The sound is ok. Not breath taking. I got 2 so I could do nice left right speakers but I have to switch devices sometimes and it is SOO finicky trying to keep the 2 connected!
You would think clicking “pair” on one then the other it would connect eventually as they say it will. I’ve done it like 7x without it successfully working properly. I’ve had it work before and it will say “Left” then “Right” but it is very hit or miss and super frustrating trying to have a movie night. Not worth it.
A
Anin McLeod
★★★★★
A phenomenal example of good engineering
This speaker has been abused for the last 8 years almost daily, and I can confidently say that it’s the last speaker you will ever need to buy. Ive taken it to the beach, dropped it from sizable heights, and dunked it in water COUNTLESS times and it still plays, looks and holds a charge like its still brand new. On top of that for the last 4 years the speakers in my truck haven't worked so I've used it basically used it every single day during that time (while still abusing it during climbing massive walls, camping trips, leaving it in the blazing sun for days, and lake days). The battery still lasts me for 5 or 6 days without charging!!! Ive seriously never been more impressed with a piece of technology. Whatever group of engineers designed this speaker did a damn good job. It’s loud, its heavy like a quality speaker should be, the battery lasts forever, it’s very water resistant, very durable, and the sound quality is phenomenal. For $80 it’s a steal.
OKCity
★★★★★
Awesome!
These speakers are great. The pairing was easy and the distance between the phone and speakers is great. I had my phone in the basement and the speakes played in the garage and backyard without distortion.
Only complaint is the buttons, almost invisible. I took a silver marker to help.
A
adine
★★★★★
Looks nice
Worked well when it worked, but didn’t last a year. I am very disappointed.
K
Keoni Kainoa
★★★★★
Awesome speaker
Best wireless speaker I've ever owned. The sound quality, styling, weight and size are perfect for my needs. The coolest thing to me was when I turned the speaker on...it found my phone and asked for access. I've never had a device do that before. I have always had to search for "available devices" and then choose that device.
Anyway, so far the speaker is well worth the money 🙂👍
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Samuel cano
★★★★★
It’s a great speaker it sounds great I give it a 10/10
S
Sunshine
★★★★★
Great by itself; Superb with Two
Impressive sound quality in its own. The speaker is about the size of a thermos or tumbler drink mug. Connectivity works well and it can connect to multiple devices at once. Where it really shines is when you pair it with another one. All I can say is two speakers is not 2x better. It’s more like 3x better. I’m just blown away. When you pair it to the second speaker it remembers the connection and auto pairs next time they are both turned on. Highly recommend.
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robert sehm
★★★★★
Great quality and good sound too
M
marco marceli
★★★★★
Un buen artículo.
Por el precio no me puedo quejar. Compré de 2da pero parece cómo nueva. Aunque es más cara que la doss soundbox xl tiene menos potencia. Aún así, se nota que es calidad sony, no distorsiona a máximo volumen. No es lo más potente, pero sigue siendo una corneta de buena calidad.
J
james jones
★★★★★
Definitely not what it is advertised.
Definitely not impressed with my initial use of this device.
Ruth
★★★★★
enamorada y su precio excelente
me encanta demasiado la tengo en todas partes de la casa tendré q comprar otra más porque mi esposo me la pide prestada cada vez q esta en su taller gracias
Y
YH
★★★★★
Low key
Not a Hi res kinda speaker and it's not having really clear sound for listening to podcasts or talkshows. But it's doing good in its category. The battery is not as half durable as it is suggested and I didn’t ever use the max volume. I still like it, especially it’s low key paper roll towels / thermos cup shape.
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Ron
★★★★★
Wouldn't recommend
The sound is ok. It's not as good as some other speakers I have, but it's fine... The main problem is the battery life. Even if I don't use it, the battery dies after such a short time of even being in my car. This is a problem because it's the only bluetooth device I have that doesn't last more than, it feels like, two hours. That's the main reason I don't endorse this product... I'm always having to charge it and I don't use it for more than one hour at a time.
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Christine L Ammer
★★★★★
Sony speaker review
Only gave it 3 stars bc I haven't tested it in water/dirt/sand. Works well. Nice sound. Gets pretty loud. Only reason I was "disappointed" was because of the color. It looked in pics like was was a bright coral orange but it's a smidge on the burnt orange side lol. No biggie. Can use it standing up or laying down. It won't keep rolling over if you lay it on it's side. Sound only comes from one side, not from around entire speaker.
