Customer Ratings & Reviews

It's got so much bass I literally CAN'T play it in my apartment... Unless I want my neighbors to absolutely HATE me. Anything over like, 4 notches, and it shakes the entire room. Never been happier to play music at a friends house!

KEY FEATURES USB-C and 110V Charging Sony Mega Bass Horizontal or Vertical Placement Options Linkable with other Sony Speakers Numerous Inputs (Microphone, Guitar, USB, 3.5mm) IPX-4 Moisture Rated Up to 25hrs Battery Life INITIAL SET-UP I tested setting up the XP700 with both an iPad and Android based Galaxy smartphone. I am happy to report that both the Android and iOS Sony Music Center apps worked flawlessly for setting up the speaker. Things went smoothly enough that there is not a lot to write about. I cannot say the same for Sony’s Fiestable app. This add-on app, available on both iOS and Android, is a companion app to Music Center. It really serves little purpose other than turning your phone into a light show working in conjunction with the adjustable lighting on the XP700. I guess it is neat in theory, but really serves no useful purpose other than being just a huge battery suck. MUSIC SELECTION AND USE Both my Android phone and iPad found the speaker nearly instantly and connected via Bluetooth without issue. The Music Center app scanned my phone for existing music services, and was able to connect to them all without any fuss. My primary music streaming service, Amazon Music, was launched and handled without issue by the Music Center app. The Music Center app allows the user to fine tune the listening experience to their liking and control all aspects of the speaker. Options for lighting, equalization settings, power consumption optimization, DJ effects, Bluetooth prioritization, etc. are all app controlled and easily customizable. My iPad streamed flawlessly via the AAC codec. My Galaxy phone provided even better results, as the Sony supports the higher bitrate LDAC protocol. I, of course, selected sound quality over connection quality and the Bluetooth stream sounded even fuller than on my iPad. My previous generation Sony speaker, XB72, struggled maintain a quality LDAC connection with my phone. But my Galaxy and the XP700 maintained a consistent “music priority” connection from more than 50 feet away. An excellent achievement considering my XB72 could not maintain a quality connection for more than 5 feet from the speaker. Sony has given this new generation of speaker a great deal of inputs for streaming. The speaker has inputs for a guitar, a mic input for DJ’ing, USB-A for flash drives, all in addition to Bluetooth. One of the most notable features is the inclusion of Li-Ion rechargeable battery. This was not an option on Sony’s previous generation of speakers. The battery packs a lot of power. Used judiciously, it can provide up to 25hrs of continuous playback. Need it in a pinch and your battery is dead? No problem. A quick 10-minute charge will provide up to 3hrs of music time. The internal battery can even be used to charge your phone or iPad, if connected to the USB port. A nice feature included in the Music Center app is a battery management utility. It smartly charges your battery, keeping it from overcharging, which extends the overall lifespan of the battery. A smart and welcome addition. The Music Center app also provides an estimated battery life remaining, in both hours and percentage. I found that the app constantly polls the speaker and appears to update the status once every 30 seconds, or so. SOUND QUALITY To me, I prioritize sound quality over whiz-bang features and loudness. I do not care how many things an app can do or how loud a speaker can play, if it does not sound good, I am not going to get it. Call me an audio snob or high maintenance, but I will walk past most speakers after about 2 minutes of listening. I reviewed the previous generation of Sony speaker, the XB72, and it falls into that category. I felt the XB72 was just meh. It did not really sound all that great. The bass was lacking, it was plagued with an odd digital hiss from its built-in amp, and it overall failed to impress. Even as a lowly garage speaker, as I have it now, it is just, OK. I will say that Sony addressed many of the complaints I had with the previous generation and corrected them with the XP700. The sound is fuller and much more powerful. The change to square woofers really improves the bass output. In addition to the increased bass output, the sound of the XP700 is much more detailed and cleaner than it ever was in the XB72. One thing that still does not fully win my heart over is the tweeter selection. While they appear to be the same units in the previous generation, these do sound better. However, they are not anywhere near as clear and detailed as a good titanium or silk dome tweeter. But, like I said, they do sound clearer than the last generation product. CONCLUSION Sony has transformed what I would consider a below average product (XB72) to an outstanding product (XP700). Not only does this unit support fuller, more powerful bass, but the mid and upper frequencies have been cleaned up and seem to be much clearer and more detailed when compared side by side with the XB72. The digital hiss that plagued my XB72 is still present in this speaker, but much less pronounced. Sony really did improve upon the overall music reproduction. In addition to improved audio and multiple inputs, the addition of a huge, rechargeable battery just makes it that much better. This is truly a portable, powerhouse of a party speaker. One that I enjoy listening to now. Not an easy feat to achieve. But Sony deserves major kudos for their hard work on improving their product line. I can easily recommend this product now. Excellent work.

