Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Sony XB22 wireless portable Bluetooth speaker is an update to the XB21 speaker. It is a surprisingly powerful unit with very nice sound quality and some great bonus features. Compared to the alternatives available it is one of the best values on the market. This year Sony once again upgraded its line of wireless Bluetooth speakers with a family of three new units: XB12, XB22 and XB32. 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. The largest (XB32) is 9.4 inches long, weighs 2 pounds and has two 48 mm speakers. The midsize (XB22) is 8 inches long, weighs 1.2 pounds and has two 42 mm speakers. The smallest (XB12) is 3.6 inches long, weighs 9 ounces pounds and has one 46 mm speaker. The XB32 costs about 1.5 times the XB22 and the XB12 costs about 40% less than the XB31. There are advantages to each but this review will concentrate on the XB22. 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. It is slightly longer and the exterior has a fabric grill surface over the front speaker area. The rest of the exterior has a rubberized surface compared to the all fabric surface of the XB21 with the “Sony” name more prominent. The sides are flatter than the XB21 making vertical placement more stable. It also has a separate control for the “Live” DSP setting. The back has an open grill which seems to improve the performance of the passive radiators and deepens the bass. The sound produced by this speaker is distortion-free and steady at both low and very high volumes. 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. It also has a feature called “Extra Bass” which increases the bass significantly which you can activate if you really want to emphasize the deep tones in your music but I found that the normal setting produced a better overall sound for most music. The Bluetooth connection was effortless and solid from every device I tried (phone, tablet, laptop). It held the connection steady up to about 35 feet from my music source. 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. Another use for the speaker is to create a high quality speaker phone by linking it to your phone – much better sound than using your phone’s tiny speakers for conversations. The built-in microphone was very effective for this purpose. The bottom line on this sturdy, waterproof speaker is that is provides excellent sound quality from a very compact body at a very affordable price. I endorse it without reservation!

Needed a speaker for my solo parties on the patio. Great purchase price! Sound is good and I can here the bass in the songs. Light show is a nice added feature.

The Sony SRS-XB22 is a great little portable speaker. This new model is pill shaped and you can stand it on its end or side. It fits easily in your hand and its light and very portable. The sound is great as well, Sony really knows how to make these things sound a lot bigger than they are. The extra bass feature does make a difference as well. I was a little disappointed that the lights are only one color and on my black model they are white. The party booster feature is included in this model and it allows you to hit different parts of the speaker with your hand and it will make different sounds. You can program what sounds and which areas will make them using the Sony Music Center app. I also have the previous generation of this model of speakers, but they are the bigger siblings, the XB31 and XB41. I was able to link them using the Music Center app and that allows them to all broadcast the same song and you can link up to 100 speakers in total. I found the app to be useful for most things and it was very easy to pair the XB22 speaker using the NFC chip that is built in. Once I had it paired up I was ready to create a Wireless Party Chain. I have had mixed success with this though. My biggest issue was a syncing issue with the music. At first they will all play in perfect sync, but after a few minutes one of the speakers would be a half second behind the others. My only fix was to stop the grouping and re-group them again. This seems to happen quite often so maybe this can be fixed with an update from the app. I have the latest version at the time of testing. Overall, this speaker is a very good and I am very happy with it. IP67 rating also makes this the perfect companion to just about any outdoor adventure and the 12 hour battery life makes sure that you won’t run out of tunes anytime soon.

