amazon Sony SRS-XB01 reviews
Design
Beside the XB21, XB31 and XB41 speakers, Sony did not forget the compact ’emulator’ and announced the XB01. This is a product aimed at those who are ‘moving’, bringing speakers everywhere to play music and movies. Unlike the more advanced lines, this speaker is boxed with transparent plastic resembling eXtra Bass earphones.
The kit includes a manual, a micro USB charger and a wrist strap. The XB10 was previously available with a matching hook, but with the XB01 it allows users to hook or unfasten as needed.
Just like the tradition of the XB1 and XB10, the XB01 has an extremely compact design, comes in the palm of your hand and has a lot of soft plastic details. The version we have here is orange, looking very much like a fruitful candy!
The buttons are located on the top edge, including the volume up / down button, music play / pause, and power button.
Connectors (3.5mm audio port and micro USB charging) are covered by a thick rubber door, which is IPX5 water resistant.
The XB01 weighs only 160g, so it has a much higher mobility compared to the eXtra bass line.
Specifications
– Dynamic 37.5mm speaker array
– Dimensions: 81.5 x 57.5 x D 56.5 mm
– Weight: 160g
– Bluetooth v4.2
– Duration: 6 hours
– IPX5 water resistance
Practical experience
Battery life is about 6 hours. With normal frequency, users will have to recharge the speaker once a week. XB01 charger is quite fast because the battery is also not large capacity, so the battery charger is not a disadvantage.
Like other eXtra bass speakers, the XB01 has a very low latency level, which is close to zero, so it fits well with the needs of movies and gaming. And if you do not ‘trust’ the stability of the speaker then you can even use the speakers through the 3.5mm port. The downside is worth mentioning that the company does not offer a 3.5mm cable, so if the user will have to buy more out. Despite its small design, the Sony XB01 ‘volume’ quite loudly. If you use a 20m2 room, just set the volume to about 60% is enough to hear, so it is possible that speakers will be able to carry a larger living room. Speaker coverage is not equal to larger products, but still very impressive for a small speaker.
As usual, due to the lack of loudspeaker size, the XB01 also had to compromise the bass range compared to the larger XB21, XB31 and especially the XB41. But this does not mean that the band disappears altogether, with enough volume to be heard as well as hardness when needed. Trying on Dazzling Blue, the bass is not that great, but when it comes to high punch and just enough thickness to not be ”noisy’ like the cheap speakers from China. The bass of the XB01 is generally not that bad compared to the size, but the bass more important, the bigger the bass.
I can describe the vocalist of the XB01 with only one word: Clean. The midrange, though, has a medium level of detail, but it is not particularly malformed, and it does not distort the volume. For a closer look, the XB01’s midrange is spatially oriented, with no emphasis on any (low-mid or high-mid) segments, so it’s easy to mix. The high-mid, just roll-off but not soon so the vocal Yao Si Ting on Yesterday Once More is also very good.
The treble of the speaker is not bad at all. The amount of treble in the Eagles Hotel California is just enough, with good brightness as well as being pushed away from the other strips so it is not encroachment. This treble is not peak, but rather smooth and should not be sibalance. Speakers of the same price range try to make the band high, or the phenomenon of tearing sound makes the sound quality is quite ‘cheap’, XB01 avoid this phenomenon, creating a quite sound quality from below go up.
where can you get a Sony SRS-XB01 online
Sony XB01 Bluetooth Compact Portable Speaker Black (SRSXB01/B): Buy it now
Epilogue
The appearance of the Sony eXtra Bass XB01 makes all cheap speakers (under $50) of China become superfluous because it can not have the perfect quality and ability to reproduce it. Of course, users can have more powerful sound when they invest in more expensive products, but can not afford mobility like the XB01.
Advantages
– Very attractive price
– Beautiful design and many colors to choose
– Compact, very mobile
– Battery life is good
– IPX5 water resistant
– Almost no late
– Clean sound, high volume
Defect
– No 3.5mm plug
– No wires