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

  4. I love Sony’s quality and reputation. I would like to add a Sony 65″ 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV (XBR65X900H) to my home.

  5. Sony products are always reliable and have great resale value. I would love to add a second Sony TV to my home tech.

  8. I love Sony products, Currently on my second Sony projector. The SRS-XB43 looks great and would be a nice addition to my home.

  10. SONY makes fantastic electronics equipment. EXTRA BASS from any of the three speakers would be a great addition to my house

  12. I am very impressed with the quality of the The Sony SRS-XB43 EXTRA BASS Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker,I would use this around my house for top notch sound!

  13. I just love Sony products. The Sony SRS-XB43 EXTRA BASS Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker is on my list of “to get soon” – would love to take it anywhere around the house – or outside – to listen to my favourite tunes.

  14. I love that Sony is a trustworthy brand. You don’t have to think if the product will be good, they always are.
    If money is not a problem, I would totally add a Sony X800H 4K HDR Ultra HD LED TV to my living room.

  22. I love the durability and reliability of Sony products. I would love to add another Sony TV to my home. The Sony BRAVIA 65″ 4K Smart TV sounds great.

  23. I like Sony’s quality and class. I like Sony HTST5000 800-Watt 7.1.2 Channel Dolby Atmos Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer

  24. I really love that they come with the rating IP67. The fact that it’s dust and waterproof makes all the difference for me when I am working outside. For this reason I think I would actually pick one of these over even a tv to add to my Sony collection. I’d go with the SRS-XB43.

  25. I like the quality and reliability of Sony products. I’d like to add the Sony H800H TV to may entertainment equipment

  28. I love Sony for the breadth and quality of its audio product lineup. I’m in the market for some new speakers, and would like to add the SRS-XB33 speakers to my home den.

  31. I can’t believe these are portable! My old one is requires to be hooked to a outlet and connected with a wire. The Sony SRS-XB43 model looks great and would make listening to music even better!

  32. I love the quality and durability of the Sony products. I’d love to add the Sony 49″ 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV to my home as I’m in dire need of an upgrade in the TV department.

  34. I’ve had so many Sony products. Including my old Walkman which lasted years. The SRS-XB43 looks like the same quality only years later and so many improvements

  35. We have had so many Sony products for decades. I’d like the Sony SRS-XB23 – because it is all black and more compact

  36. I love Sony’s good old fashioned customer service. I have heard wonderful things about the Sony SRS-XB43. It wiuld go great in my new apartment.

  39. My last laptop was a Sony, it lasted forever, I loved the longevity of the Sony products. I would love a new Sony TV for our house, the Sony 65″ 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV looks like it would be a great addition.

  41. I love Sony because of the quality and longevity of their products! My TV is 10 years old now and still looks and works great 🙂 I would love one of these speakers because we are converting my husband’s old homestead into a cottage and there isn’t any power, so this would really come in handy!

  43. I love Sony for its name…SONY has established a name that means it is reliable and trustworthy and known for outstanding, quality products. I would love to have the Sony PlayStation 5.

  45. I love the customer service at Sony – I have had many Sony products throughout my life and if I ever have a issue the customer service always resolves my issues quickly and efficiently. I would love the Sony SRS-XB43 EXTRA BASS Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker because I need a new speaker as mine is very old.

  46. I love the quality of Sony products. I would like to add the Sony 65″ 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV (XBR65X950G) with TRILUMINOUS Displays to my home.

  47. Sony is very reliable. We’ve had Sony products since I was a kid. I really need to get a good bluetooth speaker – Sony has quite a few.

  48. I love that Sony products deliver superior, dependable, performance. For my home use, the SRS-XB44 are fully protected from dirt, dust and can withstand water. making them perfect for me.

  50. Sony provides the best in quality products – love the Sony SRS-XB33 EXTRA BASS Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker!

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