Looking for a small, transportable wireless Bluetooth speaker? The $one hundred thirty Sony SRS-XE200—one of the organisation’s newest and smallest audio system seems to in shape into that Goldilocks region: small and light sufficient to match everywhere, long lasting enough to handle almost any condition, or even double as speaker tapping, that’s some thing that continues getting higher. Harder to find on bluetooth speakers. But is that sufficient? And most importantly, how does it sound? We’ve examined all of it.
What’s inside the Box – Sony Speaker
What’s within the Box – Sony Speaker
Sony packs the XE200 in a container with recyclable substances, which is nice. Inside you’ll find a USB-C charging cable and a short begin manual. The line is USB-A to USB-C and there’s no wall charger within the box, so you can plug it into some other charger you have already got.
Design
Sony designed the XE200 usually as an upright speaker. You can lay it horizontally for optionally available stereo sound, however it’s remained tuned for best overall performance while standing up. It’s covered with cloth, even as the rest of the frame is rubberized with silicone, giving the unit a few IP67 protection as a extra durable speaker.
It fits proper at the seaside, through the pool, or near the bathtub or warm bathtub. You can soak it in water, however be careful not to get sand and salt water into the crevices of the material. Although Sony claims to have built the speaker to resist salt, it’s sensible to rinse it with clean water.
Battery Life
Sony quotes the XE200 for up to sixteen hours on a single rate, assuming you don’t turn up the quantity and depart all default settings as they may be. Once you begin tweaking, inclusive of Battery Care, which limits a full fee to ninety% and boosts the bass EQ and average volume, you knock it down a pound or two.
At 60% to 70% quantity, with a V-curve in the EQ to enhance bass and treble, I controlled to get up to twelve hours – still very respectable for a speaker of this length. Stamina mode can constantly stretch matters out, however you lose loads of bass, so unless you play classical tune or concentrate to a podcast, you likely received’t like how it sounds with it on.
If you’re in a hurry for a few tunes, be part of for 10 minutes and arise to 70 mins to play them. But once more, the identical parameters apply, so if you switch up the extent, you gained’t get very a long way.
Our View
Sony proves that the design and creation of the XE200 isn’t any slouch, supplying first-rate sound first-class from a well-constructed speaker. Plus, its $one hundred thirty price tag isn’t unreasonable for what you get, actually due to the fact you may take it with you and revel in what and the way it plays in special situations.
Is there a Better Alternative?
Bluetooth audio system at this level face stiff competition. If you spend more, you could get a pleasant raise in sound pleasant and battery life. Within the own family, meaning the Sony XE300, a taller, heavier opportunity that expenses $200 however is louder and gives better midrange intelligibility.
Moving directly to something bigger, the scale of the XE200, the $one hundred seventy Marshall Emberton II, is smaller and promises superior sound with nearly double the battery life. It additionally has the same stage of sturdiness and offers a way to pair or institution with other Marshall speakers.
At $one hundred thirty, the JBL Flip 6 is the nearest competitor in phrases of fee. Unfortunately, it’s deafening and may be hard. Although this is one of the organization’s pleasant wireless speakers, it received’t permit you to talk to all of us because there’s no speakerphone. Still, you could pair the stereo with other Flip 6 audio system or organization them with different well suited JBL speakers. The battery additionally doesn’t closing as long on a unmarried rate, even though at the least the JBL app’s EQ gives you extra flexibility to tweak things in your liking. @ worldwidewebblog