Customer Ratings & Reviews

Hands Down my favorite Bluetooth Speaker in the collection. When I opened the box, knew I was looking at something Special, spoke Quality and Good Vibrations before it was ever powered up. The speaker simply looks magnificent. Am a bit of an Audiophile with a keen ear. Simply put, the Sony SRS-XB31 hits all the Notes. When the Sony arrived was fiddling around in my garage enjoying the Spring weather. Speaker went straight from the box to my bench, mobile in hand flipped on Pandora. Wow – immediate musical immersion of the loveliest tunes. The Highs Are, the Extra Bass Booms, and Mid-range clearly striking up the band as the speaker lights pulse the night away. When I first turned the speaker on I was getting ready to go back into the house. Stayed for hours in Man Cave enjoying evening sunset with the Sony Rockn’ my Favorite Tunes. Highlights: Lighting for the Party Wireless Chaining of speakers up to a hundred! Water/Dust Proof Very Long Battery life – up to 24hrs NFC Control and input/outputs layout are first-rate Check on-line specs for the full story. If I have not said this clear enough, let me. “Go Listen, Hold and Enjoy the Sony SRS-XB31.” It will make you a believer.

I got this for my eleven year old. I previously gave him a water resistant one that would survive splashing by the pool. It was rated IPX4 which served its purpose well but didn't sound that great. This one is rated IP67, which means you can actually drop it into 3 feet of water and it will still be okay. Still too cold for the beach, but supposedly it handles salt water fine, too. One nice thing about the rating is you can rinse it off if something spills on it, too. Soundwise, I've always loved Sony speakers, and this one is no exception. Mom isn't too happy with the extra bass / lower lows but son seems to enjoy the effects. Flashy lights are also cool. I think I know what to get father-in-law for upcoming birthday... He's a bit of an audiophile and was impressed with the sound output. Super ease to sync up to phone. All around great wireless speaker for the price.

The Sony XB31 is a very solid unit. The sound that emits from such a small speaker makes you think it is a much larger unit. The Sony has a few neat additions that wear off pretty quick and come across as gimmicky. But neat none the less. The LED Lighting has a few modes that are programmable to your liking. Access to these settings is done easily by downloading the Sony Music center app. Which also helps those who aren’t tech savvy to connect their phone via Bluetooth. These options are in the settings and you can change your lighting to the following: Hot, Cool, Strobe, Calm Magenta, Calm Cyan, Calm Lime, Calm cinnabar, Calm Daylight, and Calm Light Bulb. The Led’s change colors to your choosing. Like controlling the sound yourself? This unit will let you. The App has a Sound option that has a preset extra Bass that brings in the big boom kids like to hear, a Standard (not very good) and a Live sound. I toggle mine from the bass to the live mode to change things up. The Equalizer type option will let you configure your own Bass, Middle, and Treble settings. The App will let you connect other blue tooth speakers set up on your Phone/Device. I was disappointed I was not able to get this working after multiple attempts with my other SRS Sony. I would like to see the app with updates that would make this option better as my phone only wanted to stay connected to one or the other not both speakers. In theory you can connect multiple speakers for an all-around better sound experience. There is also a wifi connect to other speakers that I also had no luck with. The app also has a Party Booster function (again kind of gimmicky) When turned on you can tap the top, bottom, front, and sides. The sound you can choose from are: Drum kit, Percussion, and you can customize other sounds like explosions, base effect, revers, scratch, and double scratch. You are to use this to add to the music (on the dance floor according to the video) The quality of the sound of this unit is quite frankly Extremely good, the high, middle, and low tones are spot on. Great for desks, garages or by the pool. As they are water/Dust resistant. I have had other “water proof” speakers in the past but the sound is always off due to the protection from water enhancement used on the speakers. Not with this XB31!! The sound levels can be very high and have almost no distortion what so ever. I use mine in the garage (with my other SRS in the future if I can get them to connect at the same time). On the back of the speaker in a water tight compartment are your connections. There is also a usb connection to charge your phone or device if needed!! (DC out only) Battery life is excellent, Up to 24 hours without recharging (lights off) The XB31 is a very well manufactured speaker, very solid. Nowhere does this speaker seem to cut corners. I am impressed and will recommend this to family and friends!

