Customer Ratings & Reviews

I first considered the ULT Field 7 for $499 which has a wider sound sound stage than the XV500 for the pool area and it’s waterproof. However with the $299 sale of the XV500, its water resistance rating and the ability to demo both side by side i couldn’t see the $200 difference in performance. The sound quality of the XV500 is actually very close ULT Field 7 with just a lower directivity, smaller sound stage. To solve that problem I thought the value would be to buy 2 XV500 to pair in stereo mode for just a $100 price difference for 1 ULT Field 7. This decision has transformed the entire area around my pool compared to having a wider sound stage just in one corner. I could t be more happier with this purchase. The lights on the front are a great effect. Depending on the setting they will change color and strobe to the beat of the music. You can also change color to match the ambiance of of the area. The speakers were easy to setup through Sonys music center app. The app will also send an audible voice message telling you which speaker is left or right. If you have it set up wrong you can easily change it through the app without having to move the speakers. The app will also allow you to adjust the sound field or use the EQ. With the speakers connected to Bluetooth, paired in stereo, lights on and in non-direct sunlight at 105 degrees I used 80% battery. I couldn’t be more happy with this purchase. These are excellent speakers.

This is a perfect speaker for your home party with karaoke. I love the bass and how strong it is. It does weight quite a bit, but the build is top quality! That’s why it’s a bit heavy! Although from what others have posted saying bass isn’t as good as other brands, there’s a Sony app where you can raise the bass up to maximum. I’ve done that and it sounds like a Bose Home Theater System. Even without raising the bass and leaving on Mega Bass, sounds awesome too! Overall, I rate it a solid 10/10. I don’t think spending more money on the bigger ones is worth it when this speaker sounds fantastic. I’ve had 0 issues with this speaker.

This speaker had me doubt buying it. I bought the smaller x300 and i just fidnt like how quiet it was. Nothjng to complain about, yeah some individuals want remotes and other acessories but after this speaker you wont really need another one. The soeaker pairs perfectly to my other devices, like smart TV. The multi speaker option is a nice touch and sounds great. No regrets, 10/10, recommend.

The new line up of speakers from sony is WAY better then last generation. Bass wasnt to loud but it blended better with the already great mids and highs

Very nice speaker easy to use and loud aswell, so practical and handy for the outdoors with the fam. Recommended

Perfect size for the home gym in the garage. Killer bass.

