Sony - SRS-XB12 Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Gray

The Sony SRS-XB12 is smallest of the new Extra Bass Bluetooth connected speakers released this year. The XB12 replaces the outgoing XB10. The overall design remains very similar, and you would have a hard time telling the two apart side by side. The only outward difference is the strap. The XB10 had a silicon ring loop for a strap that doubled as a nifty little kickstand for stability on its side. The XB12 comes with a fabric strap that can be unbuttoned to loop through/around anything. Inside the differences are subtle. The XB12 loses NFC for fast pairing but gains an IP67 dust/water immersion rating (XB10 was IPX5 for splashing water). Design The XB12 (like the XB10) is a compact, single driver Bluetooth speaker. Sound is provided via a single 1.81” active driver facing upwards, while the extra bass is provided by the passive radiator at the bottom. The 4 cutouts around the bottom are the openings/vents for the sound coming out of the passive radiator. The charging port (Micro-USB), 3.5mm audio-in jack, and reset button are located behind the rubber gasket-like cover. The cover needs to remain closed for the XB12 to have its IP67 rating. The battery life remains unchanged from the XB10 and stays at 16hr. All controls are in one long strip. Power and pairing share the same button. The play/pause button is also multifunctional. 1 press for play, 1 again to pause, 2 presses to skip forward, and 3 to skip backwards. Its also used for answering any incoming calls with 1 press (another to hang up). The microphone for phone calls is also located on the backside, at the opposite end of the power button. The Add button allows you to pair another XB12* in a L/R mode for stereo listening. *Per all literature I have seen it has to be another XB12, and not an XB10. The entire unit fits easily in the hand, and has the diameter of an aluminum drink can, but about 1.5” shorter. That means this speaker easily fits into a cupholder, like that on fold out patio chair. The small size makes it very portable, and easy to bring along in a bookbag, purse, or whatever. I go on camping and backpacking trips, and this easily fits into the mesh drink pouches on my pack, or I can loop it along the side with the speaker’s strap. I can also hang the speaker from the canopy of my tent for some music (or white-noise) to fall asleep to. The little blue power LED is small enough that it won’t annoy you if you fall asleep with it on. I’ve brought it along at work to play in my lab. My laptop speakers just don’t cut it, but the XB12 did a nice job sending good volume through my 1200sqft lab space. Sound Sound out of the XB12 is pretty good for such a small speaker. I had it cranked to its loudest and I never heard it clip or distort. Sony has done of good job of setting that max volume limit. As far as bass goes, not bad. It’s nice, punchy, and can keep up with a fast beat. You won’t get any deep rumbling bass out of this speaker, but that’s just never going to happen in such a small package. I listened to a decent variety of music, and it to handled everything pretty well. Really, any music that benefits from good punchy bass seemed to play well on the XB12. I had a couple of Hip-Hop/Rap songs with deep/rumbly bass throughout – those didn’t sound as good as I know they can sound. The XB12 just can’t push a long, continuous rumble and come off a little flat. Aside from these limited cases the speaker sounded great, so I can’t complain. Other Areas The Bluetooth connectivity works well. Reported range is 32.81ft – I can confirm that it works at least that far, and maybe a touch further. I had to get more than 40ft in my lab a few times before I heard it cut in and out. I didn’t have any issues with connectivity over 10+ hours of use. The strap, at first, is very difficult to undo. The eyelet to pass the button through needs to stretch out a bit after a few uses, and then its not too bad. I certainly wouldn’t want it to be too easy to undo or else I would worry about it popping free unintentionally. The outer coating is a silicon rubber material. Mine is black. It cleans up pretty easily (soapy paper towel for me) and should hold up well over time. I’m not sure if the speaker automatically shuts itself off after a period of inactivity or not. I would think it would to save battery, but I don’t know for sure. I connected the speaker to one of my Google Home Mini’s so my kids could play music and have better sound quality. They liked that they could carry and dance around with the speaker. Overall This actually isn’t my first Sony Bluetooth speaker – that goes to my old SRS-X33. I loved that speaker, but it was lost on a camping trip last year (sad). I was happy to see the XB12 come around, so I wanted to give it a shot. Turns out I like this little speaker. It’s sound isn’t as good as the X33, but it’s much more portable and has 4 more hours of battery life. Turns out I just want good quality sound in a package that is easy to transport, and easy to use. The XB12 does that and does it well. I trust Sony to make a good quality product (like my old X33), and it helps that its an evolution of the time tested little XB10.

