Customer Ratings & Reviews

The sound on this speaker is really great. I think this is a combination of the angled speakers and the extra bass (which you can disable if you don’t like). You can also group this with other Sony speakers. I really like the size of the device. It is smaller than the SRS-XB31, which makes it a little more portable. The waterproofing feature is nice to have, and the material covering the speaker is more like fabric which feels more premium. Setup was simple (pairing with bluetooth and NFC) and you can also use the Sony Music Center app to change sound and light settings. I turned off the light, it is rather distracting to me, but I can see how some might like it. The Party Booster feature is an interesting novelty. You can tap the speaker in different places to make pressure sensitive percussion sounds. This is toggled on and off by holding volume up and down for a few seconds, or you can use the app.

I bought this 2 years ago and the overall sound quality is great. The battery life on it however is horrible. After just 1 year, the battery wouldn’t hold a charge regardless of whether I left it charged overnight. I guess that’s why they have a 1 year warranty period on it as Sony must be aware of this issue just after the year mark. I called Sony and they guided me through a diagnostic which unfortunately didn’t fix the issue.

This is a great little Bluetooth speaker that Sony has added to its spring line up of XB31 and XB41. The speaker has a single line light that matches beautifully with its turquoise-blue décor. I have paired the speaker with my cell phone as I did with the XB41 as well. The speaker does a good job of giving quality sound while on phone calls. It can also be used for outdoor activities as well as indoor activities. The size which makes it portable and easy to carry around will benefit much usefulness. I am glad Sony has included this speaker which offers consumers a variety of choices based on needs. Also, the pricing is affordable, yet the features are solid. Great job Sony!

Didn’t like the lights but it’s a nice speaker. I didn’t like the battery life or the fact you don’t get some type of ac adapter just a small micro usb.

This is a good little speaker. The sound is good, it connects easily and at one pound, it is very portable. I also have the "31" and there isn't a lot of difference in them. So far, all I've been able to see is that this one is lighter, which is a plus, but it only has a 12 hour battery life as opposed to the 24 for the "31". The "31" also lets you charge your phone off the battery which this one doesn't. This is also water resistant so it is a good option to take to the beach without worrying about it getting wet. Given the weight, it's a good choice for going hiking and it fits easily into the side of my backpack in one of the water holders. This will also connect with other Sony portable speakers so you can make your own "surround sound" if you'd like. The sound is good no matter the volume. I'm very satisfied with this speaker.

The battery doesn’t last as long as it says, and when it has about 25% battery left the volume drops down to a whisper. When you have the right amount of charge it does work great,

It's not as loud as I'd hoped and it keeps turning itself off. I also can't figure out the Bluetooth...granted that might be my fear of technology but it should have better instruction.

The overall sound wasn’t strong enough for my taste. Battery life was fair st 8 hours. I returned it and went with JBL. 20 hour battery life and better sound/ volume for just $20 more on sale.

The fact that you need an app is kind of off setting. But also when the battery is low it won’t play loud anymore even if you have it plugged up. But when charged up it works wonders!

It's sounds great but the 10 hour battery life is a lie I had it for about a month now and it take like four hours for a full charge and it only plays about 2 and a half hours on Bluetooth that's me being generous I had a small JBL speaker that lasted about the same time that I paid $25 for so with this Sony speaker I am disappointed very disappointed I expect spend more than $50 on a speaker I would get more play time out of it so I can't give this a good review it sucks and I feel I got beat for my money

The Sony SRS-XB21 is a great little speaker, it's easy to use, has great sound, and looks nice. I had no problem connecting it to my iPhone to listen to my music, and when I had it connected, it stayed connected. This speaker has a good battery life, you can use for a few days before you need to charge it, and charging doesn’t take long. It’s also a nice looking speaker, and it’s light and easy to carry around. To make it waterproof they have a small door that seals to protect the charging port, aux cord input, etc… I think it is a very cool design and the fact that it is waterproof is awesome. You can literally take it anywhere and not worry about it. Overall, I’m quite happy with this speaker, and how easy it is to use and how well it works.

Convenient size to carry around, but the sound isn't really loud. Also, I don't like how the charge indicator light works and you cannot charge and use it at the same time.

Ok speaker, didn’t hold very long the charge. Didn’t last as long as I wanted. It just stopped grabbing my bluetooth connection.

It was decent at first but for some reason , it won’t charge anymore and keeps saying 20% battery and then when I cut it back on it says fully charged.

