Thanks to a built-in rechargeable battery you can take the Sony wherever you fancy. A 25-hour battery life makes it perfect for a weekend long festival or a couple of sunny days in the garden. With two USB charging ports, you can keep your smartphone or tablet charged up while you play. It too supports a microphone/guitar input and the ambient lighting feature. You don’t get as many high-efficiency tweeters (just two), but otherwise you’ve got the same features at a more accommodating size (and price). While the Sony Music Center app lets you optimise audio settings, control the music, choose lighting patterns and manage devices the Fiestable app is for creating party playlists, karaoke, and more. Both these apps need an overhaul or a massive update. Battery life is a stonking 30 hours, and like the other X-Series speakers you can plug in a microphone or guitar and go “Stars in Your Eyes” with your best impressions. With the ambient lighting feature at either end of the speaker, you can set the mood to whatever vibe you want.

Are they smart speakers, no they are not. But they do come with not one but 2 apps that you can tinker around with. The Sony Music Center app and the Fiestable app. Both these apps are available for Android and iOS devices. The one feature that should matter in a wireless speaker is its battery life. And Sony has claimed a massive 25 hours of battery life when fully charged. But if you keep MegaBass and LED lights on, and the volume set to the maximum while streaming Bluetooth audio it The SRS-XP700 features three high-efficiency tweeters on the front, and one rear high-efficiency tweeter. The aim is to output an expansive sound, boasting “punchy and deep bass” as well as plenty of clarity. As mentioned, the XP700 and XP500 have a similar form factor to PA speakers, but have integrated sensors that allow them to optimize the sound for either being laid vertically or horizontally.

Fancy yourself a karaoke star? You can subject your family and friends to your warbling by plugging in a microphone and even a guitar. And with the new Ambient Lightning feature, the XP700 can be customised to bring a pulsating feel to parties or more of a relaxing ambient glow. With the Mega Bass feature, bass can dialled up even more, and with the Live Sound mode Sony says you can re-create the atmosphere of live music, just in case you were feeling some withdrawal symptoms from the past year. Featuring two, adjustable inputs, the SRS-XP700 makes an ideal speaker for karaoke or intimate gigs. Use as a guitar amp and you’re ready to entertain in moments.

Enjoy the same song, multiplied, with Party Connect. Connect up to 100 compatible wireless speakers via Bluetooth technology and synchronize the music and lighting so everyone's dancing to the same beat. If you’re going to party then why not do it in style! The SRS-XP700 uses innovative omnidirectional sound, for room-filling music. The X-Balanced speaker system provides the heft while the twin tweeter units give crystal-clear clarity right around the speaker – letting everyone in the room hear the music at its best.

The other change includes the new X-Balanced speaker units for deep, punchy Sony style (MEGA) Bass. More on sound later! Meeting IPX4 standards, the SRS-XB700 is designed to withstand water splashes. Perfect for worry-free placement by the pool or hot tub, or even able to endure a British summer of drizzle, the SRS-XP700 is tough enough to cope with outdoors entertainment. All the speakers feature Sony’s X-Balanced Speaker Units, which also feature in their TVs. The non-circular diaphragm is said to produce more sound pressure and less distorted sound by maximising the area of the speaker and this, according to Sony, produces a richer, clearer sound.

The other space we've seen get more attention during Covid-19 is the smart speaker families – for households that don't necessarily invest in an expensive hi-fi system, or would prefer to have a few smaller speakers throughout the house, smart speakers like the Sonos One make a lot of sense.

All three speakers have a neat carry handle and the promise of long battery life – 30 hours for the XG500, and 25 and 20 for the XP700 and XP500 respectively. The XG500 takes the cake with outdoor capabilities thanks to its IP66 weather resistance rating and water-repellent mesh, while the XP700 and XP500 have an IPX4 rating, which should keep you out of trouble in slight inclement weather. Well, it’s a Sony! The sound is loud and clear with on-demand punchy bass thanks to the Mega Bass button. Users can further tweak the sound with the Sony Music Center app. Not only fine-tune the sound, but users can also select their favourite playlists, cue the next song, change lighting patterns, and more. The Sony Music Center app feels a tad superfluous. DJ effects like flanger and isolator can be fun for a minute, and a Sound section lets you play with a meager three-band EQ (only available with MegaBass disabled). The app also lets you toggle some audio processing features we generally recommend leaving off, including ClearAudio+, LiveSound, and MegaBass. If you want to use MegaBass, it can be enabled/disabled on the speaker itself, so there's no need to dig through the app for it. Arguably, the most useful part of the app is the Illumination section, where you can choose various LED patterns, including the all-important Off. Thanks to its built-in battery, carry handle and Bluetooth connectivity, the SRS-XP700 is fully portable. Carry it to the party room, outside or around to a friend’s house – the SRS-XB700 is ready for action in no time. Like the XP700, the SRS-XP500 can be laid flat or vertically for a bit flexibility in terms of positioning. Battery life drops to a still impressive 20 hours and it also has an IPX4 rating to ward of any wet weather.

Even with the MegaBass feature turned off, the SRS-XP700 delivers serious bass thud that approaches the kind of low-end thunder you might hear from a club PA. This isn’t some sort of approximated bass depth produced by a passive radiator—the drivers are really delivering a substantial thud. Turning on MegaBass when the volume is high should send jolts of sheer joy through fans of intense low frequencies, and seriously annoy your neighbors. When standing or sitting vertically, all the controls/buttons for Power, Bluetooth pairing, Play/Pause, Volume Up/Down, and MegaBass are on the top. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 28th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) The XP700 is the biggest speaker and can be placed vertically or horizontally, so you can imagine this would be very practical for hosting large groupings. Battery life is 25 hours, and the IPX4 water resistance means it is protected in wet conditions. All in all, you can use it in various modes (Car, Home Theatre, Party, Karaoke) thanks to its unique design and a built-in sensor that optimizes audio accordingly to maintain sound quality whether you place it horizontally or vertically. Sound

Offers

Recreate that unique feeling of being ‘there’ live at the concert, with LIVE SOUND. Available via the Sony Music Centre app, LIVE SOUND gives an added presence to the music, making it feel more real.