Customer Ratings & Reviews

I love using Bluetooth Speakers especially with all my many Alexa products that I use. With that said I used this Sony speaker with one of the small echo’s that alone has terrible sound. Here is some observations after a week of use: Sound: awesome! Clear and very loud. Probably my best speaker so far as far as how Crisp and nice the sound is. Convenience: I keep it plugged into wall but when I want to move it the batteries kick in and it continues to play which is nice. WiFi Range: Nothing special. I use this in a large building with thick walls and unfortunately I cannot go too far away from the echo as it starts to stutter and lose connection. Connectivity: Not sure why but when I disconnect the echo Bluetooth so I can just listen in my office and then try to find the Sony Bluetooth speaker again it doesn’t find it till I go and turn it back on. This might be user error on my part as I am sure you can download the app and change the settings. I am just too lazy to download another app and just go through this extra step which isn’t a huge deal. Recommend or Not: I do recommend it based on the small very slick look, awesome looking lights that dance with your music on the speaker and the great sound that comes out of such a small speaker. It is very impressive and the small issues I mentioned can be easily alleviated.

Wasn’t too happy with it , sound would go low when battery would be low

The Sony - SRS-XB21 Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a decent little wireless speaker that is easily connected to a device via Bluetooth. We use it with our iPhone and love that it is waterproof and portable. It will be great when lounging by the pool and is small enough to fit in a backpack or beach bag when traveling. So far, it has a decent charge and the sound is great. I would recommend this for use in close proximity in a more intimate setting.

Upon testing this out, I did not read the instruction nor did I download the app. Joke was on me... This unit really shines once you have downloaded the app and play with the party booster feature. You physically "Tap" it in designated spots to synthesize sounds like drums. It is sooo much fun that you will listen to songs like Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight just to tap out some rhythm harmonies over and over again (or whatever, you get what I am saying). The app also allows some sweet tweaking features that you normally would find in other models. Pro tip: do not pair your device until you have downloaded the app. It is goofy and wants to be in charge I guess. The lighting feature is cool but I would prefer it if both illumination bands would light all the way and have been more neon'ish. The speaker, which is water resistant, and dust proof could have been a bit darker shade of blue (has an 80's vibe going on). The unit has a solid feel, especially since the user is encouraged to beat on it repeatedly. I think for sound quality this speaker is fine and exceeds expectation. However, if that is the only reason you are considering this one is overall sound quality (which again is great), you like I was; are missing the real joy Sony has given us!

The Sony SRS XB21 is a great speaker with long battery life. Sounds pretty good and looks sharp. The white color is actually a shimmery silver looking color which looks cool. The Sony Music Center app gives you more control over the speaker which is nice. It is not required but it works well enough to where you will want to at least check it out. If you are looking for a portable speaker with long battery life and water resistance then this speaker might be for you.

I’ve had a chance to try a number of portable bluetooth speakers over the past year and must say this one impresses me the most. Live sound, which provides a 3D listening experience, was one of the first things I noticed. I sampled smooth jazz, classical music, music from the 40’s and acoustic guitar free radio stations from Google Play Music and everything was enjoyable for hours at a time. There are a number of controls that make it a bit more complicated to understand but with time I’ll figure it out. Sony is big on NFC which is good for folks who have issues with Bluetooth connectivity. This speaker has weather proofing and quite a few party features such as flashing lights and the ability to daisy chain it with other speakers. Party Booster allows U to tap the speaker in different places to make different sounds, which makes for interesting conversation with party goers. And of course there is a Sony Music Center app to control UR party music from the dance floor. 12 hour battery life is fine. And rugged construction makes it a go to listening device, while on outdoor outings. It’s suppose to be white but more of a light grey color to me. Extra bass is a feature not commonly seen at the price of this product IMHO.

It's okay doesn't get very loud pay the extra money for something better...

Bought this for the yard and I love it. Wish the charge held longer though.

