Sony – SRS-XB43 Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Light Blue

Initial thoughts:
Very solid Bluetooth speaker that is waterproof, rustproof and dustproof with an approximate 24 hour battery life. It also allows for party chain and it had programmable lights.
What’s in the box??
-The speaker
-A USB- C charging cable (it has an actual plug end/that goes into the wall)
-Quick start up guide
SETUP:
Setting this up was a breeze. If you are used to connecting Bluetooth devices, then this will be a snap. Also, you can connect with built in NFC. You are up and running in just a few seconds. It also is charged about ¾ of way already so you can start using it immediately. There is an app called Music Center and fiestable if you want to play around with the light settings(this is not necessary if you just want to play music).
Features:
For me it was the IP67 rating specifically the waterproof rating of 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) for up to 30 min. I have a inground pool and we have been using this every day. I do like the longer battery life and we have been averaging around 23 hours on a full charge. Keep in mind we like the music loud and my kids like the lights at night! The Music Center/fiestable app lets you create your own lighting features or just pick from some that are already made. It also has the party chain feature but unfortunately, I could not test this feature as my other Sony speaker was not supported. One thing to note that the speaker is quite heavy, heavier than I expected.
Performance:
The performance of the speaker was great. It gets loud but not so loud that it distorts the music or sound, I do own another Sony speaker that does get a lot louder. We have about 65 feet from one end of the concrete to the other at our pool and you could hear the music very good from all angles. I do feel that the bass is a little lacking. It did actually float and continue to play in my pool. I like that it has a USB-C charging port. It also has a USB port on the back you can use to charge other devices which can be real handy at the pool or lake.
PRO’s:
-IP67 rated
-24 Hour battery life
-Customizable speaker lights
-Party Connect
-USB-C power cable
CON’s:
– A little over 6lbs makes this heavy
-Lack of bass
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I feel that this product worked very well and I would recommend this to a friend if they are in the market for device like this. This would be great for people who spend their time at the lake or pool.

Top notch item I’m very pleased it’s a real joy to listen to.

