Sony - SRS-XB43 Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Black

BUILD QUALITY/AESTHEICS: The front, back, and bottom of the device is covered in a “high quality” fabric “made exclusively in Japan” for easy cleaning. On the left and right side, from inside out, you have two RGB lighting zones, and then a matte black rubber material that goes into a diaphragm to help with bass. On the bottom of the device you have two large pieces of rubber to keep it in place. In the middle of the device you have two speakers with two tweeters that have white LED lights. To adjust LED lighting and color you must use the Fiestable App which can only be downloaded after downloading the Sony Music App. Both are discussed below. On the top going left to right, you have a NFC logo, then about an inch and a half to the right the power button, Bluetooth button, play/pause, volume down, volume up, and live button. Each button requires a moderate amount of pressure to depress, with a moderate audible click. On the back of the device you have a rubber cover. Inside that cover is product information and more buttons. Starting from left to right you have your DC out x1 which you can use to charge your phone or other mobile device. 3.5mm audio in x1(not included). USB DC in 5V x1, which you use to charge the device. It does include a 5V charger to USB C that is all one unit (see picture). Light/battery button. With one press it will announce the battery level. With a long press it will turn on/off lighting. Party Button which allows you to pair up to 100 speakers (models SRS-XB43, SRS-XB33, SRS-XB23 only) with Party Connect which will sync up lighting and music together. And last ST Pair which allows you to connect two of them together for two speaker setup (left right). It can be used vertically or horizontally. The whole thing feels incredibly solid and well made. It is also heavy coming in at 6.5 lbs. Pairing is simple. You just hold down the Bluetooth button. It will say pairing. Then you go to your phone and connect. It’s easier for Android phones that support NFC. I used an iPhone X and iPad Pro 11 inch for my testing. Music controls are simple. Either use your phone. Or on the device itself if you press the play/pause once it will play or pause, press it twice and it will go forward, press it three times and it will go back. It is rated for 24-hour battery with lighting off. 14 hours with Extra Bass and Lighting On. I found that if you have the battery lights on, especially with reactive, it chews through battery quickly. This will also vary on how loud you have the device with battery life decreasing faster at higher volumes. When you turn on the device (which you just press the power on button) it will boot up and announce the current battery level. If you are in the middle of using it, you can open the back port and press the battery button which will also announce it. Last, you can also see this in the application discussed further below. Overall, I found battery life to be great. According to them it takes 5 hours to recharge from dead at 3 amps. SPECS/NOTABLE FEATURES: It comes with a IP67 rating: - Put simply this allows you to take this portable speaker wherever you want (within reason) and it should be able to survive. Including outside in the dirt and next to a pool. - IP6X = Dust protection: Give it degrees of protection against solid foreign objects. (*In this case tested to continue to block dust after stirring for 8 hours in a testing device which contains dust particles that are up to 75 mm in diameter.) - IPX7 = Water protection: Meaning it can fully be immersed in water. (*Tested to maintain operability when gently submersed in water to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.) APPS: Sony Music Center: - It is a very basic app. Once inside you have Six options. From top to bottom. “My library, Fiestable, Audio In, Music, and Settings. - Under My library it will connect to your phones music and then you can add a playlist to play on the device. Or you know… just use your normal music application for it. It’s redundant. - Fiestable, is a separate application. Which is also very basic. That can allow you to control the lights. You have three options. “DJ Control”, “Illumniation”, and “Motion Control”. The app works fine. No complaints. - Audio In, allows you to adjust the overall volume. Again this feels redundant. - Music once again just takes you to your native music app. Can we get another Redundant on the board? - Settings which allows you to adjust the sound, power options, illumination, other settings, and system. - Last you have your Bluetooth audio. - Honestly, I don’t see much point with these apps. But they work well but are super basic. Also, not needed which is good. SOUND QUALITY: For me the most important part of a speaker is the sound quality. I’m willing to sacrifice some sound quality in this case because it is so robust against weather and is highly portable. But thankfully, you aren’t compromising much. I test all my speakers with the same 14 songs for two reasons. 1. To get a sound profile for a product so I know how it will do in different scenarios and 2. To compare it to other speakers. Starting first with audiophile terms and then laymen terms. I tested everything on stock settings which included the EXTRA BASS mode on by default. As that is what I’m sure most people will use. I also tried the Live button. Which expands the soundstage. I preferred this sound as it felt like the sound was all around me instead of coming from a speaker. Which was quite impressive. For the most part, especially with Live mode activated, it sounded airy. It has a fun tuning to it that was also analytical. Occasionally, it would sound processed. It has excellent balance and separation. With vocals being up front and center and then background being slightly behind it. Bass hit hard and was mostly accurate. Mids sounded good but were ever so mildly bloated at times. Highs were solid but occasionally just shy of harsh. Depending on the song it showed very mild congestion, but most of the time it was crisp and natural sounding. There was good detail in vocals and to a slightly lesser degree in instruments. Sound stage was medium without Live mode and medium/large with. With Live mode off you get more of the feeling that the speaker is playing the music, where with Live mode on it sounds like music is playing all around you. Sounds are mostly accurate and true to life. Moreso with vocals over instruments. But both sound very good. Bass hits hard and all levels of sound (bass, mid, and lows) sound equally as loud, are accurate, and pleasing to the ear. It has an exciting tuning to it which allows you to feel the emotion of the singer or song most of the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the sound and I am quite picky. I am sure most others will also deeply enjoy it. It is much better than your phone or tablets speaker. PROS: - IP67 rating which means you can use this outside while working, in the rain, in the shower, or next to a pool. - Very solid build quality with attractive sleek look. - 6 LEDs with two of them being RGB. Lighting is not the most accurate but can be synced to music. - Optional apps which work well but are basic. CONS: - Speaker is heavy. Which is kind of like a no duh. But seriously you could probably workout with this thing. It’s 6.5 lbs. CONCLUSION: Between the excellent build quality, IP67 rating, and sound quality what is there not to like? I totally recommend this product. I greatly enjoy it when I use it in the shower and I am sure you will too.

