Sony - SRS-XB41 Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Black

The Sony XB41 is a unique bluetooth speaker that is set around being able to bring a party vibe no matter where you go. They claim 24 hours of run time with big bass boost for all you lovers of bass out there. Flashing strobes and the ability to add in your own personal beats is a different design that i have yet to see on any other device of this nature. And the ability to fully submerge this speaker in water, can it be true? Can Sony live up to some of its claims and is it really worth the buy? Out of the box this is a very nice looking speaker. The design quality of the speaker shows that it was indeed built with strength and water resistance in mind while still looking very good. I wouldn't expect any less from a Sony product. Out of the box your going to get the power cord and speaker. For some reason on the box it says the speaker is built for Iphone users but the speaker will link to any android device via bluetooth or NFC. On the back side of the speaker you will find the charging port along with a usb port and 3.5mm audio jack. The first thing i noticed was that the ports are covered with a sturdy air tight rubber cover which would prevent any debris and water from entering the unit. There are two claims from Sony that i wasn't exactly eager to try but i'll take their word on it. One being that this is an IP67 rating on the frame design which is similar to a lot of cellphones out there. This basically means you can completely submerge the unit under water with no damage to the hardware, speakers or unit itself. It also means it should have no issues resisting dust or any other debris. This makes this speaker IDEAL for a on the go unit seeing as how sand, water, dirt or any other environmental elements should not cause any issue or concern. The second claim is that the unit is also shock resistant due to the design of the frame and fabric covering it. Sony claims that it can handle about a 4ft drop on to a hardwood floor with no damage to the unit. While i don't recommend giving this test a try it is a nice feature to have as a kind of insurance policy in the event one of your thoughtful guest accidentally knocks the speaker off the counter. There is 24 hour battery life with all the lights turned off and what i can say is with all the lights on full blast and the extra bass mode turned on i got about a little over 18 hours of full battery usage. This is actually not bad when you consider just how much power goes in to running all the light bars and strobes. Lets talk about some of the features that make this unit really unique. First off in order to enable most of the features will you need to download Sony's apps. It's going to require you to actually download two apps. The main app you will need is the Sony music center. The second app you will need to download is Fiestable and it will not appear on your phone but is an additional software app needed to access all the features of the speaker such as lighting effects, party mode, DJ effects and other abilities. Now the app is not needed to run the unit seeing as how the top of the unit houses buttons for volume control, pause/play, live mode, power button and the Bluetooth sync button. However without the app you will miss out on some interesting features. Through the app you can control the lighting effects of the speaker and how you want them displayed. IF red is your favorite color then you can have the light bar display red all the time. You can also control the strobe features of your speaker and how active they are. One of the cool features that i found i really liked alot was Rave mode. In Rave mode the light bar will keep changing colors and both speakers light up along with the strobe lights that flash on the side of the unit. What made it really cool though is that all the lights will light up and flash in unison with the music that is being played. It looks all very well orchestrated and while i was worried about it looking kinda of cheesy it actually worked very well to the beat of the sound. Now if all that flash is not your style don't worry you can turn off all the lights and just have audio. There is another mode that is called party booster. While this mode is turned on you can tap on four different areas of the speaker to produce various sounds. For example if you bang on the front of the speaker you can get drum bass. If you tap on the side of the speaker you can get high hat. The sounds can also be customized through the app so you can add whatever sound you want to whatever sensor you want it to be activated by. This feature allows you to make additional music either while the music is playing or turned off. So if you think that country song your listening to is lacking some more cow bell, well then my friend simply activate party booster and jam along to your song and add as much cow bell that you feel is lacking. There is another feature through the app that allows you to be your own DJ and add in effects to your music such as lasers, people cheering, hype men, etc. You can also slow or speed up the track and even scratch on it. This is a really cool feature that i was actually very excited about because it allows you to basically mix your favorite music and add in effects that you may feel would enhance it. I uploaded a picture to show you what that DJ feature looks like. The problem with this feature that i had was sound control. At least as of writing this review there is no ability to control the volume of your DJ sound effects. And what makes it terrible is that the effects are actually louder than your music that is being played. Lets say your jamming to your favorite tune and want to add some lasers. Well when you hit the lasers they come blaring in louder than the music that is being played that it actually startled me at first. Until they can fix this issue with an app update i found this feature to be very disappointing and pointless at this time. Now lets talk sound quality, after all that is what Sony is known for. First thing you need to understand when buying a Bluetooth speaker is a few things. One, it will never sound as good as a full 7.1 audio system with equalizers. Also second these speakers require some burn time or break in period before they truly