BUILD QUALITY/AESTHEICS:
The front, back, and bottom of the device is covered in a “high quality” fabric “made exclusively in Japan” for easy cleaning.
On the left and right side, from inside out, you have two RGB lighting zones, and then a matte black rubber material that goes into a diaphragm to help with bass. On the bottom of the device you have two large pieces of rubber to keep it in place. In the middle of the device you have two speakers with two tweeters that have white LED lights. To adjust LED lighting and color you must use the Fiestable App which can only be downloaded after downloading the Sony Music App. Both are discussed below.
On the top going left to right, you have a NFC logo, then about an inch and a half to the right the power button, Bluetooth button, play/pause, volume down, volume up, and live button. Each button requires a moderate amount of pressure to depress, with a moderate audible click.
On the back of the device you have a rubber cover. Inside that cover is product information and more buttons. Starting from left to right you have your DC out x1 which you can use to charge your phone or other mobile device. 3.5mm audio in x1(not included). USB DC in 5V x1, which you use to charge the device. It does include a 5V charger to USB C that is all one unit (see picture). Light/battery button. With one press it will announce the battery level. With a long press it will turn on/off lighting. Party Button which allows you to pair up to 100 speakers (models SRS-XB43, SRS-XB33, SRS-XB23 only) with Party Connect which will sync up lighting and music together. And last ST Pair which allows you to connect two of them together for two speaker setup (left right). It can be used vertically or horizontally. The whole thing feels incredibly solid and well made. It is also heavy coming in at 6.5 lbs.
Pairing is simple. You just hold down the Bluetooth button. It will say pairing. Then you go to your phone and connect. It’s easier for Android phones that support NFC. I used an iPhone X and iPad Pro 11 inch for my testing.
Music controls are simple. Either use your phone. Or on the device itself if you press the play/pause once it will play or pause, press it twice and it will go forward, press it three times and it will go back.
It is rated for 24-hour battery with lighting off. 14 hours with Extra Bass and Lighting On. I found that if you have the battery lights on, especially with reactive, it chews through battery quickly. This will also vary on how loud you have the device with battery life decreasing faster at higher volumes. When you turn on the device (which you just press the power on button) it will boot up and announce the current battery level. If you are in the middle of using it, you can open the back port and press the battery button which will also announce it. Last, you can also see this in the application discussed further below. Overall, I found battery life to be great. According to them it takes 5 hours to recharge from dead at 3 amps.
SPECS/NOTABLE FEATURES:
It comes with a IP67 rating:
– Put simply this allows you to take this portable speaker wherever you want (within reason) and it should be able to survive. Including outside in the dirt and next to a pool.
– IP6X = Dust protection: Give it degrees of protection against solid foreign objects. (*In this case tested to continue to block dust after stirring for 8 hours in a testing device which contains dust particles that are up to 75 mm in diameter.)
– IPX7 = Water protection: Meaning it can fully be immersed in water. (*Tested to maintain operability when gently submersed in water to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.)
APPS:
Sony Music Center:
– It is a very basic app. Once inside you have Six options. From top to bottom. “My library, Fiestable, Audio In, Music, and Settings.
– Under My library it will connect to your phones music and then you can add a playlist to play on the device. Or you know… just use your normal music application for it. It’s redundant.
– Fiestable, is a separate application. Which is also very basic. That can allow you to control the lights. You have three options. “DJ Control”, “Illumniation”, and “Motion Control”. The app works fine. No complaints.
– Audio In, allows you to adjust the overall volume. Again this feels redundant.
– Music once again just takes you to your native music app. Can we get another Redundant on the board?
– Settings which allows you to adjust the sound, power options, illumination, other settings, and system.
– Last you have your Bluetooth audio.
– Honestly, I don’t see much point with these apps. But they work well but are super basic. Also, not needed which is good.
SOUND QUALITY:
For me the most important part of a speaker is the sound quality. I’m willing to sacrifice some sound quality in this case because it is so robust against weather and is highly portable. But thankfully, you aren’t compromising much. I test all my speakers with the same 14 songs for two reasons. 1. To get a sound profile for a product so I know how it will do in different scenarios and 2. To compare it to other speakers. Starting first with audiophile terms and then laymen terms. I tested everything on stock settings which included the EXTRA BASS mode on by default. As that is what I’m sure most people will use. I also tried the Live button. Which expands the soundstage. I preferred this sound as it felt like the sound was all around me instead of coming from a speaker. Which was quite impressive.
For the most part, especially with Live mode activated, it sounded airy. It has a fun tuning to it that was also analytical. Occasionally, it would sound processed. It has excellent balance and separation. With vocals being up front and center and then background being slightly behind it. Bass hit hard and was mostly accurate. Mids sounded good but were ever so mildly bloated at times. Highs were solid but occasionally just shy of harsh. Depending on the song it showed very mild congestion, but most of the time it was crisp and natural sounding. There was good detail in vocals and to a slightly lesser degree in instruments. Sound stage was medium without Live mode and medium/large with.
With Live mode off you get more of the feeling that the speaker is playing the music, where with Live mode on it sounds like music is playing all around you. Sounds are mostly accurate and true to life. Moreso with vocals over instruments. But both sound very good. Bass hits hard and all levels of sound (bass, mid, and lows) sound equally as loud, are accurate, and pleasing to the ear. It has an exciting tuning to it which allows you to feel the emotion of the singer or song most of the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the sound and I am quite picky. I am sure most others will also deeply enjoy it. It is much better than your phone or tablets speaker.
PROS:
– IP67 rating which means you can use this outside while working, in the rain, in the shower, or next to a pool.
– Very solid build quality with attractive sleek look.
– 6 LEDs with two of them being RGB. Lighting is not the most accurate but can be synced to music.
– Optional apps which work well but are basic.
CONS:
– Speaker is heavy. Which is kind of like a no duh. But seriously you could probably workout with this thing. It’s 6.5 lbs.
CONCLUSION:
Between the excellent build quality, IP67 rating, and sound quality what is there not to like? I totally recommend this product. I greatly enjoy it when I use it in the shower and I am sure you will too.

As a Sony product holder, I’ve found quality across their market. This hefty speaker is no exception. It produces great sound from such a little speaker, for its size, moreover. It plays most types of music with clarity and a bassy punch. Like most speakers, in this spectrum, there is an acceptable amount of bass distortion at higher volumes. What’s nice, is that to get more volume, in all senses of the word, is to add/party speakers for larger areas. I’ve used this while on the deck grilling/entertaining and while working from home. I have had no issues with pairing to my devices and highly recommended this for entry level sound (less than $500). The ambient light feature makes it easy to remember that it is on and prevents it from being left outside to weather nighttime storms. Speaking of which, I have not tested it’s waterproof IP67 rating, but seems very well sealed. This replaced a sound link mini II and I’m happy with the upgrade.