Sony - SRS-XB43 Portable Bluetooth Speaker packaging is excellent. It came with speaker and AC power adapter. The design is very unique and well built. Setup is quick and easy. I was able to connect using Bluetooth and NFC options without any issues. It has Stereo Mini Jack (IN) ,USB A (Only for DC OUT). I was amazed with sound quality and clarity after playing a song from my iPhone. The color changing LED lights are really cool while playing songs. The bass is really good from this speaker. Battery life is really solid and came around 24 hours. It took around 5 hours to charge fully. The X-Balanced Speaker Unit achieves high sound quality and powerful sound pressure for a richer, deeper, more rewarding listening experience. This speaker is waterproof and dustproof. It is perfect time to use it in swimming pool during summer time in Arizona. I was playing a song with full sound and fill the entire living room with great sound quality. The ability to connect more than 100 speakers is a great feature and it will help to place speakers in each room. I already own SONY SRS-XB31 and able to pair with SRS-XB41. I was using USB Type-C™ cable to charge the SRS-XB43 and charged my smartphone when it was running low on power in the swimming pool using speaker's USB port to charge. The provided AC adaptor is nice addition so that music can be played without worrying about battery life and it offers another convenient way to charge your XB43 too. The sound quality is much better and wide in SRS-XB43 compare to SRS-XB41 due to increased size. Live Sound is an amazing feature to get 3D sound experience. I have installed the SONY Music control and it has tons of features to control music. The call quality is great with this Bluetooth speaker. SONY built a very solid Bluetooth speaker with better sound quality with bass. The price is reasonable as well. My kids are using this speaker very regularly due to the color lights and party mode. SONY always make better products in TVs, Cameras and they have entered in audio space with quality products like SRS Series Bluetooth speakers. Well done SONY and it is another outstanding speaker!