The Sony SRS-XB31 Bluetooth portable speaker is a relatively small speaker that puts out some nice sound, and has some features that make it unique compared to other BT speakers I had. Out of the box, the speaker looks great; it's completely covered in a high quality fabric with the SONY logo front bottom center, giving the 9"x3" frame a sleek appearance, and making the speaker look like it would be equally at home on a desk, bookshelf, or sitting by a pool. Multi-colored LEDs surround the face of the speaker with white LEDs on either side. These lights are controlled through settings available in the Sony app. The physical controls are minimal (4 buttons: play/pause, vol-, vol+, on/off/pair), and are both well located and easily distinguishable by touch. The water-sensitive portions (power port, USB port, etc) are hidden beneath a small, rubberized hatch on the back. The documentation says the speaker is waterproof, and although I haven't thrown it in the tub to test it, I think it could get sprayed all day long and not care. I believe if it did get dunked, you'd have at least few mins to fish it out before you'd have to even begin to worry about water getting in the back. Pairing the speaker with my phone was simple enough, but I did the pairing before installing the Sony Music Center app, and once I did install the app, I had trouble getting it to recognize the speaker. I wound up having to un-pair the speaker from the phone and then re-pairing through the app. I also had some trouble pairing additional devices with the speaker, just using the BT settings on the devices. I'm not sure what the problem was, but it was a bit frustrating. Once I got the app set up and the speaker paired, I was able to get to the settings that allow you to change the colors/flashing of the LEDs, adjust the sound through a 3-band equalizer, and some other functions. The speaker gives you the ability to connect to other speakers, which of course I can't do, and it also has a feature that allows you to create sounds using what Sony calls Party Booster. I don't plan on using this feature, so I haven't bothered turning it on. The speaker produces very nice sound in my opinion. It is a bit bass heavy (which I fully expected), but the sound is much fuller than the other BT speakers I have. I also listen to talk radio/audio books at times, and I found the bass a bit much for some of those, so I had to use the app to crank the bass down and the middle/treble up. However, with music, I use the ClearAudio+ setting in the app and just sit back and enjoy. This speaker will easily fill a room with music without sounding like it's about to give up the ghost, which is much different than at least one of the other BT speakers I have. Overall, I think this speaker is a home-run for Sony. It looks and sounds great. I would definitely recommend it.

I would like to start out by saying this is not my first BT speaker of this category nor my last. I have tested several and this I would say as of right now one of the best in its price range. Build Quality: This speaker has a very solid feel to it. Not too heavy and not too light. The "fabric" texture is great and feels very premium. The buttons on top are covered in rubber as to help with the speakers IP67 waterproof rating. Everything is well put together and nothing stands out as poor quality. Sound: This speaker has great overall sound. Now I compared it to higher end speakers that are roughly $100 more ($250 price range) and the Sony SRS-XB31 was up to the task! The bass is present at low-mid level volumes however once about 60% or so it tends to drop off somewhat. The mids and highs and pretty clear and where this speaker does really well. The overall volume this speaker can reach is great! When compared to higher end speakers the only real downfall to this one is the lack of bass at higher volumes and also that it is semi directional. Features: Quick paring of the speaker can be done through NFC but also through the BT settings of your phone. When connected through the Sony Music Center app it allows you to change the way the lights act. There are several settings like "Rave", "Chill", etc. Also the app allows you to change some of the EQ settings, connect other Sony BT speakers together, change the BT codec used, and enable Party Mode. The Party mode which allows you to hit sides of the speaker to play different noises is really just a gimmick. The app is pretty basic but allows you to take advantage of the different features this speaker has to offer. Lights: The lights alone add just a little of a "cool" factor to this speaker. Being that I have never experienced a speaker with LED's on them that can move to the beat of a song (Really well actually) is neat. If you are able to connect maybe 10 of these together I think it would maybe for a pretty great part sound and atmosphere :). Overall: This speaker is right in line with its price range and sound. It does lack some bass at the higher volumes (Even in Extra Bass mode) however for such a small speaker it does really well. The multicolored LED's are really neat and personally add a little value if you are not looking for the absolute best sounding speaker for your money. I have certainly not been disappointed by this speaker and would urge anyone in the market to take a look at this one! Pros: - LED Lighting - IP67 Waterproof - Overall Volume/Sound Quality - Battery Life - Sony Wireless Party Chain - Supports high resolution codes (SBC / AAC / LDAC codecs) Cons: - Lacks Bass at Higher Volumes