Customer: Phil
★★★★★
Sounds Great, no 3.5mm jack & lousy battery life
Nice and loud, well built but WHY would Sony take away the 3.5mm jack, if I had known there was none I wouldn't have purchased it, plus the battery life is lousy, to get long battery life you have to put it in Stamina mode, but then the music sounds flat because all the bass is gone
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Andrey T.
★★★★★
Must buy if you love music
Best at home, adventure, and work speaker haven't charged whole day and it's still going strong sounds nice and crisp bass is perfect and over all built sturdy dropped it and fell on it while snowboarding and it has not one scratch love Sony!!
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Elias Phiri
★★★★★
Worse Purchase Ever
Worst buying experience I've ever had... I've been trying to turn it on after hours of trying to charge it. When I've got it plugged in, the charge light will go off after about a minute (this is suppose to indicate the battery is full), but when I unplug it and try to turn it on, nothing. Even plugged in, it'll turn on for a second, then the charge light will flash orange and it'll go off. Can't even give a review on the sound because I haven't heard what it sounds like, and I've been at this for hours. I should have gone with my gut and bought JBL, I won't make the mistake of buying a Sony BT speaker ever again, that's for sure... worse purchase I've ever made.
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Tebs
★★★★★
Penetrating Rich Bass
The bass is unlike anything I’ve ever heard in a portable Bluetooth speaker. I’ve been using Anker, the SRS-XB23 supersedes the quality of Anker. The sound is rich, deep and clear. Highly satisfied with this purchase. It is well worth the money. The only downside is the battery life is not as long as the previous speaker I’ve used.
Mike
★★★★★
This indeed is “EXTRA BASS”.
I have never had any doubts about any of the Sony products in my mind. And this speaker is in the same category. The design is very good. The speaker is relatively light-weight. It comes with a USB-C charging cord which make it easy to charge. I keep it connected to a plug mostly and take it around when I need to use it. The battery life is decent (10-12hrs on a full charge).
And I can vouch that it is indeed waterproof. I accidentally dropped it in a bucket full of water once and it was functioning normally !!
What I like the most is that. As the name suggests; this speaker ins indeed “Extra Bass” !! And it doesn’t lose the sound quality even at a higher volume.
Another feature I like is the in-built mike which is god to talk to people over the phone.
Overall, it is a great compact speaker and I would recommend it !!
T
texascutie
★★★★★
Nice speaker
I uploaded a couple pics of the speaker & a video for you to get an idea of what you’re getting. I didn’t charge it when I got it, just turned it on & started using it. It paired to my iPhone in an instant, no issues whatsoever. I’ve only used it in my house & in the backyard so I can’t really comment on it being waterproof but I’m totally bringing this to the beach next time we go. You can hear in my video that it gives you a warning when it needs to be charged. It was just coincidence that I caught that while reviewing, I hadn’t heard it yet. Not sure how much longer it would have lasted after that warning cause after the video I charged it. All in all a good, portable speaker.
K
Kindle Customer
★★★★★
Sony is the best brand for music
Nice style. Great sound(especially paired with another). Good bass(adjustable through the app). Waterproof and long battery life.
Ron Killian
★★★★★
Not as good as I was hoping...
I have a number of sony products and I've been happy with all of them. Recently we picked up a sound bar and it sounds amazing. Sadly, this portable speaker is not as good as I am use to for the brand. It's not bad, not by any means, it just does not stand out, it is not awesome. Wish it was.
Really like how portable it is, you can handle it with one hand. Plus the strap makes it even easier to handle. Seems very rugged and made to last. Would be perfect for camping, cookouts, hiking and more. We are going on vacation next week and I plan to take this along.
It is simple to use, just turn it on. It paired with my phone, though not as fast as other devices. But once paired it worked perfectly. Controls are good and work as they should.
As for the sound, as I said, it just does not sound outstanding. Given the size (smaller than I thought it was going to be), I might be expecting too much. I listened to many, many songs, to give it a fair chance. While the music was pretty much flawless, it just did not have the brilliance. Sounds a little muddy here and there. I've heard better.
