So the new sony XB13 is fine for an ultra portable bluetooth speaker. Now personally
I really wish sony added app support and party connect to the XB13… but I also really like
the more premium feel of this speaker. But naturally we’ve gotta see how the XB13 stands
up to its direct competitor the JBL Clip 4.
Now regarding pricing, the XB13 retails for $60 where as the Clip 4 has a retail price
of $70. But personally I wouldn’t be surprised to see the XB13 go on sale on a regular basis.
Now overall if you’re looking for an ultra portable speaker to take on the go with you
on your hikes or bike rides then both of these speakers are good options. However if you
want to the best sound then the clip 4 is the way to go. Nonetheless if you want to
pick either of these speakers up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first let's talk about the designs of these speakers. The XB13 is a cylindrical
speaker with a mostly plastic body. Now the XB13 is rocking an IP67 rating just like the
Clip 4 meaning that neither of these speakers are afraid of a little dirt or water. Which
could be a big deal for any out doors person watching. However the XB13’s plastic body
can be a scratch magnet. Where as the Clip 4’s mostly fabric covered body does a much
better job of standing up to constant bumps and scrapes. So durability wise I am going
to have to say the Clip 4 is the winner here. However when it comes to over all attachability
I am going to have to say the XB13 is the winner here. With the Clip 4 you’ve got
this built in carabineer, which is great. However your mounting options can be a little
limited. Backpacks and running vests are fine… but if you want to attach this speaker to
your bike’s handle bar you’re going to have to get creative. Where as with the XB13,
you’ve got this strap. And you’ve got two mounting options to choose from. So with
the XB13 you’re going to have a lot more flexibility as to what you can attach this
speaker to. And personally I feel that for an ultra portable bluetooth speaker like this,
attachability is a pretty big deal. So for any bike couriers watching this you’ll might
want to go with the XB13.
But now lets talk about tech specs. Regarding battery life the XB13 has an advertised battery
life of 16 hours and thats with this speaker playing at 85% volume. Now 85% volume on this
speaker is a decent listening volume for indoor use but im not getting 16 hours of play back
time, im getting more like 10. And for outdoor use id imagine that most people will use this
speaker at max volume and at max volume this speaker is good for about four and a half
hours of playback time.
But then there’s the Clip 4 which has an advertised battery life 10 hours, but thats
with this speaker playing at 50% volume which is like 65 to 70 percent volume on the XB13.
But with the Clip 4 playing at 80% volume which is like XB13 playing at max volume…
the Clip 4 is good for about 6 hours of play back time.
Now when it comes to actually charging these speakers, they both charge via a USB C port
which is what we expect to see these days. However, neither of these two speakers have
audio jacks. Now personally I don’t mind not having an audio jack on a speaker of this
size… but I feel that they should have one just in case. And overall you can only use
these speakers wirelessly cause the USB C ports on both of these speakers are strictly
used for charging.
Now when it comes to wireless connectivity, both of these speakers can only be connected
to one device at a time… but both of these speakers have zero latency across the board
when watching movies or videos on your phone whether youre using an iPhone or an android
device which is good for podcasts. And when it comes to audio codecs, the Clip 4 is strictly
using SBC where as the XB13 has support for both SBC and AAC.
But now lets talk about actually listing to music with these speakers. Now both of these
speakers have an upwards firing transducer and downwards firing passive radiator set
up. However when it comes to overall sound and just performance… the clip 4 easily
outperforms the XB13 in both aspects. But so that you can hear for yourself we’re
going to jump into the sound test where both of these speakers are playing at max volume.
So like you may have just heard, the Clip 4 gets significantly louder than the XB13
which I feel is very important for ultra portable speakers like these. You don’t want the
best sound, you’ll might want to most sound in this situation. Cause if you’re really
concerned about sound quality then you’re much better off going with at least the JBL
Flip 5 or Sony XB23. But the Clip 4 doesn’t just get louder than the XB13… it also sounds
better. The Clip 4 sounds richer cause it has more bass than the XB13 but it also sound
more open. However sound signature wise the Clip 4 is a little different from the XB13.
It does have a slight emphasis on the mids so vocals are more pronounced which I think
is a good thing for a speaker that I feel will mostly be used out doors. So overall
sound quality wise the XB13 sounds fine… but the Clip 4 does easily out perform the
XB13 cause it sounds richer and it also gets louder. But also the last thing that I want
to point out about these speakers sound quality is that you can’t directly adjust the EQ
on either of these speakers cause these speakers don’t have an app.
But finally lets talk about pairing these speakers up with other speakers. Unfortunately
you can’t pair the Clip 4 to any other speakers. And personally I really think thats a shame
cause I really want to see JBL’s Partyboost make its way to the clip 4.
But then there’s the XB13 which you can pair up to one other XB13 and get them to
play in left and right stereo mode. But unfortunately you can only do this with 2 XB13’s you can’t
mix and match speakers like with and XB13 and XB12 like I’ve got here. And also you
can’t pair an XB13 to any of Sony’s speakers using party connect like either an XG500,
XB43, XB33, XB23 and the list just goes on.
So with all that being said, if you’re looking for a small ultra portable bluetooth speaker
to take on the go with you on your run, hike, or bike ride then the JBL Clip 4 is the better
sounding and louder speaker here. Simple as that. However depending on what you want to
attach your speaker to, then you’ll might want to go with the XB13 cause you’ve got
a lot more mounting options. Cause even though the built in carabiner on the Clip 4 is nice…
its is limited. So like I mentioned earlier the XB13 has the better attachability here.
Now even though the XB13 does sound as good or get as loud as the Clip 4… it still sounds
fine.