I am liking the Sony SRS-XB31 Portable Bluetooth Speaker more and more. This is a well-built speaker, weighing in at almost two pounds and is waterproof (although I would be wary about submerging it). The sound is rich and clear sounding, bass response is substantial, the sound settings are customizable when using the Sony Music center app. The speaker is easy to pair, has a combined play/pause/next track/answer call button and a separate +/- volume buttons on top. Around back a removable small panel reveals configuration controls, a USB Type A jack for charging other devices, a USB Micro Type B jack for charging the speaker and a line in jack (which I usually do not see on Bluetooth speaker) for connecting a device to playback through this speaker. When I first started to play music through the speaker it was set to “Rave” mode which flashes two LEDs on the front of the speaker along with a changing color LED on each side that reproduces the light along the edges of the speaker. Before I had a seizure, I turned off this feature using the Sony Music Center app, although after using the speaker for a while I found myself playing with different lighting modes, finally settling in on the “Calm Cinnabar”. There are also ways of generating sound effects by bumping the sides, front, top or bottom of the speaker. You can also chain this speaker to others of the same type to expand your sound field. To me most of these features are kind of gimmicky, the only ones that had any staying power with me were the lighted border and sound modes. Overall what matters with a Bluetooth speaker is sound and this speaker delivers that in convincing fashion. Pros: - Configurable, rich sound with great bass response - Sony Music center app that is the heart of controlling and configuring the speaker - Very good battery life, with a USB type A jack for charging other devices - Line In jack for connecting devices via a cord - LED lighted borders Cons: - Would avoid a white version of this speaker, might look grimy after a while. - Not a fan of the combined play/pause/next track/answer call button.

This is the middle child in Sony’s extra bass line up, and it’s just right. The materials and heft speak to high quality. The size is perfect to hold or carry—which is the whole point of portable. There are no rough edges, and the dirt and water proof fabric covering looks swank. Battery life is right at 18 hours with the lights on! And you can charge your phone on it. The app is easy to navigate, and after testing all sorts of music with all the modes, I found the manual equalizer produced the richest, clearest sound. Thespeakers are angled just a bit to gain some distance, and the design works. It sounds better than any portable its size I have tried, including a couple at twice the price. It’s also tons better sound than the last generation of Sony XB. The little gimmick of being able to hit the speaker in different spots for different sounds is actually pretty neat, even if it’s just a party trick. It sounds organic and is fun to play with. With top notch materials and indestructible build, unbelievable battery life, beautiful and easy to control lights, and rich deep room-filling sound, this is the portable to beat!

There was a point in time when Sony was on top of the world in sound quality and I’m glad to see them make a comeback. The volume is great both indoors and outdoors, the bass is punchy, the highs are clear and I’m hearing sounds in the midrange that I didn’t know were there. As an added bonus it also gives you a pretty cool lightshow.

