Customer Ratings & Reviews

we were searching for a speaker not too small or big, this one is perfect we love all of the functions, lights, and sound. amazing!!!

The SRS-XBG501G is another “party” speaker from Sony, with the dancing light bar and speaker lights and the ability to connect several speakers together for even bigger room filling sound. The difference with the XBG501 is that it also has the Google Assistant and Chromecast built in. The initial connection took a bit longer than I expected and it seems you have to connect to Wi-Fi first before you connect to Bluetooth. The speaker just sounds great. The sound is full, and the bass is thumping. All of which is adjustable by using the Sony Music Center app. There is enough volume to fill decent size room or yard to dance the night away. The “Live” feature really expands the sound and makes the channel separation apparent. This is a feature Sony has been using for years and it doesn’t disappoint in this speaker either. Like other Sony speakers, the XBG501 has party lights, a ring around the speaker grill and a white light that shines on the lower middle speaker. These are controlled by the app as well. It’s said they dance to the beat of the music but they seem to just randomly flash. The XBG501 is IP65 rated so its water resistant and dust proof. Unlike some of its smaller siblings, it is NOT water proof however. Now, for the Google Assistant. Why? Google still has not released the full Assistant for devices that offer it built in. This is the second speaker I have with the Google assistant built in and it hasn’t been updated yet to offer the full assistant. You can not make phone calls on this speaker via the assistant unless you use a third-party app. Also, you must be connected to Wi-Fi for the google assistant to work. Had Sony developed a way for the google assistant to work through Bluetooth while connected to a phone, I would have been impressed. Overall though, not sure the Google Assistant on this speaker is worth it. Remove it and reduce the price. Battery life is rated at 16 hours and it takes about 5 hours for a full charge. After several separate days of play I still have about 50% battery life remaining. There is a USB-C port that you can use to charge your phone. It’s nice to see companies finally keeping up with the times. Overall, I like the rounded design and love the sound. The battery life is decent and the tripod socket is a nice touch. In my opinion adding the google assistant is just a waste and the un-synchronized lights continue to disappoint. I would only recommend this to a friend if the price were lower.

Bought it a few weeks ago, as soon as I left the store I regretted spending so much on a speaker. But, as soon as I got home I immediately loved it. I’ve taken it kayaking multiple times(built a custom rack for it to sit on my kayak, using the tripod mount on the bottom). Lasted all day on almost full volume, does take a while to charge, but is worth it, I love the handle on top can grab and go. Fell out of the truck about 4 days after I bought it, but all it did was dent the screen. Still works great, very loud!

This speaker sounds great and using the app you can actually control the sound you get out of it whether it has a lot of base or is toned down.

I bought this for Christmas for my son. It goes in his back pack and with him everywhere. Great sound and base too. Great buy.

Speaker was super loud and bass was good for the unit. The Bluetooth function worked flawlessly.

I have a Google Mini Assisant and LOVE this speaker because it is exactly like having a full Google Assistant in the living room except with a MUCH better speaker! I play my Google Play Music on it and synch it to the mini Google in the other room so the sound is on both sides of the house. This Sony speaker has outstanding sound and I love the Extra Bass. You can use this speaker via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. With the Sony Music Center app you can have multiple Sony speakers linked together all playing the same thing anywhere in your house or outside. My Wi-Fi is set up so that it extends outside, so I can use the Google Assistant part of it out there in case I want to listen to Google My Music or turn the lights on or off in the house. I can use it as a stand-alone with the music I have on my cell phone. It is lightweight at about 6 lbs. It is splash resistant and dustproof for outside usage, even near the pool. On top of all that, this can be plugged in or be used on battery power. This makes it a speaker to go anywhere. The top toward back has been molded to be a handle to carry it around outside if you so desire. It has 16 hours of playback from the battery. I use it in the house, so I have it plugged into an outlet, so it wouldn’t take much to just unplug it and carry it outside if I find the need and it is already charged for me and ready to go. The sound out of this speaker is AMAZING! The Extra Bass doesn’t sound boomy and has good definition. Want to party with this speaker? It has colored lights with the strobe effect going to the beat of the music. On the bottom of the speaker it has the screw section for a tripod so you can put it in the middle of the room or wherever you need it without worrying about having a place to put it. Not much more that I could ask for in a portable/tripod mountable/light-flashing strobe effects/Extra Bass/Google Assistant/lightweight/wireless speaker. Did I mention the sound is awesome? Yes, I think it is definitely worth the price. Overall this is a really great unit and fits a lot of different needs. I highly recommend it.

Battery life is good. Great sounding. However, need to be in front of speaker to give voice commands.

Got home and charged up the speaker. Next day I had gone to a bar bq everyone loved the sound and how loud it could go.

Good product. Good sound. Easy to carry around. Just make sure you have good wifi.

Great Loud Speaker! you can put on a Tripod Stand, and battery last pretty good.

This thing is better than I thought it would be. The google assistant is pretty neat. Sounds great for kids room.