We have had different variations of many portable, Bluetooth, Sony speakers over the years. We have yet to be disappointed in the sound quality put out by their line of speakers or in the durability of this product line. The SRS-XB43 is on the larger end of the spectrum for size and puts out a great sound quality. This is no surprise as it features their X-Balanced speaker unit with a near rectangular design and a dedicated tweeter for higher range frequencies. It's size is ideal for use by the pool or in a larger space for sound to be shared. Fear not in using this speaker around the pool or ocean either since it is waterproof and salt-water resistant. Battery life is more than sufficient at up to 24 hours. Even when using the built in multi-color lights the battery life does not disappoint. The party atmosphere is taken up another notch with a tweeter light, a speaker light and a line light that all flash with the beat of the music. One can modify the color of the line light to match an environment or mood. The Sony Music Center app gives one the ability to select favorite playlists, cue the next song or change lighting patterns and sound modes. How wild that Party Connect will connect up to 100 compatible wireless speakers via Bluetooth! The music and lights will sync to listen to the same beat and light up the party in a random pattern or set the lights to blink in a circle. We did try to sync this new speaker line to an older Sony Bluetooth speaker and were unable to do so. Yet, we did have success with a newer model of Sony Bluetooth speaker that we’ve had for a couple years. Don’t hesitate to choose this line of Sony wireless speakers. Any size you get to meet your particular need will not disappoint. The build quality has always been and continues to be outstanding. The sound quality coming from these portable speakers will surpass your expectations.

Initial thoughts: Very solid Bluetooth speaker that is waterproof, rustproof and dustproof with an approximate 24 hour battery life. It also allows for party chain and it had programmable lights. What’s in the box?? -The speaker -A USB- C charging cable (it has an actual plug end/that goes into the wall) -Quick start up guide SETUP: Setting this up was a breeze. If you are used to connecting Bluetooth devices, then this will be a snap. Also, you can connect with built in NFC. You are up and running in just a few seconds. It also is charged about ¾ of way already so you can start using it immediately. There is an app called Music Center and fiestable if you want to play around with the light settings(this is not necessary if you just want to play music). Features: For me it was the IP67 rating specifically the waterproof rating of 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) for up to 30 min. I have a inground pool and we have been using this every day. I do like the longer battery life and we have been averaging around 23 hours on a full charge. Keep in mind we like the music loud and my kids like the lights at night! The Music Center/fiestable app lets you create your own lighting features or just pick from some that are already made. It also has the party chain feature but unfortunately, I could not test this feature as my other Sony speaker was not supported. One thing to note that the speaker is quite heavy, heavier than I expected. Performance: The performance of the speaker was great. It gets loud but not so loud that it distorts the music or sound, I do own another Sony speaker that does get a lot louder. We have about 65 feet from one end of the concrete to the other at our pool and you could hear the music very good from all angles. I do feel that the bass is a little lacking. It did actually float and continue to play in my pool. I like that it has a USB-C charging port. It also has a USB port on the back you can use to charge other devices which can be real handy at the pool or lake. PRO’s: -IP67 rated -24 Hour battery life -Customizable speaker lights -Party Connect -USB-C power cable CON’s: - A little over 6lbs makes this heavy -Lack of bass Final Thoughts: Overall, I feel that this product worked very well and I would recommend this to a friend if they are in the market for device like this. This would be great for people who spend their time at the lake or pool.

