One of Sony’s newest and smallest speakers, the $130 SRS-XE200, appears to fall into the Goldilocks zone: it’s small and light enough to travel with, durable enough to withstand practically any circumstances, and it even functions as a speakerphone, which is becoming difficult to find with Bluetooth speakers.
In addition to its IP67 safeguards, the Sony XE200 variant includes a line-shape diffuser for quite a greater listening area. It is also shockproof. The company’s Party Connect and Stereo Pair setups allow you to connect several speakers. According to Sony, the device can play music for up to 16 hours, and a 10-minute charge provides 70 minutes of use. The other onboard settings are a convenient mute button and Echo Cancelling for calls.
What will you see here?
Price and Release date
The South Seas Blue, Coral Orange, Pearl Gray, and Basalt Black colors of said Sony SRS-XE200 speaker is available. It competes directly with Sony SRS-XB33, is sold for less money, and has unquestionably better sound quality at this price point. The compact JBL Flip 6 is an additional option with better resolution.
Design
First and foremost, Sony intended the XE200 to be a standup speaker. Although it has been calibrated to function best when standing up, you can lay it horizontal if you want for optional stereo sound. Its body is primarily made of rubberized silicone with fabric trim, giving it some of the IP67 safety that more tough speakers enjoy.
It will be at home on the sand, along the water, or in a hot tub or jacuzzi. You can submerge it in water, but take care to prevent sand and saltwater from entering the fabric’s creases. Despite Sony’s claims that the speaker is salt-resistant, it is best to give it a thorough washing in clear water to remove all of the salt.
Features and Specifications
Wireless Full Range Speakers, Remote, Microphone, and also 32-ohm Impedance. Moreover, it also has a 20 Hz – 20 kHz Frequency Response.
Overall improved sound
The Line-Shape Diffuser on the XE200 will assist your music going farther, even to the speaker’s side. Additionally, thanks to its lightweight size and applicable carry strap, you can easily transport it wherever you go.
Raising the sound pressure while lowering distortion
The non-circular design of the unit not only maximizes the speaker’s diaphragm area, raising sound pressure for more powerful bass, but it also decreases driver excursion while retaining the same sound pressure, leading to less distortion.
Enhanced call quality due to echo cancellation
With echo cancellation, your calls and meetings will go better. This makes it possible for two persons to speak at once without interrupting the other. Additionally, the handy MIC Mute button is located directly on the speaker and instantly lets you mute it. Two devices can be connected at once using Multipoint Connection.
Line Shape Diffuser
Sony’s innovative Line-Shape Diffuser in Sony SRS XE200 provides a line source and disperses the sound energy far more evenly across a broad sound front to better fill your venue with sounds. It was inspired by the speaker systems used at professional concerts. This makes high-quality sound dispersed farther and wider throughout your facility without sacrificing quality.
What does the Line Shape Diffuser do?
You may enjoy the same audio quality whether in front of the speaker or to the side, thanks to the Line-Shape Diffuser’s increased sound dispersion to the speaker’s front area. This indicates that everyone in your arena can dance while hearing the same music.
How does Line Shape Diffuser work?
Our distinctive Line-Shape Diffuser focuses the sound throughout a small aperture, unlike a typical speaker, which concentrates most of its energy at the cone’s center. The music is evenly distributed farther and broader away from the speaker due to the rising sound pressure energy.
Speakers
The port cover for the USB-C charging connector is in the back, while the port cover for the speakers is under the fabric sliver running down the center. It has no “feet” on any portion of the pentagonal body, indicating that unless you use the buttons as a reference, there is no “this side up” orientation to take into account anytime you set it down. Sony doesn’t mention a specific orientation when positioning it horizontally. Still, if users were to go by the direction of the Sony logo in its product photographs, consumers would fall on the side of caution. The primary concern is where the audio comes from, and that cloth sliver makes that clear.
Dynamic behavior and Soundfield
You need to crank up the volume to hear a piece of more or less dynamic music from the Sony SRS-XE200. The reproduction is woefully devoid of detail at low volume. To make matters worse, the soundstage is small, especially when positioned vertically and even when the app is in stereo mode. Therefore, although using identical transducers, the SRS-XE200 fails where its SRS-XB33 excelled.
Application and Use
It should be no surprise that the speaker frequently slips when you grab it due to the slightly slick silicone coating and, more importantly, the majority of the surface. Not too awful, especially considering that the strap makes up for this minor flaw. The control buttons on the Sony speakers are high and hence simple to see, which is helpful whether you’re relaxing in the park or on the beach while listening to music.
Additionally, they are simple to push, and a click verifies that the orders have been followed. There are no fewer than seven buttons on the device: power on/off, play/pause plus audio call acceptance, volume (+/-), Bluetooth pairing, battery life, and microphone activation/deactivation.
Battery life
According to Sony, the Sony SRS XE200 may last up to 16 hours between charges if you don’t increase the volume and stick with the factory preset settings. You start bringing that down a notch or two once you start making tweaks, such as Battery Care, which caps a full charge at 90%, upping its bass in the EQ, and raising the volume all around. Users can go up to 12 hours at 60 to 70 percent volume with a V-curve in the EQ to boost the bass and treble; this is still admirable for a speaker of this size.
If you need to play some music quickly, connect for 10 minutes, and you’ll have up to 70 minutes. The same rules still apply, so it won’t go that far even if you increase the volume.
Is Sony XE200 worth purchasing?
Yes. Although it lacks the LEDs and spectacular design of Sony’s more prominent portable speakers, it is nonetheless portable and durable enough to travel anywhere without compromising music quality.
How long Sony XE200 will last?
With IP67 protection, Sony designed this speaker to endure some abuse, but don’t start kicking it about like a football. Although it lacks the rubberized side bumpers comparable speakers have, it has a shockproof body. As long as you wash it off after each use, you can play with this on the beach or in the water. Remember that Sony’s one-year guarantee only covers faults; it does not cover water damage.
Conclusion
A Sony SRS-XE200 wireless speaker lets you enjoy dynamic audio both indoors and outside. With no distortion, this high-end party speaker connects quickly to any Bluetooth-enabled device. It’s perfect for indoor or outdoor use because of its water-resistant, dust-proof, and shock-resistant construction. Furthermore, it incorporates a handle for simple portability.
Sony demonstrates that the XE200’s engineering and design are not a stab in the dark by producing superb music quality from a sturdy speaker. Since you can carry it with you and appreciate its performance in several scenarios, its cost isn’t high for what you obtain.