Sony - SRS-XB22 Portable Bluetooth Speaker packaging is excellent. It came with speaker and charging cable. The design is very unique and well built. Setup is quick and easy. I was able to connect using Bluetooth and NFC options without any issues. It has micro USB port and Stereo mini jack. I was amazed with sound quality and clarity after playing a song from my iPhone. The color changing LED lights are really cool while playing songs. The extra bass is really good as well from this speaker. Battery life is really solid and came around 12 hours. It took around 5 hours to charge fully. I was playing a song with full sound and fill the entire living room with great sound quality. The ability to connect more than 100 speakers is a great feature and it will help to place speakers in each room. I already own SONY SRS-XB31, SRS-XB41 and able to pair with SRS-XB22. The quality is much better and wide in SRS-XB22. Live Sound is an amazing feature to get 3D sound experience. This speaker is dustproof and can be used in beaches and outdoor. It is totally washable and waterproof and can be used in swimming pool. The design is great and speaker can be used horizontally and vertically. I have installed the SONY Music control and it has tons of features to control music. The call quality is great with this Bluetooth speaker. SONY built a very solid Bluetooth speaker with better sound quality with bass. The price is reasonable as well. My kids are using this speaker very regularly due to the color lights and party mode. SONY always make better products in TVs, Cameras and they have entered in audio space with quality products like SRS Series Bluetooth speakers. Well done SONY and it is another outstanding speaker!

This has Good Sound with Bass as it says on box;however, this is my second one now since initial purchase due battery problems Unfortunately. This second One started out Fantastic lasting like near what it supposed to on the box said to 11.5 to 11 hours of run time, but now it barely lasts 9.5 hours tops and this is plugged into the wall for stability. Unsure if bad groups prodduct or what? Totally Unlike Sony..

I've had the Sony SRS-XB22 for about 3 days now. So far, it's been everything that I was hoping it would be. It's very portable and has great sound for it's size. It was easy to pair with my iPhone and I had it up and running in less than 5 minutes. I use Spotify regularly and this speaker was immediately available as an option to play music through the speaker once I set up the bluetooth connection. I charged it fully when I received it and I've played it for 6-7 hours over the past few days without need to recharge. The battery life is still at 50%. So, with a new battery/speaker you can expect a long battery life, I would estimate at least the 12 hours advertised or longer on a full charge. The speaker has light and party modes which can be turned on and off. With the light mode on, the speaker will flash a white LED light along with the bass of the music you are listening to. There is a party mode which will allow you to make drum and other sounds along with the music when you hit the speaker in certain areas. If you are in the mood to party, and like these sorts of things, you will be very happy with this speaker. Personally, I'll probably leave these modes off and just use the speaker to listen to music only, in which case it's still a very solid wireless speaker. You can also pair these with additional speakers for whole house/room/party synced sound. Couple things which I wish were different but are not deal-breakers. It would be nice if the light mode allowed you to just turn on the light and not have it flash along with the music. Also, it can be a bit of a pain to determine how much battery life is left, you either need to undo a flap on the back of the speaker and hit the 'battery' button, or you can download the associated app and check the battery and other setting there. So, overall so far this has been a quality portable speaker for me with great sound for the size. It's durable and it's a nice added bonus that it's water and dust resistant. This will make it a great option to take to the beach or the pool.

