STEREO GUIDE Verdict
+ very full, warm, mellow sound
+ deep, rich bass
+ decent room imaging for a onebox
+ long battery life at common SPL
- bass and transparency decrease at higher levels
- tends to rattle and boom if not placed properly
-
Sound: Tonal Balance / Transparency8
-
Sound: Bass / Dynamics8
-
Ease-of-use / Connectivity8
-
Price/Performance9
Who wouldn’t like to have a Bluetooth party speaker with light effects that is still portable in case of a spontaneous party? The Sony SRS-XB43 is exactly such a hybrid. Due to the rounded shape, it looks more compact than it is. Thus, it still finds enough space at least in larger backpacks that swallow the 32.5 centimetres in length. The trapezoid shape also has the advantage that when positioned to the floor, the baffle with the tweeters is directing slightly upwards towards the listener´s ears. If the light effects remain off, the Sony SRS-XB43 looks more like an overly large, nobly designed gadget than a party ghettoblaster.
The weight of almost 3 kilograms is a bit higher than usual in this category. However, the manufacturer promises up to 24 hours of battery life, which is rather halved when pushing it to max SPL and activating extra bass mode. According to the IP67 standard, the Sony is supposed to be dust-proof, salt water resistant and rust-proof, which means that even a beach party is no longer an obstacle.
Lightshow and proper bass
The built-in lighting effects illuminate the four frontal speaker chassis as well as one lateral ring each next to the central, quite rigid front grille. Of course, this does not yet replace a full-fledged light show arrangement. But it conjures up at least a bit of atmosphere in the dark. Finally, the Party Connect mode allows you to connect up to 100 devices of the same type together and then have them lit up synchronously. HiFi fans can also set up a stereo pair.
Two mid-bass drivers, 7-centimeters each, are positioned in the center of the slightly upward-facing baffle and, thanks to their almost rectangular diaphragm shape, gain some more square centimeters of diaphragm surface compared to round colleagues of the same size. The two tweeters are each located far from the center. They should even be able to create a certain stereo imaging thanks to the waveguides and a decent distance from each other. Two passive radiators hidden behind a protective ring on the sides help in the low bass regions. However, they prevent you from using the Sony SRS-XB43 in upright. Even if some promotional photos suggest such a position, it doesn’t make sense considering the powerful excursions of the diaphragms.
Connectivity of the Sony SRS-XB43
The rubber buttons on top are mostly self-explanatory, but also anything but easy to identify in low-light conditions. Besides volume control, the play/pause button, the power button and the Bluetooth pairing button, there is also a live button for switching between modes. Besides a ´live function´, there is also an extra bass and an energy-saving mode, which is very helpful in practice. The promised battery life is extremely long, but otherwise shrinks noticeably at high SPL and full bass power.
Charging the internal battery is quite slow via the rear socket. An additional USB-A output also charges external devices like a smartphone as it offers a powerbank function. In addition to Bluetooth streaming, music can also be played via an analogue jack (3.5 mm). The button for activating the lights has been relocated behind the rubber flap, just like the party mode and the possible stereo pairing to the ports. Thus, the most important functions are available on the smartphone even without the app. By the way, you only need the ´Sony Fiestable´ app to adjust the lighting effects.
Bluetooth version 5.0 with various profiles and codecs (including AAC and LDAC) as well as NFC for easy connection setup remains the main source for the Sony, though. And it also offers a built-in microphone for answering callsin case a smartphone is connected.
A lot of power from a small mobile speaker
Considering the visually sophisticated appearance, the Sony surprises with rich, fat bass and a really great performance. This really fills small to medium-sized rooms with music, but of course it can’t match much more powerful party speakers. In smaller rooms or when positioned on the floor, in the corner or against a wall, the bass also quickly becomes boomy and overly fat. The Sony SRS-XB43 doesn’t like unstable positioning or wobbly setups either. Then the impressive sound pressure of the lateral passive radiators quickly causes rattling and clatter. In open-air mode, the bass remains clean, but loses power as the SPL increases.
In normal operation with less bass-rich music or at least with moderate levels, the Sony also shows some high-fidelity qualities. The party speaker delivers warm, expressive voices and in rooms also a noticable stereo sound imaging. It is ideal for music with relaxing or acoustic music, as it then shows its abilities to the fullest, which are sometimes lost at maximum SPLs.
Conclusion and alternatives to the Sony SRS-XB43
Quite heavy for a mobile Bluetooth speaker, but also not as loud as a real small party PA of the JBL Partybox 310´s class: The Sony is deliberately a hybrid for the smaller party or mobile use on the beach. The classic JBL Charge 5 is considerably lighter and only slightly weaker. In return, the Sony scores with the suggested stereo imaging and the lighting effects.
Specifications Sony SRS-XB43
- Price: approx. 280 $
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 32.5 x 12.3 x 11.7 cm
- Weight: 2.95 g
- Battery life up to 24 hours
- Features: water/dustproof according to IP67 protection class, extra bass, analogue AUX input, party mode with light effect synchronization
- More at: www.sony.com
For links on this page STEREO GUIDE may receive a commission from the merchant – for example for the links marked with *.