start to shine. Right off the bat i noticed the sound quality wasn't that great. Once i tuned in my equalizer i noticed an improvement right away. Now Sony is claiming extra bass to push through these speakers that are supposed to be pretty decent. One thing i noticed right off the bat is the Bass tries very hard to push through and sometimes over compensates. While listening to Anberlin " Feel Good Drag" i noticed that the bass was pushing so hard that it actually sounded as if the vocals were being distorted. Im very picky when it comes to my music and i know sometimes i can tend to pick things out that most people don't find but for my wife to walk buy and even point it out to me only confirmed what i was already thinking. Now im not saying the extra bass is a bad thing im only saying it does not work well for the Rock genre. While blasting Young Jeezy " I luv it" man that bass hit so clean and did not take away from any of the vocals or other effects. One thing i noticed about this speaker is it really shines and sounds good with hip hop and dance music. Im not saying that rock or any other genre sound terrible, i'm simply saying that i noticed a little bit of a better quality of sound coming from those type of genre. Now lets talk about Sony's live feature. The live feature is a design that is supposed to give you a 3 dimensional effect and give you a sense of almost being at a live concert. While this feature does not work well for all types of music i did noticed this is where rock music really shined. While listening to some Shinedown on live mode the sound quality got louder with a bigger emphasis on vocals. I actually saw those guys in concert a few years back and i have to say the live mode made me actually feel like i was at their concert minus all the reverb and bad acoustics of the venue i was in. Now while this isn't a 360 speaker one thing i will say is getting sound quality across the room equally was not a problem. No matter what mode or feature you chose to use i found that no matter where i stood in relation to the speaker the sound quality was good and equal, lacking nothing. . Once i blew past my 20 hour mark i noticed the speakers starting to sound even better as they were finally starting to settle in. If you are looking for a good speaker for work. poolside parties, BBQ's or even camping then this is a must have. Really with the sound quality and punch this speaker puts out there is no bad use for this speaker, especially since you have to option to turn off all the flash and lights.

Sony hit a home run with this XB41 BT speaker. The size, features, and battery life should really appeal to most people who are looking for an all-around great wireless speaker. Package comes with speaker, proprietary wall charging unit, and instructional guide. PROS: ----------- * Incredible sound in a small package, but Sony’s largest speaker in this style. BASS is great! * Connected flawlessly with 3 devices I own – all Android. NFC made it even easier. * Lights can make the sound more fun I guess… personally, I’d rather have my speaker take on longer life so it continues to work. But the various light shows are still pretty cool at times. * Fiestable app is a nice/fun added add-on. After playing around with it, it’s something that someone under 10 years old would probably have fun with. After about a minute though, I was over it and just wanted to listen to my music the regular way. * The IP67 rating is great – as many BT speakers have this now. It’s great to be able to take this speaker to the ball park without having to worry about it getting wet or dirty. * The 24 hour battery is one of the BEST features. No one wants their speaker to give out. However, if you do run out of power, you can either use the wall charger provided OR your own microUSB cable for charging. That concept is huge, as no one wants to haul around a proprietary cable around. * USB port available for charging a cell phone in the rear panel. As long as you have plenty of life left, this could be useful. * BT signal was exceptional when connecting with Samsung Note 8. I was able to get around 50’+ for line of site and around 40’ with one wall separating phone and speaker. CONS: ----------- * I’d like to see the Sony “Music Center” app a bit more updated and user friendly. For instance, sound shouldn’t really be in settings, but on the front page as “Audio” or similar. Even the illumination would be better suited to a more accessible area on the main page instead of having so many submenus. * The great idea of having a secondary way of charging the speaker via microUSB is great – however, we are in 2018. This should have been a USB-C cable input for charging. This would allow for possible faster charging AND not have to worry with which way the connector has to be turned. MicroUSB should be a thing of the past on new products such as this going forward. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: ----------- * I find it a bit amusing that ads for this product show teens all holding up a Sony BT speaker… What world is that? As fun as it looks, I don’t recall any party where teens bring their own Sony BT speaker and join them all up together and dance with them. Nice concept, but not sure if that’s a huge selling point. * The product claims to have a 3.94 foot shock proof chassis (on a 1.97” thick piece of plywood. Well, I’m not going to drop it to prove otherwise. Dropping on cement or tile floor from that same distance might get different results. * See picture provided with review to see the ports available in the rear panel which is waterproof. Door latches pretty tightly. * Lights can be turned on/off in the Music Center app in settings along with some simple EQ settings as well. CONCLUSION: ===================== I own a few BT speakers, and this one is likely the best of them all. It has plenty of bass and power, flashing lights, waterproof, and other applications via the Music Center and Fiestable. Connecting (up to 100) many of these together in a room could definitely provide plenty of immersible sounds at a party inside or outside. Being BT, they just need to be within 30-40’ of each other. Line of sight can be longer. There are plenty of pros to buy this speaker and not enough cons not to. Clearly Sony got it right on this one.

