Customer Ratings & Reviews

So far all my sony speakers have great sound and the extra bass feature is great, also have google assistant is a plus but it is quite big and the worst part is the battery life too short. Its better use this speaker plug in all the time

it does what I wanted it to do and it sounds great size. it connects to my google so its both jobs I needed it to do. I have used it much yet because I brought it to use out side when I am working in the yard or in the basement when I want to tell google what to do very happy for now.

I tried 5 other wireless Speaker options and none of them would reach outside and connect to my tv...but this one did with ease! Great battery life and Great sounding too. Love this portable, wireless speaker.

I love the sound of this speaker. I have tried several blue tooth speakers. This is the one. Great volume and quality sound. I really wish it had a jack to plug in my ipod but purchasing a blue tooth transmitter to try. Pretty good distance for the blue tooth as well. I would highly recommend

I can compare this to the Sonos one and HomePod I think it sounds great. It’s bass heavy like the HomePod. The one thing that makes this speaker stand out is that it’s portable unlike a lot of those speakers in the same class

Sounds really good with strong bass that carries well in a room. First Sony speaker that I felt the sound benefited from the "Live" effect Sony is pushing. Ok Google is fun.

I sampled all the wireless speakers (in this price range) in-store to settle on this one. I cranked them up to find the level of distortion and best bass (for this size) and the Sony did not disappoint.

I bought this to go into my shop cause I was tired of buying those cheap radios all the time. This speaker is LOUD and is easy to control from your phone. Is also great while mechanizing cause it has Alexa built in so you can control by voice!

This speaker has added some great low end sound to my multitude of Google Assistant speakers and has really help create a great overall sound. It is also a great benefit that the speaker is Bluetooth and portable.

It's really great, and lobe how loud it can get. This was definitely a great buy for the bang when it was on sale and the app is very user friendly too. Great sound and pretty loud for what it is; a very good bluetooth speaker.

This Sony speaker is amazing, you get your money’s worth it is amazing for out door parties and just to chill too. It has lights that go with your music and loud enough to have fun, also with amazing bass!!!!!!

This speaker has taking over as my primary sound system.. Loud enough to rock a party!! Bass is NICE!!

This speaker puts out good sound. I use it in a larger size open space to teach a fitness class. It’s loud enough but wouldnlikena little more output or bass to it. Overall does it’s jib.

The Sony - SRS-XB501G Wireless Speaker is something different than I've experienced so far with portable speakers. I'm not sure if this was intended or not, but with the Google Assistant, the sound responsive lights, and the placement of the speakers creating a bit of a face-looking design, it has personality! It's like the speaker buddy :) The design feels very rugged and solid. Not something you have to worry about being delicate with, which is nice. The dust and water resistance take the worry out of it when taking outside, or throwing in the back of the car to take to the beach. The front grill is metal and very solid to protect the speakers. The controls on the speaker are very minimal and effective, although a few hardware EQ sliders would be a nice added feature. No worries, though, with the Sony Music Center app you can download for Android or iOS give you a software EQ you can tweak the speaker output with. Downloading this app is crucial, in my opinion, as it gives you access to some features that aren't available via the hardware controls. You can connect via Bluetooth, although the speaker connects to WiFi for the Google Assistant features. You'll need to download the Google Home application to setup the Google Assistant features. With the Sony Music Center, you can change the Sound settings, Illumination settings, and Power options. In the Sound settings, there are the Preset Modes - Standard, Live, and Extra Bass, then there is a Custom EQ which gives you 7 up/down sliders +6/-6 from 50 to 12k range. I'm not sure why, but only the Live and Standard modes are accessible via the hardware buttons on the speaker. I like the Extra Bass preset, so glad I found it in the app settings. The Live and Extra Bass settings really bring the speaker sound to life. Not sure if anyone would leave it in Standard mode after hearing the difference in sound these 2 modes offer. The Illumination settings let you select from the following modes for the speaker lights: Rave (the default), Chill, Hot, Cool, Strobe, Random Flash Off, and Off. I like the Chill as it turns off the top strobe light. The Power setting tells you how much battery is left, but doesn't have any timer modes or control over power output. These would be nice additions. Have auto off / sleep settings would be useful. The battery life is excellent. I had the speaker on for around 8 hours at a moderate level in a living room, with the lights enabled and connected to WiFi for Google Assistant, and I had 50% battery left. I'm imagining having the lights turned off would perhaps eek out an extra hour or 2, but I haven't attempted this. The sound is really good for a speaker this size. The volume definitely gets loud enough for any room, and has plenty for an outdoor gathering. The speakers handled the Extra Bass mode without distorting at high volumes and definitely had some thump. The highs are really clear also. The speaker has a tripod mount, which is a nice bonus feature. It also has a USB-C port on the back so you could use it to charge a mobile phone. The speaker also has NFC for easy connection to an NFC device. I found the Bluetooth took a few tries when initially connecting to the speaker, which was a little frustrating in the Music Center app, but once it's connected it was fine after that, and connected quickly. The speaker lights make for a great nightlight in a room, so this would be great for a kids bedroom. You can turn the lights off with a button on top of the device, so makes it really easy to switch them on and off. The speaker is well balanced and easy to hold with the handle. A modern day boombox at a party. Great for carrying around while the music is playing. When connected to Wifi, and a music service like Google Play, playing music is as easy as saying Hey Google, play some music. Streaming over Bluetooth works just as well, although the Google Assistant requires a Wifi internet connection. I would definitely recommend this product!

