The Sony SRS-XP700 is a large party speaker with customizable RGB lights, and it can get pretty loud. With its 'MEGA BASS' feature enabled, it has a boomy sound profile that you can customize using the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. This decently-built speaker is rated IPX4 for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. While its material quality is good overall, it isn't rated for dust and impact resistance, and we don't currently test for this. Much like other Sony speakers we've tested, it's also compatible with the Fiestable app, which you can use to control the speaker's extra party features. It also features a mic input and a mic/guitar input which can come in handy when connecting the speaker to external microphones or a guitar. Unfortunately, though the Sony XP700 can get quite loud, there's some compression present at max volume that can affect the clarity of your audio during loud listening sessions.
Our Verdict
The Sony XP700 is decent for music. While it has a boomy sound profile with its 'MEGA BASS' feature enabled, it struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble in low-bass. Its overemphasized mid-range can make some vocals and instruments sound a bit honky and harsh, and its slightly underemphasized treble can make higher-pitched voices and instruments sound somewhat dull. Fortunately, its companion app comes with presets and a graphic EQ, meaning you can customize its sound to your liking. The Sony XP700 can also get pretty loud, though there's some compression at max volume, which may affect the clarity of your audio.
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Graphic EQ and presets.
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Can get loud.
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Compression present at max volume.
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Lacks some low-bass.
The Sony XP700 isn't bad for videos and movies. It has low latency with iOS and Android devices, making it suitable for watching videos and movies. That said, apps compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary. While it has a boomy sound profile with its 'MEGA BASS' feature enabled, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble often present in action-packed scenes. That said, there's a graphic EQ and presets featured on its companion app that you can use to customize its sound to your liking. It can also get quite loud, though there's some compression at max volume.
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Graphic EQ and presets.
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Low latency with iOS and Android devices.
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Can get loud.
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Compression present at max volume.
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Mediocre directivity.
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Lacks some low-bass.
The Sony XP700 is alright for podcasts. It can get pretty loud, and vocal-centric audio sounds clear and present in the mix, though it can sound somewhat honky and harsh at times. Fortunately, there's a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound. Also, its directivity isn't bad, so you can hear your audio clearly from most angles, though its soundstage can be perceived as narrow and directional. It can also be paired to up to two devices at once, which is helpful when you need to switch between audio sources. Unfortunately, due to its weight and size, it isn't very portable. There are also some compression artifacts at max volume, so your audio doesn't sound as clean at louder volumes.
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Graphic EQ and presets.
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Can get loud.
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Compression present at max volume.
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Mediocre directivity.
The speaker doesn't support voice assistants.
The Sony XP700 is good for outdoor use. This speaker is battery-powered, so you can take it outdoors with you without needing to plug it into a power source for it to work. It's decently well-built with an IPX4 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. While it has a boomy sound profile, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the thump and rumble in bass-heavy music like hip-hop or EDM. Thankfully, there's a graphic EQ and presets, meaning you can adjust its sound to better suit your preferences. Also, the Sony XP700 can get pretty loud, making it suitable to use at large outdoor parties. That said, there's some compression at max volume that can affect the clarity of your audio during louder listening sessions.
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Graphic EQ and presets.
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Can get loud.
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IPX4 rating for water resistance.
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Compression present at max volume.
- 7.0 Music
- 6.4 Videos/Movies
- 7.0 Podcasts
- 2.9 Voice Assistant
- 7.6 Outdoors
- Updated Aug 21, 2023: Updated the Portability picture for greater clarity and consistency between reviews.
- Updated Dec 08, 2022: Added a market comparison with the Sony SRS-XP500 in the Portability box.
- Updated Dec 06, 2022: Updated the product name to the Sony SRS-XP700.
- Updated Dec 05, 2022: Updated the Bluetooth version from Unspecified to 5.0.
- Updated Jul 20, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jul 15, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Jun 29, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jun 23, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jun 15, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony XP700 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, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Speakers
The Sony XP700 is a large, portable party speaker that can get pretty loud. Much like other party speakers we've tested from Sony, it comes with the Sony Music Center companion app that features a graphic EQ and presets you can use to tweak its sound to your liking, and you can also use the app to customize its RGB lights. Also, it's compatible with the Fiestable app, which you can use to access and control the speaker's extra party features, and it comes with ClearAudio+, which adjusts the speaker's sound according to your audio when enabled.
See our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers for bass, and the best waterproof speakers.
The JBL PartyBox 310 is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XP700 overall. The JBL has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce deeper bass than the Sony. It can also get louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in a cleaner sound during loud listening sessions. It also has built-in wheels and a telescopic handle to help transport it.
You may prefer either the Sony SRS-XP700 or the JBL PartyBox 110, depending on your listening habits. With its 'Bass Boost' feature set to '1', the JBL has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass than the Sony. It's also smaller and lighter, making it more portable. That said, the Sony is compatible with Sony's Fiestable app, which you can use to access and control extra party features of this speaker.
