Which Sony Speaker Should You Buy?

What’s to like: The SRS XP500 ranks near the very top of our ratings for portable speakers. It’s a big party speaker that’s versatile and easy to use, and while it plays plenty loud, it works in more intimate listening sessions, too. It also features fun LED lighting effects for an impromptu dance-off.

What’s not to like: The sound is solid but not superb; the XP500 slots below the UE Hyperboom, for example, which is the best-sounding portable speaker in our ratings. Our testers found there’s a bit too much bass, while the midrange, where most music and vocals reside, isn’t as rich as that you’ll find on the best Bluetooth speakers.

Who it’s for: The SRS XP500 will fit nicely into a party-loving household that wants a speaker that can perform well on the weekdays, too.

What’s to like: The XG300 is one of the better-sounding portable speakers we’ve tested; bass with a decent amount of sock and a clear, even midrange. The XG300 delivers what you want in a modest-sized tailgating speaker with decent volume, an IP67 water-resistance rating (which means it should survive a dunking), and a rechargeable battery that delivers 25 hours of battery life, according to Sony. All in all, our testers say it’s a significantly better speaker than its more expensive sibling the XG500.

What’s not to like: While it comes in a compact, boom-box-like package, the XG300 has a handle that’s less substantial than what you find on competing models. And with a price of over $300, the model isn’t exactly cheap.

Who it’s for: A smart shopper who used our ratings to find a better speaker for significantly less money.

What’s to like: Sony’s SRS-XB23 is proof that less is more. Earlier wireless Bluetooth speakers from the manufacturer were laden with bells and whistles, including colorful LEDs that would pulse with the music and digital sound effects that would bleat when you beat on the shell. These features were fun but ultimately beside the point.

Speakers are about playing music, and the more businesslike XB23 performs its primary function admirably. It’s a medium-sized speaker that checks a lot of boxes: It’s relatively inexpensive, water-resistant (says Sony), and sounds really good.

What’s not to like: The low bass of the SRS-XB23 is a bit lacking and the midrange doesn’t have some of the clarity found in the very best portables. But on balance, the sound is satisfying.

Who it’s for: A Sony fan looking for a no-nonsense speaker for summer fun, even when things get wet and wild.

What’s to like: The Sony XE300 is a step-up speaker. It’s bigger and plays louder than the SRS-XB23, but it’s quite a bit more expensive, too. The sound quality, while a touch dark and muffled, is solid enough to be satisfying, if not truly exceptional.

What’s not to like: The XE300 sells for around $200, and if you shop around, you can find better-performing speakers for significantly less money, even in the Sony lineup. (See the aforementioned SRS-XB23, or the JBL Charge 5 and the Bose Soundlink Revove II.)

Who it’s for: Someone looking for a little more bass and volume, even if the sound isn’t exactly exceptional.

What’s to like: The SRS RA5000 is designed to work with Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format, so it seems somewhat forward-looking.

What’s not to like: The speaker is big. It’s expensive. And it’s disappointing. Our testers report that while listening with spatial audio content does deliver a much larger and wider soundstage, with some music, the spendy speaker sounds echoey. And with conventional stereo content, the bass is a bit overdone, the treble is a little smeared, and, worst of all, the midrange is hazy, grainy, constricted, and plasticky. Our ratings include dozens of other options that are much cheaper and sound as good or better.

Who it’s for: A listener for whom space (as in spatial audio) is indeed the final frontier.

What’s to like: If searching for positives, you could point out that the SRS XV800 performs somewhat better than the XV900, which is even more expensive. But that doesn’t change the fact that, for the same money, you can buy the better-performing SRS-XP500 party box and the top-rated Sonos Era 100 smart speaker. And still have money left over to buy a top-rated blender.

What’s not to like: This Sony party box is very expensive. And its underwhelming performance doesn’t come anywhere near justifying the $650 price. Our testers found that the speaker sounds much worse than the portable SRS-XB23, which sells for less than $100. If you want a Sony party box, try the top-performing Sony SRS-XP500, which costs less than $300 and sits near the top of our ratings.

Who it’s for: Someone content to ignore our ratings and spend twice as much for a speaker that sounds and performs much worse than the Sony party box we recommend.

What’s to like: The Sony SRS-XB43 is flat-out fun. It’s a modest-sized speaker that incorporates some cool LED lighting effects that can be made to pulse along to the beat of the music. It might be too gimmicky for some, though.

What’s not to like: The price is likely to give you pause. For a little less money, the JBL Pulse 4 offers similar sound quality, plus more versatile lighting effects that allow it to double as an accent lamp. The Soundcore Rave Neo also delivers lighting effects and similar sonic performance—for around half the price.

Who it’s for: A college kid who wants a small, fun party speaker that can double for casual dorm-room listening—as long as it’s going on mom or dad’s credit card.