Sony - SRS-XB501G Wireless Speaker for Streaming Music with Google Voice Assistant - Black This speaker is a large ( 9”W x 9”H x 8”D ) portable speaker that can be mounted on a tripod. Easy controls on top that are clearly marked what they are. Unlike other portable speakers this one has no aux input. The Bluetooth only becomes available once you set it up using your Google account, wireless access and the downloadable app you must install on your phone. This speaker is a Google speaker. Getting it to work with Bluetooth seems easy enough, but sometimes it links with the Bluetooth and then will not make any sound. The lights flash with the music that is … not playing. It takes a few tries to get the Bluetooth and phone, or stereo, to work with the speaker. I believe that if you turn on the speaker and DO NOT SAY “Ok Google” or any other command, just press the Bluetooth button it seems to work more times than not. If you do talk to the speaker forget getting it to work with Bluetooth. It becomes a Google cast speaker and only seems to work with that. When it fails to connect and you ask it why, it responds, “I don’t know what went wrong, you should send feedback”. Ok enough about the finicky way this speaker works. For all I know it’s working fine and I just don’t know enough about Google cast to work my way around the issues I’m having. This speaker has probably the best sound I’ve ever head from a portable speaker. It has enough volume you could easily use it outside at a party. Keep this in mind, it needs wireless access to work as a Google cast speaker. Bass and Treble response are very good without being overbearing. The Google music function is great. Just tell it what you want to hear and it will play it. If you don’t have an account it will offer up a station that’s close and I’ve yet to be disappointed by Google’s play list. At an outside party you might want to leave the “Live” function off so the sound is more directed. Inside at your desk I recommend turning the “Live” function on. It uses the top speakers in true Stereo to fill the room nicely. You can ask it questions, set timers, get the weather and so on. At my desk I turn the lights off, one simple press of a button, that’s it. It has a real charger in the box. It can also be charged by USB-C but I think that would take forever. The USB-C port can also be used to charge other devices but I don’t have a cable to try that function. The top panel has Power, Play/Pause, Volume down, Volume up, Live, Battery level, Mic mute, Bluetooth on/off/pairing, and Light. The back panel has the charging port and the USB-C port behind a sealed cover. It states that it can pair using NF but I was unable to get that function to work, again probably my bad. It’s IP65 water rated so a little water or dirt will be fine, just keep it away from the pool and sprinklers. The battery life says 16 hours. This statement is with lights off and volume at moderate level. After 10 hours of moderate to hi volume levels and lights on it requires charging. The only negative I have with this speaker is its lack of control without Google. You can’t even set it up without a Google account. I’m sure there’s a work around but I’m going for the out of the box experience. I’m not going into all the specs, you can find them online all over the place. I see no point in just repeating what’s already written. Overall I am very happy with this speaker. I enjoy the music it picks, I like being able to set a timer, something I have to do every day, and the sound quality makes me not miss turning the stereo on.

