The Sony SRS-XV500 is a wireless party speaker with built-in RGB lights and an advertised 25 hours of continuous battery life. As if that's not enough to keep the party going all night, it also features two instrument inputs so you can plug in a mic or even a guitar, as well as karaoke-centric controls like key transposition, echo, and volume knobs for each input. It promises a loud, room-filling sound with robust EQ customization options and a MEGA BASS button if you need to crank the bass up to the next level.
Our Verdict
The Sony XV500 is decent for music. With the MEGA BASS feature enabled, it has a bass-heavy sound that brings plenty of boom and rumble to kicks and low bass lines. It does a solid job of reproducing mid and treble frequencies, too, so vocals and lead instruments reproduce clearly and accurately. That said, there are plenty of options to adjust the sound, with a 3-band EQ and presets available via the companion app. This speaker can get loud enough to fill up reasonably large rooms, too, though there's some noticeable compression at max volume. However, its directivity isn't the best, so the sound won't be consistent across all angles. It's worth noting that this speaker excels for karaoke use, though, due to features like dedicated mic inputs and channel mixing, as well as a key transposition function.
- Dedicated karaoke and live performance controls.
- Decently well-built and IPX4 certified.
- Poor directivity.
- Some compression present at max volume.
The Sony XV500 is okay for videos and movies. It's loud enough to fill your living room with sound, and its bass-heavy sound lends plenty of excitement to cinematic sequences in movies. It also has low audiovisual synchronization error with Android devices, which is even lower with iOS devices. As a result, you won't experience many lip-synching errors between your audio and video. Unfortunately, its poor directivity means that audio delivery will vary according to where you're positioned relative to the speaker. If you choose to crank the volume, you'll also hear a fair amount of compression and pumping artifacts.
- Decently well-built and IPX4 certified.
- Low AV synchronization error over Bluetooth.
- Poor directivity.
- Some compression present at max volume.
The Sony XV500 is satisfactory for podcasts. It can get pretty loud, though, and although there's some compression at max volume, it's mainly concentrated in the bass range, which is unlikely to affect podcast audio. Even with the MEGA BASS feature enabled, it does a good job reproducing mid and high frequencies, making speech clear and detailed. While it's slightly heavy, the attached carrying handles make it easy to carry from room to room, so you can bring your favorite podcasts with you. Unfortunately, its directivity is poor, so audio won't sound consistent across all listening angles.
- Long continuous battery life.
- Decently well-built and IPX4 certified.
- Poor directivity.
- Some compression present at max volume.
The Sony XV500 has no voice assistant capabilities.
The Sony XV500 is decent for outdoor use. It's reasonably well-built, with an IPX4 rating that helps protect it against water splashes. It has a bass-heavy sound profile that's well suited for your next outdoor party, and it has a long battery life so you can keep cranking out the tunes all night. It's also portable enough to be a mobile party solution and gets loud enough for most occasions, though there's some noticeable bass-range compression when you approach max volume. It's let down by its poor directivity, so audio won't sound the same across all listening angles.
- Long continuous battery life.
- Decently well-built and IPX4 certified.
- Poor directivity.
- Some compression present at max volume.
Changelog
- Updated Jun 07, 2024: We've added a comparison between this speaker and the JBL PartyBox Club 120 in Frequency Response Accuracy.
- Updated Apr 17, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Apr 10, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 19, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony XV500 comes in one color variant: Black. You can see our unit's label here. If you encounter another variant of this speaker, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Sony XV500 is a wireless, battery-powered party speaker with a customizable sound and RGB lighting. It's a continuation of the previous party speakers released by this brand, including the Sony SRS-XP500 and the Sony SRS-XP700. It has a similar feature set to the XP500, and the two perform similarly for most usages, but the XV500 has notably lower audiovisual synchronization error. Those who need even more volume, with less compression at max volume, will want to look into the more powerful Sony SRS-XP700. That said, around the Sony XV500's price point, the popular JBL PartyBox 310 still delivers the loudest, cleanest sound, although it performs very similarly in other respects.
Check out our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers for parties, the best Bluetooth speakers for bass, and the best outdoor speakers.
The Sony SRS-XV500 and the JBL PartyBox Club 120 are both similarly sized party speakers. That said, the JBL is better in quite a few areas. It has a more balanced sound profile, with better low-frequency extension, and it has better directivity. While both speakers can get equally as loud, there's less compression at max volume with the JBL. As a result, the JBL is a better fit for getting a dance floor going at your next party. However, the Sony model does have some strengths that you might find appealing. It has a longer continuous battery life, although it lacks the JBL's swappable battery. It also has significantly lower Audiovisual synchronization errors with Android and iOS devices, so it's better suited for users who will use it to watch movies and videos.
The Sony SRS-XV500 and the JBL PartyBox 310 are both portable party speakers with built-in RGB lights. They boast very similar feature sets, with mic inputs and karaoke-specific controls, like echo. The Sony features a key transposition function, giving it a slight edge for karaoke. However, the JBL has a more balanced sound profile, and it can get louder, with less compression present as you approach max volume. It also has a slightly longer battery life, which may be useful if you plan on throwing an all-night rager.
The Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM and the Sony SRS-XV500 are both portable Bluetooth speakers with a room-filling sound. The Ultimate Ears is smaller and lighter but lacks RGB lighting as it's not as party-oriented as the Sony. Beyond this, both speakers are decently well-built, feature Bluetooth multi-device connectivity, and have sound profiles that are customizable via the graphic EQ and presets in their respective companion apps. Despite its smaller size, the Ultimate Ears can get louder with less compression present at max volume, and it has better directivity, so audio sounds more consistent from different angles. If you're okay with lugging around a heavier speaker, the Sony features a more prominent bass response when using its MEGA BASS feature.
The Sony SRS-XP500 and the Sony SRS-XV500 are extremely similar portable speakers. They're both decently well-built, have balanced sound profiles, and can get similarly loud, although there's less compression at max volume for the XP500. They also have similar continuous battery life lengths and even share the same companion app. The XV500 has lower AV synchronization error with both iOS and Android devices, so it's a better choice for watching video content.
Test Results
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