---SETUP--- The setup of Sony’s XB12 speaker is fast and easy. Upon turning it on, it begins seaking for a device to connect to. I was able to connect it to my iPhone and my PC with no issues. ---FEATURES--- The key feature of this speaker is that is can produce great bass in such a compact size. Additionally, it boasts 16 hours of battery after a 4 and a half hour charge. It is also rated IP67, which means it’s waterproof for up to a meter of water in depth for up to 30 minutes. A second XB12 speaker can be connected for left and right audio, perfect for movies. ---PERFORMANCE--- The performance of this speaker is impressive. I used it to listen to all types of music and was always astonished at the bass sounds for such a small device. Next, I popped open Netflix and watched several shows and movies that I knew had action sequences and explosions. It made me feel like I was watching a movie with theatre-like sound. Since I don’t have a second XB12, I wasn’t able to test the feature of connecting a second one so that it can produce left and right sounds separately, but one speaker was impressive enough. ---EXPECTATIONS--- The product surpassed my expectations. I am looking forward to making this speaker my new travel speaker, as the included strap makes it easy to hang from my backpack. It’s IP67 rating will keep me at ease from the outside elements and the sound will keep me immersed in the entertainment I listen to. ---VALUE--- The price for the speaker in terms of value is great, especially if your interested in buying two so that you can use the left/right wireless connection feature. ---APPROVAL--- I highly recommend this product for people who travel often and like a sound louder than their phone can produce. Gamers with gaming laptops would love this as well, as the little speaker will keep you immersed and probably last longer than your gaming laptop in terms of battery power, so you’ll get some multiple gaming sessions out of it.

Enjoy the DEEP BASS from a speaker the size of a can of soda! I placed the SONY SRS-XB12 on my table , synced up the Bluetooth, and started streaming my favorite audio. After a while I forgot I was hearing music from a portable, not my home stereo. The XB12's built-in bass ports reminded me of a speaker I once owned that had an open port on the bottom for the same reason. This makes the difference in just okay audio and truer bass. The sound is really amazing. The size and weight perfect for carrying to the beach or pool. I hung it from my cabinet drawer pull in the garage while listening to my audio book. The audio voice came through natural and clear. I didn't need to worry about the sawdust or being outside as it is dust and water resistant. The on/off button is a simple push, and instant pairing to my Bluetooth cell or tablet. The volume up and down buttons worked great too. From the XB2's specs the battery life should easily last a day or two. I may get a second speaker as it supports linked stereo.

This speaker from Sony is stylish and small. It's small enough to take anywhere you want, and gives close to the the promised 16 hrs of run time. The speaker is about the size of a half-height can of soda, so it's easy to grab and throw in a bag or just carry by hand (or by wrist using the strap). The body is coated with a rubberized coating and the controls are well separated and easy to find, even without looking. Like some of the other Sony speakers, this speaker allows you to add an additional speaker to either broadcast the same signal or to create stereo sound; the only down side is that it has to be the same model. The sound from the speaker is good; music is reproduced without sounding tinny, and the Extra Bass is quite evident. Although the sound is good, I found the volume to be a little disappointing. The speaker will easily fill a relatively quiet room with whatever you want, but I found I had to max out the volume on the speaker and run the volume of my phone almost to max if there was any competing noise (eg. mower outside, vacuum in adjacent room), and at that volume, the bass began to distort. All in all, I like the speaker. In my opinion, it's size, convenience, and overall sound make up for the lack of volume.

