Sony has announced two new wireless speakers at IFA overnight, with the SRS-XB01 and SRS-XB501G announced. The speakers offer both ends of the sound spectrum from cheap but powerful through to high-end portable sound with Google Assistant built-in,
SRS-XB01
The SRS-XB01 Extra Bass Wireless Speaker is the affordable powerhouse of the Sony Bluetooth speaker lineup. It packs an audio punch with a compact body and compact price to match.
The XB01 is water resistant with an IPX5 rating, protecting it from sprays and spills and offers up to 6 hours of battery life to let you take it on the go. You can connect up to the speaker with either Bluetooth or through the stereo 3.5mm mini-jack to let you connect the way you want.
The small price and compact size does restrict the tech inside with a single 37.5mm full range mono speaker inside, but it apparently sounds quite good.
The speaker will be available in a range of exciting party colours including black, silver, blue, red, yellow and green from October for just $49. If you love the look of this little power house you can check it out on the Sony Australia website.
SRSXB501G
While the SRS-XB01 is the budget speaker, the SRS-XB501G is the more expensive party animal with the smarts to match.
The speaker is also water resistant and dust resistant to match with an IP65 rating letting you take the speaker anywhere with a 16 hour battery that will let you party all night with USB-C or DC charging.
The speaker comes with a convenient carry handle to let you carry it anywhere.
Inside there’s 2.1 channel sound, with a 125mm sub woofer and 45mm satellite speaker to offer truly powerful sound. You can even mount the speaker on a tripod to boost the sound delivery with a built-in hole in the base for easy mounting. You can even add extra speakers using Chromecast multi-room Audio.
As a party speaker, there’s going to be the need for some party lights right? And the SRS-XB501G delivers in spades with a lights that sync to the beat which include line lights that go around the speaker, a speaker light and of course: a flashing strobe.
Of course the big feature for us is the inclusion of Google Assistant – the Chromecast support is there too – all you have to do is ask it a question, tell it to stream some music or control your smart home and it works.
Sony will be launching the STSXB501G in Australia this October in black and blue SRP$399 – you can check it out here on the Sony Australia website.
