The pursuit for Bluetooth speaker starts on the lower price brackets and while there are plenty of models available, few brands strike confidence in our minds as Sony. After all, they have a tradition of building high-fidelity audio-video solutions spanning decades. Sony’s new SRS-XB series of speakers offer the best bang for your buck, in the form of the XB23, XB33 and XB43. They are this passing year’s series of Bluetooth speakers.
Sony SRS-XB23
The Sony SRS-XB23 is among the affordable Bluetooth speakers, priced at Rs. 7,990*. It’s designed like a cylinder that can be placed on its side or vertically. It is the kind of speaker you can take with you anywhere you go. The speakers have two passive radiators that help it generate the kind of bass needed for most popular genres of music to sound good. It should be noted, all of these Sony Bluetooth speakers are designed for performance first. The SRS-XB23 weighs about 580g, a little over a kilogram so it’s slightly heavy but it’s got a construction that is designed to be dust and water proof. The Sony SRS-XB23 is an all-new speaker, so you can expect a Type-C USB port in place of the traditional microUSB one. It makes plugging in just that bit simpler. The battery onboard is also massive, so it’ll play music for 12 hours non-stop, or 10 hours, if you turn on the Extra Bass mode. This mode is ideal for more electronica music where you want the bass to be at the forefront of the sound.
Sony uses something called X-Balanced Sound, which doesn’t use circular cones like most traditional speakers. Sony claims this updated design helps reduce distortion and improves sound quality, and bass. It also helps increase the surface area of the speaker cone. It’s perfect for all kinds of content, listening to music, podcasts, watching movies on your laptop. Don’t forget, the SRS-XB23 comes with a microphone so you can use it for taking conference calls with your colleagues and family.
Sony SRS-XB33
The Sony SRS-XB33 is for the serious music enthusiast. It’s differently shaped than the XB23, with some flattened surfaces. It’s better kept sideways. Like the XB23, it’s IP67-certified, allowing it to be waterproof and even resistant to salty water, so it’s OK if you’re near the pool or the sea. You won’t end up with a busted speaker if you splash some water on it. You could very well wash it too, if you’d like.
The battery performance on the XB33 is even better than the XB23. If you thought 12 hours of battery life on a speaker was a lot, think again. The XB33 has a mind-boggling 24-hour battery life, with 14 hours with the Extra Bass mode turned on. Not only is there a Type-C USB port, there is also a Type-A port so you can charge other devices such as smartphones, earphones. The speaker doubles as a battery pack.
Sony’s X-Balanced speaker setup makes an appearance here as well, lacking the traditional circular cone setup. There are other enhancements to the sound such as the Live Sound feature that lets you create a virtual surround simulation. It makes the audio sound more immersive which can be fun for some kinds of music but more definitely, for movies and games.
The SRS-XB33 is a party speaker in every sense. It lets you pair up to 100 compatible speakers together to create a large, party speaker. Imagine hosting a beach party with several of these speakers together. It’s not just the sound that syncs across to other connected speakers, it’s also the light effects. The XB33 has lights that dance to the music but if you like, you can even control them using motion gestures on your smartphone. You will need to install the free app called Fiestable app from your phone’s app store though. The app lets you change the colours, and the pattern of the animations. Pairing can be done using Bluetooth, but also NFC. It enables the easy way of pairing devices, by simply touching the phone to the speaker.
Sony SRS-XB43
The Sony SRS-XB43 is the supreme portable Bluetooth speaker. It might have the same battery life as the SRS-XB33 but it pays better attention audio quality. It uses the X-Balanced speaker setup but using rectangular-shaped setup with oval-shaped speaker cones. In addition to those drivers, there are also tweeters that help with better detail in voices and finer sounds. This is particularly useful when you’re watching TV shows and movies. The speaker has a total power output of 15W which is a lot for a portable speaker that you can carry around with you. All the other features that we’ve seen in the other speakers are also available. It can be used to charge other speakers, smartphones and earphones like a battery pack.
The new SRS-XB23, XB33 and XB43 are some of the best Bluetooth, portable speakers around. They could placed on your desk at home, or next to your bedside, or in your kitchen. You could also carry them anywhere you want, for picnics and parties. They are built to last, and they sound extraordinary. We consume a lot of audio, in the form of music and podcasts, and these make the ideal companions for our PCs, laptops, phones, tablets, maybe even our TVs.
Most of these Bluetooth speakers will last years and why would you compromise on audio quality now? One of these speakers will likely to be your company through long drives, picnics, while going to bed or just relaxing. You can choose from one of the XB23, XB33, and the XB43 today in a wide range of colours, at your nearest Reliance Digital store, or at RelianceDigital.in. If you order now, you can have your favourite speaker home delivered to your doorstep in no time at all.
