Sony SRS XP500 review summary:
Editor’s rating: 3.75/5
Design
Connectivity
Audio Performance
Battery
Pros
- IP66 water and dust resistance
- Loud and balanced audio
- Glow LED Lighting
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Big and bulky
Recently, Sony expanded its X series party speakers line-up in India with the launch of SRS-XP700, SRS-XP500, and SRS-XG500 – all of which can be used both indoors and outdoors. Out of these three, Sony loaned me the SRS-XP500 for review. The Sony SRS-XP500 price in India is ₹26,990 which might look a little steep at first glance. However, when you compare it to JBL PartyBox 100 or JBL Boombox 2 you will find Sony SRS XP500 offers a better value. Let’s discuss our experience with the party speaker and more in this Sony SRS-XP500 review.
Sony SRS XP500 review – Design and build quality
Sony has followed a minimalistic design approach with the SRS-XP500. This is a tall Bluetooth speaker with firm footing. The build is primarily polycarbonate and there are bumpers at the bottom and on the side that will allow users to prop it either vertically or horizontally.
Looking at it from the front, you will notice a large metallic mesh grille flanked by slick handles with LED glow lights. These handles twinkle softly and make most settings appear eye-pleasing. If you are wondering whether you tune these lights as per your own preference? The answer is ‘Yes’. All you need to do is download the Music Center App or Fiestable app.
Up top, it has the usual set of keys including a power button, Bluetooth pairing button, play/pause button, and volume up/down buttons. There’s also a bass boost button to bump up the bass. The top panel also has a groove that can come in handy to keep a connected phone or tablet.
Flip it around and you will see a flap concealing all the ports including a power socket. Just above the concealable section, there are three more buttons. One of them is labeled as party connect that lets you pair multiple Sony speakers. The second button is a toggle for battery care. The third button lets you turn on or off the LED lighting.
Coming to build quality, the Sony SRS XP500 is bulky and solid. It comes with IP66 dust and water-resistance certification. Overall, the Sony SRS-XG500 design and build looks and feel premium.
Sony SRS XP500 review: Connectivity
We paired the Sony SRS XP500 with both Android and iOS phones and faced no connectivity issues. We tried playing audio using different codecs and the experience was flawless.
Inside the concealed flap, it has two USB-A ports for plug and play/charging mobile devices, two 1/4-inch microphones inputs with dedicated volume knobs, a 3.5mm audio jack for anyone who wishes to rely on the good old wired connection for playback. Thanks to Sony Party Connect feature you can pair SRS XP500 with up to 100 compatible speakers to further boost audio.
Sony SRS XP500 review: audio performance
The Japanese conglomerate is known for its engineering. That’s one again the case with Sony SRS XP500 where engineering takes precedent over specs. For the record, the Bluetooth party speaker packs two-fourteen centimeter woofers and two-five centimeter tweeters, all forward-firing.
One of the things you will notice with SRS XP500 is that it’s no pushover. The party speaker can get pretty loud and can raise your heartbeat at full volume. Sony engineers have tuned it in favor of lower frequencies keeping party buffs in mind, and it does manage to deliver deep, punchy bass. However, mids and highs haven’t been ignored. You can play any genre of music and you will be pleased with the output. Overall, I found this is one of the few party speakers that manage to deliver balanced output without showing any bias towards a particular genre.
Sony SRS XP500 review: Battery
Battery life is one segment where the SRS XP500 completely outwits the competition. Sony claims up to 25 hours of battery life. I manage to get about 11-12 hours of playback on a single charge with LED lights on. It also charges faster with the proprietary cable which comes in the box. According to Sony, it can give you three hours of usage on a 10-minute charge. Impressive indeed.
Review verdict: Should you buy Sony SRS XP500?
Expert rating: 3.75/5
The SRS-XP500 is a robustly built party speaker that can withstand outdoor usage. If you are a party animal then you will find the XP500 to be absolutely delightful, thanks to its crisp and balanced sound. A wider sound stage would have been ideal, though. Nonetheless, it’s a great party speaker for under Rs 30,000. Excellent battery life and IPX66 rating further give it an advantage over JBL Boombox 2 and JBL Party 100 Bluetooth party speaker.
Reason’s to buy:
- IP66 water and dust resistance
- Loud and balanced audio
- Glowing LED Lighting
- Excellent battery life
Reason to not buy:
- Big and bulky
