- VERDICT
The Sony Extra Bass XB23 ticks all the boxes for durability, design, value and audio quality and should be the first thing in your bag when you walk out the door.
Being able to take your music anywhere and enjoy great quality is exactly what Sony provides with its SRS-XB23 Extra Bass portable Bluetooth speaker.
The device has a cylindrical shape that has the same circumference as a can of drink so not only is it easy to take anywhere – it will also fit in your vehicle’s cup holder as well or in your backpack’s side pocket.
Sony has packed in a lot of technology into the XB23 speaker including a non-circular diaphragm which in this shape maximise the size but maintains the same sound pressure to reduce distortion.
The diaphragm’s off-centre design goes a long way towards enhancing clarity and creates a wider sound stage.
There are side passive radiators which help optimise the clear bass sound.
Each cellular speaker is mica reinforced and are sealed with a dust cap which also pitches in with the sound quality.
The Sony SRS-XB23 speaker is 21.8cm high with a diameter of 7.6cm and with a weight of 580g.
It has an IP67 rating which means it waterproof and dustproof and ideal to take with you on camping trips, to the beach, by the pool and in the backyard.
It is also saltwater resistant and, if it needs it, you can also give it a wash.
The Sony speaker can also handle the knocks and has been shock tested to withstand daily use.
The speaker can be positioned either upright or in its side and users can even change from monoaural playback to stereo audio playback through the Sony Music Center app.
You can activate Extra Bass in the app as well to give your music a little extra punch.
There was a noticeable difference when you activate Extra Bass and it’s worth having on all the time even though it will bring the battery performance down from 12 hours without it to 10 hours with Extra Bass.
Audio quality is impressive with a wide sound that can be quite loud at the highest volume.
Having it at about mid-level volume gave us the best result for personal listening with decent clarity and that nice Extra Bass.
To be frank, without Extra Bass turned on many will find the speaker is a little lacking in power and quality.
It’s shape and size also means it’s really easy to take with you. On a road trip, we placed the Sony Extra Bass XB23 speaker in one of the side pockets of our backpack – where we normally stow our water bottle.
And if your friends have their own Sony Extra Bass speaker, you can activate Party Connect which allows up to 100 speakers to be linked together as one and play the same song at the same time so it will really live up to its party name.
And if you’ve got your phone connected to the speaker, you can use it to answer your calls handsfree.
Battery wise, it’s got decent credentials with up to 12 hours on a single charge but, as we mentioned earlier, it’s worth sacrificing two hours of battery life to have Extra Bass on all the time.
The Sony Extra Bass XB23 is available now in four colours – black, blue, taupe and red – and is priced at $199.
VERDICT
The Sony Extra Bass XB23 ticks all the boxes for durability, design, value and audio quality and should be the first thing in your bag when you walk out the door.
