Sony SRS-XB20

A nightmare, continually turning itself down because it thinks it's your nanny (AVLS) – I've come to loathe this unit, which I should love. Why? Because it keeps suddenly turning itself down if it judges the volume is too high. This is apparently called avls: automatic volume lowering system, because sony thinks it knows better than you! It seems it can't even be turned off on this thing!!! I now loathe sony because of this! As a… Read more

result, I can never get it loud enough to hear radio in my kitchen. And I'm not even wanting it that loud. I will never buy another speaker that has this disrespectful, psychotic feature!

Good but horrible – Decent construction, weather proof, good sound for its size. But.... It's awful. If the battery is below 90% it has a mind of its own and turns itself off for no other reason than to ruin your day. Like a bossy mum who bursts into your room and turns off your stereo without so much as looking you in the eyes. You are up a ladder, have dirty hands, in the shower... OK I'm just going to turn myself off now, you've had enough. I hate you Sony. Show details

Never have I ever heard sound so good – I brought two Sony srs xb20 speakers I have the Sony music app on my phone plus a equalizer and I have the speakers set at left right stereo and set a good distance apart and wow just wow great bass and high tones. I like my music and I have had many stereo's headphones but nothing compares to this that I had to write a review I can't describe the sound except if set up well it's like you are in cased in sound.

Small & Loud, with good battery life, but only OK'ish sound if you stray outside EDM – Hours and hours of playback time, honestly I've never even come close to running them flat even after 4 to 8 hours of loud continuous use, I guess a sizeable part of their weight is the battery. And surprisingly loud for their size, I've had this playing music at a small (20~ people) outdoor party and even had people say it was too loud. … Read more

But while sound quantity and duration is excellent the same can't be said about the sound quality, even Bose's "worst" compact/portable systems beat this hands down. Probably not a surprise given the "XB" = "Extra Bass" they sacrifice all mid and high end subtly. And even the bass is lacking fundamentals driving overtones to give the impression of the missing fundamental (no surprise given the tiny drivers) so for sonically complex music the sound can start to get nasal as the bass overtones start to muddy vocals

While I wasn't expecting anything like the audio quality of actual home HiFi system like a Q Acoustics rig or even a high end compact system like a Paradigm Millenia CT, the lack of subtlety means that they are best when you are listening to bass heavy dance music (techno/drum and bass etc) or styles of Rap and Hip Hop that have enough frequency and timing "room" to stop the bass muddy mid/highs. Most top 40 pop music survives the experience, but most Punk, Grunge, Metal, etc I've played through them is overly bass heavy at quiet volumes (but who listens to those styles at quiet volumes?) and then muddies up pretty bad if you push the volume higher…

As for Jazz and Classical? Yeh, you know what? probably best not to go there.

Also, would have been nice if they came with a threaded mount for a stand, but they don't. Getting them off a desk or table improves the sound somewhat and would give you whole lot of mounting options that small speakers like this deserve (bicycle, motorcycle, boat, etc.)

Value for Money – I got this during last X'mas and I would say it was good speaker for a price which I paid for $88 nice little speaker which has good sound and nice bass. Only issue I have is the lighting is which is like disco is very annoying sometimes. Otherwise value for money.  Show details

No stereo – Speakers have great sound. Well built. Selector buttons have a nice click to let you know you they are working. With two of these speakers, you can set them to play in stereo. The indicator lights show left and right have been selected. However, the speakers output the same line. They do not play in stereo.  Show details

Excellent price for a fantastic sound – Unbelievable sound for a unbeatable price. Bought this late last year for around $80 which 1/3 of the Bose mini but the sound is big. The sound is even bigger when link more speakers together. It Is compact but looks elegant. What an excellent product for a excellent price. Well done Sony!!!!  Show details

good sound – small size but with elegant lines. Not obtrusive. Easy to use and has very good sound. Can be purchased in several colours but the black, for me, fits my décor! Was on sale at Harvey Normans after Christmas with a 50% discount, therefore, we nabbed it at $75! It is now back at ~$150.  Show details

Excellent flexible Bluetooth speaker – After finally deciding to make the late leap from cd boom boxes and iPod speakers to wireless, I looked at a lot of comparative reviews of Bluetooth speakers to help my choice. After a few weeks of this, a pop up ad for the Sony xb20 from the good guys convinced me. The tipping point was the price; a reduction from $149 down to $79. Setup was easy… Read more

and I was into quickly. The sound was very impressive, with or without the Extra Bass option. Mids are crisp and no real sign of muddiness unless you really push up, the volume to max on complex pieces like Pink Floyds 'Time' or a Foofighters track. I downloaded the Sony app and didn't really see much advantage to it. After reading that two speakers could be linked to create a very separated stereo effect I convinced myself that I needed another speaker, but by then the price had gone up to $99. This was in November so I thought I'd bide my time until the Christmas sales or at least Boxing Day. Bummer, both JB and Goodguys Boxing Day sales put the price back up to the RRP of $149. It was only a fluke that I found them on the Harvey Norman site for $75. I think this price holds until the New Year. Anyway I got it and it is definitely worth getting the two speakers. Although not much advantage for one speaker, setting up for stereo is particularly easy if you use the Sony app where you can swap left and right and control both speakers from your phone or change from stereo to mono. Probably a bit pricey at $298 for two, but at $150 for a pair well worth it. Albums with lots of stereo separation like Night at the Opera and Dark Side of the Moon are fun to play out in the backyard. Enjoy.

Great value – I was after a portable speaker after a bad experience with a Bose Minilink II. I found this for $88 at Harvey Norman and bought two. It paired with my iPhone & iPad instantly. Sony suggest you use their app but from what I can see, you don’t need it. I have to say the Bose sounded better but only marginally, and I can almost buy three of… Read more

these to one Minilink.

It also paired very easily with my LG LED smart TV so the boys can play their PS4 games with some serious sound. This also saves the TV speakers.

At this price you can buy a couple for different places around the house. Ive now got some tunes pumping in the shed.

Awesome value.

Boom boom pow – Very pleased with this item. On sale at JB HI-FI for $78. Easy to set up, lights up during play, big sound in a small package. Can also use when playing games on the ipad (BOOM). Very portable, looks good. Not impressed with Sony App it suggested we download, but don’t really need it.  Show details

Affordable speaker with a good sound – I've purchased this from JB Hifi for $99 bass and vocals are very good. If you love electronic music there'll be some distortion on max vol level but mid volumes are very good. The buttons and rubber plastic material are good quality. Very easy to connect via Bluetooth. This is a good bluetooth speaker you can spend cash on and it's under $100. I recommend it.  Show details

Compact Boom-box – This speaker is absolutely AMAZING! It sounds like you have an arsenal of speakers connected to your device but instead you have a small, compact, very portable sound system. It was easy to set up & connect to my iPad. This particular device comes standard with blue pulsing light around the edge - which is a bit distracting in the car which is the… Read more

reason I bought this device. My car stereo is pre modern connectivity so I listen to music via iPad.

I was very happy with the price tag also which was $114 from JB HiFi.