On the Digit Take a look at Labs, we’ve examined a fair proportion of Sony’s Bluetooth audio system. Nonetheless, most of those have been compact and very moveable. This time round we obtained a monster of a speaker from Sony for evaluate. The Sony SRS XV800 is being marketed as a speaker that wears many feathers in its cap. Sony says that this Bluetooth speaker is succesful sufficient to be your private home leisure speaker, karaoke machine, and even a party speaker. The Sony SRS XV800 is a hefty battery-powered Bluetooth speaker that packs an array of audio system to supply customers with impactful sound. Nonetheless, at 18.5 kilograms of weight, it’s something however moveable. Additionally, the speaker isn’t precisely reasonably priced at a whopping ₹49,990. Does it nonetheless make for a compelling choice in your house events? Let’s delve into this in my evaluate.
Sony SRS-XV800 Overview: Construct and Design
Most Bluetooth audio system you see available in the market are supposed to be moveable – not this one although. Weighing in at a hefty 18.5 kg, the Sony SRS XV800 is ludicrously arduous to lug round. In reality, simply getting the speaker out of its retail field was a exercise. The speaker’s physique is made up of plastic and metallic, and it feels extraordinarily sturdy and well-built. There are wheels on the underside to maneuver it round however you need to tilt the speaker fairly far earlier than it begins rolling with ease.
The Sony SRS XV800 can be fairly tall; like an enormous cupboard in your PC. So, you need to be aware of the house you’ve gotten in your house earlier than shopping for it. It comes with LED lights that strobe in time with the music and you may change the lighting results through the accompanying app which we’ll speak about extra later. The speaker might be plugged into {an electrical} outlet or on battery through its 10,520 mAh battery.
The speaker can be IPX4 rated when positioned vertically, and IPX2 when positioned horizontally, which means it ought to be capable to survive gentle rain (when positioned vertically) in the event you’re having a party in your verandah or backyard open air. There are a number of contact controls on the highest of the speaker that mean you can change inputs, pause and play, modify quantity ranges, and even activate Mega Bass mode for many who need the additional thump.
Sony SRS-XV800 Overview: I/O
For I/O, it has a plethora of connectivity choices similar to Bluetooth, two quarter-inch inputs for microphones or devices similar to guitars, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and optical enter for utilizing it with a tv. There’s no XLR enter although, which implies that some industry-standard microphones can’t be linked immediately. You would want an adapter or a supported cable for these. There’s additionally a USB-A port which can be utilized to cost your gadgets similar to smartphones and tablets through the speaker’s gargantuan battery.
Sony SRS-XV800 Overview: Options
The Sony SRS XV800 comes with Bluetooth model 5.2 and helps the SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs. It helps immersive 360-degree sound, in line with Sony. The sound is immersive and fills a mid to large-sized room with ease. It needs to be loud sufficient for outside events as effectively, though we didn’t get to check the outside facet. Sony additionally means that you can join the SRS XV800 to different supported Sony audio system for a extra immersive expertise.
As I discussed earlier than, you possibly can plug in guitars and microphones to the speaker to organise a karaoke, have a jamming session, and extra. The supporting app permits customers so as to add a slight echo impact as effectively, which is fairly neat.
Talking of the app, the speaker is supported on each the Sony Music Heart and Fiestable apps. The app means that you can customise many points of the speaker together with the sunshine results, modify the equaliser, and extra. There are some options lacking similar to Wi-Fi connectivity and voice assistant help. Nonetheless, the options on supply are distinctive and conducive to a party atmosphere. Particularly, the enjoyable DJ sound results you could add to tracks which are taking part in. Enjoyable stuff!
Sony SRS-XV800 Overview: Efficiency
The Sony SRS XV800 packs three tweeters, two 170 mm woofers, and two rear tweeters that work in conjunction to supply 360-degree sound, in line with Sony. I used it primarily in Bluetooth mode whereas linked to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely with LDAC codec energetic. The speaker additionally has Sony’s DSEE expertise that upscales music to carry it near lossless ranges. Upon first hear, the Sony SRS XV800 impressed me with its energetic and loud sound.
There’s undoubtedly a bias in the direction of the bass areas, nevertheless, not sufficient for it to sound muddy or darkish, which is nice. The Mega Bass mode provides a bunch of additional weight to the lows, however it tampers with the standard of the mids. It’s good for events although the place you’d need the bass to get a bit extra boomy. Nonetheless, within the default setting, the speaker had a nice sound signature with weighty and impactful bass, clear mids and vocals, and respectable excessive replica.
Nonetheless, I don’t suppose the sound signature works too effectively in a house theatre setup. Positive, it’s loud however the bass bias implies that dialogue will not be given as a lot significance, which is extraordinarily essential while you’re watching TV exhibits or films at house. There are a number of higher choices available in the market on the identical value.
The room-filling skill of the Sony SRS XV800 can’t be denied although. Its high-excursion woofers comfortably let it get loud sufficient for many indoor events. Nonetheless, crank it as much as the utmost and also you’re going to listen to some distortion creep in. Regardless, you received’t must crank the amount as much as the utmost stage at most occasions.
As for battery life, Sony guarantees 25 hours of steady playtime. In our checks, the Sony SRS XV800 comfortably managed 22 hours with LDAC codec energetic and at 50 per cent quantity, which is spectacular. There’s additionally quick charging help the place a fast 10-minute cost will get you 3 hours’ price of playtime.
Sony SRS-XV800 Overview: Verdict
The Sony SRS XV800 is a powerful party speaker with impactful bass response and the power to get extraordinarily loud, nevertheless, it’s not the most effective house theatre resolution in its value vary. You will get cheaper soundbars that can sound higher in your house theatre setup. Some examples embody the Sonos Beam 2 and Sony’s very personal Sony HT-G700. The place the Sony SRS XV800 shines is as a party speaker – you’ve obtained wealthy and full-bodied bass response, stylish LED lights that sync up with the music, and tons of customisability choices through the app. The worth is a bit on the upper facet although – particularly in India the place it isn’t customary to drop near ₹50,000 on a speaker.
