Sony SRS-XB3 Portable Wireless Speaker Review

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Sony SRS-XB3 Portable Wireless Speaker Review

Sony has released a number of new wireless portable speakers this year with enhanced features like water-resistant properties, greatly improved battery life, and a new Extra Bass mode which Sony claims will produce a deeper, punchier sound using its custom digital signal processing whilst also reducing midrange distortion. With these enhancements also comes more refined designs that while don't drastically veer off from their predecessors, are a welcome change no less. The new SRS-XB3 ($150) and SRS-XB2 ($100) portable speakers both replace SRS-X33 and SRS-X2, and are a part of Sony's affordably priced models. But what we're going to be taking a closer look at is Sony's SRS-XB3, the portable speaker that most likely everyone is going to be interested in as it strikes a perfect balance between price, performance and portability. It even has larger full-range drivers and double the battery life compared to Sony's new and more expensive (also larger) Wi-Fi-enabled H.ear Go SRS-HG1 ($200) portable speaker. But enough rambling, let's get to it and find out how this speaker handles in practice.

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Sony H.ear On MDR-100AAP Headphones Review

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Sony H.ear On MDR-100AAP Headphones Review

Sony introduced a new line of headphones this year that are among its most vibrant and refreshingly stylish headphones in recent years. Sony's new H.ear On lineup of wired and wireless over-ear headphones offer a minimalist, clean design with promising high-resolution 24bit audio performance at a competitive price point. The H.ear On model MDR-100AAP we're about to review are the best looking headphones Sony has made in quite a while. While they aren't wireless or equipped with active noise-cancellation like their identically designed H.ear On model MDR-100ABN, these wired versions are cheaper and deliver the same level of sound quality of not greater thanks to a slightly broader range of frequency response. So does the sound also match their svelte aesthetics? Let's find out!

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Sony SRS-X55 Wireless Portable Speaker Review

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Sony SRS-X55 Wireless Portable Speaker Review

The first ever portable speaker we reviewed from Sony, the SRS-X3, had some of the best sounding bass we've ever heard, but it also left us wanting a little more. The new SRS-X55 is the slightly larger cousin of the SRS-X3/X33 that is surprisingly inexpensive considering the fact that is sounds so good...although not perfect. It's one of Sony's smaller, compact portable wireless speakers to boast refined audio performance and a bunch of drivers that spit out powerfully loud 30W audio in a true 2.1 channel arrangement. It even rivals Bose's similarly sized Soundlink 3 at nearly half the cost. So is the SRS-X55 worth buying? Let's take a closer look!

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Sony SRS-X3 Portable Wireless Speaker Review

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The thing about portable speakers is that while they make listening to music super conveniant and more social in a mobile lifestlye, most of the ones that you can actually carry around with you willingily aren't capable of providing a that low-end bass you otherwise hear when listening to a large speaker setup, which typically means you can't fit that kind of audio gear into your backpack or move it around as effortlessly as a more compact portable speaker like the $150 JBL Charge 2 and many others. We do know of one such device capable of delivering a convincing amount of bass while still being an extremely easy to carry wireless speaker, and that's the Bose SoundLink Mini. It wasn't until recently that we had trouble finding a portable speaker that was as small as the SoundLink Mini and that could also match its outstanding level of audio richness.

We're talking of course about Sony's SRS-X3. As of today, we think that it's Sony's best sounding portable Bluetooth speaker you can buy that's as moderately sized as many other highly popular and noteworthy alternatives such as the UE Boom, JBL Charge 2 and the Bose SoundLink Mini itself. Sony is clearly taking a jab at Bose with its similarly specced and more competitively priced SRS-X3 speaker. Can Sony's $150 SRS-X3 beat the more expensive $200 SoundLink Mini at its own game? Find out which of these can drop a more satisfying bass punch in our full review and comparison down below!

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Sony Gold PS4 Wireless Stereo Headset Review

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Sony Gold PS4 Wireless Stereo Headset Review

Forget about that inadequate, tethered mono headset that came with your PlayStation 4 console. What you should really be using is Sony's Gold headset. The official PlayStation 4 wireless stereo headset from Sony that contrary to its promising name, isn't actually gold. That aside, the Gold headset is an reasonably priced and good looking wireless gaming headset that boasts 7.1 virtual surround sound, hidden noise-canceling mic, a built-in rechargeable battery, and voluptuously padded circumaural-sized ear cups with on-board audio controls – as well as a collapsible design that effectively turns this gaming headset into portable regular headphones you can use to listen to music. Sony's Gold is currently one of the very few headsets available for the PS4 that offers complete and total wireless freedom with wireless in-game chat support and voice commands. There's a lot more to cover, and we have all the details for you in the full and in-depth review after the break!

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