Sony SRS-XB33

Sony SRS-XB33 Review

With the elapsing of time, technology consistently makes lives easier by introducing new gadgets and tech products. For instance, if we merely consider a speaker, its usability is relatively high. Speakers play a crucial role in making the audience or individuals more attentive, especially in indoor and outdoor gatherings. 

Moreover, apart from massive gatherings, individuals often prefer to use portable or small-sized speakers in their daily routines just to get amused by audios or music differently. In this regard, Sony speakers have always been an unbeatable pick in the market as they are pretty popular across the world given the best quality audio.

Sony SRS XB33 100

A tremendous figure of products is available in the Sony market; especially if we narrow down our search to Sony speakers only, the choices are beyond count. In this context, Sony XB33 is the under-discussion product right away that falls on some popular Sony speakers list.

Sony SRS XB33 is a wireless speaker released in the recent past that is often considered a party-focused speaker due to its vibrant and heavy bass. It’s a pretty handy product that comes with a built-in mic feature to make the calling experience more convenient.

Since its inception back in July 2020, it has always been a good pick on account of its portability feature for numerous users worldwide because, in the world of technology products, portability has always been a demanded feature in all ages as it ensures a pretty convenient user-experience.

Sony SRS XB33 specifications

Sony SRS XB33 specifications

Here the Techlectual presents a quick overview of Sony XB33 specifications; this would surely assist you in purchasing the right speaker.

  • Bluetooth: Yes 
  • Voice assistance: Yes 
  • Channel: Sterol 
  • Wi-Fi: No
  • Speaker Type: Full range
  • Battery life: 24 hours 
  • Power supply: Internally rechargeable battery 
  • Connectivity choices: Bluetooth, NFC, and USB
  • Hand-free function: Yes
  • Portable: Yes
  • Weight: 1.1Kg 
  • Cost: $150 (Approx.)

Highlights of Sony SRS-XB33 review 

You might come across several Sony SRS XB33 reviews on the web, but of course, it’s not that easy to go through all the content in order to make an appropriate purchase decision as it is pretty time-consuming.

Given the time limitation, are you searching for a quick but concise review of the Sony SRS XB33? Then you are on the right spot. Here we have enlisted all the pros and cons associated with the Sony XB33 speaker so that you can briefly peek over it.

Pros

  • Robust design 
  • Portable
  • Impressive low-end extension 
  • Supports NFC
  • Available in-app version 
  • Supports multi-device pairing
  • Focused sound 
  • High audio performance 
  • Dustproof & waterproof 
  • Shockproof 
  • Excellent LED lighting 
  • Powerful & vibrant bass 
  • 24-hour battery life 

Cons

  • Nasal treble 
  • Impaired distance perceptions 
  • Low volume issue 
  • Doesn’t support Smart functionalities 
  • Inelegant design 
  • Unsubtle playbacks   

Sony SRS XB33 Design

Sony SRS XB33 Design

The ability to withstand the external effects is what users demand the most when it comes to buying a tech product. In this context, the Sony SRS xb33 comes with a pretty robust design with the highest level of dust, water, and shock resistance capabilities. 

You might have seen this waterproof feature in various products, but Sony XB33 offers it differently as the device can withstand any level of liquid, whether it is saltwater or freshwater. 

Moreover, the device has passed various shocks tests that clearly depict its shockproof capability; it is also fully capable of resisting the effects of sand, soil, or any sort of dust. Although JBL charge 5, being its leading competitor, also comes with a similar feature of dustproof and waterproof but still Sony XB33 is the optimum choice given these features because it presents these features at a quite less price relatively. 

If we consider the device, apparently, Sony XB33 Bluetooth speakers with the dimensions of 9.7 x 24.6 x 10.6cm are available in different colors, i.e., black, blue, taupe, and red. It owns a trapezoid shape that is round on the back.

The Sony SRS XB33 offers placement feasibility also, as you can either place it horizontally or vertically as per your requirement. As a protective measure, the device is covered with a rubber having inputs and controls; given the protection of its rear opening, this rubber covering ensures the product’s durability.

The Sony XB33 is designed in such a way that it can be used most conveniently; even if you are new to it, you still won’t find any difficulty while using it as you can quickly locate the control keys on the top of the speaker. Moreover, the speaker’s lighting effects are also just one hit away.

Sony XB33 Sound Quality

Sony SRS XB33 is always a good pick in the case of parties, as it claims to offer an extra bass feature; you just need to connect it to a smartphone using either the NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth feature, and it’s all set to be used.

It is an undeniable fact that apparently, it won’t seem attractive to most of the users due to the average & old-fashioned look. Still, the sound quality it produces is unmatchable at this cost and size.

You might have observed that some speakers distort the sound in an attempt to get louder, and the distorted vocals are always annoying to listen to, but this is not the case with Sony SRS XB33, as you always get to listen to a focused sound while using it.

Even it allows you to experience the 3D sound effects by using the live sound button it presents because it is a full range angled speaker integrated with DSP technology that supports the 3-dimensional effects remarkably.

However, despite its extra bass feature & 3D sound effects still, the sound produced through it isn’t that loud; given this cause, you can’t opt for it in a massive level gathering audience, where you need a loud sound that can be audible to extended areas also. 