I bought two of these. Although the bass is a bit heavy it sounds amazing. I hope they update the app for better bass options. But throwing a party or large space, these are for you. Has club / dance sound level.

This speaker is loud and clear, it hasn’t distorted and the lights are a nice feature and they are bright! It was a good purchase.

Sounds good, long battery life, easy to connect. Only thing I have a issue with is the party connect with multiple speakers is a bit clunky to navigate, tisk tisk Sony!!

Simply mind blowing how good of a speaker this is. Base is wonderful. It is a bit pricey but if you can get a friend to go halves on it you guys will throw the best House parties in town

Very Good Bluetooth PARTY SPEAKER. You can connect microphones and a guitar and the base is very good.

Im disappointed. My 60 dollar speaker is louder and richer in sound. if i had an option to rated 0 starts i would.

Excelent sound, and battery with long life, my best buy I made.

Within a few minutes of use, my mind was made up that this was the best speaker I’ve ever used. Coming from a former wedding DJ, that’s very high praise. Since this is a massive speaker, there’s no real special packaging that goes along with it so out of the box, it’s a bit unassuming. To paint a picture regarding the size, I’m a normal adult male and the speaker is about as wide as my body and as long as my legs. It’s certainly got some girth. As for weight, it has handle bars on each end and isn’t too heavy for it’s size, most adults should be able to handle this unless you have obvious injuries. Now out of the box, I charged the speaker, which was the first treat to experience. It has USB-C quick charging and can get 3 hours of use in just ten minutes of charging, and can max out around 25 hours of battery life depending on how you use it. Obviously the more energy it has to output, the quicker it will drain, but if the lights are off, you’re not using to charge your phone, and the sound is at a normal pace, it lasts an incredibly long time. Even at full functionality, the battery goes on and on. Connecting to the device was a breeze and before you know it, the party is on. I quickly noticed the sound was clear and very full with a very solid bass kick. As for the SOUND, this has everything I’d want in a speaker. Alongside that is probably my favorite feature which is the built in lighting of the machine. There’s dozens, if not hundreds of shades that go in and out to the beat of the songs, so that the lights are mostly always aligned with the music. The lights are optional and can also be turned off. There’s a non-mandatory app compatible with this you can setup to customize the lighting besides just turning it on and off. Alongside just acting as a Bluetooth speaker, you can plug in to use musical instruments or microphones through the appropriate guitar/mic jacks on the back. Cords for these are sold separately. Any plugged in peripheral has it’s own volume control in the back so theoretically you could hook up a microphone and set it to its own respective volume while a guitar could be louder or quieter, or vice versa. Since getting this speaker, it’s been the highlight of our summer BBQs so far, lasting from start to finish, having a sleek look that adds to the party instead of overpowering it. (Unless I wanted it to cause this thing can get LOUD even at 50% volume). The speaker works equally great whether you stand it upright or lay it on its side and is also water resistant so while I wouldn’t keep it out in a rain storm, if it gets a little wet, due to an accident the party can still rock on. Overall, this is an obvious buy and I definitely recommend it.

