I love good quality audio and was a little leery of purchasing a bluetooth speaker as I figured I would have to go for low quality to meet my price needs or that I would spend a small fortune on something I would only use for 45 minutes a day in order to get decent quality. I have several thousand dollars in headphones and have spent thousands for surround sound speakers, plus the amps to run them all to specs. What should this mean to you? Nothing, there is so much snobbery in the audiophile world that you really should take everything with a grain of salt... or pile... yes... pile of salt.
I bought all the JBL models, sent them back. I bought a bunch of the Anker models and I sent them back. I finally went for this Sony model and have no reason to go elsewhere. I paid $73 for it, which was very affordable for me.
I will say this. I use this speaker outside while I jump rope every day. This review is largely based on that, as I have good sound equipment inside the house. The bass boost was very necessary for me since I wanted to hear the bass thump (helps keep my rhythm while jumping rope) and living on a farm with a lot of potential wind blowing across the farm field and/or farm equipment noise can drown out the music quickly.
The loudness of this speaker is great. It is able to compete with the wind under 10 mph (kind or hard to jump rope at higher winds anyhow). This speaker needs the bass boost for outside venues, or the "thump" will get drowned out quickly. For those of you who are less versed in how bass works, bass thumps when there is a good seal or containment of the soundwaves. For a headphone to have better bass, all you have to do is get earpads that seal the phones to your ear. This is why Beats have too much bass, the seal to the ears doesn't leak the soundwaves out. The fact that it still has bass outside, while not distorting the mids and highs much is a testimony to the engineering.
Yes there are snobs in these reviews who claim that you shouldn't like or want "boosted" bass... whatever... you like what you like. I hate boosted bass on my headphones because I have good amps and good headphones that will amplify that distortion and make it sound worse. I don't get that from this speaker. It doesn't sound distorted to me.
I did need to use the EQ from the Sony app to get it to sound the way I wanted. I think out of the box it was a little average sounding, but once I balanced some of it out, it really shines.
I went for the blue model which sells for a lot less than the other colors. I am about to buy a second pair to get some stereo sound for those days I have too much ambient sound for the speakers to compete with.
Edit: June 2018... I bought a second speaker... this thing is amazing in stereo sound. I bring them both everywhere outside when I'm working in the garden too. It does such a great job with outdoor venues. Indoor, it's great as well, though it barely needs volume with two of them. Outside, you will lose sound quality once you get past 10 yards or so. Just to put it in perspective.
This product is available as Renewed.
Sony SRSXB30/BLK XB30 Portable Wireless Speaker with Bluetooth, Black (Certified Refurbished) $299.00 & FREE Shipping
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Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
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Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
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 | Sony SRS-XE200 X-Series Wireless Ultra Portable-Bluetooth-Speaker, IP67 Waterproof, Dustproof and Shockproof with 16 Hour Battery and Easy to Carry Strap, Black- New | Bluetooth Speaker, DOSS SoundBox Pro+ Wireless Pairing Speaker with 24W Stereo Sound, Punchy Bass, IPX6 Waterproof, 15Hrs Playtime, Multi-Colors Lights, for Home,Outdoor-Black | Sony SRSXB13/B Extra Bass Portable Waterproof Speaker with Bluetooth, USB Type-C, 16 Hours Battery Life | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Rating | (576) | (685) | (6812) | (19885) |
| Price | From $498.00 | $128.00 | $59.99 | $58.00 |
| Sold By | Available from these sellers | DataVision Computer Video | Wonders Tech | Amazon.com |
| Connectivity Technology | Bluetooth, USB, NFC | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth, USB |
| Item Dimensions | 10.5 x 4.6 x 6.8 inches | 3.7 x 3.54 x 8.19 inches | 0.39 x 0.39 x 0.39 inches | 3.43 x 3.43 x 4.41 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.86 lbs | 1.00 lbs | 1.41 lbs | 0.56 lbs |
| Power Source | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered |
Reviews with images
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The sound definition in stereo mode is better, and also being spread out more than the ...
First off, if you are considering between the XB30 or the more powerful XB40, I highly suggest going with two XB30s (same price as XB40). The sound definition in stereo mode is better, and also being spread out more than the single source of sound, it makes up for lack of volume you would otherwise get from the XB40.Treble frequencies dip a little at 5khz and start to drop off above 10khz. Extra Bass enhances the low end frequencies well, but may be too strong at close range (3ft) at lower volumes. In other words, they are not crystal clear or crisp, but by no means muddy. For BT speakers these speakers sound excellent.The speaker will last 15-17 hrs at 75% volume (lights off).For a good speaker, I feel they lack some functionality. Battery indication is only present by holding down the button and voice announces battery level, or, in the Sony Music Center app.No power indication lights on unit, or even the BT icon in staus bar. The indication is also only in approximated increments of 25%.Also, No Micro USB to charge the unit, instead charges with a proprietary A/C pin power adapter (inconvenient).The Sony Media Center app that is compatible to control the XB30 is also a bit laggy or glitchy and takes a bit of effort to use. But works for the basic function.Overall really happy with the purchase, and highly reccomend buying two for stereo playback if you are an audiophile.
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Top reviews from other countries
Martín Amaro
Excelente opción de compra
Reviewed in Mexico on July 29, 2018Color: BlueVerified Purchase
Martín Amaro
Reviewed in Mexico on July 29, 2018
Compré la bocina de importación y me llegó en aproximadamente 4 días en un buen empaque
En cuanto a la bocina está esamblada de un material que si bien evita que se resbale se ensucia rápidamente, pero es resistente y se limpia fácil
El sonido de la bocina es excelente tiene un buen balance y se escucha una separación estéreo, los graves es en donde en el modo Xtra bass alcanza a distorsionar en el volumen máximo , pero con la app música center se puede ecualizar o con el ecualizador interno de la fuente se puede cambiar,fuera de eso los graves son buenos , los agudos se escuchan bien no tiende a mezclar los sonidos.
Depende de la fuente el audio es distinto, la probé un una fuente de salida en códec sbc 44khz,16bits y aac 96,32bits y se alcanza a escucha una diferencia en el sonido.
Los efectos de luz son buenos y se pueden configurar por medio de la aplicación de música Center.
La duración de la batería es buena en volumen máximo alcanzo las 5 horas y 45 minutos aproximadamente y a un nivel medio alcanzo las casi 21 horas, depende de la fuente de audio, el volumen y los efectos de luz
Lo único malo que le veo es que no tiene radio y no se puede reproducir música por USB .
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DS1979
Great speaker, you can't go wrong.
Reviewed in Canada on May 10, 2018Color: BlackVerified Purchase
David Mutrux
Awesome speaker all in all
Reviewed in Canada on March 29, 2018Color: BlackVerified Purchase
