Sony - XB3 Portable Wireless Speaker - Red

I was shocked at the audio quality from this Sony blue tooth speaker. I'm an audiophile and pickier than most when it comes to wanting sound that is balanced while still sounding detailed enough without being bright. I actually prefer the sound without the bass boost button used which seems to be in the minority from other reviews including pro ones. I feel the bass emphasis does add bass and makes the sound first seem to be a lot better since the sound level dramatically increases but once I balanced the volume levels, I found to prefer the sound quality without the bass boost since it was more detailed, balanced and still provided adequate bass. The one quality I was disappointed in is that the treble seemed closed in when the speaker was brand new so critical that you play music through this speaker for a good 72 hours at least with the volume up enough to adequately break in the drivers. Once this occurs, the treble opens up. Still the treble doesn't provide the air you would expect from an audiophile speaker but that would be crazy to expect that at this price point. This speaker is perfect for its size and portability along with the great sound quality. The weight of this small speaker is surprising which is a very good sign since the weight shows the quality of the drivers used. I tried using some small Bose blue tooth speaker last year from a coworker but wasn't impressed at all since the bass was flabby with no that much detail with the sound quality not balanced at all. My ears immediately go to sound not balanced that many may think a speaker has great bass or vocals only for me to tire of listening to music. Bottom line, I think one would be hard pressed to find a better speaker in this price range but again, I highly recommend to break the speaker in as much as possible, say a full week, before deciding to return for any reason.

So after almost a year of researching and looking into portable bluetooth speakers (looking at Bose, Beats, JBL, Fugoo, and UE) I finalized my decision to this, the Sony SRSXB3. Now as my review title states... it doesn't look as nice as the Bose SoundLink Mini II or anything like that but I would say that the overall quality would lead you to end up choosing the Sony SRS-XB3 over any of these other bluetooth speakers. Let me break it down a bit. PROS: - EXTRA BASS Option. This trademark option made by Sony, enhances your listening experience and packs quite a punch. - BATTERY LIFE. Sony boasts a 24 hour battery life, but it doesn't necessarily say at what volume you must play the speaker at in order for it to last that long (so I assume that the battery life is based on your volume levels, if EXTRA BASS option is turned on or off, Bluetooth connectivity or wired, etc.). So more accurately, I think it puts out about 18-20ish hours, but that is still more than many other speakers. - EXTERNAL CHARGER. At the back of the speaker contains a USB charging port, in which you can charge your SmartPhone and so on. Not many other speakers have this option. **Although the USB port does not act a means of USB audio sadly** - PROOF. Waterproof (water resistant), dustproof. - ADD Option. Basically, if one of your friends/family has this speaker, you can connect the two and listen from the same phone. This is pretty dope actually. CONS: - BLUETOOTH CONNECTIVITY and RANGE. Listening to music through my iPhone's bluetooth is wonderful, but it messes up when it is connected to my laptop - continual breaks throughout the song. I am not sure if this the laptop or the speakers themselves though. It would be nice if the speakers verbally stated if it has connected to a device rather than just having the pairing light turn into a solid color. Now this is not really a probably, but you can be roughly about 32 feet away from the speakers and still be connected. Some speakers boast a much longer range for its bluetooth connectivity. - APPEARANCE. It's not flashy. ALSO - Sony has yet to make a case for it... Having a case for it is crucial (due to drops). - NO CLEAR BATTERY STATUS INDICATOR. I wish more companies would have like a clear battery indicator - sort of like a light up one that you have on your SmartPhone in the top right or left corner. The indicator for this speaker is that the light above the power button will flash a certain color when it almost needs to be charged. Overall - this a good portable speaker. It's long battery life and sound definitely puts it at one of the top bluetooth speakers. It delivers a clear sound, but can become distorted and disconnect at times while connected to a laptop's bluetooth (I'm not sure if it's just something wrong with this one that I have). But as with everything, if you have a problem with one of their products, let them know and they will help you out.

First let me say that I shopped in the store and was able to connect with my phone listen to my own music before buying. The environment is noisy, but it did help. Secondly I bought two units (this was the second), took them home, and returned them each the next day before settling on a third. Best Buy handled this smoothly. Sometimes brick-and-mortar beats online shopping. I looked at the Beats Pill+ for $180, the Sony SRS-XB3 for $130, and the Bose Soundlink Mini II for $180, in that order. The Beats had good volume, good sound for bass-heavy music, bass boost, and USB-to-lightening cable power. I returned it for less-than excellent sound, and I was disappointed that the lightening cable was only for power - I had thought it would be used for high quality connection to my iPhone, but that is by bluetooth like the others. Also, the sound effects when turning it on and off were loud and obnoxious. Back it went. The Sony had very good volume, good sound for all music, bass boost, but the power is by wall charger with proprietary jack. This was a deal-killer for me, since I want to be able to charge it in the car. For sound alone this may be the best of the three, but back it went. It's also the largest of the three. The Bose had the lowest volume of the three. I generally think that Bose is highly over-rated, however, the sound is quite good considering its size. Reasonable bass, midrange, and treble. No adjustments available. Power is by USB-to-miniUSB, which can be plugged directly into the speaker or into a very nice charging cradle. Voice prompts are useful and not obnoxious like the Beats. There is a rubber pad on the bottom which is good for a table top or dashboard top. All three units are heavy for their size. None are miraculous for sound, since physics limits what can be done with that small size. For household or outdoor use, the Sony may be the best. For overall flexibility including the car, I chose the Bose. Beats may be good for bass-heavy music, particular in the Apple world.