More importantly, it seems far too many companies are taking liberties with EXTRA BASS, or terms like it, this unit included. It does have bass, but I must have a different take on extra bass, as this unit does not have it in my opinion.
One feature that is very nice is the ability to not only stereo two unit's together, but also the party mode that allows you to hook up multiple units. I only have one unit, so I can't say how well that works. Though it could be an outstanding option that few other speakers have. For some folks that might be worth the price alone.
So, if you want a speaker that is rugged and sounds "pretty" good, this might work for you. Though it does seem a little high priced for the sound quality. You won't go wrong, even with the price, but if you are really picky about sound, you might be disappointed. My daughter said it sounds mostly great.
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Derek
★★★★★
Good sound, great on-the-go
This Sony SRS-XB23 EXTRA BASS Portable Speaker is a good-looking, good-sounding speaker that is designed to stand up to mobile condition.
The sound of this speaker is good but not great. Bass is deep and punchy which works well with most music genres. It lacked the rumble I wanted though when I was listening to action movies and games. Mids and highs are present and thanks to the app support via the Sony Music Center you can tune the sound to boost these frequencies even more.
Where this speaker excels is in its portability. It boasts IP67 water-resistance, a slimline profile, and even comes with a pre-attached carrying strap.
Where this speaker failed was in separating itself from a crowded field at this price point. The Sony SRS-XB23 EXTRA BASS Wireless Portable Speaker sounds good but it doesn't offer best-in-class sound for speakers at this price point. It offers some respectable amenities like IP67 water-resistance, party mode and app support but these features aren't unique among its competition.
Bottom line, if you're in the market for a wireless speaker at this price point the Sony SRS-XB23 EXTRA BASS Wireless Portable Speaker won't disappoint; it just won't wow you either.
F. Todd
★★★★★
Not ideal for hip hop or pop. Nice but I expected more.
I expected A LOT more form Sony! I have their headphones and earbuds and they are second to none. This speaker has very clear highs/vocals but is seriously lacking in bass...The highs/vocals remain crystal clear at high volume but the bass bottoms out at those levels. It is loud and clear but leaves a lot to be desired! Especially at it's price point. Maybe ideal for classical music or vocal driven but no so much for hip hop, pop, rock... but there are a lot better out there at this price point.
Pk Shiu
★★★★★
Much improved from previous model, best in class now
Rugged construction, splash proof meaning it is good for outdoors and pool side. It is loud, good bass and battery last a full day. What is not to like!
Design and Construction
The physical design and construction of this new XB23 is good. I like the pure cylindrical shape, especially compare to the previous generation XB22. This new design allows me to stand the speaker upright on a table, on the ground, or hang it up with the included strap. Highly functional design.
All the buttons are soft press and sealed down the back of the speaker. The charging port is covered by a very thick piece of rubber as well. The unit feels rugged and easy to operate as the buttons are well marked and large.
The Sound
I primarily am comparing this to the Bose SoundLink Micro. Both serves the active outdoor portable wireless speaker market. The Bose is smaller and for it's size sounds very good. But the Sony sounds better. It is bass boosted but not overly boosted. You can also switch off the bass boost by pressing the stamina button for 3 seconds. But just leave the bass boost on -- good for outdoor / party play.
This Sony speaker is louder than the Bose, and it disperse sound over a wider area. If you are at the back of the unit, the volume does decrease, but even if you are on the sides, the sound reaches well.
The sound quality is good -- tested from rock to vocal to jazz, it can handle all types of music.
Bluetooth
Thank goodness the speaker support 2 simultaneous bluetooth connections. It switches between my iPad Pro and iPhone easily depending on which device is playing. Note that if you use the party or the stereo pair mode. Also the dual connection uses the A2DP/AVRCP profiles, support music playback. It will not support hands free profile (for calls) in this mode.
Overall, this is a great general portable speaker. Definitely an improvement over it's competition and it's previous generation.
D. Coral
★★★★★
Sounds great when you use the app to adjust the sound
When I first took this out of the box I didn’t like the sound. The “extra bass” was too exaggerated and muddy. Then I hung it by the strap about ear level and it sounded much better. The bass vent ports are on the bottom and when you put it on a table, the bass is overdone.
