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

  1. I have a Sony 48″ TV at home that would pair nicely with Sony’s extra bass speakers. It is a reliable brand, and my go-to product would be next gen’s Sony PS5.

  2. I love Sony because they are always innovating but their quality remains excellent. The Waterproof/Dustproof IP rating would make any of these speakers perfect for use at my trailer.

  4. This would be a nice thing to have in the workshop since I am spending so much time at home these days

  8. No other company makes it like Sony.. would love this speaker for camping and relaxing on the back patio

  12. My wife’s Bluetooth speaker she uses for work just died on her last week, this would be a lovely prize to win for her!

  14. I have had Sony products for years including TV’s, portable radio/stereo and my VAIO laptop. I would love to add a Sony 65″ 4K UHD Smart TV to my home.

  15. I love that Sony products last and are always at the forefront of innovation and quality. I would love a Sony 65″ 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV to watch some spectacular television with my family.

  16. I don’t even know where to start! I have always brought Sony Bluetooth speakers! I love the sound they produce the bigger the better in my opinion! Also the battery life for these are a nice feature. And love the LED colour Lights that go to the music, that is definitely a huge selling point for me with any Bluetooth speaker. You give me extra bass and LED colour lights and I’m sold!!

  17. I still have a beautiful Sony TV that my sister gave me, it is about 15 years old, and I feel spoiled watching TV. I just bought myself a new computer tower to replace my 12-year old one, and would love speakers to listen to music with them. Sony have a wonderful reputation and beautiful products and I feel proud to own any items from them.

  21. I’ve previously purchased Sony products and found this brand has the utmost superior sound compared to most other brand names. I’d love to add this to my collection of Sony products. This would pair nicely with the other products I currently have. Would sound great being used by me camping, at the cottage, or just relaxing. Would love bragging rights to this!

    Thank you for this opportunity.

  22. Live Sound is another feature of the XB-33 and 43 portable speakers <- <- This is what I am looking forward to hearing!!!

  23. Sony SRS-XB33 is a great middle ground size. Not too big but not too small and the quality seems amazing

  24. When it comes to Tech, Sony has always lead the way. I have always had a Sony product in my house while growing up from the KV-36FS10 36″ Wega TV to the LBT-D105 Stereo System which paved the way in me always leaning towards Sony products in recent times. By adding the Sony SRS-XB43 speakers to the list of Sony products used and owned will continue my ever growing love for Sony.

  25. Sony has been in a household name in our family for many many years. Any of the speakers would be an addition to our electronic family.

  27. I love the fact that these are waterproof. Talk about rain or shine these speakers will deliver. Plus the awesomeness of lights. Sign me up!!

  28. I love the fact that these speakers are water proof. Talk about rain or shine these speakers will deliver. Also the awesomeness of the added lights. Sign me up!!

  34. Sony keeps it sleek and simple: black speakers that blend in a modern home environment. The SRS-XB23 speakers would be best for my needs, just the right size.

  35. I love that Sony is always coming up with great new products and their pricing is excellent. I want the Sony SRS-XB43 speaker because the sound quality is excellent and I love to listen to podcasts and books on tape.

  37. I love Sony TVs I think they’re the best and I’d love a Sony 85″ 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV if I had an entertainment room

  42. Sony has high quality products . I know because we have 2 Sony TVs! I would like to add the Sony Extra Bass Speakers to my household.

  43. What I love about Sony is the high quality, innovative technology and superior design. I would love to have a 55 inch BRAVIA OLED A8H 4K HDR TV.

  47. Love everything about Sony: the quality, the sound, the features and that they stand behind their product. I would like to win the: Sony SRS-XB33 EXTRA BASS Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker – Black During Covid-19 I do a weekly outdoor dance …fun, socially distanced and these speakers would be perfect. You’d be making a group of dancers “happy dancers!”

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