The landscape of waterproof wireless speakers is dominated by names like JBL and Ultimate Ears (UE), but Sony has been trying to make a dent for a while. The Sony SRS-XE300 is one of the company’s latest attempts with a lot going for it. This simple bluetooth speaker ditches the gimmicks and instead aims to be your new reliable party park walking pool speaker.
The Sony SRS-XE300 is not a speaker you can put in and forget. This Bluetooth speaker uses a directional “Line Shape Diffuser” over two teardrop-shaped dynamic drivers to output sound – it’s the strip of fabric that runs the full length of the device. These work in combination with a pair of passive radiators, one at each end.
The speaker is IP67-rated, meaning it’s both dust and water resistant, with sound coming through fabric-covered strips along the edges of its design. The speaker features rubberized buttons for controlling playback and volume, as well as checking battery life and pairing via Bluetooth. There’s also a microphone array for taking calls.
Speaking of Bluetooth: This uses Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connections and supports the standard codecs SBC and AAC as well as Sony’s “Hi-Res” LDAC. The speaker charges via a USB-C port with a sealed flap, but doesn’t support any wired audio input whatsoever.
The XE300 uses two apps for its functions – Sony Music Center and Fiestable. Sony Music Center is your default audio app – you can change the speaker’s EQ profile, link it to other Sony speakers for stereo pairing or party playback, access your locally stored music, as well as your music libraries in Spotify and YouTube Music. You can also get firmware updates for the Sony SRS-XE300 through the app.
Right from the start, the Sony SRS-XE300 is very easy to use. Pairing with devices is easy with Google Fast Pair and the multipoint works without any issues. The speaker controls have a satisfying click, and they’re placed prominently and uncomplicatedly.
The speaker can also get quite loud, which is enough to fill a room. Like most speakers, it sounds best when it’s pointed at you, but that linear diffuser helps distribute the acoustic output more evenly, so off-axis it doesn’t sound all that bad. There’s a fair amount of low-end inside and out, although it does a pretty good job, things start to fall off once you start going more than a few feet away.
The microphone sounds decent for phone calls, and even when speaking indoors from about 4.5 meters away, voices sound pretty clear. Outside, all bets are off, but you shouldn’t have any trouble taking calls in an office or living room. It’s pretty rare to see a microphone on portable speakers these days, so it’s a nice touch.
