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A Bluetooth speaker that will give you everything you want? Even though they won’t clean your house or make you a nice meal, these wireless speakers are getting better every year and now have more features than you can shake a stick at. So, which should you pick? JBL is known as the best brand when it comes to small, portable Bluetooth speakers, but other brands are coming on strong and trying to take the top spot.
One of them is Sony. Since 1946, this electronics giant has been killing it by making all kinds of players and speakers. Their SRS-XE300 speaker is one of many improvements. So, in my detailed review of the Sony SRS-XE300, we will look at all of its features to help you decide if this is the right speaker for you.
Sony SRS-XE300 specifications
Product Dimensions | 4.69 x 4.13 x 9.37 inches |
Item Weight | 3.3 pounds |
ASIN | B0B445JCZ3 |
Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
Sony SRS-XE300 review: Design and Build Quality

Fabric is used for the standard grill covering, while rubberized silicone is used for the rest of the exterior. This makes it a resilient and long-lasting gadget that is also impervious to dust and water (IP67). It’s perfect for the beach, the pool, or a weekend of camping. Sony claims it can withstand immersion in water of up to one metre in depth for up to 30 minutes.
It can withstand the effects of salt water. It’s wonderful that the USB-C charging connector is hidden away under a thick rubber cover. And yet, as much as we like its toughness, we find its peculiar pentagon shape to be a bit of a turnoff. Unlike most speakers in its price range, this one is awkward to grasp with a single hand due to its unusual form. It’s sizeable as well. You can get this speaker from its official website.
Sony SRS-XE300 review: Sound Quality
So, as long as you don’t stand behind it, you’ll still be able to enjoy the sound. The XE300 has great bass for its size, solid mids and highs, and a pretty balanced sound profile right out of the box. Then, you can change everything in the app. You can turn down the treble, change the EQ levels, or turn on ClearAudio+, which adjusts the sound to its environment.
The speaker sounds best if you don’t turn it up to more than about 75–80%. On the high end, things start to get hard, audio compression starts to happen, and the experience gets worse. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but whenever we use it, we turn the volume almost all the way up.
Sony SRS-XE300 review: Connections

That means you can’t hook up to the speaker in any other way except over Bluetooth. But I take it you meant to do it to begin with. The SRS-XE300 is compatible with the Bluetooth v5.2 standard, which is the next major update.
This powerful 2.4GHz signal will allow you to stay connected up to a distance of about 100 feet (30 metres), albeit it will not penetrate walls or go around obstacles. With Bluetooth, your mobile device, laptop, or desktop computer can link wirelessly to the speaker.
Sony SRS-XE300 review: Performance and battery
The $199.99 The Sony SRS-XE300 Bluetooth speaker is in the middle of the company’s new X series, which also includes the SRS-XE200 and the SRS-XG300. The speaker is loud for how small it is, and we like how well-made it is.
A companion app that lets you change the EQ and battery settings is also a plus. Still, Sony’s claim that a different way of setting up the drivers will improve sound spread isn’t true. We wouldn’t mind paying more for an experimental design that clearly improves performance, but that’s not the case here.
When fully charged, the battery can play music for 24 hours! One of the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy is this one. If you forget to plug it in, you can also do a quick charge in just ten minutes that will give you 70 minutes of use. A standard USB-C cable is included in the box with the speaker to charge it.
Final Words
Music sounds good on the Sony SRS-XE300. With the “ClearAudio+” feature turned on, this stereo speaker has a boomy sound that adds more bass to the mix. The rest of its range is pretty even, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix, even though voices and instruments with higher pitches can sometimes sound dull.
With the graphic EQ in its companion app, you can change how it sounds. But, like most speakers this size, it doesn’t have a deep, thumping bass. Since it only sends sound in one main direction, it has poor directivity, which makes the soundstage seem narrow and one-dimensional.
Sony SRS-XE300 Ratings
Pros
- App allows for some EQ adjustments
- Waterproof and dustproof build
- Can produce mono or stereo sound
Cons
- A lot of compression at max volume.
- Narrow and directional soundstage.
FAQs
How long does a Sony SRS speaker take to charge?
The portable speaker’s built-in battery takes about 3 hours to charge from an empty state. For the SRS-HG1, it takes about 5 hours to charge the speaker’s built-in battery from a completely empty state.
Is Sony SRS waterproof?
Your speaker has an IP67 classification, which means it can be submerged in water, and the high-quality fabric that was uniquely manufactured in Japan means that cleaning it won’t be an issue.
Do Sony speakers have an app?
Music Center | Sony. This app can be used by anyone with a smartphone that can run it. Check to see if your device is compatible with Music Center so you can use the device control feature. You can listen to Hi-Res audio and add sound effects however you want.