Great sound. Only down fall is the wheels are small to move arouns

Good battery recomendable good love my bosina love

The XV500 is a brilliant “party speaker” with some tiny flaws overcome by delivering good vibes for almost every genre of music – if (to my ears) in the Live Music setting. Truly, its “party speaker” title masks its flexibility. It’s more than a flashing big boom box built to push out heavy bass. I liken it to a Swiss Army Knife for music – its suitable for almost every area of the house, party time or not, from the backyard to the basement thanks to its musicality and robust feature set and unpretentious design. But while it’s terrific as a speaker, it’s supporting apps are a mess that detract from the fun. It’s for this reason I give the XV500 4-stars. Sony should rethink the apps to make it 5-stars. That is my quick take and here’s a few more details. DESIGN AND INPUTS The XV500 is a party animal in quiet guy clothes. Its all-black case fades into the background calling no attention to itself in, say, a family room. But bring it into the rec room and turn on its lights and it’s the life of the party. The case is solidly built – guessing ABS plastic -- while the speaker grille is metal. If there is anything objectionable it’s the large white embossed Sony branding on top front. It would be better if Sony left that unpainted. Two rubber strips on the right side allow the speaker to be used vertically which is a must have feature for any party speaker of the XV500’s short stature. It allows easy placement on a table or to put on the ground so that it doesn’t get tipped over. It’s rated at IPX4 water resistance, so it’s suitable to use near a pool and a light rain won’t short it out. However, the water resistance is diminished if the rubber cover that protects the speaker’s inputs is open which is required when the speaker is plugged to a wall socket or an accessory like a microphone or phone is attached. A decent set of inputs are available: a USB-A port that can also simultaneously charge at 1.5 A, a 3.5mm mini-jack, and two microphone jacks for Karaoke fans, one of which doubles as a guitar jack. Both microphone jacks have independent volume control. It’s curious a 2024 product doesn’t have USB-C input it’s the new standard for phones and will only become more ubiquitous during the XV500 model’s marketing life. The speaker’s onboard controls are all touch for water resistance. These are organized on a top panel and automatically illuminate when touched then fade off, a necessary feature for a product that will be used in a dark room or outside at night. The controls are: volume, play/pause/, “Mega Bass” on/off, and party lights on/off – more on lighting later. There is also an illuminated active input indicator: Bluetooth, USB, or Audio-in (mini-jack). An orange dot confirms charging. It disappears when the battery is fully charged. While the XV500 weighs around 25lbs but the incorporated handles at top and bottom make it an easy carry. I’m hardly “built” and never suffered carrying it from room to room, even upstairs. The power cord is detachable, so you don’t have that dragging around when moving either. ATTACK OF THE APPS While the XV500 is a terrific speaker I’m less enamored by its two, yes two, supporting apps, Sony Music Center and Fiestable. Technically neither of these apps are required to use the speaker but they are needed to access features like the equalizer and light options. It’s clunky juggling two different apps for one device. Even worse many of the features are bifurcated between the two apps. For example, Music Center is where you select pre-set illumination options, but Fiestable is where you customize them. And I did not love the XV500’s out-of-the-box sound so the app’s sound effects or manual equalizer make it come alive. While apps are now effectively part of a product manufacturers still often design them as an afterthought with no passion for a good customer experience. This is the case here. Besides having to deal with two separate apps, both are cluttered and awkward to use. For example, to sample the lighting options the user can’t just press, say, “strobe” to see what that looks like. Instead, one must press “strobe” then “done” which exits that portion of the app. If you want to see the next option the user has to go back into the menu. It’s very tedious. That said, in my use, the sound setting in Music Center was “set it and forget it,” and I didn’t use it again. Similarly, the Fiestable app is geared to customization and, in my opinion, niche features so I won’t be using it much either. For instance, you can give guests the opportunity to add songs to a party playlist, a fun idea in principle. But for it to work the guests have to have the app installed on their phone so to me that’s not practical. There is also a DJ feature for flange and isolation (also available in Music Center). I found that too gimmicky. Who has time to DJ their own party? Sony packed in similar features that feel like feature filler to me. I don’t find them worthwhile, so I’ll skip detailing them. At any rate the app situation here is a jumble. Hopefully Sony will get wise and combine the two apps at some point. SIZE:BOOM RATIO The XV500 is compact for a portable party speaker but projects big sound. Physically it’s a couple inches shy of 2 ft tall and 1 ft square but it’s packed with two good sized 5”x5” woofers and two 2.36” tweeters. The result is full-size sound that easily fills a moderate sized 500 sq ft. room. A tap on the “Mega Bass” button releases Bass like hounds ready to hunt. That said, to my ears, the speaker’s sound quality completely depends on which sound effect is active in the Music Center app. Four options are available: 1) “Clear Audio+” (Auto), 2) Mega Bass, 3) Live Sound, 4) Custom via a 3-band (bass, mid, treble) equalizer. I sampled an array of music genres including alt rock, pop/top 40, house, EDM, and folk. Listening to all of these my personal preference is Live Sound. It’s the only one that consistently sounds natural and true to the artist. Mega Bass and Auto sounded fine, but I’m just not a fan of bass-biased edits. Like cake, I enjoy the entire piece, not just one layer. Live Sound pumped out plenty of body shaking, dance inducing, boominess where Auto and Mega Bass ramped up the bass but diminished everything else. I absolutely love how the speaker sounds with Live Sound active which is why I’ll never bother mucking with equalization again. It sounds perfect no matter what is playing or what frequency or level of bass is in a song. (To be clear – when I say “perfect,” I mean for a small party speaker). That said, this speaker being a party speaker, performs best between mid and high volume. It’s adequate as a low-volume background music speaker, but I enjoy it more when the volume is front and center. Room filling sound is excellent in medium sized areas, both inside and outside. Playing a 320mbps AAC version of The Killers “From Here on Out” at full volume in a 500 sq ft room I measured a whopping 90dB level with no noticeable distortion at 2ft away and 80dB 20 ft away. The speaker is a solid performer outside too, though I was too polite to blast it, not wanting to disturb my neighbors. But even at 50% volume, I measured 65dB at 20ft away and that was competing with traffic noise. So, my take here is the XV500 is no shrinking violet. Sound quality of any speaker is dependent on the room its in – its shape, furniture, windows, flooring – and its placement. Being a portable “party speaker,” rather than one permanently placed, I also sampled it in a few different rooms in my house. It always sounded lively and clean no matter where it was sitting. In short, it’s a speaker I’ll enjoy daily, not just to play tunes at a party, or tailgate, or another event. Finally, I sampled music both with the speaker plugged in then on battery power. To my ears the XV500 did lose a tiny bit of “punch” on battery. Not anything anyone at a party would notice, but it does sound better plugged in. . LIGHT SHOW To me what differentiates a Party Speaker from an ordinary portable speaker is the former lights up. A lot of party speakers though go over-the-top there so what I appreciate about the XV500’s lighting is, as with its other aspects, it takes the middle road. It’s flashy with the best of them at a party, but it also knows how to take a beat and glow serene mood lighting during more relaxing moments. The XV500 has a bank of multi-colored lights at the top and bottom of the case. The Music Center app offers nine pre-configured lighting options, four which flash in sync with music played. The other five are motionless color combinations. The Fiestable app offers color customization and other lighting options. GOT THE POWER Dual power is a big “must have” in a party speaker. In addition to AC power the XV500 has an internal battery Sony claims can last up to 25 hours. In my unscientific test I found this to be true, though not in a “party scenario”. The 25 hours I got was with the lights off and the sound at 50% or lower. When I cranked the sound to 70-100% and the lights were flashing at full brightness the battery depletion was about 10% per hour which equates to about 10 hours of battery life under those conditions. Still, that’s pretty good to me – I’ve never had a party last 10 hours myself. To preserve the battery’s health the Music App has a setting to stop charging at 90%.

