The Sony SRS-XB41 is the largest portable Bluetooth speaker in the company’s 2018 Extra Bass series. Compared to last year’s Sony SRS-XB40 speaker — which you can now buy for $178 on Amazon — the new SRS-XB41 comes with significantly upgraded features. It’s more water and dust resistant, with an IP67 rating, so you can wash it off with a hose if it gets muddy and not have to worry about ruining it. It’s more powerful and has three times the wireless range of the SRS-XB40, too. And it has a ‘Live Sound’ mode so that, by pressing a button on the top of the SRS-XB41, you boost the soundstage of the music so it fills the room more and it feels like you’re in a concert venue of sorts. It has some other DJ-esque and “party booster” features, which I’ll get into below. The speaker costs $250 and is available now.
The Good: The fact is, the Sony SRS-XB41 sounds excellent especially at high volumes. And it gets really loud. It’s super easy for anybody to use, with simple pairing and volume buttons on the top of the speaker. It works well in outdoor situations and there’s no need to worry about people spilling water on it or getting it dirty. You can customize the color and the flashing of the LED lights in myriad ways. If you don’t like the lights, you can shut them off. Like its predecessor, it has a USB-A port the speaker can act as a portable power bank to charge your phone. You can link up to 100 Extra Bass speakers and have them all playing simultaneously, although I’m guessing not many people will have a reason to link more than two.
Who They’re For: Anybody can use this speaker and appreciate it, and I imagine it performs will for backyard barbecues or dorm room raves. However, it’s really geared for party situations. The lights, the loudness, the bass-heavy tunes and its ‘Live Sound’ mode are really for people listening to music together. Also, you have to be okay with navigating a separate app to control the speaker’s lights and quirky features. For kids — think high-school or younger — the party features might be interesting.
Watch Out For: Lets get into these quirky features. The Fiestable app lets you control the party features — changing the color of the lights, DJ scratches and customize noise effects and using motion control with your phone (you can shake your phone and a cowbell will ring on the speaker, for instance) — and it all works well, to be honest. However, many of these features make the speaker feel pretty gimmicky, like a child’s toy. There’s also ‘Party Booster’ feature you can access through a second app, Sony’s Music Center, that enables you to hit in specific places on the speaker, and like a Bop It, certain percussion or drum noises will play. It’s hilarious, but in a ‘who the heck is going to use this feature kind of way.’ Again, maybe kids will like it. The other thing is the speaker’s ‘Live Sound’ mode isn’t very good for anything else than EDM and party tunes. A lot of the midrange audio, which encompasses important instrumentals and vocals, feel muted — it’s just not great for normal listening conditions. I left ‘Live Sound’ off for the majority of the testing period.
Alternatives: If you’re looking for 360-degree sound and not a front-facing portable Bluetooth speaker, I’d suggest the UE’s Megaboom ($250) or Bose’s SoundLink Revolve+ ($300). Neither has bright LED lights like the Sony SRS-XB41, too. On the flip side, you can get last year’s Sony SRS-XB40 speaker ($178), which costs less and comes with many of the same features.