The JBL PartyBox 710 and the Sony SRS-XP700 have different strengths. The JBL can get louder and has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low bass, meaning you can feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music. While it comes with wheels to help transport it, it needs to remain plugged into an outlet to work. That said, the Sony is smaller, lighter, and battery-powered, making it more portable than the JBL.
The Sony SRS-XP700 is a larger alternative to the Sony SRS-XP500. Both models are very similar, and they look alike as well. However, the XP700 is bigger and heavier. It gets louder, which is a nice touch. That said, the XP500 still gets plenty loud for most uses, so some users may find it's a better value overall.
You may prefer either the JBL PartyBox 300 or the Sony SRS-XP700 depending on your listening habits. The JBL can get louder with significantly less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. It also has a more neutral sound profile than that of the Sony out-of-the-box. That said, the Sony can produce a more extended low-bass, and you can tweak its sound to your liking thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. It's also rated IPX4 for water resistance, so it's certified to be protected from small splashes of water.
The JBL PartyBox 100 is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XP700 overall. The JBL offers a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box and can get louder than the Sony with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. It also has a slightly wider-sounding soundstage. That said, the Sony is more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets available on its companion app. It's also better-built, with an IPX4 rating for water resistance, though we don't test for this.
The Sony SRS-XP700 is effectively the Sony SRS-XV500's louder, less portable cousin. Both speakers have a similar build quality and feature RGB lighting and a powerful, bass-heavy sound that's well-suited for parties and outdoor gatherings. The XP700 gets louder, with less compression at max volume. It also has better directivity, so audio will sound more consistent across all angles. However, these audio improvements come at the cost of a much heavier design that's tougher to move around, even when using the built-in carrying handles.
The Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XP700 overall. The Ultimate Ears has significantly less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio during louder listening sessions. It's also smaller, more portable, and offers a more open-sounding soundstage than the Sony. Also, it can last up to almost 24 hours from a single charge, though this can depend on your usage, and your experience may differ. The Sony features customizable RGB lights and mic and mic/guitar inputs, making it suitable for parties.
The Sony SRS-XP700 is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Boombox 2 overall, though you may prefer one over the other depending on your preferences and listening habits. The Sony is a large party speaker with customizable RGB lights and it can get somewhat louder than the JBL. It comes with inputs you can use to wire an external mic and guitar to the speaker. That said, the JBL is smaller, more portable, and offers a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box. This well-built speaker also offers a longer battery life of almost 24 hours from a single charge, though this can depend on your usage.
The Sony SRS-XP700 is a somewhat better speaker than the Sony GTK-XB90 overall. The SRS-XP700 has a better-balanced sound profile and can get slightly louder than the GTK-XB90, with slightly less compression at max volume. It's better built, with an IPX4 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. It can also last almost 17 hours from a single charge, though this depends on your usage. That said, the GTK-XB90 has better directivity, resulting in a more open-sounding soundstage.
The Sony SRS-XP700 is a slightly better speaker than the Sony GTK-XB72. The SRS-XP700 is battery-powered and is more portable than the GTK-XB72 since you don't have to look for a power outlet to connect it to when it's fully charged. It can produce deeper bass, gets slightly louder, and has lower latency with iOS and Android devices. That said, some apps compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary. That said, the GTK-XB72 offers a wider-sounding soundstage and supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3) or the Sony SRS-XP700. The SOUNDBOKS can produce much deeper bass than the Sony and get significantly louder. It can also last over 43 hours from a single charge, though this depends on your usage. That said, the Sony can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and has better directivity, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage. It has significantly fewer compression artifacts present at max volume, so your audio sounds cleaner at louder volume settings. It also has RGB light, which you can customize in its companion app.
The Sony SRS-XP700 is a slightly better speaker than the ION Pathfinder 280. With 'MEGA BASS' enabled, the Sony can produce a more extended low-bass than the ION. It can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which is more immersive. It also features mic and guitar inputs. That said, the ION is smaller and more portable thanks to its telescopic handle and wheels. It can get a bit louder with less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. It also has a longer-lasting battery life of up to 68 hours, though this can vary depending on your usage.
The Sony SRS-XP700 is a better speaker than the Monster Rockin' Roller 270X overall, though they have different strengths. The Sony can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive-sounding soundstage. It comes with customizable RGB lights and is compatible with Sony's Fiestable app, which lets you access extra party features of the speaker. However, the Monster is smaller and comes with a telescopic handle and wheels to help transport it, making it much more portable. It also features radio capabilities and has longer-lasting battery life.
Test Results
The Sony SRS-XP700 is a large party speaker designed for both either horizontal or vertical placement. It has built-in handles on its sides to help with transporting it and has customizable RGB lights underneath each handle that also reflect off the speaker's body.
