An auxiliary input allows you to play other audio sources by connecting them through a simple audio connection like a 3.5mm jack, i.e for MP3 or portable DVD/CD player. Vocals are crisp and clear, Bass Mid and Treble frequencies are adjustable via the Sony Music Centre app. But other than that I think the XB33 I solid. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. TheSony SRS-XB33 isgood for outdoor use. Powerful bass depth and overall audio performance the size, How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad, How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill, How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files, How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac, Read Our Amazon Echo Dot With Clock Review, Read Our Ikea Sonos Symfonisk WiFi Bookshelf Speaker Review, Read Our Marshall Woburn II Bluetooth Review, Sounds Good, Looks Good: The Most Stylish Speakers We've Seen, The Best Bluetooth and Wireless Speakers for 2023, How to Set Up a Stereo Pair of HomePods With Your Apple TV. Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves. For example you can easily switch calls from one device to another without having to manually disconnect and reconnect. Thanks to its 360-degree design, it has better directivity, resulting in a wider and more natural-sounding soundstage. The device comes with its own special case or pouch, which is useful for safe transportation. What Is Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and How Does It Affect Audio. Again, you've got all the party features of the XB23, plus NFC fast Bluetooth pairing and you can charge your phone from it via USB-A. It also has low iOS and Android latency, although some apps seem to compensate for latency differently. A passive radiator is a type of driver (speaker) that doesn't have a voice coil and a magnet. It can also automatically adjust to a lower bitrate of 330kbps or 660kbps to increase stability. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/sony-srs-xb33. It also has low latency on both iOS and Android, making it suitable for watching videos. ! Sony SRS-XB31 Bluetooth MP3 Player Docks & Mini Speakers, Sony SRS-XB41 Bluetooth MP3 Player Docks & Mini Speakers, Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, For those with slightly heartier budgets (and an inclination towards everything retro), we'd also heartily recommend JBL's boombox-like Xtreme 2, which is tough and rugged and has fun and excitement written all over it. Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by the product's chassis or, in simpler terms, the space the product occupies. While the XB33 lists an IK rating for impact resistance, there isn't an IK rating specified for the XB43. The lower-register instrumentation sounds richer and more powerful, but the highs are still the focus of the mix, bright and clear. Hover to zoom. The new unit also boasts reduced driver excursion while maintaining the same sound pressure, resulting in less distortion. With a standard mini jack socket, you can use the device with most headphones. The lower the low-frequency response, the stronger and juicier the bass. Bigger drivers are more powerful and can produce better bass. Becky has been a full-time staff writer at What Hi-Fi? The Sonos Roam is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XB33. And unlike the XB43, the XB33 gets decently loud for both its size and price. The Flex is smaller, making it more portable. It's also smaller and more portable than the Sony. Though both speakers have an uneven sound profile out-of-the-box, the XB43's are better balanced. The Sony SRS-XB33 is a portable, battery-powered speaker from Sony's EXTRA BASS lineup, with a similar design to the larger Sony SRS-XB43. With voice prompts, you will automatically receive information via audio messages for instance, you may find out that the battery is running low, and it's time to recharge the device. The Sony SRS-XB33 is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 4. With voice prompts, you will automatically receive information via audio messages for instance, you may find out that the battery is running low, and it's time to recharge the device. Now real world use with this speaker playing at max volume and while in extra bass mode its good for around 3 and a half hours of playback time and at 80% volume its good for around 7 hours of playback time. TheSony XB33 issub-par for videos and movies. For a speaker with a wider and more open soundstage, check out the Marshall Emberton. The Sony XB33 has a very good app. See also our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, thebest portable Bluetooth speakers, and thebest waterproof Bluetooth speakers. However, the Sony supports voice assistants through your smartphone. The latter is thoroughly Instagram worthy, at about the same width as a can of Coke, but half the height. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SONY SRS-XB33 PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER IN BLACK at the best online prices at eBay! This technology allows the users to use their smartphone as a remote control for the device. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). My biggest and probably only issue is the fact there is no travel hook or loop in the speaker design, so for hiking or walking, it is either hand held or in a backpack. You can operate the device easily, by pressing the screen with your fingers. Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get more bass presence than purists will want to hear, but it doesnt throw the entire balance of the mix out of whack. Sony SRS-XB33 Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Black. The Marshall has a better soundstage and a more neutral default sound profile, though both lack a bit of low bass. If you come across another variant of the Sony SRS-XB33, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review. It has over 12 hours of continuous playback time, which is excellent. 