Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought the Sony SRS-XB31 Bluetooth Speaker mainly to use as a speaker for my laptop when I'm using it on my desktop at work. While I don't need Bluetooth, it's one less cable to connect and I like that a lot. I have also been using it to play music from my iPhone and Echo dot. The sound quality is excellent for such a small speaker. It will go louder than I need and the bass is rather good. The lighting is fun and the colors match well with my Razer Huntsman Elite keyboard. There are some basic controls on the back that provide the most common functions, but to have full access to all the capabilities of this speaker, you'll want to use the Sony Music Center app. I installed the app on my iPhone X and I have to say that I was very impressed with what is provided. There are a number of preprogrammed lighting modes and sound modes. There are also variable manual controls for bass/mid/treble arranged like a mini graphic equalizer. Very nice! The Bluetooth connectivity is flawless. It has no trouble staying connected to both my PC and iPhone X at the same time, and automatically switches between the two, depending on which I am using.

The Sony SRS-XB31brings life to the party. It gets loud and is bass heavy. It wants to be part of the action. This speaker has attitude with its flashing strobe and mesmerizing light display. Turn up the volume and it can easily fill a medium size room. The speaker has excellent build quality and finish. Weighing in one ounce shy of two pounds, the speaker is wrapped in a high quality fabric mesh with protective rubber to seal off moisture and dust to give it an IP67 rating. Despite it's heft, it can easily be handled with one hand and carried in a backpack. Along the top of the speaker are the power/bluetooth pairing button, volume +/-, and a single play/pause/speakerphone button that also doubles as a skip forward and skip reverse button depend on the number of successive presses of the button. Housed at the rear of the speaker behind a rubber cover is the mico usb connection for charging, a usb port for charging a smartphone at 1 amp, battery indicator button that also turns on and off the speaker's light pattern, a button to wirelessly party chain up to a hundred SRS-XB41, XB31 and XB21 speakers, another button to add a speaker for left and right stereo separation, a recessed reset button, and finally a 3.5 mm audio jack. The 3.5 mm audio jack is a welcome feature as we all know it is close to extinction, but I am glad that Sony decided to include it for older audio devices without bluetooth and for greater audio fidelity. Let's get right to the point...The primary reason to consider the Sony SRS-XB31 is the extra bass feature, and boy does it pack a punch! Right out of the box, the extra bass is the default mode from the factory and the bass is powerful, punchy, in your face, bombastic, and unapologetic. This is heaven for bassheads. It's great for rap, hip-hop, and dance music with deep lows and low mids, but will make a mess out of any other music genres as the extra bass feature will pull down the upper mids and trebles in the sound spectrum, losing out on that crispness and sparkle that make some speakers stand out over others. If you're going to be listening to deep bassy music all of the time, then the extra bass is great. However, most people including myself have a broad audio taste. Sometimes we want the extra bass, sometimes we don't. Although the speaker is marketed as extra bass, the speaker is capable of delivering exceptionally crisp, clear audio allowing for a more tame and respectable balanced approach to the audio experience; But to get it, you'll need to install the Sony Music Center app which features controls for adjustments to the audio among other things. The app allows you to select from one of three audio modes: Standard, Extra Bass, and Live Sound. The Standard mode represents the most balanced and flat listening experience. In the Standard mode, bass is still well represented, but more controlled, and mids and trebles flow evenly. The second mode is Extra Bass mode and it is what comes pre-set from the factory and it offers amazing bass as I covered above. Finally, the Live Sound mode replicates the audio experience as if you were hearing it from a live venue. The best way I can describe Live Sound mode is that the audio from the speaker appears more enveloping and louder, with a wider sound stage offering greater separation between vocals the the music, and thereby creating a more three dimensional effect of the music. I thought the Live Sound mode works pretty good. It fooled my ears thinking that the audio was coming from different directions. To fine tune the audio even futher, the Sony Music Center app also offers a three band equalizer for bass, mids, and treble. Turning up the treble in the equalizer in Standard mode allowed me to get the crispness and sparkle that I was looking for while still delivering a strong bass response. Other things the Sony app will do is allow you to change the light pattern or turn the lights off altogether, check the speaker's battery level, and turn on and off the Party Booster feature. Party Booster is a unique feature where you can tap different parts of the speaker to make different sounds such as a snare, kick drum, cow bell, and cymbal. I didn't have any particular use for this feature and just left it off. I couldn't imagine forcefully tapping on an expensive speaker such as this one for fear of damaging it or causing an internal piece to come loose. The light and strobe feature is great for a party and the app allows you to select different patterns and colors, but it easily becomes distracting. Additionally, it will consume your battery faster. Better turn off the light display if you're not showing it off. Speaking of battery, the battery will take up to 5 hours to recharge from the fully discharged state and will last up to a phenomenal 24 hours on a full charge. The speakerphone function on the speaker works well. People on the other end of the phone said that my voice came through clearly. Would I recommend the Sony SRS-XB31? Yes, I would. It is packed full of features for the price, and it is a versatile speaker that gives you excellent low end bass, but can be adjusted and tuned to offer respectable crispness and sparkle.