The Sony SRS-XP700 isn't very portable. It's battery-powered, so you can take it outdoors with you without needing to connect it to a power source, and it has two built-in handles to help with carrying it. That said, it's quite large and bulky, and though you can carry it with one hand, some users may find it too heavy. If you want a similar speaker with a smaller design, check out the Sony SRS-XP500.
The speaker has a decent build quality, and it's solid plastic with a matte finish. While its material quality is good overall, it isn't rated for dust and impact resistance, and the manufacturer warns against placing the speaker in places that may expose it to a lot of dust. That said, it's rated IPX4 for water resistance, though we don't test for this. It has metal grilles protecting the drivers on its front and top of the speaker near its rear and two built-in handles on either side of it to help with transporting it. There are RGB lights underneath each handle which you can customize on its companion app. There's also a horizontal groove atop the speaker for placing devices like your mobile phone or tablet and a port cover on its rear protecting its inputs and controls that's easy to open and close. There are rubber feet on two of its sides, so you can place the speaker horizontally or vertically.
It has a decent selection of controls similar to the Sony SRS-XG500. Its buttons are texturized and are easy to use. The power, Bluetooth, play/pause, volume, and 'MEGA BASS' preset buttons are on its top. The speaker emits audible feedback to inform you of when it's in pairing mode and flashes its Bluetooth indicator light quickly. You can double-press the play/pause button to skip to your next track and triple-press it to backtrack. Also, the power button's indicator light flashes as you adjust the speaker's volume and flashes three times once you reach its minimum or maximum volume. You can enable the speaker's 'Stamina' mode by pressing and holding the 'MEGA BASS' button or by enabling it in its companion app. This will cause its indicator light to turn orange.
On the rear of the speaker, there's a Party Connect button you can use to connect the Sony to other compatible speakers. Pressing the 'Battery' button informs you of the speaker's battery level, and you can press the 'Light' button to turn on its RGB lights. There are also two inputs you can use to connect microphones or a guitar to the speaker, each with its own volume knob. If you want to connect a guitar, you can press the 'Guitar' button to enable the speaker's guitar mode.
Its frequency response accuracy is alright. It has a boomy sound profile that adds some extra bass to the mix, though some users may find this overwhelming. Unlike the JBL PartyBox 710, it also struggles to reproduce some low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music. The overemphasis in the mid-range can make some vocals and instruments sound a bit honky and harsh at times, while higher-pitched vocals and instruments may sound slightly dull and veiled. Thankfully, there's a graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app that you can use to customize its sound to your liking.
Note: Our sound tests were conducted with the speaker placed vertically, and its 'MEGA BASS' preset enabled. Enabling its 'MEGA BASS' preset automatically enables Sony's ClearAudio+ feature, the recommended sound setting for music listening.
This speaker can play stereo content when positioned vertically or horizontally and has a built-in sensor that automatically senses the speaker's orientation. That said, it has mediocre directivity, resulting in a soundstage that can be perceived as narrow and directional.
It can get pretty loud, making it suitable to use at large parties. However, there's some compression present at max volume that can affect the clarity of your audio during louder listening sessions.
While it's advertised to last around 25 hours from a single charge, it lasted just under 17 hours in our tests, which is still great. That said, battery life can depend on your usage habits and chosen settings, and your real-world experience may differ. The manufacturer also advertises that charging the speaker for ten minutes should help it last around three hours, though we didn't test this. There's also a 'Battery Care' mode you can enable in its companion app to protect its battery, though this may also result in shorter playback time, and we don't test for this feature.
There's a power-saving feature which shuts the speaker off following 15 minutes of inactivity, and a 'Stamina' mode you can enable that's advertised to suppress the speaker's power consumption, though we didn't test this. You can enable and disable both of these features in its companion app.
The Sony Music Center app is very good. There are EQ presets and a graphic EQ you can use to adjust the speaker's sound to your liking, and there's also a 'Live Sound' feature you can enable to make your audio sound like it would at a live event, though we didn't test this. You can use the app to pair the Sony XP700 to another compatible speaker to create a stereo pair or multiple other speakers when you want your sound to fill a large room without bumping up the volume. If you have a USB key plugged into the speaker, you can also access and select its audio in the Sony Music Center app via its USB function. Also, the app features shortcuts to other applications like Spotify and the Fiestable app, which you can use to access and control the speaker's extra party features.
The speaker has multiple inputs. There's an AUX port you can use to wire older devices to the speaker. There's also a mic input and a mic/guitar input you can use when you want to connect it to external microphones or a guitar. There are two USB-A charging ports you can use to charge your devices, and you can also use one of these ports to play your audio from a USB key.
Note: While the Sony XP700 doesn't support USB Audio, it supports USB key playback with compatible mp3, WMA, and WAV audio formats.
It can be paired to up to two devices at once, which can come in handy when you need to switch between audio sources. It also has low latency with iOS and Android devices, making it suitable for watching movies and videos. That said, some apps compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary.