Sony's newest Extra Bass wireless speakers can get any party started

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Sony's newest Extra Bass wireless speakers can get any party started
The ultra-high-end Xperia XZ3 smartphone is without a doubt (and to no one’s surprise) Sony’s star IFA 2018 attraction, but the Tokyo-based consumer electronics giant also has some other stuff to showcase in Berlin between August 31 and September 5.

Most notably, the company’s popular line of Extra Bass audio accessories is getting a couple of new additions in the convolutedly named SRS-XB501G and SRS-XB01 wireless speakers.

The former is essentially a portable and fairly powerful Google Home smart speaker, supporting Google Assistant voice commands for everything from music controls, weather and traffic info to easy management of other smart home devices. 

Weighing in at a robust 6.83 pounds (that’s over 3 kilograms), the Sony SRS-XB501G Extra Bass is made (relatively) easy to carry around with built-in handles. Guaranteed to withstand water splashes and even (light) rain, the smoothly rounded speaker can also get its party mode on with fun lighting effects synchronized to your favourite beats.

As its $299.99 price tag suggests, this is a fully-featured device with both Bluetooth and NFC connectivity in tow, a whopping 16 hours of battery life, extra-powerful bass (duh), a nifty Live Sound mode delivering a 3D sound experience worthy of an actual concert venue, and a USB Type-C port that you can even use to charge your smartphone from the speaker. 


Meanwhile, the $34.99 Sony SRS-XB01 Extra Bass obviously doesn’t offer much in terms of “smarts”, nonetheless shining in the value for money department. That’s because you get a decent 6 hours of battery life here, an exceptionally lightweight design (5.65 ounces), four playful color options, matching straps, a built-in microphone for hands-free calling, and yes, IPX5 water resistance. 

That only means you’re protected against sprays and spills, mind you, so you’ll definitely want to keep this little guy as far away from the pool as possible. There’s also no NFC support and, naturally, no Google Assistant integration, but Sony is promising “big sound while on-the-go.” At 35 bucks, even moderate sound will do.

Both the SRS-XB501G and SRS-XB01 are headed for “authorized Sony dealers” including Best Buy and Amazon sometime in October.


source: PR Newswire
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