The Sony SRS-XB100 is an update to the company’s portable Bluetooth speakers, the XB12 and XB13, which are small and easy to take. The new XB100 looks a lot like the old one, but it has some improvements inside and a new way to connect it to your gear so you can listen on the go.

At $60, the SRS-XB100 is a competitive small Bluetooth speaker that is cheaper than many of its competitors. It may not be as loud as real party speakers because of its size, but it has enough power for one person or a small group to listen on the go, and it won’t mind if it gets wet.

Pricing and Availability

The Sony SRS-XB100 can be bought now for $60. You can buy it from Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, and other stores, as well as from Sony’s online store.

Design, Hardware, and What’s in the Box

The Sony SRS-XB100 is basically an updated version of the XB12 or XB13. It fits all the important parts of a Bluetooth speaker into a small unit that is about the size of a 12-ounce soda can but a lot shorter. It weighs a little more than half a pound. This makes the device easy to carry, store, and strap down, which is exactly what Sony wanted.

The SRS-XB100 has a strong cloth strap that hangs off the side. This strap can be used to attach the speaker to anything, like a backpack, a bike, a tree branch, etc. The strap has a simple hook and loop on each end, so it’s easy to put on and take off. Thankfully, it’s not too easy to get it unhooked by accident.

There is an extra hole in the speaker case that the strap can fit through to shorten the length. That will help keep the SRS-XB100 from hanging around, but it won’t get rid of it completely. You’ll have to deal with some flopping around or get creative by wrapping and weaving the strap around smaller items to get a tight fit.

This small speaker made from a soda can makes the most of its size by putting a 1.81-inch driver on top and covering it with a metal grille that is also meant to spread the sound in all directions. The bottom of the speaker has three holes that let the passive radiator out. This is supposed to give the system more bass (as the XB in the name suggests) than it would normally get from such a small unit.

The Sony SRS-XB100 has a rubbery finish on the bottom and sides, making it easy to hold. The outside of the speaker is also curved, which makes it easy to hold on to even when it’s wet. You can get it very wet, and it will still float. It has an IP67 grade, which means it can handle dust well and can be lightly submerged for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter. I took this unit paddleboarding on Lake Michigan, where there was plenty of water, and it didn’t seem to care about any of it.

Sound Quality and Battery Durability

Even though it’s small and only has one speaker, the Sony SRS-XB100 does a great job. The speaker can easily drown out a lot of background noise to give a strong talk while listening to music on a balcony overlooking a busy road. At full volume, the highs can be a little harsh, probably because of how Bluetooth compresses the sound. However, if you turn it down to about 75% volume, the sound is still good. Support for the AAC codec also keeps compression in Bluetooth from being too bad.

The SRS-XB100 works best in the middle of its range. The depth of the vocals is not matched by either the high or low end of the spectrum. That’s good news if you want to listen to CDs or podcasts since it’s easy to understand when spoken.

The bass from this speaker is a strange mix of different sounds. On the one hand, there is some bass in the mix, but when the voices come in, they can get a little lost. False Priest, an album by Of Montreal, has slinky bass lines that don’t have much power and sound pretty muddy. On the other hand, the speaker is in rough shape. If you put it on a hard surface, it will slowly move around as the bass shakes it. If it’s on the floor or a closed table, you might feel the bass as much as or more than you hear it.

There are some odd things about how the speaker is made. Even though it’s meant to send sound in all directions, and sound does behave that way to some degree, what you hear will be very different based on which way the speaker is facing. If the top of the speaker is facing away, some of the clarity and brightness will be lost, and if it is facing you, it might be too sharp.

If you move it around, it’s almost like changing the EQ, which could be useful since the speaker doesn’t have an app that can do that. I find that the best way to listen is with the low down, on the floor, so that I’m listening at about a 45-degree angle to the vertical speaker.

Competition

At $60, the Sony SRS-XB100 is significantly less expensive than most of our favorite handheld Bluetooth speakers. It’s a good upgrade for the SRS-XB13, which we liked because it was also portable.

The JBL Flip 6 could make a lot more sound for those with more money and space in their bags. At $100, this speaker is bigger and has two bass-boosting drivers and two passive radiators. Even though it’s less portable, it’s still water-resistant, so you can bring it with you on water activities, but you’ll have to come up with creative ways to tie it down.

The Clip 4 Eco from JBL serves a similar purpose and clips to your gear like a carabiner. That makes it easier to attach, but you can’t attach it to as many different things. Due to its smaller size, there is also a trade-off in terms of loudness and battery life, but at least it has an IP67 rating. The price at JBL is a little higher, at $80.

Is It Worth Buying?

The Sony SRS-XB100 is a good speaker for its size. Even though it is small, it can make good sounds that can be heard even in loud places. It is easy to carry around, but this comes at a cost. You can spend the money on bigger, more powerful speakers, but they will be harder to move around. The XB100 also gives you more options for what you can connect it to, as long as you don’t mind it moving around a bit.

If you think that’s the right way to do it, then it’s a good speaker. But people who want to have a party will be better off with a larger choice, and travelers who want an easy way to attach may be better off with the clip-on options.