This speaker is a nice size. Not too big, too small, or too heavy. I like that it has a handle on it as well which makes it very portable. Kinda reminds me of a small boombox in a way. It uses a typical ac adapter to charge but also includes a usb-c port as well. Of course you will need a usb-c cable to do so. I was very impressed with the sound that comes out of this thing. The extra bass helps a lot. Most smaller bt speakers just don't sound that great but this thing is not one of those. I did some comparison to some other bt speakers in the same size range and this one beat them all out. I can also turn it up a bit more than others without the sounds getting as distorted. The live sound button does indeed make it sound better so make sure you turn that on as well. I'm considering getting another one. Having two of these paired together would sound fantastic. Having wifi with google assistant integrated completely changes the game here. With this functionality this speaker is on a complete different level than your standard bt speaker. You just need to install the Google home app if you haven't already to get it online and connected up to your account. Since it has assistant you get all of that Google AI integration. You can use it to pause, unpause, play, stop, lower volume, etc while listening. Ask it what the weather is going to be like tomorrow or tell it to set a reminder. I know this is a bt speaker but I find myself just asking assistant to play music over my wifi which is even easier than streaming from a device like a phone over bt. Speaking of wireless, this thing has a lot of wireless support wifi, nfc, and bluetooth. Now here is its minor downfall. It does not support wireless ac. It supports b, g, n, even 5ghz n but not ac which I find a little odd in 2018. Like some of the current bt speakers it includes led lighting which change to the beat. A nice added bonus which you can also turn off if you decide you want a bit of extra battery. Its also ip65 rated so I wont worry about taking it outside or leaving it by an open window. The design also includes a mount on the bottom so you could mount it on a stand if you wanted. In all this is a feature full speaker that sounds great.

I love a good bluetooth speaker and am always open to a new one for tailgating and playing music outside. This Sony speaker is so much more than other bluetooth speaker. The setup could not be easier. The box has the speaker and a simple charger..not a giant elaborate one with a power brick..bonus points. I followed the instructions and used my Google home app to set up the device. Much like setting up a Chrome Cast, it's super easy to do. Note, you only really need to do this if you want to use the Google Assistant. I also paired the phone via bluetooth. The speaker was really well thought out. it has every button you need on the unit, including a battery button that will announce the battery level. While you can check the battery level in the Sony app, this way is so much easier and is a nice feature. You can also turn the party lights on and off which is good as well. The speaker is a nice size and has plenty of weight to it. The construction is solid and I have no doubt that will last a long time. More importantly, it sounds amazing. I was really surprised by how great music sounds on this. It fills my condo with great sound without sounding tinny and the bass is excellent. It can get really loud and I'm looking forward to using this at tailgates and BBQ's. This is my first experience with a Google Assistant device and it works really well. I use Siri and Alexa a lot and Google seemed to be on par. It played the music I wanted, gave me the weather, and controlled my smart home devices with ease. The battery is fantastic as well. I could not be happier with this speaker and look forward to many years of boom.

Very easy to set up for WiFi or Bluetooth. Clear crisp highs and nice base. Great speaker for the $100 off sale price of $199.

My son wanted this speaker for parties out on the boat. It needed to be loud-really loud. This Sony speaker fits the bill. Sound is clear and undistorted.

First off, let me say that I have been a long-time fan of Sony audio products. I've used their headphones for probably over 15 years now so I am a superfan. And I have to say that this is probably one of the best Sony products I've ever owned and for reference, I also own an XB40 which has been awesome. SETUP: Easy. Just like setting up any other Google Home-compatible device, you'll open up Google Home and add the device. I don't really have anything else to say here. It was simple and it worked. And then using it as a bluetooth speaker paired to your mobile device is again, just like any other bluetooth device. USABILITY: The button configuration is nice and simple and there's no clutter up top making for easy usability. It also has a handle which I found to be extremely useful and there is also a 1/4-20 tap (tripod mount) on the bottom so you can mount it in a variety of ways. LIGHTS! I totally thought this was a gimmick when I bought the XB40 but I found myself REALLY enjoying the lights especially since I used it in my indoor spin studio, but now the XB501G has taken it's place. The lights add just a little something-something that can make indoor workouts much more enjoyable. However, if you just want to chill out you can always turn them off. CONSTRUCTION: Just like any other Sony device the construction is rock-solid and there is nothing cheap about this at all. I love the handle which makes it easy to carry around but do note that because of that solid construction, it's not the lightest thing around but I prefer it this way. It's also IP65 rated to resist the elements. SOUND! This thing THROWS some serious sound, folks. Really. I have a 1/4 acre lot and I can hear this all the way from one end to the other. Clarity is quite good, BUT, with bass-heavy tracks at high volumes, it can get a little muffled. I am generally a huge fan fo Extra Bass (it's actually the reason I have been such a long-time Sony audio fan) but for some reason or another this one is just slightly heavy on the bass. Not enough for me to bring the review down a star, however. BATTERY: It lasted me about 14 hours on a single charge but do note that it uses an AC adaptor rather than USB for charging, HOWEVER, they do include a USB-C port on the back for charging devices from the speaker. That's a nice touch. WRAP-UP: Although I have some very minor complaints, I AM GUSHING over this speaker. It comes with SO many smart design features like the handle, the tripod mount hole, then you have the legendary Sony sound quality, and to top it all off, Google Assistant. I really can't recommend this enough. It's amazing around the house and with it's handle and IP65 rating, this thing can go anywhere.