The SRS-XP700 is Sony’s big daddy bluetooth speaker. This isn’t your average bring to a small gathering speaker, this is the life of the party speaker. Not only does it have the sound to push a mid-sized party all on its own, but it also has ¼” microphone and guitar inputs to allow karaoke or solo instrument play. The XP700 is a serious party animal. So compared to its predecessor (or at least one of them), the design makes a lot more sense. Not only is the lighting more subdued (compared to the XB90), but the speaker drivers are more numerous and larger. You get the same tweeter setup, but square woofers. Those woofers offer more area, and thus more sound. Out back you get Sony’s omnidirectional sound with a dedicated tweeter and the porting for radiated bass. Overall it means you get decent sound behind the speaker as well in front making placement easier at most parties. There is a handy slit on the top where you can put an ipad or your phone. As mentioned previously, the lighting is more subdued compared to the XB90. No longer are there dedicated strobes or in your face light bars. This speaker hides its well diffused LEDs in the handles illuminating a matte gray plastic softening the lighting effects. In all there are 4 LEDs in each handle. The effect is far more subdued and attractive. The lighting is controllable in-app, and has several different modes/presets that react with the music. All in all the lighting is definitely a step up. Sound wise, I have much fewer complaints than I had with the XB90. The XB90 was loud and clear at upper volumes, but struggled to maintain clarity at lower volumes. While the driver setup is very similar here, I had no such struggle with clarity at any volume. In fact, even with the Extra Bass setting on, I could clearly make out lyrics and details at personal listening levels. In fact, clarity across the board is something I felt the XB700 had in spades. Even behind the speaker at low volumes, the dedicated tweeter does its job and keeps things clear. The X-Balanced speakers live up to their promise. The user interface has been simplified from the XB90 as well. There is just a single button row up top for power, bluetooth, play/pause, volume and extra bass mode. There are convenient LED lights for power, bluetooth, and extra bass (which also can turn on a power saver if held illuminating yet another dedicated LED. Out back you find a play and charge, dedicated charge, power, line input, and dual mic inputs. One of the mic inputs doubles as a guitar input (and has a button that enables the line level required). Each mic has its own dedicated volume knob. I am no karaoke singer, but I did plug in the mic input with my old semi-pro mic. The volume control works well and allows the speaker to sort of fill a basic PA speaker need. Just due to summer schedules, I haven’t had my buddy try it out with his guitar yet, but that’s on the table in the next week or two. The apps are really quite good. Using the music center app, you can adjust audio settings, battery/charge settings (including a handy battery saver that prevents overcharging), swap inputs, etc. Basic lighting is in there, but the Fiestable app has more lighting options. It also has a boatload of other features, including media control with phone accelerometer gestures and probably about 30 other features I’ll never use. That said, you personally might have interest in the Karaoke scoring, DJ Control or Party Playlist. Battery life on this beast is quite good. I used it on and off for hours today, and it’s still sitting around 80% battery. That might be closer to 20h vs the rated 25h, but this is also with most of the bells and whistles turned on and volume up. Overall, it’s hard to be upset that it can only provide 2 full work days (and then some) worth of playtime. Of course just plug it in to an outlet and boom - keep the party going forever! Overall, the XB700 lives up to its price tier. It sounds much better than its predecessor, and has a much more subdued style. If you are looking for a large outdoor speaker for parties, then look no further. If you’re looking for great sound, I can actually say this guy does the deed. Are you looking for some Karaoke? Bam! Are you looking for a cheap setup for playing guitar/singing at your local event? This guy is perfect. Overall I recommend the XB700!

Right off, this is a big portable speaker. Being suited for use upright or on its side, the two handles make it easier to handle. Two people can each grab a handle if needed. It does music, karaoke, microphone, guitar, and illumination duty. Being big, it has a large battery with up to 25 hrs and you can charge your portable devices from it. It is also weather resistant rated with IPX4. Sound is great. With larger and multiple speakers in it, you get better play back. With the mega bass it can really boom. Did not have any problems with lows. Just make sure the volume is at a decent level so it can reproduce it. The sound also carries well indoors or outdoors. It can fill a room or a local area if outdoors. Distortion at higher volumes was not an issue. The microphone input is a 1/4-inch jack. I used it and it works well for a PA system too, or to sing along with music. There is also a 1/4-inch jack for plugging in a guitar. Each has its own input dial for merging into the current selection, or not at all. The apps can really make the unit shine. There are two, the Sony Music Center, and the Sony's Fiestable. The music center is for connection, setting bluetooth priority, sound, power, connections, music playback from phone or online sources, and illumination. The sound has preset or custom setting as you want to use. Power lets you select battery use priorities. You can select aux in or USB inputs. If your music center is setup for it, you can select music to play I the app and link to Feistable. Feistable can let you control the music and lights. DJ modes, change the light mode and how it reacts. Bring down the voice or the bass in a song as you want. There are LEDs in the handles that shine out and reflect off the unit. You can set the color or have the app do it. The lights worked will with music and respond nicely from classical to rock. The lights really work in dark settings and give off a party atmosphere. The unit can be linked to other Sony bluetooth speakers and be played together. However, this is another generation of the Sony group play and will not with previous version. Check online to see which group play units it will work with. This is a big unit and has its advantages due to it. More power, lights, connections, and better deeper sound. The Sony apps help to take full advantage of the options available on it. With microphone and guitar inputs it really is a music center, and not just a wireless speaker.

