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The Sony SRS-XE300 is now all the way down to $88 from its unique $199.99 on Amazon (its lowest value ever, in response to on-line value monitoring instruments), making it a good time to test it out in case you’ve been desirous about a moveable speaker that may deal with the occasional splash and nonetheless hold the music going.
Sony gave the outdoor-friendly XE300 a unique design method than most audio system: It’s formed to face upright but in addition works advantageous mendacity on its facet. Inside are twin drivers with passive radiators at every finish, aimed toward providing you with deeper bass and fewer distortion. The sound, although, is extra directional than Sony most likely supposed—higher aimed toward you than making an attempt to fill a giant area.
It defaults to mono audio, however you’ll be able to change to stereo utilizing the app in case you desire. It additionally helps LDAC for high-res Bluetooth streaming when you’ve got an Android system, although it skips the AptX codec. The companion app isn’t a lot to take a look at, nevertheless it provides you entry to an adjustable EQ and different sound tweaks, notes this PCMag evaluation. The place the XE300 actually holds up is in how robust it’s. It has an IP67 ranking, so mud, rain, or a fast dip within the pool received’t faze it. As for battery life, Sony claims as much as 24 hours of utilization, however your mileage will range relying on quantity and settings.
What do you suppose up to now?
Sound-wise, it delivers respectable bass and clear highs, although the directional setup means you’ll get a greater expertise when it’s aimed proper at you. Additionally, the stereo mode would not dramatically widen the soundstage, however in a multi-speaker setup, it holds up properly. At average volumes, it places out a pleasant thump and retains the highs clear with out a lot distortion creeping in. It’s not going to offer you a wall-shaking, subwoofer really feel, however for a speaker you’ll be able to toss in a bag and neglect about till you want it, the XE300 handles itself properly, particularly at this value. For extra choices, take a look at our roundup of the finest Bluetooth audio system.