In short, if a louder sound is your primary need, then for sure this product is not for you as its soundstage is relatively narrow and limited; instead, you can go for its successor variant Sony XB44 that might charge you more cost than Sony XB33 but produces a considerably louder sound somewhat.

Moreover, we won’t recommend you go for JBL charge 5 or Sony XB23 as Sony SRS XB33 is still far better than these two in terms of loudness factor.

Sony SRS XB33 Performance 

Sony SRS XB33 Performance

When it comes to reviewing a product, performance is presumed the foremost factor to be considered in this regard; the performance of the Sony XB33 speaker encompasses various aspects and can be assessed in terms of its battery life, the quality of service it offers, and few other active features.

For instance, if we analyze its voice assistance feature, it doesn’t meet the level of satisfaction. You might already know that Sony SRS XB33 doesn’t come with a built-in voice assistant; instead, it uses the smartphone’s voice assistance feature. In this context, no matter how much suitable background you create (an absolutely noise-free space), it still hardly recognizes the voice commands.

Sony SRS XB33 claims to offer a battery life of up to 24 hours that is a pretty good battery period because if we do a comparative analysis with its competitors, the significant difference is quite apparent; because the JBL charge 5 offers a battery life of up to 20 hours even though it is relatively pricy. However, Sony XB33 takes about 2.5 hours to get fully charged.

To extend the battery life of your Sony XB33, it is better to enable the power-saving mode, and in extreme cases, turning off the lights can also prolong the battery timing.

It won’t be new to you that some speakers come with a supported mobile app in order to control the device features to get a more customized experience, but it seems better when a speaker with such a fair price supports mobile application and the factor that might be more surprising is that Sony XB33 supports 2 apps instead of one, i.e., Fiestable and Sony | Music center.

Sony | Music center basically offers extended control choices for sound & audios; using this app, you can tune your Sony XB33 more conveniently. By the same app, you can even connect your speaker with multiple other units for an enhanced sound level on more expansive areas.

On the other, the Fiestable app allows you to change the lighting color of speakers for more tailored LED lighting effects.

Sony SRS XB33 Connections  

When it comes to connection choices, Sony XB33 is super excellent in terms of wireless connectivity. Whether it is about Bluetooth connection or NFC pairing, you will always have a feasible and highly smooth experience in this regard.

Although it is a well-known Bluetooth-supported device, you can opt for the NFC pairing option for a more instant connection. Moreover, it also supports the function of multi-pairing, which means you can connect up to 2 devices with it simultaneously.

Contrarily, if we consider the Sony XB33 in the perspective of wired connections, unfortunately, in that case, you will get disappointed as it doesn’t support wired connectivity in order to connect smart mobile devices for playing audios.

However, you can see a port that is actually supposed to provide the power supply to a connected smart device, or it can be used for speaker charging purposes. Another downside that affects its usage rate badly is that it isn’t a Wi-Fi-compatible device that means you can’t connect to a Wi-Fi network. Subsequently, it doesn’t offer any smart functionality.

But this point is common in its competitor devices, too, as you might find that other portable Bluetooth speakers like JBL charge 5 or Sony XB23 also don’t support Wi-Fi functionalities. If you still require a WIFI-supported speaker, you can’t find it in this range, for that you’d have to pay a vast amount definitely.

Sony SRS XB33 Price

Sony SRS XB33 Price

Cost is another most significant factor that holds much weightage in every product review as it mainly defines whether a specific product is worth buying or not. So, in this perspective, our analysis of Sony SRS XB33 illustrates that it is available at quite a fair cost of $150.
Because if we consider its offered features or functions, the prices don’t seem high with the package of all fantastic features it provides.

For instance, most of its competitor devices offer similar kinds of features but with a slight increase in cost, such as JBL charge 5 that cost about $180, but still, Sony SRS XB33 is far better than it in terms of its sound quality, loudness & battery life.

Even if we consider, Sony SRS XB23 in this regard, that too is not much efficient given the cost factor because you would have to compromise over the battery life considerably as it offers a battery life of up to 12 hours only. So, all these facts evidently support our point that Sony XB33 provides a pretty fair price.

FAQs

Why Techlectual recommends buying the Sony SRS XB33?

The decision to make a purchase is totally dependent on your primary requirements; in the first place, you need to identify your primary requirement in this regard, for instance, if you need a speaker with high-quality sound & good battery life merely for your routine usage, then Sony SRS XB33 Bluetooth supported speaker is highly recommended as it is pretty easy to use; in fact, it is also a perfect pick for parties or medium-level gatherings.

Because as we have already explained, it offers a good battery life of up to 24 hours, and it also adds an essence to the surroundings by its amazing LED party lightings; you would have the choice to customize your speaker settings entirely.

Which factors oppose the purchase of Sony SRS XB33?

Although we have stated many positive aspects of Sony XB33, none of these can compensate for its downsides; if your primary need to purchase a speaker is sound loudness, then this Sony SRS XB33 is undoubtedly not for you as though it produces pretty focused & undistorted sound, but it is also a fact that it can’t create a louder sound. Moreover, it doesn’t offer a wired connectivity choice to connect it to your smartphone, even if it is not compatible with WIFI, which means it isn’t a smart speaker.

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