Great Bluetooth for a beginner! I would recommend this to a friends

The Sony SRS-XB31 is hands-down my favorite wireless speaker that we've ever used. I've got several scattered throughout the house, but we recently went on a cabin camping trip for spring break and although my wife said not to bring a speaker, I brought this one. When I fired up the kid's Disney playlist, my wife and I were pleasantly surprised by how awesome the audio sounded. This thing kicks out more bass than any other wireless speaker I have. Combined with the light show you can set up, my kids love this thing just as much as I do. What's really cool with these, is that you can link other ones to it and extend the sound - so you can keep the party going! My wife is already talking about buying an extra one because she likes the lights and sounds that much! It works with Sony's Music Center App, which you use to customize the sound and light show. That was cool, because I didn't have to download another app for a single device. If more manufacturers started making their apps work across their product line, then I could get rid of bloated app. Bravo Sony - nicely freaking done!

Very sturdy speaker, it does lives up to its IP67 rating of being water resistant. The sound is loud and with good bass. It comes with a short usb cable to charge it, wish it was larger, but it does the job. It has a sturdy flap to keep water out, that you lift up and you can find all the connections, also some buttons that when pressed will tell you the battery level i.e. I do like that you can turn off the lights to improve battery life. You can also wireless daisy chain several of these speakers for even better audio. Finally, it also has an standard usb port that you can use to charge other devices (you can use the speaker as a charging bank).

Sony has delivered an incredible speaker with some truly innovative features. It's waterproof and dustproof and Sony also claims it is also Shock proof although I'll wait until its accidentally dropped to test that feature. The sound is incredible and will last for 24 hours on a charge. The party lighting will likely appeal to many users and certainly adds to the coolness factor for your next beach party. The back of the speaker includes a waterproof cover that allows access to USB and charging ports along with the Audio In port that will allow you to connect a 3.5mm cable from a sound source although with Bluetooth you'll likely not need that often.

Bring it to the pool this spring break, it can take it! Solid sound, bluetooth convience. Sony knows how to pack a punch in a small box. The sound radiates from the specially located speakers. Once charged it played all afternoon. I can even plug my cellphone into its battery OUTPUT port to keep it charged while playing the audio. I like the fact I can bring it to the pool and not worry about it getting wet.( wish my phone was as tough) The cloth is made to protect the speakers. If a friend has one, they can be paired and synced for even better playback. Great light display in the night too.

I am a 59 year old woman who was a teenager from NY in the late 1970's; disco was my thing. So, when this speaker plays, I love the color changing effects that circle around the front edge of the speaker and the spurts of white light that go with the musice, it takes me back to those disco days dancing under the glitter ball. Wow! At any rate, the sound is really great, even while playing music really loud. The sound stays true without crackling or any contamination. The size and shape of the speaker is comfortable in the hand if someone wished to carry it around and oh, by the way, while I did not throw it in a bath tub full of water, I did put it under a stream of water from the faucet and there was no ill effect to the speaker, at all. So, I also downloaded the music app and it synced to my Samsung S7 cell phone just fine, but when my son, who did not have the app downloaded on his phone, tried to sync his phone to the speaker, he was not successful. Since there is a time deadline to get this review out and I am a CPA currently working 16 hours a day in tax season, I do not have time right now to investigate whether my son's inability to sync his phone was because the app was not loaded or there is an issue with his phone and this speaker. I will say this, when I first took the speaker out to charge it and set it up, I was upstairs in the master bedroom and when I tried to Bluetooth it to my HP Spectre laptop//tablet, I wound up syncing it with my 70 Inch Sony downstairs in the den, quite a distance away. All of a sudden, the sound coming out of the Sony TV sound bar was interrupted and that is quite a distance for a Bluetooth connection. I do not personally know anyone else who has this speaker so making a wireless party chain is not something I can do. It says there is a 24 hour long battery life and I have tested that it is a USB power charging port for my smartphone-great. I have also plugged it into various ways for charging- into the USB port on my desktop computer and into a variety of USB plugs that go into an electrical outlet. The only reason I have currently given it 4 stars is because I do not know why it would not sync with my son's android smartphone. There is a notice "Made for IPod and IPhone" on the lower left side of the back of the box?

