The Sony consumer audio lineup can feel like a bit of a complicated space — particularly when it comes to headphones — but the Bluetooth speaker lineup has never quite been the flagship of the range. Today, Sony is announcing three new X-Series speakers that fill out the existing X-Series models with even more options for more people.
The SRS-XG300 sits just under Sony’s existing SRS-XG500 as a cylindrical, boombox-style powerhouse meant to fill your backyard parties with tons of sound. This speaker is notably smaller than the XG500, and would be ideal for those who want something that’s loud and versatile, but doesn’t take up quite as much space in a backpack.
Sony’s also packed in a few new bells and whistles including ClearAudio+ audio processing that aims to deliver an ideal mix for clarity and power, plus the Live Sound Mode that purportedly pushes the volume a bit and EQs the sound to deliver a more concert-like stereo spread. There’s 25 hours of battery life on tap — impressive when you consider that the larger XG500 comes with 30 hours — and there’s even an adaptive LED light ring on each end that can be programmed to match the rhythm and character of your music.
The XG300 can also double as a speakerphone thanks to its built-in echo-canceling mic, plus you can charge up your other devices using its included USB-A port. A 3.5mm aux-in port lets you connect your non-Bluetooth audio sources, and with an IP67 rating, it can survive pretty much any combo of water and dust/sand you care to throw at it.
The SRS-XE300 and SRS-XE200 are two additional offerings, which seem to focus directly on the water bottle-sized speaker market. These sporty little Bluetooth speakers come in a five-sided prism shape with mesh speaker grills making up the corners to create a casual, playful look, which is further emphasized by the turquoise and orange colors that are available.
You can, of course, also go for a more traditional black or white design. These speakers put an emphasis on convenience and versatility with 24 hours of battery life in the XE300 and 16 hours in the XE200. You’ll have to make a trade-off, as these smaller speakers won’t be nearly as loud as something like the XG300, but they’ll certainly fit better in a beach bag. Like their bigger sibling, these speakers work as speakerphones (with a dedicated mute button) and are fully water- and dust-proof with an IP67 rating. But unlike the XG300, the XE 200 and 300 are also shockproof, providing even more protection for your travels.
All the X-Series speakers center on Sony’s proprietary “X-Balanced Speaker Unit”, which are essentially just squared-off cones that Sony promises will deliver more sound pressure for louder, less-distorted audio. This isn’t the first time Sony or other audio manufacturers have gone with non-standard driver shapes for these non-standard speaker enclosures, but if the XG-500 is any indication, the speakers get far louder than their size could traditionally accommodate.
Finally, if you want to maximize your sound, all three models can be interlinked via Sony’s PartyConnect feature, which wirelessly synchronizes as many of these speakers as you like — whether it’s similar speakers of the same model or different models across the range.
The XG-300 is available for preorder for $350, the XE-300 for $200, and the XE-200 for $130 from Sony.
