mode denoted by flashing blue LED’s over the Bluetooth button. Then you just go into your Bluetooth settings and select the XB13 and it will give a small chime telling you you’re connected. If you power, it on after it is connected to a device you will see the power LED illuminate, the bluetooth button will flash, and then you will hear a chime when it is connected. If you quick press it will go into pairing mode denoted by flashing blue LED’s.
It creates a good seal and has a rubber string, so it should be breaking easily. All I know is that my Sony SRS-SB43 can connect to the Sony App which gives you greater customizability and adjustable EQ but costs like a lot more and just figured with this being the SRS-SB13 that it would also work the same?
The only “issue” and I use that term lightly here is that sometimes there is some mild delay between pressing a button it and fully registering on my phone. I can’t think of anything they could add to make it better outside of an adjustable EQ since people go crazy for those things.
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.
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-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.
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