Sony SRS-XV800 - Party Speaker Review | Tom's Guide - video Dailymotion

Tom's Guide

We got an early look at the new Sony SRS-XV800 party speaker and SRS-XB100 portable speaker. Here our first impressions of the new designs, sound performance, features and more.

Transcript

00:00 (synthesizer music)

00:01 So you have ultra-portable speakers,

00:03 you have soundbars, you have smart home speakers,

00:06 and then you have this, an all-in-one party speaker,

00:09 the new Sony SRX XV800.

00:11 Let's turn the music up.

00:13 (synthesizer music)

00:16 I nailed that.

00:17 I went hands-on with two of Sony's new wireless speakers,

00:27 and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

00:30 Despite its size, this wireless all-around party speaker

00:33 is built for portability.

00:34 It can work completely wirelessly,

00:36 thanks to a 10,800 milliampere battery

00:38 that gives up to 25 hours of listening.

00:41 Of course, that'll depend on volume levels.

00:43 This speaker also has a quick charge feature

00:45 that means 10 minutes will get you three hours of playback,

00:48 which can definitely come in handy

00:49 if you've gotta hit the road.

00:51 At 40 pounds, it's on the heavier side,

00:53 but with three different handles

00:54 plus two wheels at the bottom,

00:55 I could still manage to tote this thing around.

00:58 In terms of sound quality, think big, think bassy.

01:00 Remember, this is a party speaker, after all.

01:03 The speaker diaphragm, which has a bit of an unusual shape,

01:05 is wider than you might see on other speakers.

01:08 This gives the drivers more room

01:10 to prevent distortion at higher volume levels.

01:12 Similarly, most party speakers

01:15 typically have drivers on the front axis only.

01:17 Sony's new speaker is an omnidirectional sound speaker

01:20 with two tweeters on the back that helps with listening

01:22 for those who are situated

01:24 facing the rear side of the speaker.

01:26 If you take a look behind the speaker grill,

01:28 you might find it odd.

01:29 There are three tweeters positioned with two up front

01:33 and one on the bottom here.

01:34 And that's so that you can put the speaker

01:36 in two different orientations.

01:37 When you're here, the tweeters are higher,

01:39 elevating that sound stage.

01:41 But if you wanted to turn the speaker this way,

01:44 automatically it pushes the sound out

01:46 through these two up here.

01:48 The XV800 also comes with a huge range of inputs,

01:51 including two 3/4 inch jacks for a guitar

01:53 or microphones with individual volume knobs.

01:56 Paired with a physical key control and echo reverb,

01:59 this would make a great karaoke speaker.

02:01 Or you could use it as a subwoofer,

02:03 thanks to the digital optical port for a TV hookup.

02:05 Sony even includes an optical cable in the box.

02:09 Personally, I'm a fan of the USB-A out

02:11 for charging other devices,

02:12 as well as the battery status button

02:14 that forces the speaker to tell you its battery level.

02:16 Using the Music Center app,

02:18 you can control the speaker remotely with your phone.

02:20 This includes changing the lighting settings

02:22 with nine presets that can kind of curate the effects

02:24 to the sounds of your party.

02:26 Or you could set it as a static individual color

02:28 with the color wheel if that's more your speed.

02:30 The app also powers some of that karaoke experience

02:33 I mentioned, as well as the customizable EQ.

02:36 If you're not throwing parties every weekend,

02:38 but instead need more of a personal listening experience

02:40 at a good price, the new Sony SRS-XB100

02:44 is a fun-looking, ultra-portable wireless speaker

02:46 that weighs just 0.6 pounds.

02:48 At $59.99, it's also very value-centric,

02:52 but it doesn't necessarily prioritize form over function.

02:55 It also packs some neat features and strong specs.

02:58 The open design specifically helps diffuse sounds better,

03:01 supporting the speaker's sound diffusion processor.

03:03 Between that and the passive radiator,

03:05 it does a solid job at a wider sound stage,

03:08 while the cutout helps with bass,

03:09 giving more breathing room

03:10 and preventing the sound from becoming tinny.

03:13 And the sound was, in fact, much fuller than I was expecting.

03:16 Its IP67 rating and UV coating

03:19 means that you won't need to worry about outdoor use.

03:21 It'll clip onto a backpack

03:22 and can face sun or weather exposure.

03:24 But I think it's a good option inside for, say, the bathroom.

03:28 That's because the built-in microphone

03:29 does a good job cutting background noise during calls,

03:32 but I'll let you decide

03:33 if you want to take that call in the shower.

03:35 Using USB-C, 4 1/2 hours worth of charging

03:38 will get you 16 hours of playback,

03:40 so it should be able to keep up

03:41 with whatever you have planned for a given day.

03:43 So, which of these two new Sony speakers are more your speed?

03:46 Be sure to let me know in the comments.

03:48 Also, check out what we're doing on social,

03:50 Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @tomsguide.

03:52 And as always, I'm @kaycosage.

03:54 Thanks for watching.

03:55 I'll catch you next time.

03:56 (upbeat music)

03:59 (upbeat music)

Sony SRS-XV800 - Party Speaker Review | Tom's Guide

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