Don’t buy from best buy they had the worst costumer service

The XB700 continues Sony's tradition of producing high quality portable speakers with bass powerful enough to knock over a small to medium sized dog. It is showy, loud, and very, very good at living up to its role as a party speaker. Build quality is fairly good overall. The case is very thick plastic with an abundance of grippy rubber feet and sturdy seals around all the seams. The speakers are mounted behind metal grilles, and all the various ports and controls are hidden behind a thick rubber plug designed to keep water out. Controls on the device itself are a little basic but well laid out, making it fairly easy to get set up within a few minutes. The battery claims a maximum life of 25 hours and I basically just had to take their word for it as I wasn't about to risk reprisal from the neighbors by stress testing it, but given the massive size of the thing I don't think running out of power is going to be a major concern for anyone. If you want to make use of the more complicated features of the device such as equalization, karaoke mode, or controlling the built in lights you'll need to move over to one of two apps provided by Sony: Music Center and Fiestable. In my experience these kinds of apps can often be a bit of a headache that exist mainly to complicate the initial setup process, but I was pleasantly surprised by how straightforward Sony's are. There was no additional setup required apart from just pairing my phone to the speaker over Bluetooth, and all the controls were straightforward and clearly labeled. It admittedly doesn't offer a ton of customization, with the options to configure the lighting in particular being very rudimentary, but it does what it has to. My only complaint is the fact that there are two of them (three, if you count the app you'll need to use for Sony's headphones.) I really don't see any value in having functions split between separate apps like this, and would definitely welcome a switch to a more unified approach in the future. Audio quality is as good as you'd expect from a Sony. Bass is exceptionally strong and the high end is very crisp, which admittedly isn't going to appeal to everyone. Personally I found that turning the Extra Bass setting off improved the overall tone considerably, but with it on it definitely has more of a nightclub feel. Wireless connectivity is provided through Bluetooth, with all the compromises that implies, but there are two quarter inch jacks on the back for analog connections if you'd like to use it as an amp, PA system, or Karaoke machine. Using these will compromise the waterproofing as it requires you to keep the back ports exposed, but given how deeply recessed they are I wouldn't be too worried about this. They should be reasonably well protected from rain or occasional splashes from the pool, and in the case that you ever have to deal with something more serious than that it doesn't take long to pull the cables and seal it back up. Overall this is a high quality speaker with a reasonable amount of portability and a stylish package. It's not something I'd recommend as a typical bookshelf speaker, but it'd be a great unit for outdoor movie nights, large events, or serving as a basic digital amp.

The sound is very low for this kind of speaker, a was expecting something better.

It depends on what you're looking for. The XP700 has a lot going for it, but there's that one drawback. Starting with connectivity, the XP700 is simple to connect via Bluetooth or mini-jack. It also has inputs for a microphone, a guitar (with separate gain controls, serving as a rudimentary mixer), and directly via a USB flash drive. The unit is water-resistant (IPX4 - can resist splashes from any direction), meaning a light shower won't ruin the sound. Like its (much) smaller counterparts from Sony, the XP700 has lighting that changes with the music - for some of us, we immediately went looking for the off switch for the lights. Battery life is great, with over a full day of power and the ability to add a few hours more in just minutes via a USB-C connection. For full charging, it comes with a power cord. And if your phone or other device needs a charge, you can use the XP700 as a power bank through the USB ports. The sound is excellent. Balanced, clear, and with a wide sound stage for a single unit. From rock to jazz to chamber music, the instruments and voices were clear and distinct, with good balance across the range. That is, so long as you keep the MAX BASS turned off. With MAX BASS on, it sounds like that car coming down the road driven by the guy with really bad musical taste. This is the second off switch you will want to locate. It is also loud enough to have the neighbors calling. If you really want, you can add a second unit and have true stereo sound or even more volume. In fact, you can add several of these together. And that one drawback may not be a drawback for you. Sony calls it portable, but they clearly have a different version of portable than I do. This thing is big and heavy. I'm 6' tall and it reaches halfway up my thigh. At over 36 lbs, it's heavier than the maximum allowable airline carry on bag. In fact, it could use a couple of wheels on the back if you're taking it too far. Overall, this is an excellent speaker for the right situation, maybe an outdoor party or if you want some music on the deck. But portable?