The Sony Audio Engineers have designed this SRS-XB41 as a Mini-Portable Party Center with Smart Features, which enhance 'Live Sound', LED lighting, and fascinating sound effects. You can be your own DJ by customizing various, multi-dimensional sound and lighting effects creating a personal 'club atmosphere' in your own home. After two fun-filled weeks of enjoying, using, and 'learning' this speaker I find it is capable of handling small, large, indoor and, or, outdoor spaces equally well with spectacular acoustics. I was absolutely astounded by the DJ lighting, and especially, the numerous FUN, DJ sound effects, my teenage Grand Kids conjured up, playing with the Sony Music Center and Fiestable Apps on my I-Phone. I am also amazed the SRS-XB41 reproduces such a dynamic, reverberating sound with robust bass playing an array of all music genres. WooHoo! The sound reproduction of the SRS-XB41 focuses on the mid-ranges, and is spirited at higher tones, and crisp at clear voice. It has a full-bodied, rich bass, especially when the 'Extra Bass' (Party Booster) is activated through the speaker's 'Live Sound' button, or, through the Sony Music Center App. Let me start by listing 'What's In The Box': * SRS-XB, Waterproof (IP 67 Rating), Dustproof, and Rustproof. - - Dimensions are 11 1/2 in x 4 1/8 in x 4 1/4 in and the unit weighs approximately 3 lbs and 5 oz. - - Unit operates on the 2.4 GHz radio band and the internal size of its dual, mica reinforced speakers are 2.28 in. - - The speakers are lighted, which sync to the beat of your music. - - Additionally, there are two strobe lights at either end of the front face of the unit. - - Line Lights – There is a line of lighting on the unit's front, which also circles both sides. These lights can be changed through the Sony Music Center App to an unbelievable amount of color variations and automatically sync to the beat of your music. - - Battery Life – This unit can operate for a full 24 hours on low sound with no lights syncing. It took me approximately 3 hours to fully charge this unit. - - Easy Grip Speaker Body – The unit is constructed of high quality fabric, which is waterproof, dustproof, and easily cleanable / washable. It grips and let's you hold on easily easy to manually tap any one of five sides for DJ sound and lighting effects. * Proprietary A/C Charger - Included in the box. However, speaker can also be charged from the Micro USB (DC IN). Connect a USB AC adapter to this jack to charge the speaker. * Quick Start Guide – Numbered steps and illustrations to get you operating your XB41 by manually performing most of its numerous features. * Reference Guide – Standard safety precautions, warnings, notes, and other pertinent operating information. RECOMMENDATION: I went to the Sony Support website and entered the SRS-XB41 model number. I then bookmarked the 'On-Line Help Guide' , which is a much more expanded detailed, easy-to-read, on-line guide, which has numerous helpful illustrations and drawings so you can readily take advantage of the fantastic amount of features this speaker offers. You can also download a printed PDF 'Help Guide', but be aware it is a 'ginormous' 94 pages long. Controls, Buttons & Lights on the SRS-XB 41: * ON / OFF Pairing Burton – Located to the extreme right on the top of the unit. This button has a light, which is OFF when the power is not ON and White when the power is ON. It also turns Orange in the Bluetooth Standby mode while the speaker is OFF; Green when the sound is in the Standard mode; White when either the Live Sound or Extra Bass mode is ON. * Bluetooth Indicator – Light flashes Blue while Bluetooth Pairing is in Process and solid Blue when connected. * Live Button – On top of this speaker and Is ON, White, when realistic, vibrant, 'Live Sound' is being delivered. Light is OFF when either standard of Extra Bass sound mode is ON. Extra Bass is what this speaker is really all about. The 'Extra Bass' feature with the appropriate volume level blows my proverbial socks off. * + Button – Increasing volume button – Note that the connected Bluetooth device controls the upper levels of the total volume. * - Button – Decreases the preset volume level. * + & - Volume Buttons – By depressing both + & - volume buttons at the same time for three seconds, 'Party Booster' function is turned ON manually. This allows you to DJ sound effects by tapping any one of the five sides of the speaker. Tap hard for loud effects and tap lightly for lower sound effects. Keep in mind that you have to physically hold the speaker body for these FUN effects. * > & II Call Button – Press this button to receive a call. Music playing will be halted. Then, press this same button to end the phone call. After making a call from your