What’s to like: The XE200 sports the Sony brand name, and, on the surface, it resembles its more expensive sibling, the XE300, but the similarities stop there.

What’s not to like: This is another example of a Sony speaker that doesn’t perform as well as expected. While the XE300 is a solid performer, the less expensive XE200 falls well short. Our testers say the audio is thin, hazy, and plasticky, which adds up to a low sound quality rating. That’s a big problem, given that speakers that sound merely okay—like the $50 Onn Large Rugged—tend to be significantly cheaper. Sony’s similarly priced XB23 is a much better speaker and a much better buy.

Who it’s for: A Sony fan on a tight budget who doesn’t care much about sound quality.

What’s to like: The Sony SRS-XB13 offers good value, delivering solid performance for about $50. The model comes in six fun colors, ranging from basic black to coral pink, and the lanyard-style strap makes it easy to carry around. The speaker features IXP67 water resistance, which means it can survive a modest dunking and should repel dust. It also delivers enough volume to fill a small room.

What’s not to like: Given the price, it’s not surprising that the model has a few sonic limitations. The bass, as you might expect from a speaker so minuscule, isn’t very strong, and the midrange and trebles lack the smoothness and detail you get from more expensive models. That said, our testers report that the SRS-XB13 sounds significantly better than its predecessor, the SRS-X12, which has a constricted, nasal quality.

Who it’s for: Someone looking for a small, cheap speaker to give as a gift or to toss in a bag and take to the park.

What’s to like: The Sony SRS-XB100 is a perfectly nice little speaker for not very much money. It sounds fine considering its $60 price and its modest size. The speaker features IXP67 water resistance, so it should survive a modest dunking while repelling dust.

What’s not to like: Our testers report that the XB100 sounds a little worse than the SRS-XB13, which is also a bit cheaper, though there’s really not much to pick and choose between the models. If you can stretch your budget and you don’t care much about size, the SRS-XB23 delivers much higher performance for just a little more money.

Who it’s for: Someone with modest expectations for a small, cheap speaker.

What’s to like: The SRS-RA3000 is a strange value proposition. It’s a good bit cheaper than the larger SRS RA5000 and doesn’t perform much worse, so if you’re feeling charitable, you might call it a better buy.

What’s not to like: In today’s market, $400 is still a lot of money for a wireless speaker. And even the adequate spatial audio performance doesn’t offset the fact that the model simply doesn’t sound all that great. Our testers liken the audio to cupping your hands and holding them over your mouth. The $200 Amazon Echo Studio smart speaker and Apple’s new $300 HomePod both feature much better audio performance with spatial audio material and conventional stereo content, and for less money. And the top-rated Sonos Era 300 costs only a little more.

Who it’s for: A fan of the SRS RA5000 who’s on a bit of a budget?

What’s to like: The MHC-V13 looks cool, if that matters to you. And the “Fiestable” mode on the smartphone app that controls the speaker’s lighting effects is fun to say out loud.

What’s not to like: This 2-foot-tall, 18-pound karaoke speaker sells for around $250 and gets a sound quality rating more typical of very inexpensive speakers. Indeed, at less than half the price, Sony’s SRS-XB23 gets a higher sound quality rating and will make you much happier as long as you don’t care about how your speaker looks and you’re not interested in cranking your tunes at lease-breaking levels.

Who it’s for: A karaoke fan who values volume above all else?

What’s to like: Quantity over quality? At almost 3 feet tall and 60 pounds, the XV900 is a big hulking mass of speaker and as such it can deliver plenty of volume. Which, given its sound quality, may or may not be a good thing. Don’t be fooled by its looks: An $800 speaker that sounds much worse than many models under $100 represents a terrible value.

What’s not to like: If Sony’s SRS-XP500 party speaker is really good, you’d think the larger and much more expensive SRS-XV900 would be superb, right? Wrong. Our testers give it a sound quality grade usually reserved for cheap, near-disposable models, like the tiny stocking stuffer Sony SRS XB-13. But the huge Sony costs around $800. Which means you can buy a truly impressive-sounding speaker, like the $450 Edifier S1000W and a 58-inch television to boot.

Who it’s for: A Sony fan with a thick wallet, a strong back, and little interest in actually listening to music.

What’s to like: The boom-box-style SRS XG500 is bigger than the XG300 and, as such, can play very well. It’s also got a nice handle if you like to carry around your speaker.

What’s not to like: This Sony speaker lands near the very bottom of our rankings. Our testers report that the audio is muffled and grainy with trebles that are both subdued and sizzly. Imagine listening to bacon frying in a pan, but from the next room. Most of the models with similarly subpar sound are tiny and carry prices of less than $100. The XG500? It weighs more than 12 pounds and costs almost $400. You can definitely do better.

Who it’s for: Another option for our quantity-over-quality fan.