Bought the Sony SRS-XB3 at Best Buy after much research. Was especially attracted to the form factor (just the right size), the long battery life (about 24 hours), and the capability of using two in full left & right stereo mode. Connected it via Bluetooth to my Ipod Touch and listened at length to many types of music and found the sound very satisfying. The all-important mid-range is present with very little coloration. Highs are good, only slightly rolled off, and then there is the bass; WOW! The two passive radiators really do the job of bringing out great but balanced bass without it being blown out of proportion. One caveat; use of the Extra Bass button only muddies up the bass at least to my ears. This speaker produces very fine and deep bass without this feature enabled. So I am completely satisfied with this speaker. Note that I am somewhat of an audiophile and have designed and built many speaker systems in the past (both small and large and especially folded horn types). I also have several other BT speakers, but none that support two units for stereo reproduction. So, based on listening sessions with the single speaker, I headed back to Best Buy to pick up a second SRS-XB3. Went on-line to see more detailed instructions (the furnished instructions are quite scanty) and connected both via the Add button and set them on top of my main home speakers about nine feet apart. Each push of the Add button cycles through : Double Mode, Stereo L &R, and Stereo R & L (very convenient). If I thought one SRS-XB3 sounded great, two in Stereo Mode really opened up the room! In many ways, they actually rivaled my large main speakers! They produce a very deep sound stage with a large "wall of sound". I also tried them in my bedroom with the speakers about three feet apart on my dresser. What a way to fill my bedroom with full stereo sound! So, definitely two big thumbs up on the Sony SRS-XB3 bluetooth speaker.

First off, I am an audiophile and a bit of a snob. As such, I do not expect a lot from a small, portable bluetooth speaker. When I received this little Sony gem as a gift, I was not expecting to be as impressed as I am. While this speaker will not replicate the depth and clarity of a high end or even mid range home speaker, t will deliver powerful, full and very impressive audio quality for its size and price. It pairs easily with my devices (I am currently using it with 3 devices) and has admirable range. The volume is more than sufficient to fill a good sized room or even to be used outdoors. This is a big plus Where I think Sony missed the boat a bit here is with the Extra Bass feature. While a nice idea, it does not work as well as I expected in practice. The speaker sounds very good with this feature turned off, however, once the Extra Bass is engaged, the sound becomes a bit muddy and overly processed. Without this turned on and at a decent volume level, this speaker sounds wonderful. I anticipate not engaging the Extra Bass very often but, of course, your musical tastes and sound preferences will vary from mine. All in all, I am VERY satisfied with The Sony SRS XB3 and plan on getting a lot of use out of it, and enjoying my music in places I never could have before. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a small speaker with big and high quality sound.

Water resistant? Yes, but I didn't and don't require anything I would submerge, carry in the rain, or go swimming with either. I needed something I could listen to quality tunes of my choice in various parts of my home without sounding tinny, hollow, underpowered, and give me that vibe music has to offer. Battery life is more than adequate for me as I listen to music for the better part of my day at home. The range between my phone and speaker works well throughout my three bedroom home. Initial pairing is quick and connections afterward are also quick with no drops for me. The design is pleasing and fits in well throughout the home without looking like a chunky toy. Rear access door for charging is slightly odd but recharging isn't too often and I can certainly live with it as it functions as needed. Slightly hefty feel to it, but like I said, I needed a quality speaker to move about my home and it does quite well for a fair price. I like it and am happy with the purchase.

The speaker is simply awesome. I loved this speaker so much I purchased two of them and linked them together to play in quad stereo. I love that it's waterproof, you can link two at a time and play them together, it has great deep ((BASS)), it has very warm rich sounds and just simply the perfect size and it looks really cool in STEALTH BLACK. I read the reviews on the speaker and everyone raved about it. I also read a review that said "I only wish it had a pause button", it does… It's called your phone controls. SMH You can control all of your music including pause, play, stop, skip, forward and backwards simply by using the controls on your Bluetooth enabled devices such as your phone, play all of your music without any problem whatsoever. SONY definitely got this one right!

We had original visited Best Buy with the intention of buying a specific brand of speaker. However we were greeted by an extremely pleasant female associate that gave us pros/cons about several speakers that we demoed. We really liked the sound of the Sony speaker since it had more bass and the sound quality did not diminish as the volume was turned up. We happened to be going to a bridal shower and decided to try out the speaker, People were so impressed with the quality sound that the host actually went out to buy the same item so that the younger kids (9-11 year olds) could listen to there own music in the garage! The bride-to-be also went out and purchased the same speaker that next week. Great success in recommending to others!! Many thanks to the sales associate!