Let’s face it: most Bluetooth portable speakers are woefully limited. While some may offer decent sound quality in your garden or on the move, you’re unlikely to rely on them as your main sound system for a thriving house party. But is there a speaker that can function perfectly as both? A device that can serve as a TV cinema sound system, phone charger, karaoke speaker and PA speaker too?
According to Sony, yes. Their top-of-the-line SRS-XV800 device is built with the aim of being the ultimate Bluetooth portable speaker, with the best sound, features and design money can buy.
Does the finished product live up to Sony’s hype? I spent a month with the SRS-XV800 to find out.
Design
Know those large speakers that dangle either side of the stage at the biggest music festivals? Then you’ll know what the SRS-XV800 looks like. It’s big, black and downright bulky.
Measuring 32x70x38cm, it stands well above the knee for most people – roughly the size of a bedside cabinet, it’s not suited for cramped homes – or for people wanting to move the speaker regularly. And then there's the weight: coming in a massive 20kg (or around 10 flamingos), it can be extremely difficult to move around.
Ultimately, this speaker is not very portable unless you’ve got a small trolley or a reasonably strong human to hand (I had neither, so struggled).On the base of the speaker, there are four small wheels to help move the device. But, if you’re not travelling across flat ground, you’ll need to lift it. Four handles on the speaker’s largest edges make this simplier, but it’s no easy job.
Once I finally set down the SRS-XV800, I was able to appreciate its finer details. There is a selection of buttons on the speaker’s top (if stood vertically), which offer control of the power and volume, alongside the device’s Bluetooth, ‘mega bass’, ‘TV audio’ and lighting settings (more on that below).
In total, the SRS-XV800 has five tweeters, positioned at the front and rear, to provide all-round sound. Two larger X-Balanced speakers at the front of the unit provide the bass.
Behind a panel at the back of the unit are a host of input slots. USB devices, two microphones, a power lead: they can all be plugged in here.
Features
Once the hard part of actually lugging the speaker was done, all key features on the SRS-XV800 worked seamlessly for me.
Via Bluetooth connection on my smartphone, I was synced up to the speaker in less than a minute. One click of ‘play’ and the world’s greatest song (Funky Town by Lipps Inc) blared out, with multicoloured lights synced to the music beaming from the speaker’s top and bottom. It was possible to customise the lights (and sound mix) via Sony’s Music Centre app, but I found no need to change the default settings. You really can turn on and go.
When linked up to my TV, the SRS-XV800’s ‘TV audio boost’ mode performed impressively, with dialogue and action scenes sounding staggeringly clear. The all-round tweeters created a brilliant home cinema feel, leaving me practically soaked in adrenaline during a rewatch of Chris Nolan’s Dunkirk.
Most astounding was the battery life: it only needed to be charged every two weeks, or around 25 hours. Recharging the device was simple too. As advertised by Sony, 10 minutes of charge led to three hours of playtime (with the device’s lights turned off).
But the feature that most impressed my guests at a recent BBQ? The charger function: you can top up your smartphone’s battery from the speaker while music is playing, ensuring uninterrupted sound.
Sound
The output of Sony’s SRS-XV800 is, quite simply, exquisite. Whatever genre of music I threw its way, the speaker delivered crisp, clear and powerful sound.
From the moving bassline of The Beatles’ Taxman, to the treble frequency of You've Got To Have Freedom by Pharoah Sanders, the dynamic subtlety of Kate Bush’s Watching You Without Me, and the complex rhythmic layering of BadBadNotGood’s Speaking Gently, the speaker excelled.
Better still, it did this at all volume levels – including near to max. However, in regular use, I only ever needed to turn up the speaker halfway and without the bass enhancement (which adds significant power to dance tracks like Pendulum’s Tarantula).
Overall, it’s a hideously powerful piece of kit that, if used to full capacity, won’t make you a lot of friends with the neighbours. It will, however, be pride of place at any rowdy house party.
Verdict
At a sale point of £599, Sony’s high-tech SRS-XV800 wireless party speaker is relentlessly more expensive than most portable Bluetooth speakers on the market. However, for that price, you get an unquestionably premium and multipurpose device that audiophiles will likely fail to find fault in.
Built for large house parties rather than quaint picnics, it’s a speaker capable of playing crisp and clear music in a plethora of genres at staggeringly high volumes. Plus, with 25 hours of battery life, it can keep the party going literally all day long (don’t blame us for your official noise complaint).
The one drawback? Unless you’ve been hitting the gym, it has limited portability. Weighing 20kg, it’s a real chore to carry, with the device’s small wheels at the base of the speaker only useful when you’re travelling over flat terrain.
Worryingly powerful, ruthlessly high-performing, but awkward with stairs, consider Sony’s SRS-XV800 the Dalek of Bluetooth speaker world.
Alternatives
Marshall Middleton
Exemplifying everything great you’d expect from Marshall, this small but well-built speaker delivers punchy, 360° sound. It packs 50 watts of power and is capable of delivering a frequency range spanning from 50Hz to 20kHz.
While surprisingly heavy for its small size, the Middleton is 10 times lighter than Sony’s SRS-XV800 and much cheaper, at £269. However, this still makes it one of the most expensive mid-range speakers available.
It is also water- and dust-resistant and has a battery life of 20 hours.
Sonos Move
The Sonos Move is a premium speaker offering excellent sound quality and a sleek (but bulky) design. While not providing 360° sound dispersion, the device is capable of delivering impressive bass levels and bright highs across 10 hours of battery life.
Waterproof and dustproof, the Sonos Move is solidly built, coming with a built-in carry handle on the back.
Even better, you can integrate the Sonos Move into your smart home ecosystem, transforming the device into a voice-controlled speaker.
JBL Boombox 3
With a handle prominent on its top and an IPX7 waterproof rating (meaning it can be submerged in water for 30 minutes at a depth of 1m), the robust JBL Boombox 3 is a Bluetooth speaker perfect for an outdoors adventure – if you can handle its 6.7kg weight.
Four active transducers and two JBL bass radiators provide crisp and high-quality sound, no matter the genre. Combine that with a 24-hour battery life, a built-in power bank and the ability to connect several devices at once, and the Boombox 3 makes for a seriously impressive speaker.
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