The Sony GTK-XB90 is a large, portable party speaker with customizable RGB lights. With its Extra Bass feature turned on, it has a boomy sound profile that adds punch to your audio, though it can struggle to reproduce higher-frequency sounds due to its underemphasized treble. Fortunately, there's a graphic EQ and presets so you can customize its sound. It also comes with ClearAudio+ that adjusts the speaker's sound according to the audio you're listening to. Unlike the Sony GTK-XB72, it's battery-powered, so you can take it outdoors with you without needing to worry about connecting it to an outlet. There are some compression artifacts at max volume that may affect the clarity of your audio during louder listening sessions. It also isn't rated for water resistance, and we don't test for this.
Our Verdict
The Sony GTK-XB90 is alright for music. While it has a boomy sound profile with its Extra Bass feature enabled, it struggles to reproduce some low-bass, so you can't feel the deep rumble in bass-heavy music. Its balanced mid-range ensures vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix. However, the underemphasis in the treble range can make higher-pitched vocals and instruments sound dull and veiled. Thankfully, you can customize the speaker's sound to your liking using the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. It can also get pretty loud, though there's some compression at max volume that can affect the clarity of your audio at louder volumes.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Can get loud.
- Good soundstage performance.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
- Underemphasized treble range.
- Struggles to reproduce low-bass.
The Sony GTK-XB90 is passable for videos and movies. This speaker has low Bluetooth latency with Android and iOS devices, making it suitable for watching movies and videos, though some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may vary. Its directivity is also alright, resulting in a more open-sounding soundstage. That said, there are some compression artifacts at max volume, so your audio may not sound as clean during louder listening sessions.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Low Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android.
- Good soundstage performance.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
- Underemphasized treble range.
- Struggles to reproduce low-bass.
The Sony XB90 is decent for podcasts. Its balanced mid-range ensures voices reproduce clearly, making it suitable for dialogue-centric audio content like audiobooks and podcasts. However, the underemphasized treble range can make higher-pitched voices sound dark. It also isn't very portable due to its weight and large design.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Can get loud.
- Can be paired to up to three devices.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
- Underemphasized treble range.
- Not very portable.
The Sony XB90 is poor for voice assistants. It doesn't have any voice assistants built-in and uses those featured on your smartphone. While it struggled to understand our recorded commands during our tests, it's important to note that it could register commands from a normal speaking voice, though this isn't part of our testing methodology. That said, its directivity is alright, so you can clearly hear your assistants from most angles.
- Can get loud.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
- Bad far-field and ambient noise performances.
The Sony XB90 is good for outdoor use. This speaker has outstanding battery life that can last over 15 hours from a single charge, so you can take it outdoors with you without needing to connect it to a power source. It can also get loud, making it suitable to use at parties. Unfortunately, there's some compression at max volume, so your audio may not sound as clean at louder volumes. The Sony GTK-XB90 also isn't rated for water resistance, and we don't currently test for this.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Can get loud.
- Good soundstage performance.
- Not very portable.
- Isn't water resistant.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This speaker comes in only one color, Black, and you can find the label for the model we tested here.
Let us know in the discussions if you come across any other variants, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Sony XB90 is a large party speaker that, like most Sony speakers we've tested, comes with ClearAudio+, which adjusts the speaker's sound according to your audio when enabled. This speaker is more portable than the Sony GTK-XB72 since it's battery-powered, though it doesn't have any radio capabilities. Its Sony Music Center companion app also features a graphic EQ and EQ presets you can use to customize its sound to your liking, unlike the JBL PartyBox 310.
Check out our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers for bass, and the best waterproof speakers.
The Sony GTK-XB90 is a slightly better speaker than the JBL PartyBox 300, though they have different strengths. The Sony is more customizable than the JBL, thanks to the graphic EQ and presets available on its companion apps. It also has a more natural-sounding soundstage and can be paired to three devices at once, so you can easily switch between your audio sources. That said, the JBL has a better-balanced sound profile and can get louder than the Sony with less compression at max volume.
The JBL PartyBox 310 is a better speaker than the Sony GTK-XB90. The JBL has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a deeper low bass than the Sony. It can also get louder with fewer compression artifacts at max volume and has an IPX4 rating for water resistance that certifies it to withstand small water splashes. However, the Sony supports voice assistants through your smartphone and offers a wider-sounding soundstage than the JBL.
The Sony GTK-XB72 and the Sony GTK-XB90 are similarly-performing speakers with different strengths. Unlike the GTK-XB90, the GTK-XB72 comes with a built-in antenna for its radio capabilities, so you can use it to listen to your favorite radio channels. That said, the GTK-XB90 is more portable since it's battery-powered and doesn't need to plug into a power source to work.
Depending on your preferences, you may prefer either The Sony GTK-XB90 or the SOUNDBOKS (Gen. 3). The SOUNDBOKS can get much louder and produce deeper bass than the Sony. It can also last over 43 hours from a single charge, though this can depend on your usage. The Sony has fewer compression artifacts present at max volume and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It also has customizable RGB lights and is compatible with the Fiestable app, which allows you to control the speaker's extra party features.
Test Results
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