--- SETUP --- Connecting the Sony SRS XB43 speaker via bluetooth was quick and effortless. You can also download the optional SONY Fiestable app for more features but it is not necessary for connectivity. Speaker comes with 70 percent charge so you can try it out of the box. --- FEATURES --- The key features of this speaker is that it has an IP67 rating (dustproof and waterproof for up to 30 minutes), a 24 hours battery playtime, lights that sync with your music (but can be turned off), and party connect, which allows you to connect it wirelessly to other party connect speakers to expand your audio. --- PERFORMANCE --- The performance of this speaker is great. I own the previous Sony XB41 and this speaker is bigger, louder, and overall better in every way. I tested the Fiestable app, but it continues to be something of a novelty, allowing you to mess with the music you are listening to live the way a DJ would. After that, I tested it in my shower room knowing it was safe from condensation. I can hear it over the shower, over a washing machine, and it challenges my surround sound system. It’s use of a USB C for charging is great and the speaker can double as a portable charger for your mobile device. It has a battery indicator button that tells you how much battery remains. An improvement over the previous version is how it connects to bluetooth, as it now has a dedicated button for bluetooth connectivity. --- EXPECTATIONS --- The product exceeds my expectations. The speaker is considerably larger than my previous Sony speaker, but that to me is a plus. Listening to movies while traveling I forget that I am watching on my phone, and the music I tested it on, from Salsa to Rock, kept the small party I had going for the duration of a bar b que. --- VALUE --- The price for the speaker in terms of value is definitely a worthy investment. The fact that it can charge your phone (with a regular USB port) and includes a USB C to charge as well shows that the designers of this speaker put a lot of thought into the consumer that will eventually buy this. --- APPROVAL --- I highly recommend this product for people who are about to embark near many bodies of water this summer while wanting some good music and not worrying about the moisture the speaker may find itself in.

Top notch item I’m very pleased it’s a real joy to listen to.

This is a fun speaker. The various light settings and crystal clear audio make it a party on its own. For it’s design, it is a bit to carry unless you have big hands like myself. It is fairly large, a bit over 6lbs and no easy way to handle it without a broad grip. It is IP67 rated, so no worries with taking out by the pool or beach. Like their previous models, it is easy to connect to Bluetooth with built in NFC. The Bluetooth range is stronger than I have seen on other speakers and the audio clarity of the speaker was still nice at over 75 feet away. With the Live mode you can hear the extra tweeters really throwing the highs. The “Extra Bass” on the other hand, didn’t seem very “extra”. You can see the sides of the speaker pumping with the bass, but it just didn’t seem to project as well as the mids and highs, so, really did not give a deep bass feel. A feature that I enjoyed in previous models, known as Wireless Party Chain, is now called Party Connect. It has the same function of allowing up to 100 of the speakers to be connected to a single audio source, however, it only works with this series. So, if you have a XB21/31/41, XB22/32/42 that could connect to each other with WPC, they will not connect to the new XB23/33/43. Using the Sony Music Center app you can change additional settings like the lighting patterns and your audio settings with a 3 band equalizer. There are some other DJ style settings in there as well, but those are more entertaining through the Fiestable app when selected from the Music Center app. Battery life is pretty amazing and probably one reason it weighs as much. You could attain 24 hours on one charge, but of course as with anything on battery, it depends on specific settings such as stamina mode, party lights and volume level. But, for a typical outing, a full charge will cover you for several hours and still let you charge a separate device. Overall it is a cool looking speaker and plays audio really clear. I just don’t feel the bass as I was expecting and the lack of connection with previous model speakers makes me feel like you must buy the new models all over again if you want to use the multi-speaker connect feature.

I owned a number of Sony portable speakers but, for the past few days, I've been testing the New SRS XB43.  This is the largest of the Sony portable speakers and it now has the biggest battery as well. The larger battery has added some weight to the speaker but carrying it around is still manageable.   One thing I love about it is that unlike my older portable speakers, which last a few hours this one always outlasts my phone. Another thing is that it can charge my phone when it does run out of juice.  I listen to a lot of pop, reggaeton and hip hop and it does a great job with reproducing mids and highs and does an even better job with bass. Also, the light show has drastically improved. In older models I felt like the light show was never really in sync with the beat. This year you can see that it is. Wireless connectivity has been awesome with the exception of the wireless party chain. The Bluetooth 5 does a great job of maintaining a signal even with two walls getting in the way. It never stuttered or shut off because I got too far. As for the WPC, it doesn't seem to work with older Sony portables that also have WPC. The Music center app didn't even give me an option to connect the speaker to any other speakers. With all that being said, I definitely recommend this speaker to anyone that wants a great speaker, with solid Bluetooth signal, that lasts a long time and still has some juice to spare when your phone dies.