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Review: Sony SRS-XB100

This Bluetooth-enabled cylinder brings the bass with you everywhere.
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Sony SRS XB100 bluetooth speaker
Photograph: Sony
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Rating:

8/10

WIRED
Ultra-portable design. Clear and relatively well-balanced sound. Improved bass response. Stylish and grippy exterior. Easy access controls. Google Fast Pair. Great battery life. Excellent dust and waterproofing. Good call quality.
TIRED
Performance is dependent on placement. No EQ.

How small can a speaker get and still sound good? It’s a sonic riddle Sony seems to have solved with the tiniest entry in its XB speaker line, the SRS-XB100.

A follow-up to the XB13 (one of our previous favorite Bluetooth speakers), the latest mini XB speaker provides a modest update to Sony’s familiar tin-can design, including a grippier new exterior and a bassier new sound signature.

Like its predecessor, Sony’s XB100 performs best with a properly fortified base on which to plant, using its full being (and a tiny passive radiator) to generate bass from the ground up like lightning rising from the earth. Paired with a well-tuned diffusion driver on top for 360-degree audio, the XB100 sounds better than a speaker its size has a right to.

If you’re looking for sound quality first, though, you’re missing the point. What makes this speaker so dang addictive is its portability. I have better-sounding speakers at my disposal for any number of use cases. But when I need a speaker on the go, it’s the one I turn to. It’s just so easy to take along. And isn’t that really what Bluetooth speakers are all about?

Sound Grenade
Photograph: Sony

The XB100’s design is far from revolutionary, offering only modest changes over its predecessors in Sony’s portable lineup, but there are some cool new touchpoints. The XB13’s hard matte exterior has been replaced with a softer exoskeleton that’s cushier in your hands, while the inlaid Sony logo presents a more minimalist look. As before, the speaker comes in both subdued colors and flashy ones—black and gray can be substituted for neon orange and teal.

It’s very easy to pair with your phone, offering Google Fast Pair for one-touch connection to Android devices, and only a slightly longer setup on iPhone; you’ll have to select it in your Bluetooth settings, but the speaker instantly sets to pairing mode like it’s revved up to get going.

Around the base is a strip of easy-access controls for playback, volume, power, and pairing. There you’ll also find a rubberized flap covering the USB-C charge port, helping the speaker achieve its IP67 weatherproof rating. That equates to top-tier dust resistance and the ability to take a drop in the drink and keep on ticking.

Photograph: Sony

The XB100 measures just under 3 inches tall, with a 3.7-inch diameter. Just as notable, at just over half a pound, it’s incredibly lightweight. This combines for an adorable speaker about half the size of a JBL Flip, which is already one of my favorite Bluetooth speakers for its size-to-performance ratio. This makes Sony’s model strikingly easy to throw in a bag, suitcase, cooler, or even a pocket.

The built-in speakerphone also gives the XB100 a boost over contemporaries, many of which have dropped the feature. Sony says this is another upgrade over the XB13, offering Echo Canceling to reduce ambient noise. I took a few calls on the speaker and it was a definite improvement over my phone on my desk, with callers saying it eliminated some of that far-away feeling. Outside it’s less of an improvement, but still an upgrade.

Like other speakers in the lineup, you can pair two XB100s for stereo sound, which isn’t a bad deal considering together they cost about as much as a single mid-size competitor like the Flip or Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 (on sale). You can’t pair one with older versions like the XB13 or XB12, but that’s a common limitation.

An easy-access strap lets you hang the speaker off handlebars or beach umbrellas in a pinch. It’s not as sturdy or convenient a solution as the carabiner fixture atop JBL’s Clip 4 speaker ($90), but then the speaker is really meant to sit on a surface and blast sound up anyway.

You won’t find much else in the way of features, with a barely there app that lacks even basic EQ for dialing in the sound. This isn’t a huge surprise at $60, but it would be nice if Sony put in some effort there.

Is Bassier Better?
Photograph: Sony

Let’s set some expectations off the bat: You’re not going to be blown away by a speaker this size. Even the similarly compact Clip 4 offers better warmth and overall balance. Still, the XB100 can pull you right in with its surprising poise, depth, and clarity. Vocals sometimes feel as if the artist is just behind that little mesh screen, like a genie busting out rhymes and intricate melodies just for you.

The XB100 also does well with plenty of other instruments, depending on the recording, pulling out brassy guitar strings, sweet and smooth horns, and even covering techno grooves and effects well. Trent Reznor’s Copy of A is particularly clean and clear, revealing dynamic expression and instrumental definition within the speaker’s 360-degree sound field.

The sound is at its best in smaller rooms, losing a fair bit of punch outdoors if you’re not close by, meaning it’s not going to be your go-to choice for large outdoor barbecues or pool parties. But as a personal soundtrack in the hotel for your weekend getaway, it’s a masterful upgrade over your paltry phone pushed up against a bowl or Solo cup.

The XB100’s power and musicality will depend greatly on which platform the speaker is set on. Setting it on my glass coffee table, for instance, softens bass and creates added echo, while my wooden kitchen or side tables offer more balance and groove. When the sound ramps up, you’ll feel the bass booming through the surface, and even through the floor in some instances.

That helps resolve one of my biggest issues with the original XB13, which could get tinny quickly. The XB100 still gets tinny, especially when reproducing light recordings or extra splashy cymbals, but it’s rare. On the other hand, the extra bass sometimes gets overcooked, especially in rock tunes like Blind Melon’s Verdie, where the bass guitar takes centerstage and masks some of the other instruments.

If you’re expecting deep details or expansive stereo imaging you’ll need to go bigger, and likely spend more. But the XB100 can do some impressive sonic acrobatics, especially in the right setting, easily exceeding its size. It’s the one I reach for when I need something to spice up an overnight trip, when hopping on a plane, or anywhere I want to add some music without hassle. It easily goes where I go.

If you already own the XB13, it’s not a massive upgrade. But if you don’t have a smaller model like that, you may want to pick up an XB100, even if you’ve got your fair share of larger Bluetooth speakers. It’s a great addition to Sony’s well-rounded lineup, offering an affordable and portable model that lets you conveniently rock out anywhere.