It works great most of the time. The connection with my computer cuts in and out though. It's unfortunate because I have only used it a few times.

The speaker has good sound, as expected from Sony. But it's some of the other features that really makes this a decent value. • Waterproof – you can take this to a pool, beach, or the shower • Speaker chain – this speaker can be chained wirelessly to many other Sony speakers. • Very little audio delay when watching videos – depending on the video source, the speaker does a good job (though not perfect) keeping the sound in sync with the video. Netflix in particular works well, even when multiple speakers are chained. • Long life – 12 hours battery life when the lights are off There is also a Sony music app to control even more settings such as fine tuning the sound, lights, power options and more.

Great design, but limited volume. I am using it for my computer, I cannot use in any other environment due the limited volume.

First, Sony’s new SRS-XB21 Bluetooth Speaker is EXTREMELY good…and I DON’T mean “just for its size”. It’s well constructed, fairly hefty, and has more “bells & whistles” than one would expect…even more so considering its price. The mids & highs are very good, and the ExtraBass” is clear, and more powerful than I was honestly expecting. Compared to the metal grill of the previous-generation SRS-XB20, the cloth covering is considerably nicer…even better, it’s waterproof. Yes, you read right – WATERPROOF – as the XB21 (and its larger siblings, the XB31 & XB41) has an IP67 waterproof & dustproof rating. If you get ketchup on it at your family picnic, just run it under water to clean it up. Heck, you could even soak it in the sink if you get mustard on it…just remember to make certain all ports are covered first, and to take it out before three minutes ends. Speaking of picnics, if you have multiple units (XB21, XB31 and/or XB41), you can use the Party Chain feature, which allows you to connect up to 100 Sony SRS-XB series speakers. Continuing on the “party” mode, the XBs also contain Party Lights…multi-color LED lights that sync to the beat of your music. While not as good as a professional light show, it will liven up your small, personal party. Least I forget to mention, Sony has also included “Live Sound Mode”, which produces a more realistic 3D sound. When combined with Sony’s “Music Center” app, you have the ability to change sound modes, as well as lighting patterns. So, everything about the XB21 is great, right? Not so fast. It does have some “downfalls”. First, the included USB is far too short. Not only is it short, it’s also only a microUSB cable. With more & more devices (laptops, cell phones, tablets, etc) switching to USB Type-C, you would have thought Sony would have. Speaking of the charging cable, also not included is a charging adapter. That’s right…in order to charge your speaker, you have to either plug it into a computer (or other device with power supplied through the USB port), or you need to provide your own charging adapter. Guess that helped Sony keep the cost down. In regards to charging, there’s no charging indicator light. Yes, there are voice-prompts, but a visual indicator is more important. Lastly, controlling the music (back, forward) could have been better implemented. The only easily accessible buttons (located on top, on the right side) are power, volume up, volume down, & play/pause. In order to go back/forward, you have to press the play/pause button multiple times…talk about awkward. FINAL VERDICT: Overall, the Sony SRS-XB21 is an excellent speaker – great sound, ability to link multiple speakers, bass boost, LED lights. Unfortunately, it is slightly marred by certain negatives. Obtaining a longer USB cable, as well as a charging adapter is simple enough, but the lack of a charging indicator (when have you EVER seen a device without a charging indicator LED???), and the awkward controls, lowers the overall rating. Had it not been for these “problems”, I would have given this a 5-star rating. Nevertheless, it’s still an outstanding product, and one I’d recommend. At $100, this is a very good value. However, if you can afford to spend somewhat more, I’d also recommend the SRS-XB31 ($150) and SRS-XB41 ($250). Whichever you choose…or, should I say, whichever you can afford…you can’t go wrong with Sony’s new SRS-XB line. Disclaimer: This product was provided free, or at reduced cost, for the purpose of reviewing the product. Nevertheless, the above review, be it positive, negative, or anywhere in-between, is a 100% honest review, and the price paid played absolutely no part in my review.

I love Sony, but went with JBL. Poor battery life sound was avarage good for a small room maybe

The sound from such a small package is unbelievably good, and if one speaker is not enough you can buy additionals or have a friend bring theirs along and link them together for even more bone shaking sound. The XB in the model number is for Extra Base and this does have extra base for sure and as an added bonus it had LED party lights that can detect tapping from five different directions thanks to the built-in accelerometer, which generates a sound and lighting reaction for a party atmosphere. Another bonus is its IP67 waterproof rating (fully waterproof) making it safe and survivable for even a pool party or the beach