mobile phone press this same button to end that call, likewise. Under The Cap On The Back Of The Unit: * Batt Button – Turns the lights ON & OFF. * Charge Indicator Light – Glows Orange while charging and Fully charged. * WPC Button With Indicator Light – Wireless Party Chain Button with indicator Light. When other compatible speakers are 'party-chained' the light glows White. * ADD Button With Indicator Light – Any other compatible speaker may be 'added' as a double speaker (plays the same sound) or, in Stereo mode to play as a Left or Right channel. I prefer to add a speaker in Stereo mode, it is so much better quality sound reproduction. * Stereo Mini Jack (Audio IN) – For playing auxiliary sound input devices. * USB A Terminal (DC OUT only) - For charging your Cell Phone or other devices. * Micro USB (DC IN) – Connect a USB AC adapter to this jack to charge the speaker * DC IN – Proprietary 5V, A/C Charger. To fully take advantage of the SRS-XB41 Speaker I downloaded the Sony Music Center App, which is available from both the Apple App Store or at Google Play. When I downloaded the Sony Music Center App. it prompted me to download the Fiestable App. Both of these Apps are need to fully explore the multitude of features offered by the SRTS-XB41. Functions of the Sony Music Center App Using Your Smartphone: * Group With Other Speakers - Control multiple compatible speakers (up to 100) using the Wireless Party Chain or select the Speaker Add function. * Access your own personal Music Library (Need to give App permission to access). * Access directly to Pandora, Tunein Radio, etc. directly from within the App (If installed on your Smartphone). * Access the various Illumination, Lighting Modes and select from Rave, Chill, Hot, Cool, Strobe, Calm Magenta, Calm Cyan, Calm Lime, Calm Cinnabar, Calm Daylight, Calm Light Bulb, and Lights 'OFF' and Random Flash 'OFF'. * Under 'Settings' – You have a multitude of options for Sound, Illumination, Power Options, Bluetooth Settings, System, and Party Booster. * Under 'Sound Mode' – You can choose the 'Preset Mode', which is Standard, Extra Bass, or Live Sound. You can also choose BASS/MID/TRE, which allows you to customize the levels of Bass, Middle, and Treble to your own personal preferences. Change the sound effects through the various DJ EFFECT settings, which allow you to adjust the volume of the effects for personal customization, or shut all DJ Effects OFF. How cool is that? * Additional Sound Settings – Activate Clear Audio (Sony's recommended sound setting) and adding Extra Bass if you so desire (Grand Kids Love this setting). * System - Configure the various settings for the system. * Check the battery's power levels. Functions of the Fiestable App Using Your Smartphone: *DJ Control allows you to completely customize your music genres using Isolator, Notch, Noise, and Jet. My Grand Kids can make these effects in sync with the music and lighting – absolutely entertaining. In DJ mode you can add Drums, Scratch, Audience, Voice (Cool Sayings), Phaser, Reggaehorn, and Rhythm by simply tapping or using your finger swirling around on a circle on the pad of your Smartphone. This App feature is absolutely mind-boggling and pure FUN. The more I use it, the more I love it. And, of course, you can turn the DJ effects 'OFF' any time. * Motion Control is another fascinating feature, which allows you to control DJ and Illumination effects with a side motion, back and forth, or swivel of your Smart Phone. My Grand Kids love this motion control and are quite good at it. * Illumination Controls – Yet, another amazing feature, which you control from the pad of your Smartphone. You can change, blend, and even customize the LED color displays on the speaker by simply moving you finger around the color circle on the pad of your Smartphone. There is a Party Flash feature, which allows you to blink the LED lights by tapping the pad of your Smartphone as fast or slow as you wish, and, the lights react, accordingly. Conclusion: This super-feature packed speaker may not suit everyone, but it is the best quality sounding speaker, and, most entertaining I have ever used (just ask my Grand Kids). I love it! For younger listeners this is a fantastic, interactive, club-like, Party Machine. I highly recommend the purchase of this Sony SRS-XB41 if you like high-caliber sound extra bass, multitude of functions, never ending colorful light shows, and just because my Grand Kids love it so much. It is pricey, but just look at what outstanding and numerous features you get - totally worth the money. Obviously, this would make a great gift for that special young person on your list for birthday, graduation, going away to college, etc. This speaker will not disappoint you . . . .