Great, small, portable Bluetooth, and wired speaker. I was shocked at not only how loud this small speaker sounds, but how much bass it puts out. I wish it had shipped with it’s own charger, it does not come with one, it only comes with the speaker itself, and a micro-USB to full size USB cable (and a short one at that). You are expected to use your own phone’s charger. I have an old Samsung Galaxy Note 4 adpative fast charger (it puts out 2amps) it was a QuickCharge 2.0 charger. It took about 3 hours to charge the speaker up. There is a small amber light that goes on to tell you the speakers battery is charging, but no way to tell how much it is charged. I would have appreciated even a three bar status to tell you roughly how much of a charge you have. Ok, after I charged it up to full, the amber light goes off, I paired it to my phone via bluetooth. I have an android moto x pure, and setup was really easy. Turn on the speaker, then hold the power button down on it for a few seconds, go to your phone (or any other bluetooth device capable of outputting sound), and select the speaker from the list and it will connect and pair. Any audio you would normally hear from your phone will now come out of the speaker. YouTube, music apps, just about anything. You can control the volume from your phone itself as you normally would, or on the speaker itself. I listen tried playing music and wow, was really shocked how loud a small speaker like this could get, and how much bass it put out. Maybe even too much bass for some, but I like it alot personally. I listen to alot of audio books, and this worked great with that too. You can also make and receive phone calls with the speaker acting as a speaker to hear the other person, and also has a microphone on the speaker to pick up your voice too. I didn’t realize this speaker had this functionality. Another feature it has, NFC. If you have a NFC enabled phone, after setup, you literally tap your phone to the speaker “N” logo on top, and it will, A) - Turn on your speaker, and B)- Automatically turn on and select the speaker in your bluetooth devices. I always turn on and off the speaker when I am done, but this was a pretty cool feature. I had my wife also pair her phone, another android device, OnePlus 3T, and she had no issues with it at all. The speaker will take multiple bluetooth setups from various devices. However, this is where I found an issue for me. Once more than one device has received a Bluetooth pairing, and more than one bluetooth device is actively on, one person can basically, “take charge” of the speaker. So if I am playing music thru the speaker, and my wife’s phone then plays any kind of audio, it takes over the speaker. Ok, that was fine enough, but I noticed that once I would be playing audio on my device, music, audiobook, anything, if she was on twitter on her phone, and it happened to be scrolling thru, and an advertisement would should up in her twitter feed, the audio would get paused from my phone. It took me a while to figure out what was happening. I would be listening randomly to music, and it would just randomly pause. I wasn’t sure if it was loosing it’s bluetooth connection, as the phone was very close to the speaker, by the way, the distance from my phone to the speaker can go is at least 40 feet that I have noticed so far during my use. This kept happening I noticed whenever my wife was using her phone. Weird. Had her turn off bluetooth on her phone all together and the pausing of audio on mine just stopped, and all was good. She turned bluetooth back on her phone, this time left it on but not using it, no problem, my audio was not paused anymore randomly. She then went back to her phone, got on twitter, and she realized when she would scroll past a video advertisement, even though it was silent on her phone (the audio doesn’t play automatically), once the video started to load, it would pause whatever audio I had going to the speaker. It would not switch over to the audio from the silenced ad on her phone’s twitter feed, it just paused mine, and never unpaused my audio either. This was not really a big deal for me once I knew what was happening, but Sony is marketing this phone as a phone where multiple people would send their playlists or direct music thru, pool side, at the beach, etc.. So I figured I would just put this out there, incase people discovered this issue too. I primarily am going to use the phone for use in my home. Listening to audiobooks and music mostly while I am in my kitchen, but also take the speaker with me when I go into the bathroom to take a shower, etc.. I have yet to try taking it to a beach but the phone is waterproof, made of a washable fabric, and also dustproof, so long as you keep the charging panel closed. The speaker also has flashing lights on it while using it, and can even go with the beat of the audio, but for my more subtle use, luckily Sony has made a button to turn the lights off in the charging area of the speaker. The battery lasts approx 24 hours, and so far I am on my first full charge, using the phone probably 6 hours so far with no issues. I do wish it had a battery level indicator as previously mentioned. There is also the ability to charge your own phone via a separate USB port on the speaker, which is a great feature, especially if you are out on the beach away from an outlet. However, it does not output alot of power from that USB port, and would not charge my phone at full speed. You can also plug in your phone via a 3.5mm audio jack if your phone still has one, and save on battery power on both your phone, and the speaker itself. Overall, for my use, I do really like this speaker. It has some features I probably would not use often, but the bass is killer!! Love the bass on this thing. Very recommended with a few caveats.

