Sony SRS XB 402
Contents
- Built-in Amazon Alexa
- IPX7 Rated
- Excellent Live Sound
- Angled Dynamic Speaker Units
- Wi-Fi Connectivity
- Little Bit Overpriced
Dimention
12.5 x 14.3 x 19.5 cm
Weight
1.5 Kg
Battery Backup
9 Hours approx.
Charging Time
4 Hours approx.
- 1 Bluetoooth Speaker
- 1 Charging Cable
- 1 User Manual
- 1 Waranty Card
Sony SRS XB 402 is the big guy in the entire Extra Bass series that looks very premium. The most surprising feature of the speaker is, it has built-in Amazon Alexa.
Inside The Box
In the box, you get a Quick Start Guide, safety and warranty sheets, original power cords, and lastly, the xB 402 speaker.
Build Quality
This speaker weighs in at about 1.5 kilograms from all the pictures and demo videos and thought it was going to be a lot bigger than this. Still, surprisingly, it’s smaller and more comfortable to move around and is suitable for portability.
When you power ON the speaker, the first thing that stands out is the RGB lights are just the way the speaker gently lights up. The lights give the speaker a very distinctive look amongst other speakers.
Another thing I notice is just how tough and rugged the speaker feels. It still gets a nicely woven fabric all over the front side of the speaker, but right underneath that fabric is very tough.
The controls are located at the top of the speaker, and they all have a clicky rubbery feel, which is good.
Now moving from the left to the right side, you have the power ON and pairing button, and next to that, you have the microphone mute button for preventing Alexa from getting triggered. Next, you have the play/pause button, the volume up, and down button, and lastly, the live button.
Battery Performance
The speaker claims about 12 hours of battery life, and Sony says that you can get about 9 hours playback time with the extra base mode turned ON. This isn’t as great as some of Sony’s other speakers out there, but it’s a lot better. Just keep in mind that the battery life will always be dependent on how you use the speaker, the volume level, the lights that you have turned ON.
Sound Quality
The Sony XB 402 sounds good, especially with the soundstage. I like the way the speakers separate the left and right channels to give you a really nice stereo.
The base of the speaker is excellent and nicely controlled. So it doesn’t overpower the song, but I must say that the bass is still a bit lacking in the speaker, especially when it’s an extra bass speaker.
The speaker sounds good at low volumes, but as soon as you start to push the volumes up, it starts to lose bass. So if you’re a bass head and you love an excellent resonating deep bass, then I don’t think the speaker would be enough for your needs.
The vocals were immaculate and clear and pushed to the front. The high frequencies were not too harsh to the ears.
Sony has improved the Live Mode on this speaker. So now the live effect is more social on the music, and it doesn’t affect the vocals that much.
Others
This speaker is rated IPX7, i.e., dust and waterproof, which is absolutely reassuring for the outdoors. Also, Sony says that the speaker is also rustproof.
Unfortunately, this speaker can only be paired to one device at a time, so you cannot seamlessly switch between two devices. You have to impair the first device and then pair up the second device.
Although the speaker supports Wi-Fi, you cannot use the Wi-Fi connection to play locally stored music from your phone. The Wi-Fi feature is only made for Alexa, so you still have to use Bluetooth connection for all your music playback.
Final Words
Do I recommend the speaker?
I’ll say yes. I would recommend it because of the soundstage. The left and right separation are excellent, and the live sound mode adds another dimension.
Sony has been good with this feature on most of its speakers, and it’s always been very reassuring for the outdoors. Lastly, the design, compact, and rounded shape make it super portable and easy to travel with the RGB lights.
But for over twenty thousand rupees, I think it’s a bit on the pricey side considering what the speaker offers, but if you managed to find the speaker for less than that, then I think that it will be well worth the purchase.
