Verdict
A portable wireless speaker system that render extensive battery living and rich reasoned quality . The SRS - XG300 live to entertain at party or out of doors , and does so at a Leontyne Price that ’s very attractive .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The XG300 is part of Sony ’s reach of X - Series wireless company speakers , quick to be used indoors and out , and vaunt the kind of sound that ’s a party starter .
Its versatility puts it up against a chain of other wireless speakers , but it does n’t boast as in high spirits a Leontyne Price ticket as you ’d expect . Has Sony found the x - broker with its plus - size portable loudspeaker system ?
Design
The SRS - XG300 is the biggest of the fresh X - Series portable speaker by a country mile ( well , not literally ) . It ’s like a mini - boombox speaker measure 318 mm wide . It is n’t designed for erect playback and it ’s a heavy speaker to cart around .
So the XG300 ’s retractable handle proves useful , especially since the loudspeaker system ’s 3 kg weight set it at the upper conclusion of portable unit . It ’s it in the same park as theSonos Move , Harman Kardon Citation 200andBang & Olufsen Beolit 20 , and of the Sonos and B&O speakers , I ’d say the XG300 feels the heaviest to hoist .
Aesthetically , the XG300 is an elegant - looking company speaker system for its size of it . It has a flimsy hourglass shape , narrowing in the center and widen at either end , and is covered in a knit fabric that ’s available in smart black or grey versions . With an IP rating of IP67 – the same as the smallerWonderboom 3andEmberton II – it ’s protected against the ingress of dust and body of water .
Below the carry handle are buttons on either side of the unit . On the left are the power , Bluetooth and Mega Bass buttons and on the right are the playback / call and volume control . Presses do n’t require much forcefulness and there ’s a detent with each jam to indicate it has record .
Around the hindquarters is a flap that conceals the connections and a few other buttons . There’sUSB - C for charginganother twist , USB - A port for charging the speaker itself ( with plug adapter included ) , and stereo mini - jack ( cable also included ) for plug away in an external gimmick ( such as aportable euphony player ) . The buttons admit the Battery Care feature of speech ( more on that later ) and the Light lineament .
The Light feature – or Ambient Illumination , as Sony term it – breathe a halo of light at either end of the speaker , just behind the woofer . It changes and pulses in sync with the musical rhythm , but at its default setting it is n’t the most noticeable . Unless you were consider it from the side or in dimly lit way , you would n’t find the tripping show taking place .
Features
Battery lifespan is quoted at 25 hours , and for a loudspeaker system of the XG300 ’s size , that ’s substantial . compare to the 8 and 11 hours respectively of the Beolit 20 and Move , the SRS - XG300 material body set those speaker unit in the shade .
The Battery Care feature I mentioned earlier helps preserve battery life . It does n’t keep up and poke out battery aliveness – although there is a lineament for that as well – but stops the speaker from overcharging so that the battery whole itself can last longer . There ’s fast - charging supporting , too , with 10 minutes attend another 70 minutes of playback .
Google Fast Pairis onboard for fleet coupling with Android gadget ; no such feature for iOS is provide . The utterer can dissemble as a speaker phone for calls , which adds an unexpected level of versatility for what ’s marketed as a “ company ” loudspeaker . The Echo Cancelling tech onboard aims to prevent stave or echo during calls .
You wo n’t get any part assistance here ; Google and Alexa command is rare for portable Bluetooth speaker system , with theB&O Beosound A1 2ndGenthe only portable I ’ve come across that has voice assist .
The SRS - XG300 does offer app support – from two apps , in fact . Sony ’s Music Centre is the app for make do updates , battery life , sound quality and the illumination feature .
The app offers EQ sound options ( Mega Bass , Live Sound , Custom ) , Sony ’s ClearAudio+ ( which seems to enable Mega Bass anyway ) , DJ burden ( Isolator and Flanger for some playfulness ) and Bluetooth connection quality – enable priority on Sound Quality and the XG300 will work inLDAC Bluetoothif a mobile gimmick sustain it ( iOS does n’t ) . If not , there are SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs . Wireless range is also solid : walk forth from the speaker to the other end of a big garden date no suspension - up in the sign noted .
In the Power surgical incision is the Stamina feature article that suppresses king consumption , which is utilitarian for eking out more battery life in those representative there is n’t a substance to charge the speaker . The Illumination area present more obtrusive clear effects such as Rave , but I ’d still say you need to be in a dark surroundings to appreciate it .
The Fiestable app is more party - orientated , offering expanded ascendence over DJ effects , light effects ( you’re able to change colours on the fly with Party Flash ) and Motion Control , which is cracking – when it work . Playback and intensity can be controlled by make a motion the smartphone , although some movements register better than others . seek to change the loudness made it look like I was trying to get my rave on . I suppose that ’s the point .