The sound and base is excellent from this small speaker.

Sound Quality You're likely most interested in the sound quality of the Sony SRS-XB31.  If you love bass, it definitely does not disappoint. Highs and mids come through clear and bass has some kick to it (more on that in a second). Streaming music from Apple Music and Pandora both sounded great, but the speaker does tend to over emphasize low frequencies and can sound "muddy" at time, expecially with the bass enhancement feature on. Using Sony's Music Center app, you can also access the "Live Sound" feature that Sony states will provide a more 3D sound experience with "festival vibes."  Well, I'm not sure about the festival vibes, but what I found is that it does is maintain the bass of the "Extra Bass" mode while increasing the volume and enhancing some of the mids.  It definitely sounds good and I actually prefer it over the "Extra Bass" feature. Bass Performance Sony's Bluetooth speakers tend to be bass heavy and that's definitely the case with the SRS-XB31.  Unlike last year's model, there's no dedicated "EXTRA BASS" button.  You can turn the Extra Bass feature on and off using the Sony Music Center app, or by holding down the Volume Down and Play buttons for 3 seconds, until the power indicator changes colors. Features - Lights: This is one of my favorite features of the speakers, although some people may find it gimmicky.  There is the outer ring that surrounds the speaker on the front and the sides that changes different colors.  There are also two white LED "strobe" lights on either side. You can set the lights to dance with the music, set a more calming lighting effect or turn off the lights completely by using the Sony Music Center app. The lights really do add a bit of a party atmosphere and helps this speaker stand out from other brands. If you don't like the lights, you can hold down the BATT/LIGHT button inside the cap on the rear side of the speaker for about 3 seconds. - Party Booster: You can add some sound effects to the music that you're playing on the speaker by tapping it in different places.  Depending where you smack it, you can add a snare scratch, kick drum or cowbell.  The harder you hit it, the louder the sound.  You can turn this feature on/off by holding the the volume + and - buttons for 3 seconds. - Rustproof, Waterproof, Dustproof: The IP67 rating means you can take it to the beach and not worry about salt water ruining the speaker.  So you take the party virtually anywhere. - Wireless Party Chain: You can sync this speaker with other compatible models to play the same music simultaneously. Works with SRS-XB21, SRS-XB31, SRS-XB41, SRS-XB20, SRS-XB30, SRS-XB40, GTK-XB60, GTK-XB90. - Micro USB charging input: My biggest complaint of last year's SRS-XB30 was that it used a proprietary charging cable.  This year's SRS-XB31 solves that issue with a standard Micro USB input (although, USB-C would have maybe future-proofed this speaker a little more). - USB charging port: If your phone runs low on power, you can grab your phone's charging cable and plug it into the full-sized USB port on this speaker.  The speaker then serves as a power bank for your phone (but reduces the runtime of the speaker). - Phone and Siri support: I found this feature handy on last year's model while the speaker was poolside and my phone was tucked away in my bag.  You can answer a call on the speaker by tapping the Play button.  You can also access Siri or Google Assistant by holding down the Play button for about 3 seconds and you hear the activation sound. You then use the speaker's built-in mic to talk to the caller or Siri. Battery Life The SRS-XB31 gives you up to 24 hours with the lights off and with the sound mode set to "Standard".  However, with the lights on and the Extra Bass feature enabled, you can expect more like 4 to 6 hours of battery life.  So definitely keep that in mind if you're trying to plan an all-nighter.  You can check the battery status in the Sony Music Center app on by tapping the Battery button under the flap. Overall, Sony's new SRS-XB31 speaker features great sound, a multi-color LED light ring and easy pairing for NFC-equipped phones. The optional "Extra Bass" setting does a great job of kicking it up a notch if you're all about the bass.

