Customer Ratings & Reviews

poor battery life unit would not pair with my chromebook or cell phone failed after 4 or 5 days to hold a charge very disappointed in lack of quality

It's an amazing speaker but only lasted 4 weeks before it broke. Can't return it since it's past the 15 day return policy. Terrible product.

This is an excellent blue tooth speaker. I have used it in excess of 6 hours without recharging. I especially like the extra bass component.

Don’t waist your money buy the Jbl. Speaker quit just after a year and only used maybe 20 times.

The XB30 is a big, heavy portable speaker that can fill a room with sound. Pairing with an iPad and also an Android smartphone was a snap, and I experienced very little static or lag moving upwards of 20-25 feet from the speaker. This unit features an Extra Bass button, and you really need it: when off, the sound lacks the full, rich signature Sony sound. One of the selling points of this machine is a lights feature. This speaker can flash like a strobe light or emanate mood lighting for different settings like cool, warm, party, etc. While it is a nice feature, accessing it requires the downloading of a free app to your smart device, which can be a turn-off for consumers. Soundwise, the XB30 is really a room-filler. Physically, it's not as small as some other devices on the market, but what you lack in portability you gain in massive sonic appeal. Bottom line, this is what you're really looking for.

Not loud enough. Sound quality is mediocre. In a small setting maybe would sound good.

The bass and treble levels were not distinct. My iPhone sounded just as good

This is the third Bluetooth speaker we have in the house which enables me to make a direct comparison to two competitors from different manufacturers. However the other two have price points higher than this Sony XB30 with a $149.99 MSRP (one is $50 higher and the other is $100 higher). The Sony comes in multiple colors and the outside of the case has a rubberized finish with metal grilles front and rear (the back one is for a passive radiator). The unit has a nice substantial feel to it and that combined with the feel of the controls gives the sensation of a quality made piece. The front grille is surrounded by a “light bar” that has a number of different preprogrammed colors and patterns along with a couple of white strobes, none of which appear to keep time or rhythm to the music being played. The “light show” variations cannot be accessed directly from the speaker’s built-in controls, you have to make changes from the SongPal app (which is free), but you can toggle the current light selection on or off using a button on the speaker. The jacks for power, audio in, and USB connection (to charge your phone from the speaker) are on the back of the speaker under a cover that has a water resistant gasket as the speaker is IPX5 rated for water resistance. Note that if the cover is open for a connection its water resistance is compromised. The Extra Bass function provides a nice bass boost that once you become accustomed to it, leaves the speaker sounding kind of “tinny” or “thin” when it is turned off. I did find the speaker to be lacking in treble both when playing files from iTunes via my iPhone 6 and when connected with a cable to an iPod Classic playing Apple Lossless files. The SongPal app has a rudimentary three-band graphic equalizer enabling you to adjust bass, midrange and treble from flat to +10 or -10 with three sliders. The bass and mid had a noticeable effect on the content I listened to, but the treble control had virtually no effect that I could tell. Two features I was not able to try out were the “Wireless Party Chain” since I have only one Sony speaker and the LDAC audio technology which is a higher quality Bluetooth connection which appears to be a proprietary Sony technology available on their ZX2 High-Resolution Audio Walkman and Xperia smartphones. I realize I am probably not in the target audience for this particular product due to my age, but I am a little confused by the combination of the “multicolored line light and flashing strobe” that would have probably appealed to the 12-year-old me along with the LDAC technology that comes in a $1200 hi-res music player that the 60-year-old me could afford but has difficulty rationalizing. I would expect someone with a high-resolution, audiophile-quality music player to be shopping wireless speakers at a much higher price point than this. The XB30 has a built-in microphone which enables you to have phone conversations using the device as a speaker/mic. Sound quality was far superior to the iPhone’s speaker phone function for both ends of the conversation (to be expected given the size difference of the speakers between the two devices). This feature helps the XB30 earn a place on your work desk. I think the XB-30 represents a good value for its price point given the additional technology and features it possesses when compared to the two other Bluetooth speakers I am familiar with, however the lack of treble response is a little disappointing, at least to me. Sound quality can be a rather subjective matter, and to be fair I was not able to judge its sound with it being driven by a LDAC capable device. There are many other players at this price level, so I suggest comparing at a retailer where you can listen to multiple speaker choices before making a decision.

I am lucky if i get 4 hours out of this speaker. FALSE Advertising

These speakers are AMAZING. As a sales rep, these are my go to speakers for the best bang for your buck, and they have crystal clear sound, 24 hour battery, and amazing bass. And yes, you can turn off the light show. by holding down the extra bass button or by using the music control app.