The XB22 is a great sounding little speaker that can be surprising loud and still sound good. There is a button that toggles Extra Bass and Live Sound modes. There is also a standard sound mode and a three band equalizer in the Music Center app to further customize the sound. With the cap fastened securely it has a waterproof rating of IPX7 (fresh water, tap water, pool water, salt water) and dustproof rating of IP6X so you are safe at the beach or the pool (IP67). It doesn’t like hot, soapy or jets of water so don’t use it in the hot tub or shower. The circumference is just barely larger than a 12oz can, so it is very easy to hold. It isn’t as long/tall as two cans end to end, maybe 1.5. The small size and weight of just over a pound make it easy to take anywhere. It can stand on end or rest horizontally on four “feet” but don’t rest it on an incline or it might tip over/roll away. The 12-hour battery life keeps the music going and the white Line lights sync to the beat for more fun. Lights can be turned on/off by pressing the BATT button for 3 seconds or using the Music Center app. You can also use the Music Center app to choose between Rave, Chill or Strobe patterns. Bluetooth Standby mode only works when the speaker is plugged into a USB AC adapter or a booted computer. The feature is NOT available when the speaker is powered only by the built-in battery. Auto Standby (auto power off) mode does not work unless you turn off the hands-free function of the connected phone. If you want to use the speaker for both Media audio AND Call audio, it will never go to sleep. (Bluetooth/Auto standby details found in the Sony Help Guide. URL/3D barcode on the box) Wireless Party Chain supports up to 100 Sony wireless speakers, music and lights sync-up. The Speaker Add function lets you combine two of these to have Left and Right speakers. Party Booster isn’t for me, younger people will likely have more fun with this feature. Tapping the front, top, bottom, left and right sides can produce different sounds and flash the line lights. It can be left OFF or set to Drum Kit, Percussion or Custom using the Music Center app. I used custom to set all 5 sounds to cowbell -for those times when you gotta have more. The power up battery level voice can be turned off using the Music Center app. It will still announce the battery level if you press the BATT button. The battery level is also displayed in the Music Center app. Top controls (left to right): - One touch NFC feature. Convenient if you use Android. - Live button with indicator. Toggles Live (light on) and Extra Bass (light off) modes. - Play/Pause/Call/Assistant/Forward/Reverse button. Short press for Play/Pause. Two second press for Call. Three second press for Google/Siri. Two short presses skip track. Three short presses reverse track. - Volume down and Volume up buttons - Bluetooth indicator - Power button with indicator / Pairing button. Indicator green = standard sound mode, white = Extra Bass or Live mode, orange = speaker turns off and set to Bluetooth standby mode. Indicator flashes once each time -/+ volume keys are pressed, three times at lowest (0) or highest setting (50). Rear compartment: - Audio IN 3.5mm stereo mini jack - DC IN 5V micro USB charging port with indicator. On while charging, off when complete. - Reset button (recessed, use paperclip) - Battery level button (quick press) / Line light on/off (hold 3 seconds) - Wireless Party Chain button with indicator, connects up to 100 Sony speakers - Speaker Add button with indicator, turns two units into Left and Right stereo speakers. - It can be difficult to open the cap/cover sometimes. Using fabric, like your t-shirt, over your fingertip prevents your finger from slipping.

Very happy with my purchase, The Sony SRS XB22 is an excellent Bluetooth speaker, the sound is fantastic, I really recommend this Bluetooth speaker.

powerful bluetooth speaker with multiple functions makes a great backyard or living room party come to life. Sony is a household name brand in my home.

Love shopping at best buy monroeville lots of electronic products that are reasonable price the serviceis is always excellent i always appreciated the store layout the date i purchased my sound box was 1/3/2020

This is a really good speaker for traveling or a small get together in the yard.The sound is great, the Bluetooth works great, the build quality is top notch, It's waterproof and it does a pretty cool strobe effect. In my use I got about a weeks worth of use without recharging and didn't have to worry about leaving it outside in the humidity or rain.

Got it on sale, sounds great and looks great, and I can link it to other Sony speakera

Like it’s predecessor the XB22 is the prefect speaker for the pool and definitely the beach. The XB22 is even better for the beach than the previous model since it’s salt water resistant. The sound is clean and powerful for a little speaker. When you need something more than what your phone or tablet can handle, these are perfect travel speakers. The speaker on the XB22 is a little bit bigger than it’s predecessor but I don’t think you’ll be able to tell the difference. Small, lightweight, waterproof, dust proof and now salt water resistant. These really are the prefect speakers for the beach or whenever you’re near water.