For the most part, this will be the same review as the one I did for the mid-size sibling, the SRS XB-31 model. This model (the XB-41) is the bigger one. Outside of my original review below, there are 4 primary differences. 1) MUCH louder. I would estimate that this speaker is approximately 30-40% louder than the model below it. We were seriously impressed by the volume level of this thing. 2) The physical button row up top is made a bit different than the speakers below this model. The button panel up top is centered, instead of being offset and there is one additional button for the "Live" feature, which I'm pretty sure is exclusive to this model. Either that, or it's just a settings shortcut toggle instead of having to go through the app. 3) The power plug. Instead of being the smaller USB that plugs into the XB-31 model, this one uses an actual A/C adapter. This initially threw me off because I was expecting the charge port to be unified across all three of the speakers (the 41, 31 and 21). I guess the larger speaker needed the A/C adapter due to the bigger battery. 4) This one has built-in lights around the actual speakers themselves on each side, unlike the models below it. With this, it allows support for the Fiestable app, which is pretty cool (at first at least, it seems a little "gimmicky") - it allows you to manually control the lights on the speaker as music plays, "like a DJ". Aside from the above, everything else pretty much remains the same, so I'll stick with my original review, below: We have had a ton of different Bluetooth speakers in the past. We use all Apple devices and my wife and I currently have the iPhone X and I have the iPad Pro 10.5". So, I got this speaker and tested it on those devices. I'm by far impressed with how these sound for music. I've been a huge fan of the Ultimate Ears brand of speakers and I have finally found an equivalent to that in a different brand, at least for listening to music. For anything that is voiced, such as watching Twitch.TV streams (which I do daily) or podcasts, I still prefer my Ultimate Ears or some headphones. But, these Sony speakers are clearly aimed for the party/rave crowd and music, so, that's what this review will be based on. The packaging is a pretty basic, no frills cardboard box. Inside, the speaker is nestled in white Styrofoam and includes a (rather short) charging cable and a quick start guide, along with some other printed material. Seriously, this thing is short - around a foot or less. It's kind of a pain, but not a deal breaker. It's a pretty standard connection and you may already have longer ones laying around to use instead. As for the speaker itself, this thing is absolutely awesome to look at and the build quality is superb! It's got some heft to it and you really feel like you get your money's worth with it. It looks almost like a home theater/surround sound speaker, with the Sony emblem at the very bottom, center of it. The corners are nice and rounded with speaker cover material all the way around. I'm guessing this is what gives it the IP67 waterproofing and spill protection. Up top, you have a small rubberized panel that has your Play/Pause button, Bluetooth connection LED (blue), volume down, volume up and power buttons. Around back is a removable rubber panel that seals quite nicely. It pulls out to reveal the USB port, battery indicator check light, "add speaker" button, charging port, 3.5mm Audio In port and a reset and WPC button. At the bottom, you have 4 round, stubby knobs that the speaker rests on to give it added support wherever you sit it. I have ZERO complaints about the build quality on this thing! The sound is also amazing. As someone who has a minor hearing issues (I've got about 15% hearing in my right ear), I have NO issues with the sound nor the sound quality of the speaker. This is hands down up to par for music as my beloved Ultimate Ears cylindrical speaker. It's not as great for voice content, but that is clearly not what this speaker is aimed for. So, I'm not going to knock a star for that. For music, this gets 5 stars all the way. There's also the Sony Music Center app that can be used with this speaker. This allows you to to adjust the BASS/MID/TRE, change the pre-set sound mode, Illumination options, power settings and Party Booster. It's pretty basic, but does what is needed for it. Hint - change the "Sound Mode" from Extra Bass to Live Sound. It really pumps up the volume! Also, I'm pretty sure these settings are follow the speaker, so if you pull up the app on a different device, the settings carry over to it. Nice! We also LOVE the RGB lighting around the speaker that pulses and dances to the music and beat. To put it in a nutshell, I pretty much lost this speaker to my wife. She's been wanting an RGB speaker for a while now, but never got around to getting one because it really wasn't a necessity. For this speaker, it was just an added bonus. So now, I will be ordering the bigger, SRS-XB41 model for myself and I can't wait! This speaker is probably one of the BEST Bluetooth speakers for music that I have ever had and heard. The battery life is great and really is around the advertised 24 hours. Depending on how loud you keep it, you will probably be able to squeeze out about 20-22 hours. We will be keeping this for the poolside in the Summer and to listen to music around the house. I wouldn't be able to do this myself, but I'd love to see how 5 or so of these, chained together and placed in each room of the house would sound - for whole-home audio. Get this. You won't regret it. 5 stars. Way to go, Sony!