This is by so far the best speakers I’ve ever own and usually I buy Bose but, this one caught my eyes, the bass, and quality sound is amazing! I love how the lights play with the music, I’ve owned a JBL pulse and this reminded me of it as well.

I was looking for this kind of sound,great design water proof long last battery,no regret. Considering get another one. Works great when attached to my computer and my portable laptop. No more worries about sound. As soon as possible. Working great when I'm listening my playlist at my cellphone when I'm working

Very happy with it, pretty loud and very clear even at max volume the light are a good touch and you can always disable them if you don’t like them

SONY SRS-XB31. Has this much fun ever been obtainable for so little? The SONY XB31 is a rounded blue, gray, red or black, milk-carton sized powerful speaker designed to provide a mobile party. This little package generates immense satisfying volume, and is fully adjustable for more or less bass or treble or both. It has bluetooth connectivity, a lengthy play time (suggested 24hrs), can be “chained” to up to a 100 other SONY speakers in the same product family . . . and it includes a fully configurable Light Show. It’s waterproof and dustproof. And it has PARTY BOOSTER. Hang in ’til the end of the review, because this is a real trick. Are you old enough to remember Boom Boxes? They required some strength, space to store when not in use, a handful of tapes or CDs, and a power cord or a lot of batteries for a few hours of play time. Delete the need for strength; delete the requirement for space; delete the tapes/CDs; delete the batteries/power cord. Instead, swap in a music source — your phone or laptop will do nicely. Don’t forget to recharge (USB Port). You’re ready to party. Out of the box and connected to my iPhone I was playing music in 2 minutes. I downloaded the App — which is not required — because I wanted to try out the 12 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 . . . Now, for the ULTIMATE party enhancement . . . . PARTY BOOSTER. In the APP you are able to assign EVERY surface of your SONY XB31 one of 5 sound effects. Using your hand, hit the surface of the speaker, top, bottom, sides, and you’re adding either a Cowbell, a Synth Tom, a Reverse, a Scratch, or a Scratch Double. The harder you hit, the louder the effect. It’s totally outrageous. This much fun was never this obtainable for so little.

I enjoyed the volume when it was fully charged. I like that's it's waterproof and can handle mud and dirt. I wish it had longer battery level.

