Portable speakers are dime a dozen. When it comes to picking one though, there are only a few brands that come to mind and Sony is one of them. Over the years, we’ve seen Sony present some cool portable speakers. The only downside has been a slightly higher price. The new SRS-XB10 is no different. It’s a unique portable speaker that Sony is retailing at Rs. 3,300*. Its USP is a longer battery life and a powerful bass. The speaker also comes with a rugged build, designed for outdoors. So do all of these things make the SRS-XB10 a must-have? Let’s find out.
Design & Build
The SRS-XB10 looks like a small mug, without the handle. It’s an intriguing design, but the speaker loses out on its portability. Fitting its roundish design into a pocket is impossible. You need a small bag to carry it around. The only consolation here is the strap attached to the speaker. It allows you to hook the speaker on to places, such as a bicycle handle or even your bag. However, the loop at the end of the strap feels very flimsy. It’s not very reassuring and it feels like it could break.
The soft rubber coating wrapped all around the surface provides a good grip. The downside is that it gets dirty very easily and is difficult to clean. The only thing you can use to get the dust of the speaker is water which is good because the speaker is water resistant. Its IPX5 certified, so you can use the speaker in light rain, but submerging it in water completely is a big no-no.
The upward facing mono speaker has its advantages and disadvantages. The simplest advantage is having the flexibility to place the speaker anywhere in the room. Because of the one directional output of box shaped speakers, you generally have to place them in the corner of the room to get a good sound. With the SRS-XB10, you can place the speaker right in the center of the room.
The bad thing about the design is the placement of the bass reflectors. They are down firing and the heavy bass makes the speaker move when kept on a flat surface. The effect of this is more when playing bass heavy songs at high volumes. When we tested the speaker, it nearly fell off our table once. You can keep the speaker on the rubber loop provided at the end of the strap for more stability.
Overall the speaker is pretty sturdy. The rubber coating around the surface and the metal grill at the top provide a solid feel to the speaker. A thick flap protects the auxiliary port and the USB port at the back. Our test unit was the simple black colour but you can buy it in a range of funky colours including blue, green and red.
Connectivity and battery
The SRS-XB10 comes with Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC connectivity. An auxiliary 3.5mm input is also provided if you want to connect an old MP3 player to the speaker. Like some other portable speakers today, you can also pair two SRS-XB10 speakers together to get a stereo setup going. Besides that, the speaker also comes with a built-in microphone so you can use it for making phone calls.
One of the highlights of the speaker is the battery. Sony claims it can last for almost 16 hours on a single charge which sounds pretty impressive for its size. This makes the SRS-XB10 ideal for long trips. You can charge the speaker using a micro-USB cable, which is also provided in the box.
Performance
It’s hard to ignore the punchy bass the first time you listen to the SRS-XB10. It’s actually quite commendable for a speaker this size. You’d be surprised by how loud it can get even at low volumes. The speaker sounds nicer when playing simpler, lighter songs. The output was well-balanced and reasonably detailed. The problem is when you cranke up the volume.
At higher volumes, the speaker fails to keep the output together. While listening to FKJ’s Skyline, the speaker sounded good. The music was in tone with the vocals and the song sounded clean with the ambient bass line in the background. Once we increased the volume to its maximum, the bass started distorting. The vocals sounded much louder and the finer details got mixed up together.
This is more so with complex sounding tracks with more instruments and elements. We played a few songs from Deftones and didn’t like the output. At higher volumes, the details are lost. The bass guitar could hardly be heard. The only thing that sounded much better were the vocals and guitar riffs.
It’s a little disappointing to see that the speaker doesn’t take full advantage of the heavy bass. That alone limits the speaker to simpler genres like Electronic or Pop. You can still enjoy heavy Dubstep and the Hip-hop but you would have to keep the speaker close to you to get a good sound. At high volumes, it’s the mids that steal the show. For the reason alone, podcasts and YouTube videos sound great on the speaker.
Design and Build
The SRS-XB10’s rounded design is intriguing but makes it lose out on being portable. It’s still tough thanks to the rubber coating and the metal grill at the top. The fact that the speaker is water resistant also makes the SRS-XB10 an ideal speaker for outdoors. The strap comes handy in keeping the speaker from moving above at higher volumes.
Features
With a battery life of almost 16 hours, the Sony SRS-XB10 is better than most portable speakers out there. It even sports Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC for quick pairing. If one isn’t enough, you can also pair two SRS-XB10s together to get stereo sound. The built in-microphone also helps in answering calls when your phone is out of reach.
When it comes to sound, the SRS-XB10 is one of better portable speakers out there. We wouldn’t call it perfect, but its punchy bass and detailed sound make for a good experience. Simple songs at mid volume sound great. However, complex songs can really push the speaker to its limit and beyond. At loud volumes, the speaker distorts a little and loses the balance between highs and lows. Mids are certainly the best part of the XB10’s output. Thanks to that podcast, and video viewing sounds really good on the SRS-XB10.
Verdict
The SRS-XB10 isn’t a perfect speaker. It’s a matter of give and take where the final decision comes down to personal choice. Yes, there are some flaws, but the SRS-XB10 is still a pretty tough contender in its category. Moreover, it also offers unparalleled battery performance and is water resistant. We see no big reason to shy away from the SRS-XB10.
*Price is subject to change
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