First, the sound quality is excellent, all the way up to full volume, always the first measure of a speaker. It can be made quite loud, sufficient for a room full of people or a patio party. The sound is quite pleasing with or without the "Extra Bass" function, which increases the bass, but not to the point of thumping over the music. I was able to easily pair and use the speaker with my phone, tv, and Amazon Echo Dot, which really increased the utility. No more recharging after an hour or two either; the battery is spec'ed at 24hrs life with a 4 hr recharge and I believe it. I had it on all day without recharging. When I finally recharged it, it was done in a couple of hours. The charging port for a phone or other device is a bonus. The outside is rubberized and claims IPX5 water resistance, which is nice on the patio, especially this winter. There are 'Party Lights', which are not too obtrusive and can be turned off at the speaker. The Sony SongPal app lets you do everything the speaker buttons do and more. It has a basic equalizer, allows more control over the lights, and can 'sync' multiple speakers, so you can slave multiple speakers to one phone and spread them around the house or whatever. I didn't try this feature, since it would require multiple speakers. Negatives are relatively minor. There is no carrying case. The app is fairly hefty (44M on Android), but not really necessary. The lights don't appear to sync to the music except for a couple of white LED strobes on either end of the speakers.

This was not the speaker I intended to purchase...extremely glad I did! The sound is excellent along with adding extra base if desired. The lights are a bonus. The speaker is light weight but solid as well as water resistant. Extremely happy with my Sony!

This is a fantastic speaker. Great build quality and the sound is awesome. Great battery life. The lights built into it are an awesome added bonus. Highly recommended!

Still my favorite speaker. Its loud and clear. I take it everywhere for my everyday use.

We've purchased other models of Sony SRS, Bluetooth speakers before. The value and quality of the product can't be beat. The size is small and portable, yet the sound quality is impressive. The battery charge has always been sufficient for our needs. The SRS-XB30 adds another fun component with the lights and strobe. The light colors rotate and encircle the front perimeter of the speaker face. One simply holds down the Extra Bass button if you choose to not use the lights, but simply listen to music. This speaker is easy to set up by simply connecting through Bluetooth on one's phone. I prefer the sound with Extra Bass turned on. We will definitely be using this by the pool this summer since it offers water resistance and has a speaker phone option. I highly recommend this product for the sound quality, portability and value.

I loved this speaker for about 15 minutes. It sounds amazing. Looks great. The lights are a pretty cool touch as well. I started having bluetooth connectivity issues. I could get through about 15 minutes or so of music and it would start to crackle like I was too far away from the speaker...I was within 5 feet. I contacted Apple Support to see if it was my iPhone 7+. We went through everything possible. It looked like it was the speaker. The speaker works great with my laptop! But the iPhone has issues. I am not the only one. Go to the Sony website and check the customer reviews. There are others. I tried all their troubleshooting tips. I reset the whole speaker. I also initialized it. I did everything. Nothing worked. I am returning it when I can get back to the Clarksville, TN Best Buy.

awesome sound quality.loving it.feautures are also good.

I was browsing around for a high quality portable speaker and was deciding between this and a bose speaker. The design, extra bass, water resistant and *24 hour battery life got my attention, so I decided I'd go for the XB30. I didn't purchase the warranty Best Buy offers thinking I had a great speaker and I wouldn't have to worry about anything. Yep I was wrong. Battery life is terrible! I can't even get more than 6 or 7 hours on 50 to 70% volume ( I have neighbors) on something that claims to go up to 24 hours? Maybe 24 hours with no sound playing and just the speaker on with the lights. Worst part is I've only had it about a month. Maybe it's just my unit, but I'm very disappointed. If Sony replies, don't tell me to factory reset because I've tried that and it still sucks... how about giving me my money back?

I went into Best Buy expecting to get a JBL Charge 3 for my dad for father's day. I wanted to get a JBL because i knew they were waterproof and sounded great, but once a Best Buy employee let me open a Charge 3 and compare it to this XB30, I was amazed at the difference. This speaker sounds AMAZING. The only reason the employee let me hear this one is because he bought one for his father too. I'm very glad he opened my eyes because i would have overlooked this great speaker. Thinking about buying one for myself now.

I purchased this speaker brand new with high expectations after hearing it in store and expecting high quality components for the $150 price tag. I initially loved the sound and size, but the bluetooth feature kept disconnecting and cutting in and out. I have tried several different phones to rule that out, and also swapped it at the store just to make sure it wasn't that particular speaker. The problem recurred so i took it in for a refund.