Sony is world renowned for it's audio and visual prowess when it comes to its consumer and professional line of products. The XB22 is no exception. :::Setup::: Setting up this device is super simple to setup. Simply download the app turn on NFC and done it paired in 2 seconds. It really doesn't get any easier than that. ::: Application::: The application is basic and there are not many features you can change the type of lighting, you can adjust some sound settings and that is pretty much it. You also have the ability to play music through Google Play Music. Personally I prefer using Jet Audio + it has a lot more features that allow you to fine tune the equalizer to get better sound from the XB22. :::Battery life::: I turned on the feature in the app that plays an audible tone with the amount of battery life the speaker has. It is really helpful to have. I find that I really do not use the lights. It is turned off and so far I have only charged it once since I received it. But I use it three times a day for roughly an hour combined. So far I have used it for more than the advertised twelve hours. I find that to be impressive I suppose turning off the lights really helps with extending the battery life. :::Sound::: The XB22 provides a rich bass and mid sounds but of course this varies with the app that is used because with a good equalizer you can really make this device shine and help it put out some of the best sound it can output. I a using it with my Note 8 & Echo dot. :::Personal thoughts::: The XB22 is great overall I love almost everything about it. The only issue I have had with it is when I am getting or making a phone call the user on the other end always has an issue hearing me and states it sounds as if the call is breaking up. Besides that I really have nothing bad to say I am enjoying my Sony Bluetooth speaker. It really sounds much better than what i had previously owned.

This speaker combines Sony's consistently excellent sound quality in a small and portable speaker that is the perfect size to take on the go. Pros: - Battery life is excellent. Even with heavy use you will not have to charge it often. - Great price for a quality product - The smaller size makes it nice and portable without sacrificing sound quality Cons: - It won't fill a large area with sound, but it is designed more for small rooms or intimate outdoor locations. If you are looking for a speaker to take on the go or provide audio in a kitchen or bedroom, this is a great option to consider.

For the past three years Sony has made this style of SRS-XB series speakers and each year they make slight changes. This year the XB22 has the texture style of the the XB20 but the shape of the XB21. This is good so that you can stand it on end and gives it a sleek style. However, the smooth surface shows those oily finger marks much easier than the full grill like version of the XB21. However, they can easily be cleaned. Sound quality is still pretty surprising for the size of it and the Live effect really does give it a surround effect, so long as it is directly in front of you. Otherwise it just sounds like the highs are just increased. With it’s IP67 rating and rigid build style you can do pretty much anything while playing music without worry. However, with their design they expect you to either sit it down, or hold it in your hand. While outside, it would have been great to clip it on my belt with a lanyard loop like they have on the XB12. It is small and light enough to carry around, but would have to be put in a pocket or carried in hand if you want to travel while playing. With the whole concept of the party chain, which I really would love to see 100 speakers playing in person, I can’t image everyone willing to occupy one hand with something bigger than your average beverage bottle. Other party features include the Party Booster where you can smack the back two times, or use the app, to enable 5 sound effects when a side is hit. The effects can be fun to add your own mix to the song, but they have 2 volume levels depending on the intensity of the slap which ranges from unnoticeable unless really low volume, to overwhelming the song. With each hit the lights also pulse a unique pattern to the sound. The lights can be set to pulse with the music in three modes, Rave, Chill and Strobe through the app with slight variations on how rapid the two LED lights flash. It looks like they intended for the light to reach the sides with the translucent material, but with only two lights in the middle, it missed the opportunity. Overall it is still a great speaker that is small enough to put in a bag and enjoy pretty much anywhere for around 10 hours of use. I was just hoping for more improvements over the previous models than just visual appearance.

Still going strong after a year and a half. It's a smaller speaker, close to the size of a can of pringles but not as tall. The quality is good, bass is decent, gets loud enough to fill up a small room. Has a rubberized exterior that makes it good to use in a bathroom or other area where it could be slightly exposed to slight levels of humidity. The strobe light type effect is a nice addition. Looks like this has been discontinued in favor of the SRS-XB23 which I have not used or listened to. Compared to other speakers in this price range I've used this is top notch and offers a lot more bass. Prior to this I owned two pairs of 808 Hex SL speakers. The glue came undone on one and the other wouldn't charge after it vibrated itself off the floor. Worth paying a little more for a quality speaker.

I purchased this speaker for my bathroom. I hate sitting in the tub or lathering my hair in the shower to silence or worse commercials! I wanted something small and wireless that I could connect my phone to via Bluetooth since it has plenty of downloaded songs. Sound quality is decent, easy to pair, also comes with an AUX input in case you want to connect something wired like my iPod Nano! Its water resistant and not bulky. I recharge it every 5 days or so to ensure it doesn't power off mid shower! Definitely recommend.