INTRODUCTION: Sony SRS-XB41 reigns supreme as the Best of the Best portable wireless Bluetooth speaker. This amazing performer is in a class by itself, literally inventing a new category of an interactive party speaker, while surpassing all competitors with Extra Bass & performance enhancements. LIKES: 1- “Extra Bass”, a Sony exclusive feature, is selectable by the free Sony Music Center App. It is activated by default, and the sound enhancement is stunning! 2- “Live Sound Mode” is also selectable by free Sony Music Center App. It produces an ultra wide spread sound that puts you in the middle of the band. The musical instruments sound like they are across the room with you in the center! Extra Bass is integrated into this mode, so you not only get a room full of sound, you get strong bass, too. I recommend the “Live Sound Mode”, which includes “Extra Bass". 3- A Graphic Equalizer is built in the aforementioned free Sony Music Center App. Tweak the bass punch & high frequency clarity precisely to your satisfaction. This works in addition to “Extra Bass” & “Live Sound Mode”. 4- “Wireless Party Chain” is another amazing feature: 100 Sony speakers with Party Chain can be wirelessly connected together. You can mix & match any of the Sony models with Part Chain: SRS-XB41, SRS- XB31 & SRS- XB21. 5- “Party Booster" interactive feature turns this speaker into a portable drum kit, percussion kit or customized sound. Tap on 5 sides of this speaker & it rocks out with drums, percussion, cowbell, etc. The sounds are amazing; imagine a party full of revelers, each beating their own drum kit on one of these speakers & joining together with interactive fun! 6- Dynamic LED & strobe party lights flash to the beat (if you select them to) - they even flash to the beat of Party Booster! These interactive lights wrap around both sides of the speaker for maximum dramatic impact. 7- Features Sony LDAC (also called High-resolution audio). LDAC is a Sony audio coding technology that enables clear, High-Resolution Audio, even over Bluetooth. It supports SBC / AAC / LDAC codecs, so you enjoy premium sound from a variety of devices from virtually any source. 8- Bluetooth Version 4.2 Wireless Range is a whopping 98 feet. 9- Dual charging option provides a choice: Charges using any standard 5 Volt / USB adaptor with included USB to Micro USB cable. No special adaptor to carry. For faster charging, a high power 5 Volt / 3.0 Amp power adaptor is also included to juice up the SRS-XB41 quickly. 10- The mammoth internal Rechargeable Battery provides up to 24-Hour Battery Life - Party all Day & Night! 11- Standard USB 5.0 Volt Output Jack is built in to power or charge devices, such as your phone, from this powerhouse speaker. 12- Full onboard controls on top of the speaker control everything without fiddling with the sound source. No interruptions to the party! 13- External 3.5mm input jack for connecting to any so equipped source (i.e. Echo Dot & just about any imaginable music source). 14- Microphone built-in; this speaker serves as a speakerphone. 15- Fully Waterproof with IP67 rating to 3.3 feet. 16- NFC technology for one-touch pairing with equipped devices. 17- Sony packed a lot of sound in these dimensions: 11 1/2” W X 4 1/8”H X 4 1/4”D. 18- Lightweight: 3 pounds 5 ounces. 19- I selected the Red speaker; it is available in Red, Blue & Black. The color is actually Maroon; it is not a bright red; it is an elegant color (see photos). 20- Very attractive curved shape; the lights disappear as stylish bands when turned off. DISLIKES: NONE! CONCLUSION: Sony SRS-XB41 earns my highest recommendation & reigns supreme as The. Reference. Standard.

The XB41 is a big speaker that puts out sound to match. The lights are cool and the Party Booster is stupid, but fun. It doesn’t have the best sound quality, but it’s got a lot of other extras built-in that I think makes it pretty strong party speaker. The speaker is fairly large compared to other portable speakers. It’s easy enough to pick up and move around, but you’d have a hard time fitting it into a book bag or backpack if you don’t have a decent amount of space available. The outside is covered in some faux fabric that feels pretty good. The overall build feels pretty sturdy, though something tells me a hard drop might have bad results. It is sealed up really well though and it’s waterproof, dustproof, and washable, so it’s good go if you’re going camping or to the beach. There are buttons along the top with your basic controls and the charging ports are on the back, along with a 3.5mm line-in and an extra USB port to charge your phone off the speaker battery, which is a nice touch especially since the battery life is rated for 24 hours on its own, so there should be enough juice to keep the speaker and your phone running for a while too. The back ports are covered by a rubber flap and the waterproof/dustproof thing doesn’t apply if the flap is open; something to keep in mind. Besides being a speaker, it also has its own little light show built-in as well. Both speaker cones light up, there’s a line light that goes all the way around the front and sides, and there’s also 2 small strobe lights on either side of the speaker. The lighting effects are pretty cool and go along with whatever’s playing, though the Sony app that controls them doesn’t give you a ton of options for customizing it. It also has something new this year called Party Booster, which basically turns it the speaker into your own little electric tambourine thing. The idea is you hold the speaker in your hand while music is playing and you can add your own effects to the music by banging on different parts of the speaker. There’s about 10 different sounds like hi hat and cowbell that you can activate by hitting either the front, sides, top, and bottom. It’s kind of dumb and I feel like it probably works better on Sony’s smaller speakers that are easier to hold, but it’s also a lot of fun for a few minutes. Listening to the speaker was pretty good. It gets really loud and doesn’t struggle at volume. It seems to me that Sony tunes these speakers for bass above clarity; the XB in the model name does stand for ‘Extra Bass’ after all. I do think the mids and highs come through a little muddy no matter what I set in the app. It’s far from terrible, don’t get me wrong, but if you’re really listening in you’ll notice it. There are 3 different audio presets on the XB41: Standard, Extra Bass, and Live. The default setting and what Sony recommends is the Extra Bass one and I do think that one sounds the best. It adds just a little more fullness to the music compared to the Standard setting and I think most music sounds better on that setting. The Live mode is not great. The best way I can describe is if you have an audio receiver with a ‘Concert Hall’ setting. It adds a bit of dimension