Like Bass? Well then get one. I am shocked at the bass this little guys packs. The box is simple as it can be and includes the speaker and a micro usb cable. Like other speaker this does have the speakerphone functionality to accept phone calls and it works flawlessly. The speaker paired immediately to both my iphone and a samsung tablet. Once you pair them you get a popup to download the sony apps that allow you to select the lighting on the speaker from a variety of options like ”chill” and “rave”. There are a bunch of other speaker settings you can control from the app. The sound is awesome with the extra base option. The live sound gives it a 3D feel and works well. Even at max volume the sound is very very good. You sometimes forget how small the speaker is compared to the sound it produces. It has a long battery life and you can also charge your phone from the back of the speaker if you need to. It is completely waterproof, dustproof and rustproof so can be easily used at the beach or at the pool. It uses a special fabric that cleans off easily when rinsed. There is also a party booster feature that allows you to tap the speaker in differnet places to make different party sounds like scratch, drum, bell and snare. You can also connect 100 of these speakers together by using the ADD button in the back and they sync up with music and lights. This is an excellent party speaker from Sony.

Battery long last, easy to charge and excelente sound

This is the newest Bluetooth speaker from Sony and it looks fantastic. Looking a little different from its predecessor but in a good way as this is rounder and sleeker. So, with the new XB31 you get some pretty cool features. It's IP67 rated so this will be great for taking to the beach. While its not waterproof it is waster and dust resistant. The cloth exterior when when does dry very quickly. You can connect via BT, USB or 3.5mm giving you a host of options and another neat feature is being able to pair multiple speakers for an even bigger sound. You can use the speaker without any software if desired but to get the most out of it you will download Sony Music Center on iOS or Android. What this does is open up a plethora of options for controlling your device. Simple things like turning off the speaker from your phone is available, and sound profiles are another. You have 3 presets to choose from, the first is flat sounding, the second is the Extra Bass setting that gives more depth and the Live feature gives a surround sound effect that works quite well. This also has the tap function, you enable this is the settings on the app. What this does is allow you to literally hit the sound bar to produce drum or percussion noises, its very unique and not something i would use but i could see younger children walking around with this making beats lol It also comes with the light show and again this can be controlled via the settings in the app, from a strobe effect to a smooth chill effect, each one looks great and gives this unit one of the best aesthetic looks you can find on a speaker. Overall this is a great speaker, full of sound with good deep bass. Ats one of the better at this price point and i highly recommend

This is a great speaker for indoors and out! Easily connects to any Bluetooth and has a long battery life!

Simple Review: This is an amazing little speaker with advantages like water resistance and a light show that sets it apart from a lot of other brands. It's best feature though, which also happens to be the most important, is all about that sound! UN-Simple Review: Starting with the unboxing experience your not surprised but it's not below expectations. Sony is kind of known for getting straight to the point but simple packaging and enough padding to keep the unit safe/secure. You do get a small charging cable which I never appreciate and that's pretty much it. Once you get to performance is where this speaker shines. Any speaker can be loud but this speaker has deep enough bass for those gritty songs. Also, has that clarity so you don't feel the need to crank it to max to enjoy it. I have many Bluetooth speakers at this price range and I promise you this is the one to buy. We get to battery life and I'm pleased to tell you it's great. 24 hours is what it quotes on the box though I found myself enjoying it for 2 hours more than that. Sounds + Battery Life + Water Resistance makes this speaker a win. One thing that I though I would like but ended up turning off later was the light show. I just didn't think it attached itself well to the beat so it was more distracting than appealing to me. Wrapping up this speaker is easily worth the cost. I would recommend this to you, your family... I myself am even going to the store to purchase another one to pair them together to get a stereo effect. Hope this helped you in your purchasing decision and thanks for reading my review.