Great sound I just wish there was a "standby" mode for this. After a couple minutes with nothing connected to it it will just turn off which saves power I guess but you have to turn it back on to connect to it again

the sound is very good and easy to use turn off by it self if not in use

WOW - What a massive sound from this party machine. I had to wait until all the neighbors were at work to really crank it up and hear its full potential as I did not want the cops called on me. You can read all the specs so it is not necessary for me to repeat them here - only to give you my impressions. First is size - this thing is "portable"? At nearly 40 pounds, it needs a set of wheels, but the built-in handles at the top and bottom front make it easy to carry if you do not mind the weight. Easy to connect via Bluetooth - absolutely a no-brainer. The built-in slot on top holds your tablet or phone for convenience and having two USB-A ports allows both a plugged-in USB source while simultaneously powering your tablet or phone through the other port. Others have mentioned a USB-C connector, but I cannot find it on my unit. There are plenty of USB-A to USB-C converters on the market so it should not be a problem to hook up whatever source you have. Volume control on top really lets you control this both at the source through Bluetooth and through the speaker itself. This thing REALLY cranks up to levels that will get your neighbors pounding on your door. At low levels, it is surprisingly crisp and subtle, so it can handle just about any volume level you wish to listen to. I am not a fan of the flashing lights, but if this is your thing, you can turn them off or on. For the Mega Bass Boost - it sounds better at higher volume with punchy songs, but for instrumentals at low levels, it sounds a bit boomy to me. Each listener will have their own preference, but my taste is clean sound with less boominess. This speaker can give you both with the push of one button. I do not have a guitar so cannot comment on using it with that input, but I have used the USB input and it sounds just as good if not slightly better than Bluetooth. It is claimed to have a battery that lasts 25 hours, but I used it for about 10 hours straight and it took less than an hour to recharge it with the 110-volt cord. If the 25 hours is correct, it has much more power to be used away from 110-volt outlets than you likely will ever need. You can party ANYWHERE. The waterproofness is essentially a splash-resistant rating so getting it wet by the pool or with a few raindrops will be OK. I would not leave it out in a full-blown rainstorm though. I downloaded the Fiestable app and it appears to not support this speaker yet. Perhaps Sony will update the app to include this speaker soon. My only wish list items to make this better is a couple of wheels on the bottom and a dedicated storage place for the 110-volt cord. Otherwise, this speaker is absolute perfection!

If you just look at the name of this system, you probably aren’t that impressed. It is accurate to call it a Portable Bluetooth Speaker, but the Sony SRS-XP700 Portable Wireless Speaker is so much more. Back in the 80’s, Prince had a song called “Partyman” where he says, “We rock the party, we rock the house.” That is what this thing does. Just looking at the box you can tell this speaker is big. It weighs nearly 40 pounds and stands over 2 feet tall. But set up is easy. You plug it in and you are nearly set. There are multiple inputs into the system. You can connect devices via 1 of 2 charging USB ports, 1/8 inch input, or a pair of ¼ inch mic inputs. You can even connect an electric guitar to this speaker. And if you want to go wireless, your smartphone connects in seconds with Bluetooth. I started off connecting to my phone. The phone immediately prompted me to download a pair of Sony apps to enhance the use of the system. Through the app I was able to control the music and the light colors and styles. It was very easy to operate. The music quality was better than I even expected with this speaker. The bass register was neither overbearing nor weak. There is a mega-bass feature which gives the music a little extra pop but even that did not distort the sound. Also, the high register stayed consistent. I listed to various styles of music and they all came out nicely. I also didn’t notice much white noise during song changes or quieter parts of songs. The system is expandable, though I didn’t try it. But the software shows how you can connect upwards of 100 other Bluetooth speaker to really rock the party. The software can control the led images of those as well to create an visual show to go along with the sound if you had the money and the need for such a setup. The Sony Portable Speaker can also be used via battery making it great for tailgating, family reunions, or taking the party with you. The battery claims to run 25 hours. I didn’t run that long without being connected to a wall outlet, but it went a half day with no issues. In the end, I don’t know why Sony went with such a plain name for this speaker. Just calling it a Portable Bluetooth Speaker makes it sound small and underpowered, but this speaker is anything but that. This will easily fill up your entire house but can still be used in just a single room. I highly recommend this speaker to anyone looking for a quality speaker that can do it all.