The Voice Command is n’t voice control , as it concern to searching for something ( vocalist , song , etc ) and being taken to an app ( Spotify and YouTube ) that shows related issue . It only seem to bring solvent with the first word you say , so if you ’re searching for Lady Gaga , say “ Gaga ” rather than “ Lady ” – otherwise the end result is a inclination of interracial results that contain the parole “ Lady ” .
Like most every other party loudspeaker , the SRS - XG300 can be pair with a idiotic and in no way feasible number of utterer unless you were trying to break off some sort of Guinness World Record ( 100 ) . Stereo coupling is also supported with another speaker .
Sound Quality
The SRS - XG300 is in - guardianship with Sony ’s recent headphones – theWH-1000XM5andWF-1000XM4 – in terms of its display : rich and smooth with an accent on bass part . If you ’re someone who wants neutrality and preciseness , you wo n’t get as much of that here as you would from the Sonos Move – but this is a “ political party ” talker , after all .
It boasts a wide soundstage thanks to its shape , although there ’s no 360 - academic degree facing pages of sound , and that make the XG300 a very directional utterer . I found it best to be resist / sit around towards the verbalizer , since it does n’t spread out its audio out towards the sides . model behind it , I can hear music ; but it fathom a little shrouded .
The Mega Bass feature does add a little more pith to the bassline when listening to 112 ’s Peaches & Cream , Nas ’ If I Ruled the World , and Katy B ’s Katy On a Mission ; but I would n’t account the Mega Bass effect as overtly affecting the mid - range and treble public presentation .
I ’d say Mega Bass is tastefully put on than overbearing and distracting , the X - Balanced speaker number one wood setup maintains a self-coloured residue across the frequency range . When turned up loud there ’s no obvious aberration I heard take heed to The Beatles Hey Jude – but , perhaps surprisingly , the smaller JBL Charge 5 hits flash volumes .
The rich fibre of the utterer provide sympathetic benefits . The bass is more textured than you ’ll find on more expensive speakers such as the Move – Nelly Furtado ’s Maneater exhibit a more assertive low - frequency performance with more energy and drive than the Move can muster , although the Beolit 20 ’s bass is big than both , I should append .
The smoothness of its playback is gratifying , too , especially with voices , such as Isabella Manfredi ’s in The Preatures ’ Is This How You Feel ? Its reproduction of phonation is natural enough ; they ’re gratifyingly big in their verbal description , although they record with a touching more basso and weight than you ’ll notice on other portable speaker unit of the XG300 ’s like . If you enjoy this unruffled , richer presentation then the XG300 will have sight of ingathering .
Where that richness represent some blemishes is that the Sony ’s retrieval of detail is n’t as good as the Move , lacking that superfluous ounce of sharpness and definition that would give it an even keen clarity .
The high - frequency reach is another domain where its rich presentation has its most obvious effect . There is n’t the same level of sharpness or tonal variation of treble bank note than there is on the Move with Gogo Penguin ’s Raven and Gerald Clayton ’s Rejuvenation Agenda ; the SRS - XG300 ’s warmer display is n’t as precise or as clear as the Move ’s knifelike , neutral tone .
But this direct little away from the Sony ’s sound quality . It ’s a affectionate , robust and smooth carrying into action that works well for political party environments and out of doors – and it ’s a cheap proposition than either Sonos , B&O or Harman Karman .
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Should you buy it?
The SRS - XG300 can go pretty loud and gravid , but it ’s the party feature in the apps that contribute more fun to minutes over more traditional wireless speakers .
The Sony is n’t the most of neutral - sounding of speakers for those who favour accuracy , and its treble carrying into action is a piddling dulled .
Final Thoughts
Consider the SRS - XG300 for what it is , and it ’s a very satisfying wireless speaker . The design is considerate , with its retractable handle and strong IP rating ( just think of all those dropped beverage at a party ) , the battery life is farsighted than more expensive speakers , and the ample sound caliber entertains .
The party functions with the various supported apps add more play to proceedings ; and even if it is n’t used for a party setting , it would be a good choice for manipulation on an outing to a park , beach or garden .
If a modest , more accomplishable size of it is preferred , there ’s the alternative of Sony ’s ownXE200 and XE300 , but for those after a big , invite speech sound that can embellish both out-of-door and indoor configurations , the SRS - XG300 is happy to help .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every wireless speaker we review soundly over an extended menstruum of time . We use industry standard tryout to liken features by rights . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to critique a product .
find out out more about how we test in ourethics insurance policy .
FAQs
Sony states that the battery life is around 25 minute .
The XG300 does n’t feature any aboriginal voice assistant sustenance for the likes of Alexa or Google .
Full Specs
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