Sony SRS-XP700 X speaker guide

Sony SRS-XP700 Review

37 lbs. of loud, booming bass

THE BOTTOM LINE

The big and bulky Sony SRS-XP700 speaker is built for parties, with huge bass sound and LED light shows.

If you're looking for a big, booming speaker for your next barbecue, Sony has two strong options for the same $449.99 price. On the "small" side, there's the boombox-sized SRS-XG500. On the even larger side, there's the kitchen-trash-can-sized Sony SRS-XP700. While it's huge, the SRS-XP700 technically portable and has decent battery life, but lugging this speaker around is a bit of a pain even with two built-in handles. Both speakers have built-in LED light shows and karaoke inputs, and can easily power your next outdoor party, but in terms of sheer huge sound the SRS-XP700 represents the better value—it’s larger, louder, and more capable of thunderous bass depth. That said, the smaller SRS-XG500 might be more appealing to most users, since it takes up a more reasonable amount of space while still delivering plenty of power.

The Sony SRS-XP700 is a large party speaker with customizable RGB lights, and it can get pretty loud. With its 'MEGA BASS' feature enabled, it has a boomy sound profile that you can customize using the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. This decently-built speaker is rated IPX4 for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. While its material quality is good overall, it isn't rated for dust and impact resistance, and we don't currently test for this. Much like other Sony speakers we've tested, it's also compatible with the Fiestable app, which you can use to control the speaker's extra party features. It also features a mic input and a mic/guitar input which can come in handy when connecting the speaker to external microphones or a guitar. Unfortunately, though the Sony XP700 can get quite loud, there's some compression present at max volume that can affect the clarity of your audio during loud listening sessions.

The Sony XP700 is decent for music. While it has a boomy sound profile with its 'MEGA BASS' feature enabled, it struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble in low-bass. Its overemphasized mid-range can make some vocals and instruments sound a bit honky and harsh, and its slightly underemphasized treble can make higher-pitched voices and instruments sound somewhat dull. Fortunately, its companion app comes with presets and a graphic EQ, meaning you can customize its sound to your liking. The Sony XP700 can also get pretty loud, though there's some compression at max volume, which may affect the clarity of your audio.

The Sony SRS-XP700 is big. It is powerful. It is pricey. These are not the kind of words you’d usually associate with a portable wireless speaker, and yet, here we are. Clearly, it is no ordinary speaker.

The SRS-XP700 is one of three new high-end speakers that Sony has launched in India recently, the other two being the SRS-XG500 and SRS-XP500. The entry-level SRS-XB13 is also part of the same line-up. It was launched in India in June. The SRS-XP700 and SRS-XG500 cost the same, i.e., Rs 32,990, but they couldn’t be more different. The SRS-XP500 meanwhile, is a watered-down SRS-XP700 that tries to bring a lot of its features and styling to a relatively more affordable price point.

Before even diving into everything the SRS-XP700 can and can’t do, it’s important to address the elephant in the room. The price. I am going to defend it here, just a little bit, because I am pleasantly surprised by Sony’s strategy. The SRS-XP700 India price is very nearly identical to its US price – $450. That’s big coming from Sony, a brand notorious for exorbitant pricing. This also gives it an advantage over its direct competitor, the JBL Partybox 310 which is priced higher at Rs 37,999. So, there’s plenty to like here if you’ve been eying a product like this to begin with.