and openness to the sound that can be good at times, but most of the time to me it sounds like the song is playing through an echo chamber. I actually found that live music recordings seemed to get the most benefit from it. My wife liked the Live setting though, so I’d recommend taking a listen for yourself. Here’s some miscellaneous things I didn’t mention: - Battery life is rated for 24 hours, but that’s without any lighting effects on. - If your phone has NFC you can pair with the speaker that way. It worked fine on my Pixel 2 XL. - All of the speaker settings are managed through Sony’s Music Center app. It’s a fine app and I haven’t had any issues with it on iOS or Android. There’s also another Sony app called Fiestable that lets you do some extra DJ effects through your phone, but I didn’t really find it worthwhile to have that one. - The speaker uses Bluetooth 4.2, but also has Sony’s LDAC codec onboard, which allows for higher bit rate audio. I know my Pixel 2 supports it and I think most newer Android phones do as well. - You can chain multiple speakers together to all play the same music, or you can use 2 speakers to create a true stereo setup. For what you’re paying for this speaker there probably are other options out there that do sound a little better, but Sony packs so much more into this speaker and I think that makes it worth if you can appreciate at least a few of the things they’re doing. It’s definitely ready to party.

This is a pretty nifty wireless speaker from Sony. Out of the box it has the speaker, instructions and a charging cable. In a nifty twist on portable bluetooth speakers, this one seems especially designed with parties in mind. The shape and weight are such that it can be held comfortably hold in one hand. I was able to hold it easily, and then my children took turns with it and didn't have any issues with the weight either. It comes out of the box about 70% charged (your mileage may vary, of course) so you can start using it right away. Set up is pretty easy, as Sony has a QR code right on the instructions. Simply scan this to your phone and it will take you right to the set up page. Download the app and you'll be on your way. The app guides you through bluetooth pairing, as well as finds nearly every app on your phone you'd likely want to use with the speaker. There is an "add app" button as well, in case it doesn't find an app you want to use with it. There are a couple of sound modes, but the one you'll likely want to use is the "clear audio" setting which automatically adjusts. It sounds very good, but you can adjust to a few other "bass boosting" pre sets in case you need more of a "party" sound. Each mode sounds good, and is very crisp and clear. I did note some distortion along the treble lines and had to spend a few minutes fiddling with a balance between my phone volume control and the speaker volume control. If my phone was turned all the way up the speaker sounded distorted in the high ranges, but it corrected itself if I turned my phone volume down and used the speaker volume instead. The speakers niftiest features are the "party" features: the lights and the "party booster" features. The lights have TWELVE different settings (as well as "off") depending on what you have going on. There is a strobe effect, "hot" (which uses the reds and warm colors), "cool" (mostly blues), the "rave" (pretty much all of them flashing on and off), and a number of monochrome settings where the speaker remains one color the entire time. I would think this would be very cool for an outdoor party in the summer, whether it's a wilder party, or you just want to combine speakers with a mood and have them in the background. The lights look great--they aren't dimmable, but they aren't super bright, either so it wouldn't be overwhelming to have them near a table or a spot where people are going to be gathered. The "Party Booster" is a nifty idea...with this mode enabled you can hold the speaker in one hand, then "tap" on it on any side (other then the spot you're holding) and get a specific sound--I included a screenshot below to show the five areas you can hit. One bit of advice--tapping doesn't really work, especially with kids. Striking it with an open palm works best (like playing bongos almost). I had to experiment with a few different ways but once I got the hang of it I had no issues. My kids LOVED this, and I could see it being a big hit at a kid's party, wedding reception or party along those lines. I didn't really get it at first, but Sony has included a handy "how to enjoy Party Booster" link right in the app that demonstrates it very well. The sounds are changeable, but mostly fall into percussion lines. You can go with their presets, or you can do the best thing and customize them so each spot is cowbell--"MORE COWBELL" will never be an issue again!!! You can drum along with the song playing and it responds really well! Another nifty feature is you can set this up to "loop" with other speakers so they're all playing the same song, and all have the same settings. I would think this would be cool even in a teaching environment for teaching basic music and rhythm to children. It would also be a blast at a party with several of these around the room for people to pick up and dance with! The bluetooth has a very long range, I was able to cross my yard and it held the signal. It wasn't until I was on the sidewalk in front of my neighbors house that it lost it. It held a good, solid signal with no cut outs or loss until the signal cut completely. There are also several other connection options including a USB and charging port, though strangely there was no audio RCA jack. The charge seems to hold very well. It was 70% charged out of the box (it has a vocal setting where it will tell you the the charge left when you turn the speaker on)--my kids played with it for at least an hour and it was still 90% charged when they were done. They had the lights on the entire time in various settings, as well as the Party Booster. The speaker so far appears to be very durable--my kids dropped it (onto carpet) several times while trying to take their turn with it (i.e. rip it out of my other kid's hands) and there's not a scratch on it. This is NOT the recommended use for it obviously, but it should hold up okay under adult supervision. It is waterproof and dustproof. They show the speaker sitting in the sand on the box, but the material sure seems like it would hold sand very well so you may want to try and cover it in that environment. Overall this is a fun portable speaker that Sony has designed with some pretty specific uses in mind. If you're in the market for a good portable bluetooth speaker this one works very well. If you're in the market for a speaker with the bells and whistles (literally) then you can't go wrong with this one.