This is a great little speaker that is very easy to take with you. The sound is simply incredible when you turn up the bass using the Sony Music Center app, standard audio isn't that impressive though. I am not sure how Sony makes the bass but it seems like pure magic. Pairing my phone with this was a breeze using the NFC option and I also tried with bluetooth and that was simple as well. You can daisy chain up to 100 of these for even bigger sound, and I plan on getting a couple and linking them up for parties in my back yard this summer. This speaker also lights up and you can adjust the lighting in the app as well. My only gripe is that you have to select the lighting scheme and hit done to go back to see how it looks. It would be nice if you just could select it and preview it somehow without having to go back and select the next one in line. You can also set up the speaker to respond when you hit it with your hand. It will make different sounds (drum kit, percussion, etc) depending on where you hit it and which sound you assign that area. Pretty cool if you ask me, though not very useful besides just showing it off. I also like that the app will tell you the battery percentage and speaking of battery life, it will easily get you through a long party with all of the lights on and full sound. It's rated to last 24 hours, but if you turn on lights and use all of the features you will see that life go down. I averaged about 18 hours of playtime before I charged it up again, so yea, battery life is NOT an issue.

Bluetooth speakers continue to evolve and this model from Sony is Exhibit A. I've owned/used well over a dozen Bluetooth speakers over the years and this one ranks at or near the top in terms of performance and value. Besides the always excellent sound quality that Sony speakers provide, this model sports several cool features that make it worth a purchase. One of my favorites was the light show feature. Multi-colored lights dance to the music in a pattern that gives you a portable party machine. The lights wrap around the entire border of the speaker giving it a really cool look. This feature works on its own or can be enhanced and customized by downloading the Sony Music Center app. If the lights aren't for you they are easy to turn off with a button hidden inside the waterproof chamber in the back of the unit. Another cool feature is the ability to add multiple speakers to sync whatever you are playing. And did I mention this thing is waterproof? Just don't take it near seawater or pool water as the waterproof feature only applies to fresh water and sweat. The battery takes up to 5 hours to charge and can last up to 24 hours. A USB port in the rear allows you to charge your phone or other electronic devices. It also has an auxiliary port in the back if you want to connect a device that way. This speaker really has all the features you need. I highly recommend this speaker. It's a winner!

I am presently surprised at the sound quality of this speaker for its size. When I compared it to other speakers I own that are of similar size this Sony sounds much better. Then when I downloaded the Smartphone app (Music Center) and went to sound settings and selected the 'Live Sound' option under 'Sound Mode' the sound really came to life. Much better low end than all the prev. speakers of this size so far. (i have not tried the Bose though..) Now they sell this as a party speaker with the fancy LED lights that you can change and instrument sounds you can select so when you strike the speaker with your palm you can hear a different drum or percussion sounds depending on the side you tap. Honestly these features I can do without. Even my 15-year-old daughter did not quite understand why you need these features. You can turn these features off, so not a big deal. Battery life is really good. I ran it for a couple days on and off at my desk and in the garage on one charge. I even plugged my phone into the rear USB charging port to increase the charge on that as well. You can also connect to the Bluetooth by simply tapping your NFC enabled the phone to the top of the speaker. Kind of like that feature as well. I do like the fact that it is water resistant as well. Already took it out to the hot tub without any worries. All in all I very nice speaker.

Sony - SRS-XB31 Portable Bluetooth Speaker came with nice package. 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 full size USB port along with audio port. 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 bass is really good as well from this speaker. Battery life is really solid and came around 24 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 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-XB31 Bluetooth speakers

I own many Bluetooth speakers and this is one of my favorites. The quality of the device is top shelf. I enjoyed unpacking it and feeling the quality mesh and rubber of the speaker and it has a nice heaviness to it. Pairing is very easy, as are most Bluetooth speakers. I didn't even have to read the instructions, I just held down the power button until I saw a light flashing then paired it in my phone's Bluetooth settings. It features NFC paring but don't see it being easier than how I just mentioned. I immediately started playing some music and saw the nice lights on the device. I can imagine having a small party/get together and having this speaker nice and lit up. It adds a nice little bit of flare to your sounds. It goes through some patterns and move to the beat if you want it to. The sound quality was very good. The bass was nice, I wouldn't go as far as calling it extreme, but still good considering the size of the speaker. The highs were very crisp and clear, which is what I like for a casual Bluetooth speaker. It got it pretty loud, not all the way up yet, and it never got distorted. Overall I would highly recommend this speaker and really enjoyed using it. I cannot wait until I have a small get together so I can show it off.