Sony SRS-X5 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

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I'm truly impressed with the Sony SRSX5 Portable NFC Bluetooth Wireless Speaker System.  The last Sony speaker system I reviewed, I gave horrible remarks for sound quality, and price.  This one however is a remarkable come-back for Sony.

I am truly impressed by the quality of sound for the price, size, features, and style (when plugged in).  More on that later.  This isn't just a first impression test of the speakers - I actually used it as a replacement for my desktop computer speakers for a good two months, and take it outside to listen to my tunes while working on my car.

At low to medium volume levels (designed for personal listening), the volume was sufficient, the bass was deep and rich, and the mids and highs were more than sufficient.  Turning it up and playing bass heavy tunes is less satsifying however, and kind of weak when not plugged in and running directly off the built-in battery.

What is pretty amazing to me is that at the same price point, the Samsung speaker I reviewed months before that was noticeably not as pleasant sounding where it sounded more 'electronic' than natural.

Anyway, I recommend this portable speaker system wholeheartedly.  

Bose Solo TV Sound System Review and Audio Samples

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Bose® Solo TV Sound System is Bose's answer to horrible sound from your flat screen TV.  Its clean, simple, elegant, and does its job all without making your living room look like a home theatre.  To be clear - this is no substitute for a home theatre system setup, or even a 2.1 system for that matter.  The sound is crisp though and really brings out what is most lacking in flat screen TVs sold now - the speech and center channel sound quality.

Is it worth the $399 price tag?  Hopefully a listen to my sound samples below will help you answer that question.

I did a personal comparison (not recorded) between the sound system and a  Samsung DA-E750 2.1 Channel 100-Watt Dual Audio Dock and the Samsung had deeper bass and richer sound overall.  (But not substantially so.)

Samsung DA-F61 Portable NFC Bluetooth Speaker Review

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First a confession - I expected more out of these speakers given the $250 price and the fact that I have been listening to the awesome Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker this past month.  Not only are the Samsungs physically bigger, they claim 20 watts of power, and APT-X capability (which I did not test) - but they didn't super impress me.

Here's an audio sample:

It sure does look cool and slick though right?  

Pros:

  • Looks really nice
  • Fantastic battery life
  • NFC makes it really easy to pair with NFC capable phones
  • Good sound quality, fairly well balanced (with bass boost off)
  • Vocals sound good
  • Strong bluetooth connection with no dropouts during testing
  • USB charging port for your music player or phone

Cons:

  • The black cover is only for speaker transport - leave it on and you have one cheap sounding speaker
  • No USB charging option, in a portable speaker
  • Manual says you should should not keep it plugged into the charger, it will shorten battery life
  • Sounds somewhat muddy compared to Big Jambox; missing some detail playing rock music
  • Lacks lower level bass that Bose Soundlink Mini seems to boom out of nowhere
  • Should be priced around $179.99 retail

Overall I give this speaker a 7 out of 10.

So here are my rankings given portable bluetooth speakers of this class/size:

  1. Jawbone BIG JAMBOX (Better sound, speakerphone, louder)
  2. Sony SRS-BTX500 (40 watts of power)
  3. Samsung DA-F60 
  4. Sony SRS-BTX300 (less clarity)

If you want portability, get the Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker.

 

 

Sony X Series SRS-BTX500 Bluetooth Speaker Review

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Sony SRS-BTX500 Premium 2.1 Channel Bluetooth Wireless Speaker, 40 W Output Power, NFC Technology, USB Charging Port, Built-in Rechargeable Battery

Sony SRS-BTX500 Premium 2.1 Channel Bluetooth Wireless Speaker, 40 W Output Power, NFC Technology, USB Charging Port, Built-in Rechargeable Battery

PowerPod 360 Vibration Speaker

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Panasonic RR-US591 Recorder Review

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(re-uploaded 2014 March)

Jawbone Icon Review with sound samples

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Logitech Squeezebox Radio Review

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Save on Dented Box and Refurbished items at Logitech.com

Logitech Squeezebox Radio Network Audio Player 930-000101

Logitech Squeezebox Radio Network Audio Player 930-000101

Internet Radio: Yes Built-In Speaker: 0.75-inch high-definition, soft-dome tweeter and 3-inch high-power, long-throw woofer Headphone Jack: 3.5mm Features: - Audio formats MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, HE-AACv2, Apple Lossless Other formats supported through transcoding Some formats may require additional software installation - Internet radio Support for MP3, Ogg Vorbis, HE-AACv2 and WMA formatted Internet radio streams - Wireless interface Built-in 802.11g (802.11n and 802.11b compatible) wireless One-touch Clock Function: Alarm clock with 7 days of settings Display: 6.1-cm (2.4-inch) 24-bit colour LCD Dimensions: 13 cm (5.12 inches) x 22 cm (8.66 inches) x 8.5 cm (5.04 inches) Labor: 2 years limited

 @ Newegg.com


Squeezebox Radio - Black @ Macmall

 

Squeezebox™ Radio Accessory Pack

Squeezebox™ Radio Accessory Pack

Take your music from room to room. Control your music from across the room.

 from Logitech

Blue Yeti Microphone Unboxing & Review

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