When it works, it sounds good, but it keeps disconnecting from my phone for no reason. It's very frustrating and distracting. I don't have that issue with any other Bluetooth device.

Pool, beach, bbq, or anywhere else you need a small portable speaker I think these are a perfect choice. Being dustproff and waterproof (ip67), it’s the speaker that you don’t have to worry about getting messed up. Its material is a nice feeling woven fabric, the whole thing feels like a quality made product. The lights are neat, they have three different settings that can be changed with the app. Overall an excellent portable speaker.

Battery doesn’t last long on a full charge does after a couple of hours

SRS-XB21 speaker. My wife and I thought we could use another speaker for the patio so we decided to give the SRS-XB21 a shot. Firing up the speaker it paired easily with my iPhone and I immediately thought, even at a higher volume that the speaker had a pretty good sound. I was most impressed with the amount of bass it can produce from such a small package. I also like the solid feel of the speaker as it seems to be well made and didn't feel cheap. I went online and found an app that helped to control for the speaker and I think the app is definitely recommended as it makes it much easier and faster to control features. I definitely recommend using the app over the buttons on the back of the speaker. The buttons are multi function buttons, are small and not really all that easy to use. From the app you can turn the party lights on or off that are on the front of the speaker. You can also select different modes for the lights which is a cool feature. Overall I didn't find the lights to be all that interesting, they we're more distracting than anything else. Besides the lights one other thing I didn't like about this speaker is what wasn't included...a. Charger. For the price of this speaker you'd think Sony could slip one in, they do provide a very short USB cable for charging. Another thing I would like is more battery life. The documentation says this speaker is good for up to 12 hours. I was able to get around 8. And you may get up to 12 if you turn bass boost off and play at half volume. Depending on your environment half may not be loud enough. Overall I think that the speaker's positives far outweight the negatives and it seems like a really nice little speaker; a real value for the MSRP. Highly recommend!

This is an average speaker not really good for a big room.

It’s a nice speaker but a little over priced compared to others

The speaker is a great size for easy mobility, use a USB cable (included) to charge, and offers the ability to group with another XB21 or XB41 speaker. The charging cable is just that, a cable. You'll need your own USB hub or adapter to charge it from a wall outlet, which can be a bit annoying. However, given the need to charge everything via USB, makes these dongles a common place at home. My only really issue was with the app. I wrote this on a review for the XB41, as well. I found that the app would very frequently go into "Needs Setup" with the paired speaker. This caused you to have to turn off/on bluetooth or re-pair the speaker to use any of the features within the app. The grouping was also very broken. I would often find myself creating a group, only for the speakers to go back into setup required. From time to time, the speaker's bluetooth light would be flashing quickly, but still playing music from my phone. Outside of those small quirks, it's a great speaker, that you can take to the pool, the beach, your shower, and even for your backyard while you star gaze. I was really impressed with the larger than life sound that was delivered. However, if you want a better bass response, and can afford to, I'd go for the bigger XB41 instead.

These portable speakers keep getting better and better. The SRS-XB21 sounds great with good bass out of the box. In addition, it has a 24 hour battery life and is waterproof. I can’t say enough good things about this little party Speaker. It’s easy to set up, but do make sure to download the Sony companion app to get the full features.

Wasn’t what I expected. Sony is so difficult to get in touch with.

Love this speaker!!! Out of box - very solid, light and well made. I love the design and white color. Extremely easy to pair to phone and to pair an additional speaker. Definitely get an additional one to have surround sound while having a party. I cant wait for the summer to use this next to the pool without having to worry about it getting wet. Awesome sound - solid bass and clear crisp tones. Must buy!

Only had it for a short time. Didn’t use it often . Might have a long life time but starts to dim down in sounds after a while use to the point where my phone speaker is louder. So technically yes it has the lifeline but on a very light sound

Battery runs down after about 3 hours. Takes about 6 hours to charge back up. Turns off on it's own. There should be a button to turn it off. Difficult to see volume buttons, power buttons and all the other buttons.