---SETUP--- The setup for the Sony SRS XB31 speaker was easy but unnecessarily cumbersome. I paired it directly with the bluetooth on my phone but that wasn’t enough. Audio wouldn’t come out. I had to download the Sony App Music Center in order to register the device. Afterwards, the app itself redirected my phone to the bluetooth options and have it paired, then return to the app. The process was easy but, I feel, unnecessary. ---FEATURES--- The key feature of this speaker is that it is dustproof and waterproof at ingress protection 67 (IP67). The 6 is the maximum number of protection against dust and the 7 is the maximum protection against water immersion in depth between 15 cm and 1 meter for 30 minutes. It also works as a portable battery pack and can charge your cell phone, which is a great feature for those on the go. The battery lasts 24 hours of continuous use. There is also a party mode, which causes flashing strobe lights and colorful lights to pulse at the beat of your music. You can connect up to 100 speakers for party mode, but I couldn’t test that as I only had the one to try. ---PERFORMANCE--- The performance of this speaker is superb. The day before I got this speaker, my wife’s bluetooth speaker was stolen. We used this one to project audio while her choir students sang from a pre recorded piano performance. The live mode of the speaker made the piano performance sound natural and live, as if someone was playing the piano. The party mode wouldn’t be adequate in the performance mentioned above, so we turned that feature off by holding the battery button for 3 seconds. I tried party mode at home. It is supposed to have lights blink in synchronicity with your music, but it doesn’t quite pull it off. Regardless, the lights are entertaining to watch and I can see it adding to the mood of a party. Overall, the sound is amazing and the extra features are a nice added bonus. ---EXPECTATIONS--- The product meets my expectations. For the size of the speaker, it produces a loud and natural sound. ---VALUE--- The price for the speaker in terms of value is competitive for speakers in the same category. ---APPROVAL--- I highly recommend this product for people who enjoy their audio on the go and don’t want to carry a separate battery pack for other devices. Also, teenagers or young adults who frequent parties would appreciate party mode, as the flashing lights of the speaker do promote a lively atmosphere.

I was quite impressed with the sound from this small unit. The device isn't very large, but the amount of sound that's produced was quite good. I have the XB40 from last year. It had great sound, and was quite durable. The biggest thing I quite enjoyed of this refresh is the addition of the Live Sound option. It really brings a nicer and cleaner sound stage, whereas the Extra Bass setting just seems to focus and narrow the sound to bring out more bass. I didn't really use the Party Booster as it just seems a bit of gimmick. I do much prefer the design on this model over last years. The fabric design is much sleeker, as are the LED's the wrap around. I'm not certain of the Waterproofing and the toll it could take on the fabric, however, I'm pretty confident it will hold up. I listened to several different styles of music and it the unit performed admirably. One thing I wish I had tried was connecting it with an Aux Cable up to my LG V30+ and tested the sound quality utilizing the phone's HiFi Quad DAC. The short of it, this is a great little speaker with a lot of sound and just one of great build quality. If you're looking for one that is affordable, I'd say this is well worth the investment.

I had a chance to mess with the Sony SRS-XB31 and I really like this thing. I previously own and older SRS-X33 which I really like liked for the bass. With the XB31, it's a lot easier to use and the aesthetics are a lot nicer. It's now a one press button to turn on and off instead of the long press to turn off which sometime you don't always successfully do so you end up wasting power for the next time you use it. The sound is clean and crisp and BASS, omg bass is so nice from this little speaker! This version has the Party Mode so you can daisy chain this to another Party Mode capable speaker and just have these scattered around the room make sure everyone gets into the mood! I have the white version of the XB31 so make sure you wash your hands. The surface of the speaker is a textile so dirty hand will leave irritating spots on a white textile surface.

