The Sony SRS-XE200 is a small, portable Bluetooth speaker with a unique pentagonal design. This well-built speaker has a removable carrying strap that makes it easy to bring your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks wherever you go. Like other Sony speakers we've tested, it comes with Sony's ClearAudio+, which the manufacturer advertises to detect your audio and adjust the speaker's sound field according to what you're listening to. This versatile speaker is also compatible with Siri and Google Assistant via your paired smartphone, which is handy if you like to rely on voice assistants. It comes in four colors, so you can choose one that fits your style.
Our Verdict
The Sony SRS-XE200 isn't bad for music. With its default ClearAudio+ feature enabled, it has a very boomy sound profile that adds boom and punch to the bass. Like other speakers its size, it lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. The underemphasis in the treble range also causes higher-pitched vocals and instruments to sound veiled. Fortunately, you can tweak its sound profile thanks to the graphic EQ featured in its companion app. While this doesn't bring the bass up to a thump and rumble, it still gives you some control over its sound. Unfortunately, it doesn't get very loud, and there's a lot of compression at max volume that degrades the quality of your audio when the volume is maxed out.
- Graphic EQ.
- 14.5-hour battery.
- Multi-device paring.
- Lots of compression present at max volume.
- Narrow-sounding soundstage.
The Sony SRS-XE200 is middling for watching videos and movies. It has low Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices. It means that the audio you hear remains mostly in sync with the visuals you see on the screen, though some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may vary. It also plays stereo content without downmixing it to mono, so you can hear sound effects like cars and footsteps moving from one side of the speaker to the other. However, due to the speaker's small size, it doesn't feel as immersive as larger, movie-oriented speakers. It also doesn't get very loud and lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in action-packed scenes. You can customize its sound profile to your liking, thanks to the graphic EQ featured in its companion app.
- Low Bluetooth latency.
- Graphic EQ.
- Doesn't get very loud.
- Lots of compression present at max volume.
- Narrow-sounding soundstage.
The Sony SRS-XE200 is alright for podcasts. It's incredibly portable, so you can bring your podcasts and audiobooks with you from room to room. You can pair it to two devices at once, so you can easily switch between audio sources. Like most speakers its size, it doesn't get incredibly loud. Still, it's loud enough to fill smaller, uncrowded areas like your bedroom or office. Unfortunately, there's a lot of compression present at max volume that degrades the quality of your audio when the volume is maxed out. Voices and dialogue also sound dull and veiled at times. You can customize its sound profile to your liking, thanks to the graphic EQ featured in its companion app.
- Incredibly portable.
- Graphic EQ.
- Lots of compression present at max volume.
- Narrow-sounding soundstage.
The Sony SRS-XE200 is middling with voice assistants. Since the speaker doesn't have built-in voice assistants, it uses the voice assistant from your paired smartphone. It does an excellent job registering your commands from far away and in noisier settings. However, you can't activate it with your voice and need to press and hold the play/pause button instead. The Sony XE200 also has disappointing directivity. Since it only projects audio from one main direction, your assistant doesn't sound quite as clear when listening from different angles, like when listening from behind the speaker. There's also lots of compression present at max volume that affects the clarity of your assistant's voice at louder volumes.
- Excellent ambient noise and far-field performances.
- Lots of compression present at max volume.
- Narrow-sounding soundstage.
The Sony SRS-XE200 is good for outdoor use. It's incredibly portable, and there's a removable carrying strap to help you bring it when you're out and about. It's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes, so you don't have to worry about it getting dusty or wet when bringing it outdoors with you. The manufacturer also advertises that it can withstand some bumps, drops, and scrapes, though there's no official IK rating for impact resistance. Its long-lasting battery life of over 14 hours also makes it great for long listening sessions spent outside. That said, like most speakers its size, it doesn't get incredibly loud, so it can't fill a large outdoor space with sound.
- Incredibly portable.
- Graphic EQ.
- 14.5-hour battery.
- IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.
- Multi-device paring.
- Doesn't get very loud.
- Lots of compression present at max volume.
- Narrow-sounding soundstage.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 19, 2022: Added a comparison with the Sony SRS-XE300 in the 'Style', 'Frequency Response Accuracy', and 'Compared To Other Speakers' boxes.
- Updated Aug 18, 2022: Changed the test result for 'Microphone On/Off' from 'Yes' to 'Yes (Physical)' in the Controls box.
- Updated Aug 09, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Aug 03, 2022: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony SRS-XE200 comes in four color variants: Light Gray, Blue, Orange, and Black. They're all expected to perform similarly. This review represents the test results for the Light Gray variant; you can find its label here.
If you come across any other variants of the Sony SRS-XE200, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Sony SRS-XE200 is a smaller version of the Sony SRS-XE300. It has a portable Bluetooth speaker with a unique pentagonal design. Like other Sony speakers we've tested, it has a portable design and is fairly versatile. It comes with Sony's 'ClearAudio+' feature that's advertised to automatically detect your audio content and adjust its sound field to better suit your audio. With this feature enabled, it has a boomy sound profile overall, though it doesn't produce as much low-bass as the larger XE300. It's well-built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes, making it a great outdoor companion. It's also compatible with Siri and Google Assistant via your smartphone. Unlike other Sony speakers we've tested, like the Sony SRS-XB43 and the Sony SRS-XB33, it does an excellent job of registering your commands from far away and in noisy rooms.
See also our recommendations for the best portable Bluetooth speakers, the best outdoor speakers, and the best waterproof speakers.
The JBL Flip 6 is a better speaker for audio quality than the Sony SRS-XE200. The JBL offers a better-balanced sound profile overall, making it great for listening to a wide variety of music genres. It has better directivity, resulting in a wider and more open-sounding soundstage. While it doesn't get as loud as the Sony, it has less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner-sounding audio at louder volume levels. It's also smaller, making it more portable. That said, the Sony is a more versatile speaker overall. It plays stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which is more immersive. It has a longer-lasting battery life of over 14 hours. It supports voice assistants through your smartphone. It also produces a more extended low-bass than the JBL.
The JBL Charge 5 is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XE200, though they perform similarly. The JBL offers a more balanced sound profile out of the box that is suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. It gets a touch louder than the Sony with less compression at max volume, so audio quality sounds cleaner and clearer when you bump up the volume. It also has better directivity, so you'll perceive its soundstage to be more open and spacious than the Sony speaker. The Sony can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone.
The Sony SRS-XE300 is a slightly better speaker than the Sony SRS-XE200 overall. The XE300 offers a more balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass. It gets a bit louder with significantly less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volume levels. It also has a longer-lasting battery life of almost 17 hours from a single charge. That said, the XE200 is a bit smaller and comes with a removable carrying strap, making it more portable and easier to bring along with you on the go. If you already own the XE200, it isn't worth the upgrade. If you can afford to stretch your budget from the get-go, The XE300 performs better overall.
The Sony SRS-XE200 is a better speaker than the Bushnell Wingman overall. The Sony can produce a more extended low-bass than the Bushnell, and comes with a graphic EQ to customize its sound profile to your liking. It supports voice assistants through your smartphone. It's better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. That said, the Bushnell gets louder with a lot less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volume levels. If you like golf, it also offers golf-oriented features. It has a built-in GPS. You can also save your scores and calculate yardages on its companion app.
Test Results
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