Sony srs-xb, 23, 33, 43, reviewSummer is the perfect time to source out a new Bluetooth speaker. And ahead of nearly every summer season, Sony releases new versions of it’s uber-popular Extra Bass lineup of wireless speakers. This year I had the opportunity to get hands-on with the newest iterations: the Sony SRS-XB23, Sony SRS-XB33 and Sony SRS-XB43. I’ll tell you all about them, what they can do, how they sound and whether you might want to pick one up not just for summer but to bring the party with you all year.

Review of the Sony SRS-XB23, Sony SRS-XB33 & Sony SRS-XB43

There are three speakers in this series; each a bit different from the other. Naturally, as they step up in size and power, they also step up in price too.
These are often billed as ‘party speakers’ thanks to their power, portability and—on the larger two—built in LED lighting effects.

Similar but different 

The three speakers in this line are similar but different. The two larger ones, the Sony SRS-XB33 and Sony SRS-XB43 can be used standing on their ends or lying on their sides. They have a flat front and flat base. The Sony SRS-XB23 is a cylinder. Each has a rubber door protecting other buttons and connectors in the back.

Sony srs-xb, 23, 33, 43, reviewSpeaker Power

Not surprisingly these speakers step up in wattage and volume as they get bigger. Sony doesn’t make finding sound specs easy for the 23 or 33—I couldn’t find anything but the SRS-XB43 sound specs which are: 2 x 16 watts, 2 x 0.79” woofers, 20mm tweeters.

Waterproof/Dustproof IP rating

The Sony SRS-XB23, the SRS-XB33 and the full sized SRS-XB44 are all rated against water and dirt penetration. They have the rating IP67, which means each is fully protected from dirt and dust and can withstand water and even salt water.

Lighting effects of the Sony SRS-XB23, Sony SRS-XB33 & Sony SRS-XB43

The larger two speakers have built in lighting effects that will flash and pulse to the beat of what’s playing. The SRS-XB33 has two behind-the grill lights and LED colour-changing banding around the edges. The SRS-XB43 has four lights under the grill and the same LED colour changing banding. The XB22 has no lighting options (unlike the original XB21).

Sony srs-xb, 23, 33, 43, reviewSony Music Centre and Sony Fiestable apps

Why there’s two, I don’t know. To get the most out of these speakers, you’ll need not one but two apps: the Sony Music Centre app allows you to adjust some settings and check detailed battery levels, etc. But if you want control over the lighting on the XB 33 and 43, you’ll also need the Sony Fiestable app. There’s a bunch of different colour options, flashing effects and more which you can set or play with live. This is definitely fun and will be even more so for younger users.

Oddly, it seems to me these features all used to be available in the Music Centre app, and why Sony is splitting this function up is beyond me.

Sound quality of the Sony SRS-XB23, Sony SRS-XB33 & Sony SRS-XB43

Let’s get down to sound: these speakers sound excellent. Not surprisingly the power and overall audio quality steps up as you go up the line, with the XB43 the biggest, baddest and most powerful of all.

Sony srs-xb, 23, 33, 43, reviewEven so, each of them, even the wallet-friendlier and more compact XB23 sounds good. My preference was definitely for the XB43. I thought it sounded bigger, louder, more resonant, deeper and more detailed, with substantially more bass. The XB33 by comparison sounded a bit thinner. No, you probably wouldn’t notice this unless you had them both side by side switching between them. But if audio quality is paramount, you’ll want to go big here.

There’s obviously a lot of bass and you can feel it in a table or surface. I had the XB43 camping with me and used it extensively outside and it was easily able to fill our area with sound.

Vocals sound clear on each of the speakers, and the overall sound is well balanced. Only high fives here when it comes to audio quality of these speakers.

Sony srs-xb, 23, 33, 43, reviewCommon features in the SRS-XB lineup

Though there are some differences between each speaker, they do each have some common features.

Sony Extra Bass

Sony’s Extra Bass technology is the key feature of these speakers; it’s what they’re named for, and what the “XB” in the name stands for.

