Sony SRS-XG500 Speaker Review

The Sony XG500 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that looks somewhat similar to the JBL Boombox 2 and JBL Boombox 3. Its physical controls are on the top right, and the speaker is meant to sit horizontally. It has a large built-in carrying handle to help with transporting it and has customizable RGB lights on its sides, surrounding its passive radiators.

The Sony XG500 is very portable. While it's a little bit large, it has a built-in handle you can use to carry it around with you with one hand. It's also battery-powered, so you can take it outdoors with you without needing to plug it into a power outlet. If you're looking for a similar speaker that's smaller, check out the Sony SRS-XG300, which comes with a retractable carrying handle.

This speaker has very good build quality and feels pretty solid, though it doesn't feel as premium as it looks. Its plastic body is mostly wrapped by a tight-fitting fabric. Its built-in carrying handle is made of plastic that feels hollow on the inside, and there are RGB lights around its passive radiators. There's also a flap protecting the ports on its rear, and the speaker is rated IP66 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust-tight and protected against direct contact with water for up to three minutes.

The Sony XG500 has a decent selection of physical, texturized controls that are pretty easy to use. On top, you can find controls for the speaker's basic functions like its power, Bluetooth pairing, play/pause, and volume buttons. The indicator light under the power button lights up when the speaker is charging and flashes slowly when its battery is running low. You can double press the play/pause button to skip to your next track and triple press it to backtrack. Also, you can press and hold its 'MEGA BASS' preset button to enable the speaker's 'Stamina' mode when you want to conserve its battery. This will cause its indicator light to flash orange.

On the rear of the speaker, you can find the Party Connect button, which you can use to connect to multiple other compatible speakers. Its battery button informs you of its battery level, and you can press the 'Light' button when you want to turn its side RGB lights on. There's also a mic/guitar input with its very own volume knob, and there's a 'Guitar' Mode button you can enable when connecting your speaker to an external guitar.

• Sony SRS-XG500
• Power cable
• Power adapter
• Reference Guide

The Sony XG500 has a fair frequency response accuracy. It has a somewhat boomy sound profile, though it struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble in low-bass typically present in bass-heavy music like hip-hop and EDM. That said, it has a somewhat balanced mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix. However, the underemphasis in the treble range can make higher-pitched voices and instruments sound dark and veiled. Fortunately, its companion app features a graphic EQ and EQ presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking, or you can check out the Sony ULT FIELD 7, which has a more neutral treble range reproduction. For a portable party speaker that can produce a more extended low-bass, check out the JBL PartyBox Encore Essential.

Note: The speaker was tested horizontally, with its 'MEGA BASS' preset enabled, and its ClearAudio+ feature turned on.

The Sony XG500's soundstage is alright. Unfortunately, this stereo speaker has middling directivity, so its soundstage can be perceived as narrow and directional. The overemphasis in the treble range can also make it sound uneven.

It's dynamics performance is good. It can get pretty loud, making it suitable to use outdoors or at parties. Unfortunately, there's some compression at max volume, so your audio doesn't sound as clean at louder volume settings. If you want a party speaker that can get even louder, check out the JBL PartyBox 100, and the more portable SOUNDBOKS Go.

The Sony XG500 has an outstanding battery performance and can last just under 26 hours from a single charge. That said, battery life can vary depending on your usage habits and chosen settings, so your real-world experience may differ. It also has a handy power-saving feature that shuts the speaker off following 15 minutes of inactivity. You can enable and disable it in its companion app. For another feature-packed party speaker with an even longer-lasting battery life, check out the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X.

The Sony XG500's Sony Music Center app is very good. It has a graphic EQ and EQ presets to adjust the speaker's sound to better suit your preferences. We found that adjusting the EQ by around five increments would result in a 3dB increase in bass and mid frequency levels, with a slightly smaller change in treble output. You can see a graph comparing the EQ presets here.

There's also a 'Live Sound' feature advertised to make your audio sound like you're listening at a live event. You can use the app to pair the speaker to another compatible speaker to create a stereo pair or to multiple other speakers when you want your audio to fill a large room without increasing the volume. The SRS-XG500 is even compatible with the Fiestable app, which you can use to control the speaker's extra party features. You can control the XG500's RGB lights using both apps.

The Sony XG500 has a couple of wired inputs aside from its power port. There's an AUX port you can use to wire your devices directly to the speaker. It has two USB ports you can use to charge your devices. That said, you can use one of them as a USB key playback port that supports mp3, WMA, and WAV formats. However, it doesn't support USB Audio. Finally, you can connect an external mic or guitar to the speaker thanks to its dedicated mic/guitar input, with its very own volume knob.

The Sony XG500 has excellent Bluetooth connectivity. You can pair the speaker to up to two devices at once, which is handy when you need to quickly and frequently switch between audio sources. It also has low latency with iOS and Android devices, making it suitable for watching videos and movies over this connection. That said, some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may vary.