2. On either end, the Sony SRS-XB33 has a band of LED lights that continually change colors and flash to the beat (they can be controlled or disabled in the app). But now I do want to quickly address party connect. Highs were quite bad and didn't have so much detail, mids were quite muddy and there was so much bass. Just like the Sony SRS-XB43 and the Sony SRS-XB23, you can place it either horizontally or vertically. Picture Information. The Sonos Move is a better overall speaker than the Sony SRS-XB33. These microphones are designed to filter out background noise from the desired sound. Especially useful in noisy environments. A part or whole of software/services installed into or . The Sony is better built and can be paired to up to two devices at once, so you can easily switch between audio sources. There are also buttons here for Party and Stereo Pair modesboth features for linking up with other SRS speakers. It can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which is more immersive. For example you can easily switch calls from one device to another without having to manually disconnect and reconnect. A passive radiator is a type of driver (speaker) that doesn't have a voice coil and a magnet. Sign up below to get the latest from What Hi-Fi?, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! Audio output power is based on the number of speakers and their power in watts. Want another great feature? You can also place it vertically or horizontally, depending on your preferences. I like that the XB33 has gone back to an XB31 design aesthetic which makes it much more durable than the XB32, the XB33 sounds way better than the XB32, and unlike the XB43 the XB33 gets decently loud for both its size and price. Sony's popular (and oft discounted) Extra Bass speakers are big online, but should one be in your home? It can produce a more extended low-bass, and you can customize its sound to your liking thanks to the graphic EQ featured in its companion app. Sony SRS-XB31. The SRS-XB33s IP67 rating is excellent for a portable speaker. That said, JBL doesnt offer basic EQ alterations via its app, where Sony's offers a plethora of sound enhancement and bass options. An indicator shows you when the device has low battery. Help us by suggesting a value. Sony recommends a 250 price-point, which puts the XB402M in direct competition with (and slightly cheaper than) Apple's five-star HomePod, but we've seen several deals positing it directly into Alexa voice-activated Sonos One price territory another five-star product in our tests. Bath The XE300 can get a bit louder, though it has a touch more compression at max volume, so audio quality doesn't sound as clean at louder volume levels, but not by much. All rights reserved. But now I want to quickly address Sonys other app fiestable. . But before we jump into the sound test I do want to quickly address stamina mode and live sound mode. TheSony SRS-XB33 ismediocre for music. Other Bluetooth portables at similar price-points may boast a longer battery life, but remember that they often fall away for features. More battery power can be an indication of longer battery life. Performance & security by Cloudflare. . Your subscription has been confirmed. It has dual passive radiators and the promise of Sony's Extra Bass, which means. It is usually used in combination with a woofer to produce deep bass tones. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, she freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 20-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist any love of dance is of course tethered to a love of music. However, the SRS-XB33 is better built and can get slightly louder with fewer compression artifacts. E.g. It has a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box and has better directivity, so its soundstage sounds wider than that of the Sony. It can also produce slightly deeper bass. Unlike the JBL, the Sony has a graphic EQ in its companion app, which lets you adjust the sound profile to your liking. A rubber strip on the top panel houses the controls, with buttons for power, Bluetooth, play/pause (which also answers/ends phone calls), minus/plus for volume, and Live, which adds an unnecessary spatial effect to the audio. So over all the XB33 has decent real world battery life performance. Sony Bluetooth Extra Bass Speaker SRS-XB31 (BLACK) 36.00 + 2.50 Postage. Newer versions provide faster data transfers. The Sony SRS-XE300 and the Sony SRS-XB33 are similar speakers, though the XE300 is slightly better overall. This is a fully waterproof and knock-proof cylindrical wireless Sony Bluetooth speaker with Alexa built-in. Behind the cloth grille, dual full-range drivers, aided by passive bass radiators on both ends of the speaker, deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. aptX HD is an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that is developed by Qualcomm. A sleep timer is a function that shuts off the power after a preset amount of time. Need a durable speaker thats easy to carry, waterproof, dustproof or all three? This app is another Sony app that works in tandem with the Sony Music Center App. Battery With a battery life of up to 24,0 hours there is no difference between the two devices. The SRS-XB33 has undergone extensive shock testing to make sure it can withstand the inevitable knocks, bumps and scrapes that come . It supports a wireless charging standard such as Qi. Also, the Sony supports stereo content and has longer battery life. , 253 : (5 ) Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision! Both are charged via microUSB, but while the XB12 claims a 16-hour battery, you'll only get six hours from the XB01 not great, but better than the similarly-sized JBL GO 2. Though both speakers have an uneven sound profile out-of-the-box, the XB43's are better balanced. The more power per year a device consumes, the less energy efficient it is, making it more costly over time. JBL Charge 4 - https://amzn.to/3avQEYK Sony XB33 - https://amzn.to/34v0Ug8What's up, buds? The lowest frequency at which the device produces audio. Also, the Sony's app offers a graphic EQ for sound customization, which the Marshall lacks. The XB33 has an all new speaker set from the XB32. TheSony XB33 isincredibly portable. Now when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity, the XB33 has been upgraded to bluetooth 5.0. but just like the XB32, the XB33 can still be connected to 2 devices at the same time so you and a friend can both be DJ, both of the speakers have zero latency across the board when ever youre watching movies or videos on your phone whether youre using an iPhone or and android device which is good. And you cant pair this speaker up to any of Sonys older speakers using Wireless party chain like an XB41, XB32, XB22, XB31, XB21, and the list just goes on. But something that has been greatly improved on the XB33 from the XB32 is its light feature. 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