The SXB31 is awesome both in my bathroom during showers and at work. The sound is crisp and the bass pumps really well. The make your own music taps are silly and fun! Where set up was literally a 3 step process it made getting my speaker playing easy! My family and I spend a lot of time in the water in the coming months and I’m excited that Sony came out with a waterproof speaker. Last year my speaker shorted out so I’ll be ready now. My only down fall for this speaker design wise is that there isn’t anything that I can clip this on to to prevent it from fallin off my tube! Otherwise you’ll enjoy this speaker a lot as I have. Wish I would have opted for the bigger speaker just because this one is so awesome!

Sony SRS- XB31 is a technological marvel disguised as a powerhouse portable speaker! This jewel FAR EXCEEDS my expectations! LIKES: 1- "Live Sound Mode" selectable by free Sony Music Center App, produces an ultra wide spread sound that puts you in the middle of the band. I kid you not, instruments sound as though they are across the room & you are in the middle! Extra Bass is integrated into this mode, so you not only get a room full of sound, you get strong bass, too. 2- "Extra Bass" is also selectable by free Sony Music Center App. It is on by default, and is absolutely fantastic! I prefer "Live Sound Mode", which includes "Extra Bass". 3- Rechargeable Battery features up to 24 Hour Battery Life - Party all Day & Night! 4- Fully Waterproof with IP67 rating to 3.3 feet. 5- "Wireless Party Chain" is another amazing feature: 100 of these speakers can be wirelessly connected together. 6- "Party Booster" feature turns this speaker into a portable drum kit, percussion kit or customized sound. Tap on 5 sides of this speaker & it rocks out with drums, percussion, cowbell, etc. The sounds are amazing; imagine a party full of revelers, each beating their own drum kit on one of these speakers! 7- Dynamic LED & strobe party lights flash to the beat (if you select them to) - they even flash the beat of Party Booster! The lights even wrap around both sides of the speaker! 8- I selected the blue speaker; it is available in Red, White, Blue & Black. I was delighted to see the beautiful lustrous electric blue. So many speakers offer dull colors. Not this one! 9- External 3.5mm input jack for connecting to any so equipped source (i.e. Echo Dot & just about any imaginable music source). 10- Features Sony LDAC (also called High-resolution audio). LDAC is a Sony audio coding technology that enables clear, High-Resolution Audio, even over Bluetooth. It supports SBC / AAC / LDAC codecs, so you enjoy premium sound from a variety of devices from virtually any source. 11- Bluetooth Wireless Range is 98 feet. 12- Lightweight: 2 pounds. 13- Easy size to carry dimensions: 9.1" W X 3.4"H X 3.4"D. 14- Charges using any standard 5 Volt / USB adaptor with included USB to Micro USB cable. No special adaptor to carry. 15- Microphone built-in; this speaker serves as a speakerphone. 16- NFC technology for one-touch pairing with equipped devices. 17- Full onboard controls on top of the speaker control everything without fiddling with the sound source. No interruptions to the party! 18- Graphic Equalizer is built in the aforementioned free Sony Music Center App. Tweak the bass punch & high frequency clarity precisely to your satisfaction. 19- Standard USB 5.0 Volt output jack is built in to power or charge devices, such as your phone, from this powerhouse speaker. 20- Very attractive curved shape. DISLIKES: NONE! CONCLUSION: Sony SRS- XB31 FAR EXCEEDS my expectations & earns my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!

i was looking for speakers for my macbook pro and one of the best buy guys turned me onto this. it was 150 on sale for 100. it's portable. it's heavy because it's jam packed. you buy a speaker and it's all cabinet, but this is not. easy to bluetooth. there's no setting for more or less bass because it's all bass and i love bass. i don't like all that screech from too much treble. it's loud enough and i can turn it up and i still get the same clear crisp music. and you know what else? it's waterproof. it's handsome. nice to look at. you have graphics going on and that's just fun. it's a really serious speaker system for the size. i'm really happy with it. it was money well spent. sony is good. it's always been a good brand, but they really deliver on this.