EXTRA BASS technology essentially lets you get more bass out of your music. The Sony EXTRA BASS headphones and speakers use what’s called an Electro Bass Booster to make the lower tones of bass lines more prominent. This battery-powered enhancer digitally improves lower end frequencies in the music and that in turn boosts bass. The feature can be turned on or off to suit your music or mood.

Sony srs-xb, 23, 33, 43, review

Live Sound

Live Sound is another feature of the XB-33 and 43 portable speakers. Activating this function is done with the touch of a button on the top of the speakers. Live Mode is apparently supposed to give you a more live and in person sound. I wouldn’t say it enhanced the sound, but it did change it, making the music less bass-heavy and leaned it more towards the high end. For me personally this setting did nothing for me.

In case you’re keeping score, a previous option that allowed you to smack the speakers and get crazy sound effects, Party Booster, appears to no longer be available on these speakers.

Party Connect/Party Chain

These speakers have a feature called Party Connect (formerly Party Chain), which essentially lets you connect and group multiple speakers to the same source. With compatible Sony devices, you can connect up to 100 (100!!) speakers in the chain. Not only will the music play across devices but the lights match up too.

I’ve got full instructions here, but the gist of it is you turn on one speaker, (this will become your main speaker) press the ‘Party’ button, then turn on the next speaker, press the button and so on down the chain. I tried this out and am happy to report it was easy.

To de-connect them, push and hold the party button on any of the speakers that’s not the main one.

Sony srs-xb, 23, 33, 43, reviewStereo Pairing 

You can also pair two speakers to create a stereo pair. The full instructions are here, but I couldn’t get this to work after about half a dozen attempts. The steps are rather finicky and after each try, my phone would become disconnected and wouldn’t reconnect while the stereo pairing lights were on. I tried using the app to make the stereo pairing connection and just got constant error messages. During my testing period I was unable to make stereo pairing work correctly. Hopefully Sony will have this patched in a future app or firmware update.

USB charging/power bank

There’s built in USB charging on all three models so you can keep your phone juiced up.

Battery life of the Sony SRS-XB23, Sony SRS-XB33 & Sony SRS-XB43

The battery life in these speakers is decent, but hasn’t improved at all since I first reviewed this lineup about 2-3 years ago.

SRS-XB23: 12 hours battery life
SRS-XB33: 24 hours battery life
SRS-XB43: 24 hours battery life

Setting up the Sony XB speakers

Setting the speakers up is super simple. Power on by pushing and holding the power button. That will put it into pairing mode for your first use, which will be confirmed with a verbal prompt. And flashing blue LED light. Go to your phone or device’s Bluetooth menu, select the speaker and tap to connect. I went through this numerous times with several speakers and it worked perfectly every time. If you need to re-enable pairing, just push the Bluetooth button.

Sony srs-xb, 23, 33, 43, reviewOverall review of the Sony SRS-XB23, Sony SRS-XB33 & Sony SRS-XB43

Overall, these are great speakers. They sound great, they’re a breeze to set up and use too (and even getting the party chin feature going was easy). If there are any downsides, it’s with little things like the need for two apps to control both settings and lighting effects.

Erin Lawrence
Erin Lawrence
Editor TV and Home Theatre
Erin is a journalist, writer, and TV producer with a fascination for technology and a love of gadgets. Check out her blog TechGadgetsCanada.com
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545 COMMENTS

  2. My favourite product from Sony would be their TVs, they’re always picture perfect and have amazing sounds too. The new Sony tech that I would love to try is a pair of Sony SRS-XB43 speakers.

  3. For me, I love Sony’s TVs – they have amazing picture quality. I would love to add the new 65″ Sony A8H to my home!

  4. In addition to the fact that Sony’s products are durable and affordable, I also like the clear sound quality of their speakers and headphones!

    I would like to add the Sony SRS-XB43 speakers to my home!

