The Sony XE300 is a waterproof wireless speaker from Sony. How does the XE300 work in practice and is it worth buying? Find out more in today’s review.
Sony XE300 – first impressions
The Sony X Series Wireless Speaker comes in three colors – Black, Light Gray and Blue. The manufacturer praises it with several modern technologies, which are primarily to significantly improve the sound quality. Among them is e.g. unusual shape of the loudspeaker diaphragm. Classic – round diaphragms have been replaced by those that have been additionally elongated on one side. In this way, you can get a larger “playing” surface in a relatively small device. And the Sony XE300 has two such speakers called X-balanced Speaker. In theory, they help increase the sound pressure with less diaphragm movement, thus increasing sound quality and bass. Two passive diaphragms located on the bottom and top of the speaker are additionally responsible for the low tones.
Sony use one more technology called Line-Shape Diffuser. Behind these three words is the special design of the entire loudspeaker, which helps to properly disperse the sound source so that the music played carries further and wider. Compared to classic designs, the sound does not travel through the center of the cone to the listener, but must also pass through a narrow gap. In this way, the sound wave reaches people standing in front of the speaker as well as those to the sides of the speaker. From the Sony Music Center application, it is possible to turn on the stereo (in XE300), as well as to pair many Sony speakers (up to a hundred) to play the same thing at the same time.
The Sony XE300 can be placed vertically or horizontally. It is quite heavy – it weighs nearly 1300 grams. Its housing is covered with a braid alternately with silicone inserts. It has an IP67 rating, which means it is waterproof and dustproof. The manufacturer has built in a battery with a capacity of 2700 mAh. Depending on the volume setting, the XE300 can play music for up to 24 hours. It is also worth mentioning that the speaker uses BT version 5.2, supports SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs and has a power of 7.5W.
Sony XE300 – pros and cons
How did this speaker work in practice? Initially, I was wondering for quite a long time how I should set it up for the best possible effect. The manufacturer indicates that it can be both vertical and horizontal. It was only the markings of the buttons that suggested to me where the top and bottom should be. The XE300 is very symmetrical, so it’s hard to tell at first glance. In turn, the aforementioned Line-Shape Diffuser technology fulfills its role in one hundred percent. It doesn’t really matter how you position the speaker – it sounds exactly the same.
The device fits well and the braid looks great. The dimensions and weight of the speaker, combined with the silicone inserts, made the XE300 feel slippery to the touch. It is difficult to lift it with one hand, because the housing likes to slip.
The XE300 has a built-in microphone and we can easily talk to friends without much distortion. There is also a special microphone mute button on the housing.
Once again, I have to stick to the Sony Music Center application. Nothing has changed in it since I bought the Sony XB-31 a few years ago. There is still no good equalizer and from the audio equalizers function we can only control the slider from low, mid and high tones.
I get to the most important question and answer in this article. How does the Sony XE300 sound? How is the sound quality? How does the bass work? Maybe I will surprise you, but i didn’t like this speaker. I do not know if it is a matter of waterproof housing, but the bass in this speaker is practically non-existent. It is terribly flat and gives the impression of a definite lack of musical power. The midrange and treble sound better than in the recently tested JBL Charge 5, but the medal for low tones can definitely go to the Sony competition.
