Sony SRS-XP700 speaker system review

Sony continues to update their BIG wireless speakers, and when I say BIG, that’s what I mean; we unpacked the XP700, and the speaker box took up a third of the room. Why do we need such a thing in 2021? The answers are still the same – for some, the device will become a music center for an apartment, someone will find a faithful companion for a summer residence, others will carry the XP700 from the apartment to the countryside, the fourth, I don’t know, will sing and dance on the street next to the speaker. There are a lot of applications. And so Sony just needed not to spoil its past. Don’t worry; nothing terrible has happened, and the XP700 continues the work of the devices of the past with dignity.

Design

As I said, the packaging is extensive. Keep this in mind if you are going to pick up the column yourself. Better to prepare in advance, clear space in the car, or call a taxi with a large trunk.

The design is a real sonic style. The buttons are nicely made, there is atmospheric illumination in place with the possibility of various adjustments, there are handles for carrying. There is also a slot for installing smartphones or even a tablet.

The column can be placed on the bottom or placed on its side. Accordingly, there are also two handles for carrying. Just keep in mind, the weight is almost 17 kilograms, you should not trust children to carry it.

On the back, under the hinged panel, there is a scattering of connectors. There are two USB-A connectors for charging various devices, microphone input – yes, karaoke is quite real – and an input for connecting a guitar. There is also a separate volume knob just for use with the instrument.

The old-fashioned audio input will help you connect any players, laptops, or other devices. It seems to be not the most necessary function, but here I have an iPod Classic lying around in my dacha with a bunch of tracks from the past, and it will be very cool to bring the XP700 there and listen to the whole thing, fry sausages on the street and have a good time.

There is also a Party Connect button on the back. One hundred Sony speakers can be connected to the chain. The new products, the SRS-XP700, SRS-XP500, SRS-XG500 speaker systems, definitely have support for the function.

The backlight is switchable. The button is just above the panel with connectors. In general, for normal device management, you need to install two utilities: Sony Music Center and Fiestable. In the first, everything is related to updates, equalizers. In the second, everything about light, karaoke, and entertainment functions. I advise you to put both utilities at least for pampering, and then you decide whether you need them or not. Naturally, they exist for both the iPhone and Android.

There were no problems with the connection. I connected iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 via Bluetooth, switching and auto-connecting work fine. In an office with serious overlaps, the communication range is about five to six meters, but you can count on eight meters outside the city. Although, as for me, this is not so important. Many people will keep the XP700 close to the summer kitchen or another place where the whole audience gathers.

The declared working time is about 25 hours. We listened to the speaker for a couple of hours a day. We dragged it from room to room since the office is constantly filming. It was almost completely discharged in a week, but I think this is an excellent indicator for such a large device. The charging time is about three hours. The power supply is built-in. This is also a big plus – I connected it with a network cable and order.

Music

The system is well equipped. There are three tweeters with a diameter of six centimeters in front, another tweeter on the back. Huge low-frequency drivers are hidden under the grill. Overall, the XP700 reminded me of the days of Sony’s music centers from the nineties – do you remember them? I remember now – at twenty-two for my birthday, I went to Gorbushka and with all the money donated, I bought myself a huge Sony center, there were LIGHTS, X-BASS, discs, and cassettes, and a record, and what was not there … Happiness! But I didn’t calculate that the center was packed in three different boxes, and how I dragged them from Bagrationovskaya to Lobnya is another story.

But then, when I put everything beautifully in the room and turned on The Fat of The Land – that was happiness. By the way, it was the original CD straight from England, brought by a friend. It seems that there is nothing to be particularly proud of, but twenty years have passed, and I remember it as now.

In the case of the SRS-XP700, everything is very similar to those sensations – the system envelops in the bass, and, of course, this is not a device for the classics. But running Donda louder is great. For any spontaneous office parties, the column is ideal. I’m not talking about suburban life. And if you accidentally douse it with beer – no one will be offended. There is support for IPx4.

Verdict

On Amazon, the device costs $448., I liked the design, the operating time, the backlight, the sound quality fully meets the expectations. It seems to me that the main competitor of the system is the JBL Partybox 310 – it costs $380, it is equipped with WHEELS and a carrying handle, but all other functions are very similar – for example, these are two microphone inputs and a guitar input

A.nd there is no need to say anything about the “summer device” or something like that. Now people drive out of town at any time of the year, but where there is a dacha, there is a grill, and there is music.