Great sound quality, good size, good battery life. Google voice assistant is a great feature.

Good sound. Works well as the focal speaker for my Google home setup. Excellent bass good range

I love this speaker great sound easy to use it’s my first Sony speaker but I like ti so much!

Have completely enjoyed this speaker,Love the bass and the lights are cool at night.

Great little speaker! Love the Google feature! The colored lights are an extra bonus!!

It's a great speaker good volume and love that has lights to go with the music.

I am always a fan of Sony and their audio products. This one is no different! Despite its size, the sound quality is absolutely amazing. It produces loud clear sounds with great bass that doesn't overpower the other qualities of the song. Even when I crank up the volume, the sound doesn't get too distorted. If you don't like the bass, then you can adjust the EQ with the app. The lights are hype. The XB line this year are really hype. Adding visual oomph to audio boom is always good. They are just a good feature to have. The build quality is excellent. It is also dust proof and splash proof. I wouldn't jump into a pool with it but a spilled drink here and there is no problem. I really have no qualms about taking this speaker outside. The Google Assistant feature is excellent. It really can add to this smart home network. At this price point, it is an excellent add on. The battery life is excellent. I don't remember the last time I had to charge this baby but definitely few and far between. All in all, no complaints. An excellent speaker for the price and all of its features.

This is a great sounding speaker with Google Assistant. It can be used as a Bluetooth speaker or WiFi (Chromecast). If you plan to use this with your existing network of Google Home and/or Chomecast Audio units you might be disappointed. Pros: • Sounds great! This speaker has full bass but does not sound distorted. The rounded front with angled satellite speakers and Live Sound mode must be heard to be believed. Wall of sound. • Great controls. Very easy to navigate by touch. Multi-function play, pause, |<<, >>| button can be held down to talk to Google Assistant without saying “Hey Google” and activating a room full of devices. • Mesmerizing party lights with 6 modes. I really prefer Rave, then Strobe. • Great microphones. There are two on the top, no need to shout. If you have a Google Home or other speakers with Google Assistant, you can talk to the closest unit to control the XB501G. • Long battery life. The battery lasts all night even with the lights on, longer with them off. • Water and Dust proof IP65 rating • Can be charged using either the AC adapter (included and faster) or using the USB-C jack. • Comfortable built-in handle makes it easy to carry this surprisingly dense speaker. • Tripod mount on the bottom so it can be mounted on all sorts of stands and clamps. • NFC support makes Bluetooth setup even easier. • Great Bluetooth range when you are away from WiFi. Cons: • WiFi seems to be 2.4GHz only! Almost 2019 and this $300 WiFi speaker doesn’t support 5GHz?! • Party light patterns can only be changed using the Sony Music Center app via Bluetooth. • Doesn’t have a timer function to turn off if there is no music playing. • No AUX input jack, wireless audio only. Problems working within existing Google Home / Chomecast household: I’m familiar with Casting. I have one Chromecast (TV) and two Chromecast Audio units in the house. I received the original Google Home to evaluate before launch. I use several audio groups for the Google Home and Chromecast Audio speakers. They all support 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz) WiFi. It seems the XB501G only supports 2.4GHz. I can’t find official specs to confirm this, but I can’t force the XB501G onto either of my router 5GHz radios. This doesn’t work well for casting audio. I can place the XB501G into groups with my other audio units and all speakers play audio except the XB501G. I can cast directly to the XB501G (when it appears in the Cast list). I can speak to our Google Home to control the XB501G and I can speak to the XB501G to cast/control our TV. Clearly it is integrated into our Chromecast eco-system but frustrating I can’t cast to this AND my other audio units simultaneously. I can plug a Chromecast Audio unit into my Nyne Rebel Bluetooth speaker and get exactly this functionality. The speaker doubles as a USB charger so it powers the Chromecast and I plug the Chromecast audio-out into the Rebel Aux input. I really hoped this Sony XB501G would work this way while looking less ghetto. Problems within Google’s Home app: The XB501G does not behave like the rest of our (Google) devices during setup and use. I mentioned I cannot force the XB501G onto 5GHz with the rest of my AV Chromecast gear. I’ve reset and reconfigured the XB501G countless times. Sometimes it appears within the “Home” app Devices list as a Voice Assistant speaker (different icon and more options) and sometimes as a regular Chromecast Audio device. Once it is configured it almost never shows up in the Devices list on two Android devices and two iPhones. The XB501G almost never shows up in the “Cast to” list within Play Music or Spotify on any device. The only way I can “cast” to this device is voice commands to the Assistant. Frustrating using voice commands, impossible to play most of my playlists. Notes: Great sounding speaker. Voice Assistant is fun to have in a portable format. I love the lights. We will get much use out of this speaker. Overall, I’m disappointed and I received the unit for free. $300 out of pocket for my needs, it would be returned. I expected it to work within my Chromecast groups. It should. This is my first non-Google device in the mix but it doesn’t work as it should with my devices and my router. I hope it does on your setup. I can still use my “ghetto-Nyne-Cast” when needed.