In brief, the SONY SRS-XB41 is built for fun. It’s playful design and abundant features make it a great speaker system for the beach, a patio, a cabin, or just about anywhere else. Oh, and it sounds pretty good too. APPEARANCE & FEEL: The deep red front of the XB41 greets the user as soon as the box is opened. The overall body is a blend of nicely textured surfaces (front, top, sides) and soft-touch plastic everywhere else. The controls are arrayed along a panel (same plastic) on the top, and the many connections are concealed in a compartment in the rear. It’s covered with a watertight “flap” that seats tightly but is easy to open. Surrounding the front and sides is one continuous bright frame that holds a nice surprise. Overall the speaker feels solid and substantial, but not heavy. Quality is the word that comes to mind. AUDIO QUALITY: Assessing sound quality is, of course, mostly subjective and is affected by many factors, including size. While the XB41 feels substantial, it is only approximately 12” x 4” x 4”. The two internal speakers are, according to the manual, about 1-13/20” in size. There are several audio inputs (see next section), but this assessment was made both by a Bluetooth connected to an Android device with highest quality MP3 and also a direct connection via the “audio in” jack. In both cases sound quality was similar. Unsurprisingly, the treble was sketchy and weak. Mid-range was very good. However, the big surprise was the bass which was (again, remembering the speaker’s size) excellent and full. Clearly, SONY engineers did a lot of work to make such a nice bass come from such a small system. There was no obvious stereo separation. Overall, for its intended use (outdoors, casual listening, small party, etc.) this is a good speaker. FEATURES: The (on-line only) manual is 94 pages. Really. This is a clue that the XB41 is certainly fully featured. The box includes an AC charger, warranty information (the usual one year) and a graphic “quick start” insert. SONY strongly recommends downloading two free apps which both enhance functionality and add even more features. (See next section.) Waterproof? Naturally, with good instructions on how to remove excess water. Want to link multiple speakers wirelessly? Of course. By wired connection? Certainly. Need to charge a phone or other device? Use the USB power source. Want to use the XB41 as a speaker phone? Can do, there’s also a mic. The back panel contains about 10 buttons, connectors, etc. One surprising and delightful feature was the reactive lighting that is colorful and spontaneous. The arrays express themselves in the “band” that surrounds the front and sides of the XB41 and in the two internal speakers that seem to illuminate/flash in response to bass inputs. (See photo.) There are several ways to modify or turn off the lighting, either by the control panel (limited) or one of the apps (more fully). Does anyone need such bouncy lighting in the post-disco age? No, but it sure was fun. FUNCTIONALITY: Whether one chooses to use this speaker with minimal features (say, if you don’t need a 100-speaker “Party Chain”) or digging deep into the many enhancements that SONY has provided, this is an easy unit to use, especially with the apps. The lithium-ion battery life is excellent, but declines rapidly as more demands (volume, features) are used. There are several indicators (decreased volume, etc.) as battery life declines. My one “gripe,” is that SONY, like so many other device makers, takes the cheap way and makes button and labels by embossing them into the plastic in the same color. This can be overcome with larger fonts, but currently this one is hard to see and read, especially in dim light. There’s a lot of empty space around the top control panel, so why aren’t the fonts taking advantage of the space (see photo). IN SUM, this is a great supplemental speaker, with above-average sound quality, many functions, and a whimsical feel. Enjoy!