The Sony GTK-XB72 is a large Bluetooth speaker with customizable RGB lights that can get pretty loud, making it suitable for parties. This speaker can be placed horizontally or vertically and has two built-in handles to help with transporting it, though it may be heavy for some users. It has a built-in telescopic antenna for its radio capabilities, and its Sony Music Center app features a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak the speaker's sound to your liking. The app features shortcuts to music service apps like Spotify and the Sony's Fiestable app, which you can use to control the speaker's extra party features. Unfortunately, it struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble in low-bass, and it isn't very portable since it isn't battery-powered.
Our Verdict
The Sony GTK-XB72 is decent for music. With its default settings enabled, it has a balanced mid-range that ensures vocals and lead instruments remain clear and present in the mix. However, the underemphasis in the treble range can make higher-pitched vocals and instruments sound dull and veiled. It also lacks some low bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. That said, there's a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. It can also get pretty loud, making it suitable to use at parties. Unfortunately, there's some compression at the max volume that can affect the clarity of your audio during louder listening sessions.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Can be paired to two devices at once.
- ClearAudio+.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
- Lacking low-bass.
- Terrible portability.
The Sony GTK-XB72 is passable for watching videos and movies. It lacks some low bass, making it difficult to feel the thump and rumble in action-packed scenes. However, there's a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking, and its ClearAudio+ feature adjusts the speaker's sound according to your chosen audio. It also has low latency with iOS and Android devices over Bluetooth, though some apps compensate for latency differently, and your real-world experience may vary.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Low latency with iOS and Android devices.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
- Lacking low-bass.
The Sony GTK-XB72 is mediocre for podcasts. It has a somewhat balanced mid-range, making it suitable for listening to dialogue-centric content like podcasts and audiobooks, though higher frequencies may sound a bit veiled. However, it isn't very portable, and there are compression artifacts present at max volume, so your audio doesn't sound as clear and clean at louder volumes. That said, you can connect it to two devices at once, which can be helpful when you need to switch between audio sources.
- Can get loud.
- Can be paired to two devices at once.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
- Terrible portability.
The Sony XB72 is poor for voice assistants. It uses your smartphone's assistant, but during our tests, it struggled to recognize recorded voice commands even without much ambient noise. It did recognize commands from a normal speaking voice, but this isn't part of our testing methodology.
- Can get loud.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
- Poor voice assistant performance.
The Sony XB72 isn't suitable for outdoor use due to its wired-only design.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony GTK-XB72 comes in one color variant, 'Black'. You can find the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across other variants of this speaker, let us know in the discussions below, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Sony GTK-XB72 is a large speaker that can get pretty loud, making it suitable to use at parties. It has customizable RGB lights, and its companion app comes with a 7-band graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking, unlike the JBL PartyBox 310. It also comes with a ClearAudio+ feature that automatically adjusts the speaker's sound according to your audio when it's enabled. Unfortunately, it struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble that fans of bass-heavy music tend to enjoy. It also isn't very portable due to its weight, size, and the fact that it needs to remain connected to a power source for it to work.
Check out our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers for bass, and the best waterproof speakers.
The Sony GTK-XB72 is a better overall speaker than the Sony SRS-XB43. The GTK-XB72 can get louder than the SRS-XB43 and has much better directivity, resulting in a wider and more natural-sounding soundstage. That said, the SRS-XB43 is better built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance that certifies it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It's also smaller and more portable than the GTK-XB72, so you can easily take it outdoors with you.
The Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM is a better speaker than the Sony GTK-XB72 overall. It has a better-balanced sound profile and can get as loud as the Sony with fewer compression artifacts at max volume, resulting in a cleaner sound at louder volume settings. It's also more portable thanks to its battery life that can last over 23 hours from a single charge, though this can depend on your usage habits. That said, the Sony has a ClearAudio+ feature which automatically adjusts the speakers' sound to your audio when enabled. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't great.
The Sony GTK-XB72 is a better overall speaker than the JBL Xtreme 3, though they have different strengths. The Sony is a large party speaker that can get louder than the JBL and can produce a slightly more extended low-bass. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good. However, the JBL is better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, certifying it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water. It's also smaller and battery-powered, making it more portable than the Sony.
The Sony GTK-XB72 is a slightly better speaker than the SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3), though they have different strengths. The Sony offers a more immersive soundstage and has fewer compression artifacts present at max volume. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good. The SOUNDBOKS can get much louder and is more portable than the Sony. It also has a long-lasting battery life of over 40 hours, though this can depend on your usage.
Test Results
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