Just like the new Sony XB43 and Sony XB33… the new Sony XB23 sounds significantly better
than its predecessor the Sony XB22. And over all the XB23 is a great sounding little speaker.
But I just find it really weird that sony removed a lot of features from the XB23 compared
to the XB22.
Now price wise the XB23 retails for $100… and if you’re trying to decided between
getting the XB23 or just going with the XB22 to save a little money, ultimately I do recommend
that you go with the XB23 if you want the better sound and USB C charging. So if you
want to pick this speaker up it’ll be linked down below.
Now first off lets talk about the design of the XB23… I both like and dislike the XB23’s
new body. Now the main reason why like the XB23’s new body is cause its way more durable
this time around cause it has a mostly fabric body. Unlike the XB22 which I think looks
cool but it has a mostly soft touch body so it can get scratched very easily if you’re
looking for a speaker to constantly take on the go with you. But just like before the
XB23 is still IP67 rated meaning that you don’t have to worry about this speaker getting
wet. So if you’re looking for a speaker for camping I do recommend the XB23 over the
XB22. But what I don’t like about the XB23 is that this speaker is very big for a small
sized portable bluetooth speaker. This speaker is significantly larger than the XB22. But
the biggest change on the XB23 from the XB22 is that it no longer has a light feature.
Now no the light feature on the XB22 isn’t amazing but I just find it curious that sony
didn’t include a light feature on the XB23 what so ever given that both the new XB33
and XB43 have improved light features from their predecessors.
But when it comes to tech specs, thankfully the XB23 has been upgraded to USB C charging.
So if you’re an android user you can charge your phone and speaker with the same cable.
But its very important to point out that this USB C port is strictly used for charging.
You can’t use this USB C port as wired connection and you cant use this USB C port to charge
your own devices. And also this speaker only comes included with a USB C to USB a charging
cable. You don’t get a complete charging cable like
you do with the XB43.
Now when it comes to battery life, the XB23 has an advertised battery life of 12 hours
but thats with this speaker set to Stamina mode and with the volume set at 50%. And personally
I don’t like using stamina mode on any of Sony’s speakers cause stamina mode makes
these speakers sound very flat. But this speaker also has an advertised battery life 10 hours
while in Extra Bass mode.
But real world use with this speaker play at max volume while in extra bass mode this
speaker is good for around 2 and half to 3 hours. And at 80% percent volume this speaker
is good for around 4 and half to 5 hours of playback time. So the real world battery life
on this speaker is very so so.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, the XB23 has been upgraded to bluetooth 5.0.
but more importantly this speaker can be connected to two devices at the same time so you and
a friend can both be DJ and this speaker also have support for higher quality audio codecs
like AAC and LDAC.
But unfortunately, one major down grade this speaker has gotten from the XB22 is that this
speaker no longer has an audio jack. Now personally I don’t mind not having an audio jack on
this speaker but I still feel that it should have an audio jack just in case. And also
the XB23 no longer has NFC, now personally I don’t mind either but I just find it very
weird that sony removed NFC, removed the audio jack and they removed the light feature on
this speaker.
But now lets talk about listening to music with this speaker cause thats what really
matters. Just like the XB33 and XB43 the XB23 has an all new speaker set up. The XB23 has
all new dual frontward firing transducers and it has dual passive radiators shooting
out the sides. Where as the XB22 also has dual frontward firing transducers but its
passive radiators shoot out the front and back of this speaker. Now before we jump into
the sound test I do want to address stamina mode and stereo sound mode on this speaker.
Now stamina mode is simply just standard mode found on the XB22 but rebranded. Now stamina
reduces the bass on this speaker so that it can stretch out its battery but it make this
speaker sound very flat. So I try to not use it. And then theres stereo mode on this speaker…
now personally I don’t really hear any difference versus when this speaker is just set to Mono
mode. But I keep it in stereo mode regardless. But now we’re going to jump into the sound
test. Now both of these speakers are playing a max volume while in extra bass mode, the
XB23 is in stereo mode and theres a little stamina mode thrown in.
So just like all of Sony’s other new speakers… the XB23 has a much wider sound stage and
much better instrument separation than its predecessor. At higher volumes the XB22 likes
to put much more of an emphasis on the mids than the XB23 does making it sound nasally
by comparison. And also everything sounds much more close together on the XB22 than
on the XB23. And when it comes to max volume the XB23 is actually a hair louder than the
XB22. Now its not a huge difference like what we saw when we went from the UE wonderboom
to the Wonderboom 2… but I thought id give the XB23 props where its due. So overall the
XB23 does perform better than the XB22, it sounds better but it also get a little louder.
Now personally I like to use the XB23 while in extra bass mode when im going to listen
to music and I switch it over to stamina mode when im going to listen to a podcast… but
if you want through Sony’s app you can go in and adjust the Bass, mids, and treble to
your liking.
But finally lets talk about speaker paring protocols cause the XB23 is now using party
connect. Meaning that you can only pair it up to Sony’s newer speakers using party
connect like an XB43, an XB33 or an XB23. And this also means that you can’t pair
the XB23 to any of Sony’s older speakers using Wireless Party chain like an XB41, XB32,
XB22, XB31, XB21 and so on.
But over all, the XB23 knocks it out the park when it comes to sound quality. The XB23 has
much better instrument separation, a much wider sound stage and it also gets a little
louder than the XB22. But I do feel that you gotta watch out for the real world battery
life on this speaker. At max volume while in extra bass mode this speaker is good for
2 and a half to 3 hours of playback time and at 80 percent volume this speaker is good
for around 4 and a half to 5 hours. So if you’re looking for a speaker to take camping
this speaker wouldn’t be my top pick. But if sound quality is your main priority than
yeah this is a good option.