Speaker
Products
In The Lab
Forums
Newsletters
 Insider access
Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Best
Bluetooth Portable Outdoor Bose Loud Home Shower Parties Alexa Small JBL Brands Budget And Cheap Bluetooth For Bass Waterproof Bluetooth Golf Bluetooth For Sound Smart iPhone Karaoke
Tools
Compare Table Review List Review Index Graph Custom Ratings
Popular
JBL Boombox 3 JBL Charge 5 JBL Authentics 500 JBL Flip 6 Bose SoundLink Max Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Harman/Kardon Go + Play 3 Sonos Move 2 JBL PartyBox Stage 320 Sonos Era 100 JBL PartyBox 310 Sony SRS-XB100 Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 JBL PartyBox Club 120 Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM Sonos Era 300 Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM JBL Xtreme 4 Bose SoundLink Flex Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4
167
Speakers bought and tested
Supported by you via insider access, and when you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Driven by data, run by a passionate team of engineers, testers, technical writers, developers, and more.
We are hiring!
  1. Home
  2. Speaker
  3. Compare
Notice: Big Spring Sale Deal: The Amazon Echo Pop has dropped by 25% on Amazon.com. See all Speaker Big Spring Sale deals.
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Sony SRS-XB23 vs Marshall Emberton

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sony SRS-XB23
Marshall Emberton

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Apr 18, 2024 03:05 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:34 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sony SRS-XB23 Picture
Marshall Emberton Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes

Variants

  • SRS-XB23 (Black)
  • SRS-XB23 (Coral Red)
  • SRS-XB23 (Light Blue)
  • SRS-XB23 (Olive Green)
  • SRS-XB23 (Taupe)
  • Emberton (Black)
  • Emberton (Black and Brass)
  • Emberton (Cream)
  • Emberton (Forest)

Review

See Sony SRS-XB23 Review
See Marshall Emberton Review
4 
1 

Our Verdict

Sony SRS-XB23

Marshall Emberton

The Marshall Emberton is better for most uses than the Sony SRS-XB23. The Marshall's default sound profile is more neutral, and it has a better soundstage. However, the Sony offers a graphic EQ for sound customization. Also, the Sony is a better choice for outdoor use as it's better-built, and it supports voice assistants, unlike the Marshall.

0 

Check Price

Black
SRS-XB23
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Emberton
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Coral Red
SRS-XB23
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black and Brass
Emberton
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Light Blue
SRS-XB23
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cream
Emberton
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Olive Green
SRS-XB23
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Forest
Emberton
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Taupe
SRS-XB23
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.3
6.6

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.1
6.7

EQ 
 

Graphic
No

Soundstage 
 

7.9
8.9

Dynamics 
 

5.2
4.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Sony SRS-XB23 Style Photo
Marshall Emberton Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.2
9.3

Dimensions Photo  

Sony SRS-XB23 Dimensions Photo
Marshall Emberton Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

71 in³ (1,167 cm³)
48 in³ (794 cm³)

Weight 
 

1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
1.5 lbs (0.7 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.1
7.1

Build Quality Photo  

Sony SRS-XB23 Build Quality Photo
Marshall Emberton Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Decent
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.0
7.0

Controls Photo  

Sony SRS-XB23 Controls Photo
Marshall Emberton Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Sony SRS-XB23 Controls Photo 2
Marshall Emberton Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Sony SRS-XB23 In The Box Photo
Marshall Emberton In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.1
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.08
-0.18

Std. Err. 
 

3.70 dB
2.59 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

71.3 Hz
68.3 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

7.0 kHz
13.9 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.9
8.9

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

3.98 dB
2.03 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

5.2
4.5

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

84.9 dB SPL
84.7 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

4.79 dB
5.98 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.9
7.9

Battery Life 
 

9.2 hrs
9.3 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.8 hrs
3.0 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

1.7
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
No

Siri 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
No Microphone

Far-Field Performance 
 

Bad
No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Bad
No Microphone
Show Text 

App 
 

7.9
0.0

App Picture  

Sony SRS-XB23 App Picture
Marshall Emberton App Picture

App Name 
 

Sony Music Center
No App

iOS 
 

Yes
No

Android 
 

Yes
No

EQ 
 

Graphic
No

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
No

Party Mode 
 

Yes
No

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

9.0
8.9

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

52 ms
110 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

90 ms
33 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

311.7 ft (95.0 m)
188.6 ft (57.5 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Check Price

Black
SRS-XB23
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Emberton
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Coral Red
SRS-XB23
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black and Brass
Emberton
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Light Blue
SRS-XB23
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cream
Emberton
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Olive Green
SRS-XB23
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Forest
Emberton
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Taupe
SRS-XB23
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
Back to Top

Sony SRS-XB23

Marshall Emberton

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Sony SRS-XB23 vs Marshall Emberton: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

Follow Discussion0 followingSee All Soundbars & Speakers DiscussionsCopy link
0 
PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones
We make money directly from you via insider access (which gives you access to extra features) and when you buy a product after clicking a link to a retailer. Learn more about how we work.
We buy our own products, just like you, mostly from the United States. When a product is discontinued or no longer popular, we sell the review units locally. You can see what products we currently have for sale here.
© 2025 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved. Visit our corporate site.