Then I downloaded the Sony Music Center iPhone app (I was almost going to skip this part but I’m glad I didn’t skip it). This let me update the firmware in the speaker and adjust the sound settings. As shown in the screenshot here, I turned down the bass a little bit and turned up the mids and highs. Now it sounds so much better! It sounds great actually, even when sitting on a table top.
I normally like a LOT of bass and a “warm” sound, so the fact that a bass-lover like me turns down the bass means that this Sony speaker is just gone cuckoo with the extra bass in the default settings.
But now I really like this speaker. Also the dark green hides away when we hang it from a tree branch in the back yard. The dark green is a nice color option when using it this way.
J. Spiegel
★★★★★
Im loving my new shower speaker
Sony SRS-XB23 EXTRA BASS Wireless Portable Speaker IP67 Waterproof
I got this speaker to replace a failing waterproof speaker in my shower. So I started by charging the speaker up with the included USB C to A cable. The port is protected by a rubber cover. Then I paired it to my Echo in my bathroom using the Alexa App. The Sony has a Bluetooth button in the stack of other control buttons. Holding it down after turning it on will put into pairing mode. In the app I see the Sony added to her list and I accept it and moments later I get confirmation of pairing. The Sony speaker has a voice inside to tell you various confirmations. It was as easy as it could be to set up this combination.
My main use of the speaker is in my shower. When I have the Echo playing a radio station or some music, I can not hear her in the shower, too noisy. So I start the Echo going and turn on the power of the Sony speaker. In a few seconds she connects and is playing the content. The sound is great, full rich sound and more than decent bass. I have plenty of volume to hear the music in the shower or hear a talk radio station clearly. This is so much better than my previous speaker, which was OK but nowhere close to what the Sony can do. I’m very happy with the replacement.
There is a tether attached to carry or hang the speaker. I place it on my soap dispenser and it’s weight is not a problem for that. All the controls are rubber coated for waterproofing. It passed my shower test, for sure. It’s all I could hope for and more, I’m very happy with it. It sounds great and the controls are easy to use.
Reid Family
★★★★★
XB23 - Very good but sound quality fails when pushed hard
This XB23 is very nice, but only at low and midrange volume. I have three other Sony Bluetooth speakers (a giant XB72, a tiny XB12, and a small XB20), so I'm a fan of Sony products. When I first charged up the XB23 and used it, I was not overly impressed with the audio quality. But then I downloaded the Sony Music Center app from the Google Play Store to my phone and that made a big difference. The app is fantastic and it's really easy to set up custom EQ settings. Raising the bass and lowering the midrange really helped the sound quality. There was also a software update available through the app which installed with no issues. That said, this speaker does not perform well when pushed above mid-volume. When you crank this up, the bass starts to bottom out. I would say this a perfect desktop unit but not really suitable for a beach party or pool party. Basically, it's great as long as you don't push it too hard. As with other Sony products, the build quality here is good. The screen around the speakers is fabric but the unit is waterproof and dustproof.
Peru Editor
★★★★★
Fits in a Bicycle Water Bottle Cage
This little speaker has the best bass that I've ever heard on a portable Bluetooth speaker. I put mine in one of the water bottle cages of my bicycle when I go out on long rides. The sound is absolutely terrific and it can create a surprising amount of volume. The speaker is waterproof so you don't have to worry if you happen to get into some light weather. If I got hit by a torrential downpour, I'd probably stuff the speaker into my frame bag to protect it just to be on the safe side.
The battery charges with a typical USB C cable, and the item connects instantly to your phone. There are a series of control buttons along the side, but I usually use the controls on my phone to make adjustments. It also comes with an elastic slip cord that allows you to hang it up and turn any social gathering into an instant party.
The sound is excellent, and the long lasting battery ensures you'll have top quality music throughout the day. This is a very nice speaker that can help make your workouts a lot more enjoyable.
Keppy Lopez
★★★★★
Useful features
Good:
-Easy to connect via Bluetooth.
-Looks simple and solid but puts out great sound.
-It’s intuitive.
-I like the olive green color. It looks better in person.
Bad:
-I would prefer a longer charging cord.
I ordered the Sony SRS-XB23 EXTRA BASS Wireless Portable Speaker in olive green. We had fun with this speaker. We have peace of mind knowing it’s waterproof for those unpredictable accidents. The sound and useful features make this our favorite portable speaker.