  5. I like that Sony is a well known dependable brand. The new Sony tech I would like to add is the PS5. Perhaps paired with a couple of these speakers when I win them. 🙂

  7. I love that Sony is always dependable. It is always a good choice to buy one. The new Sony tech would you like to add to your home is a ps5

  8. Headed over for second part of comment requirements.. Hey.. These actually look pretty slick.

    Great job Sony!

  10. The thing I like Sony the most is they have great technology for whatever entertainment needs I want. Whether it’s a gaming console, superior speakers, or a great looking TV, they have me covered!
    The next piece of Sony tech I would look to add to my home is a PS5 console!

  13. I think so has a great reputation and would love to have the Sony 75″ 8K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV (XBR75Z8H).

  20. I’d love to have the Sony SRS-XB43 EXTRA BASS so I could use it in my backyard – the long battery life and light effects would make it perfect for my next BBQ.

  21. Sony is impressed in quality I would love to add A9G | MASTER Series | OLED | 4K Ultra HD | High Dynamic Range (HDR) | Smart TV (Android TV)

  22. Sony is my favourite electronics brand! I love the high quality and innovative technology. Sony is the best! I would love to add the Sony Bravia 4K TV to our home. That would be a dream come true!

  23. I’ve only ever used Sony audio equipment since I was a child, and I’ve never been disappointed. Great quality for the price! I’d love to have a PS5 at home when they come out!

  24. I love the durability and quality of Sony products. I’ve owned tv’s, projectors, game consoles, DVD/Blu ray players, and more with never an issue! I would love to add a new Sony Bravia 4K tv to my collection

  25. I love Sony because they make high quality, reliable and awesome products and the new tech I would add to my home would be the PS5 because we love to game all night and all day! 😛

  26. Sony is a very trusted name in electronics with a long history to back them up. Very much looking forward to the PS5! Regarding the speakers I like that they can be stereo paired. The SRS-XB43 checks the boxes for me!

  29. Sony has always been a trusted, reliable band in the audio technology space. Great products with awesome features. With the extra bass, lights and 24 hour batter, the SRS-XB43 would be my first choice.

  30. For me, Party Connect and Stereo Pairing (hopefully refined and usable) are two of the more intriguing functions in this speaker family.
    Having one or two of the SRS-XB43 speakers would be great for outdoor family functions.

  32. A new Sony home theatre setup (4K UHD HDR LED TV and, 7.2 channel receiver and speakers) would would be a great addition to my family room!

  34. Would love to add the PS5 to my home, looking forward to it as Sony is always the leader in tech and has the best quality

  41. I love that Sony is always coming up with new and practical ideas. Theyre also much more resilient than other products Ive used before.
    I really want a Sony 4k television to go along with the PS5 I have preordered.

  43. Wow. As usual, Sony can make some of the highest quality electronics at a consumer friendly price. I have a pair of their legendary M3 headphones and ADORE them. The noise cancelling is spectacular, but it’s the sound quality that makes them legendary. Not to mention Sony TVs! The OLEDs like the A8 and A9, boggle my mind. The screen has such beautiful contrast and such a vibrant colour that it could keep one dead set of the TV for days. The speaker on the OLED TVs also seems to be like a marvel of engineering! For those who aren’t in the know, Sony engineered the TV so that the thin OLED panel can act as the vibrating body for the TVs speaker. Basically, your TV IS THE SPEAKER!!! How cool is that?!

  46. I’ve always loved Sony for the brand reliability, I know what quality to expect when I purchase something with Sony on it.

  48. I like Sony because they make high-quality, reliable products. I would like to add a Sony 55″ 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV (KD55X750H) to my home.

  49. I just got my preorder of Sony Ps5 so the next purchase would be an OLED TV from Sony.

    I am still using an old Sony TV and it has served me so well until now.
    Also upgrading my Sony DSLR (thank you for those amazing full frame cameras)

  50. Sony has the best tech and products. I use sony wireless ps4 headset, it’s not bluetooth but offers so much customization for audio. I would love to pick up an 8k tv next from sony!!

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