The Sony XB12 is the successor to the hugely popular XB10. That said, should you give it a go or stick to the older XB10? Both speakers have essentially the same design which are half-sized can speakers with two relatively minor design changes. First would be the control panel. The XB12 has pronounced controls for power, volume, pause and add speaker unlike the XB10 which is a plus for me. Second, the XB12 now has a strap instead of a loop with a ring wherein the ring can be used as a directional stand. For some, this may be something to consider. Performance wise, both have a battery life of 16 hours. As of this writing, I have still have not tested this but I already used the XB12 for 8 hours and so far so good. And unlike bigger Sony speakers, volume seems not to be lessened after a few hours to save on battery life. One thing to note is that as per the manual, charging the unit is at 4 ½ hours. Also, the XB12 has an IPX67 rating whereas the XB10 has an IPX5 rating which is a definite plus. Pairing of the speaker was a breeze and my test unit was ready to go. Upon initial playback, I wasn’t really impressed with the sound especially the bass though I expect speakers of this size don’t really have much bass at all. However, things changed after I continuously ran the speaker the whole day and audio from this unit became much better. (Note that most if not all speakers require a burn-in period. This is no exception.) The mids and highs were clear and there is a noticeable improvement in bass. I’ve tried various music genres ranging from jazz, new age, classic & soft rock, 80 synthpop, reggae and hiphop. All save for hip hop gave good response. (But really you need more powerful bass for hip hop.) New age, jazz and soft rock on the other hand showed the clarity that this speaker can handle. Like most Sony speakers, the XB12 is a straightforward Bluetooth speaker using version 4.2. There are no apps included and this may also be a dealbreaker for some. But what may seem dealbreaker for me is the lack of NFC in the XB12. The XB10 has NFC. And though some may argue that few use NFC at all, it is an indication that Sony scrimped on this one. While there is still much to like in the XB12, the XB10 is still a more feasible option given the fact that its price is going down due to the entry of the XB12. And if you add a few dollars more, you can get two XB10s and pair them together giving you a much wider range of sound making the XB10 truly the better option IMHO.

Over the years we have owned various sizes of Sony's portable speakers and have never been disappointed. The quality is outstanding in terms of how they are constructed and how they sound. This Sony SRS-SB12 is no different. The speaker comes with a graphical, easy to use instruction sheet to show users how to charge the speaker and pair it with your phone for use. Initial charging takes about 4 1/2 hours, then power on the speaker, hit the pairing button and select the SRS-XB12 from the list of Bluetooth devices available on your phone. This compact speaker that is about the size of a can of tomato sauce is perfect for taking in golf carts, strapping to gym or beach bags or anywhere one is on the go. No worries either since it is totally waterproof and dustproof. It comes with a handy, detachable strap for hanging on bags, trees, you name it. All great features, but what matters most is the sound and this compact speaker does not disappoint. Given the size of this speaker I think it is just astounding how rich the sound is that it puts out. As with other Sony portable speakers that we own which features EXTRA BASS, this one does not disappoint in the bass department and the 16 hour battery life is more than adequate. I'd highly recommend the Sony SRS-XB12 if you're looking for a quality, portable speaker.

I'm a pretty big Sony fan, particularly their headphones. I have the XB41 bluetooth speaker which is really nice. This little dainty thing was more of a curiosity then anything else. Figured I'd give it a try. First off is the size, obviously. It's pretty small. Almost half the size of a can of soda. Easily fits in the palm of you hand so it's very portable. As far a weight, not very heavy at all so, again, very portable. Battery life I haven't really tested yet but it says 16 hours on a full charge. Most of the Sony products I have are pretty much on par with what's listed so I see no reason to doubt this claim. Sound, the big part is OK. While this is labeled as extra bass, I don't think it's quite up to par with other Sony products that have Extra Bass. The headphones I have all have really nice thumping bass. This one is just OK. Granted it's pretty small, I would've liked/expected a bit more punch out of it than what it has now. Sound isn't really good unless you crank up the volume on this speaker. WHEN the volume is cranked up, it does sound OK. For use around the pool or the beach, I think this would fit in nicely as it's portable and provides decent sound, not great. Probably the biggest gripe is the price point. For around $60, I would've expected a bit better sound and punchier bass. Something like the XB12, in my opinion, should be around the $40 price point. It's OK but not great for what it is. It does OK so I think it should be priced more in line with that. I'm sure this will go on sale at some point in the future so it'll be a better buy then. If you want something for the road or to play at the beach or something, you'd be better off just getting a cheaper speaker. This one either should be a bit better in sound or lower in price.

All in all this little speaker is build tough for all things music. The design is about a touch smaller than a can of soda, yet the sound is near that of a larger blue-tooth speaker. I highly recommend this speaker for 2 primary reasons. Waterproof and dust proof, this means the speaker can be in the garage of on the boat with no need to worry about how it functions. Its protective rubber clam shell keep anything bad from getting into the electric brains of the speaker. While the charging port is under a rubber flap, its the only area that is not 100% protected by its sturdy exterior. Secondly, the sound. When I first looked at this speaker and noticed that it was only a tad larger than my mug of coffee, i thought it would not be able to produce deep enough bass or rich enough treble. Again, i was wrong. This speaker give just enough sound to accompany a table conversation or a ride on the boat. All in all, due to its design and superior sound, I highly recommend this portable speaker.