I've had quite a few bluetooth speakers and this one has got to be my favorite so far. Sony really put some thought into the design of this. To start off it has a IP67 rating.I didn't know what that meant as so upon looking it up I found it stands for Ingress Protection. The first number stands for solids protection rating. In this case Sony's is a 6 (Dust Tight No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact.) which is the best meaning it's even dust proof. Unlike some speakers I've had that have speaker grills, if you take them to the beach or lake the sand can get in between that and down on the surface of the speakers themselves. This speaker has a mesh protection keeping this from happening completely protecting the speakers. The second number 7 stands for the liquids protection (rating. 7 Immersion up to 1m or 3 feet Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion). IT is a tubular shape but it has little protruding bumps which act as feet on the bottom keeping it from rolling around. I love the lighting effects. You can turn them on and off from the back of the speaker but I highly recommend downloading the Sony Music Center app that gives you a lot more control as well as a few different effects dealing with the lights and allows you to adjust the equalizer settings. It has a preset setting but you can use the app to adjust to your personal preference. It has a party booster mode which is pretty fun by tapping the different ends or sides the speaker will make a different drum sound (ex:scratch, snare, kick drum and cowbell.) My baby brother loved this mode haha Last but not least it has Wireless party chain mode where you can pair.. get this..up to 100 other Sony Bluetooth speakers and the have lights they will sync up with the XB22. I don't know how you'd find 99 other people with these all in one place to use this but it will pair up to my two bigger Sony products with strobes. IT boasts about Extra BASS. I remember when Sony's " MEGA BASS" products started coming out.. walkmans, tportable tapes and cd players with the mega bass setting as well as ear buds. Noticeable extra bass!! This is clear and sounds great but playing rap or hip hop with deep bass you really don't get the deep bass sound. But I haven't had any of the smaller speakers this size be able to duplicate that sound Over all I love the speaker and would highly recommend it to others

The SONY XB22 is a lot of sound technology squeezed into a soda-bottle sized, attractive, and rugged case. (8” x 3” x 2.75”, 1.25 lb). This powerful speaker in its rounded blue, gray, or black package is designed to provide a mobile party. The sound is always a surprise because it can provide immensely satisfying volume from a convenient package. And you can add EXTRA BASS. It is fully adjustable for more or less bass or treble or both using the 3-band Equalizer in the Music Center APP. Sony has figured out how to make sound seem to come out of everywhere using LIVE MODE. The SONY XB-22 is a definite must listen if you’re considering other speakers. This speaker has still more function hidden inside. It has bluetooth connectivity, a lengthy play time (suggested 12hrs), can be “chained” to other SONY speakers in the same product family . . . and it includes a Light Show configurable for 3 settings and OFF. It’s waterproof (IP67)and dustproof. There is a Stereo Mini Jack (IN). And it has PARTY BOOSTER. SETUP: Out of the box and connected to my iPhone I was playing music in a few minutes. Bluetooth connection is a snap. I downloaded the App — which is not required — because I wanted to check out the light modes (plus OFF). While I was in the App, I played with the 3 band equalizer. Although it isn’t required, the APP adds a full set of controls and adjustments. And then . . . Do you like to show off your DJ skills? Or, are you just moved by the rhythm to contribute some scratch, snare, kick drum or cowbell to the mix. The PARTY BOOSTER APP lets you assign EVERY surface of your SONY XB22 to one of more than a dozen sound effects. Just using your hand and hit the surface of the speaker, top, bottom, sides, and you’re adding the assigned sound. The harder you hit, the louder the effect. It’s totally outrageous. And, fun. SUMMARY: This is a lot of fun. There are so many ways to use this SONY XB-22 and the size makes it all so easy to bring anywhere you are. Highest recommendation.