The Sony Wireless Party Speaker is lots of fun for all. This speaker is about 21" tall and weighed 24.2 pounds, on my digital scale, and comes with an electrical charging cord and a few papers, including the standard pictorial quick set-up guide. It is all black in color with the touch controls on top and various other speaker-use items located in a water-resistant compartment with a rubber cap that opens and closes after making choices for use of the speaker. Although this freestanding speaker is no lightweight, it is well-grounded at its base so you can be comfortable that it will remain standing outside on your deck, patio, next to your pool, or somewhere in your yard. So, why did I request this piece? Like most of you, I have other speaker types that are used for various applications, mostly inside the home. After living in my home for almost 30 years, I decided to go all out and build the deck with accompanying pergola of my dreams. I have various other areas of interest in my yard with large ponds and a covered bridge, gazebo, and waterfall/collecting pond. Bottom line, I plan on doing more entertaining with my family and wanted a speaker with lots of sound and interest to put out on the deck that could nicely play the audio of my choice, whether that be songs, tv shows, or movies. This speaker does not disappoint. The directions advise that you charge it for 3 hours for 100%. The minute that I took it out out of its packing, charged it, and then pushed the power button on, the speaker automatically linked to my phone's Bluetooth and I was up and going with sound. Did I mention that this speaker not only can deliver "Mega Bass" (option on top), but also delivers a wide spectrum light show when you press the "Lights" button, also on the top that rotates or cycles colors of the rainbow to the beat. One more item of fun is that not only can you Bluetooth input, but in the back compartment there is a mic plug-in and a plug-in for a guitar or other electric instrument. Here we go with karaoke at a party, or speech/announcements at some sort of an event, indoor/outdoor, or a jam session from an instrument. So many activities, like I said, fun for all. By the way, I also have a Sony hand-held "Party speaker with lights" much smaller, hand-held water-resistant portable speaker, that came out years ago that was linkable to other like speakers. I have not yet tried to link these 2 so that they can then be placed at different locations playing the same input, but I will follow up on that soon. Bottom line, I find this an easy buy for all that you might and would do to entertain yourself and those close to you. There is a 1year limited warranty in the US and Canada, so register it and keep your receipt for proof of purchase.

The Sony XV500 Wireless speaker is an absolute must-have for any party! From the moment I received it, I knew it was going to be a hit. The speaker is packed with several connections that make it super easy to plug in any device, including USB and AUX output. You can even plug in a microphone for karaoke nights or a guitar output. The speaker is big enough to deliver an incredible sound with superb bass, even at high volume levels. And trust me, the sound doesn't even get distorted! Sony has knocked it out of the park with this bomb speaker that sounds like angels singing. I absolutely love that it has a little light show that synchronizes with the music/songs, and you can turn it off any time you want. I've only charged it once since I received it, and it's still going strong. It claims to have a 25-hour battery life, and let me tell you, it's delivering on that promise. Another fantastic feature is the handle on top of the speaker, which makes it incredibly easy to transport from one place to another. The speaker is quite heavy, but that's a small price to pay for such incredible sound quality. The height of the speaker sits just right at 22 inches, and it's about 12 inches wide. The Bluetooth connectivity was a breeze, and the buttons are precise and easy to follow. It even has a slot to hold your device, like a phone or tablet. Overall, this is an outstanding speaker that is worth every penny. Don't even hesitate - if you're looking for amazing quality, the Sony XV500 Wireless speaker is the one for you.

Amazing I used it for my baby shower and everyone loved it and asked were I got it from

In my opinion this is the best party speaker. Will try to dance near the ocean this Friday!

As its title suggests, the Sony SRS-XV500 Wireless Party Speaker is a perfect companion for your parties and social gatherings, indoors and outdoors. With a powerful bass, ease of connection, crisp and clear sound, different light configurations, portability to move it around, to name a few highlights, you and your friends can have a blast with it. Vocals, with and without Echo effect, are nicely heard (provided you have a decent Mic) making it ideal for Karaoke performances. You can even enjoy music on your own or provide ambience music for the whole family. With the Sony Music Center App, you can seamlessly configure and control the Sony XV500, switching the playback among connected devices with ease. The Sony XV500 is portable, but it feels a little heavy, so not ideal for the long haul. Nevertheless, I think for battery life and the nice sound, the added weight is not a major issue in the end. I look forward to hosting my next dance and karaoke parties with my friends. - Pros: portable, deep mega bass, overall great sound, long battery life, rapid charge, easy to switch playback devices. - Cons: portable but heavy for long hauls. >> Setup. Nothing out of the ordinary for setting up the Sony XV500 Speaker. The XV500 can be used right out of the box, connect it to a device through Audio-In input or simply plug-in a USB stick with audio media in it and use the controls at the top of the Sony XV500 to control the source, volume, light and bass; in addition, you can directly connect one or two microphones and/or a guitar, and use the controls in the back for volume an effects. It is expected that most people use Bluetooth connectivity, with a phone or any other Bluetooth capable device, to connect to the Sony XV500. Once connected and to add an extra degree of control and access the more advanced configuration options, you’d want to install the Sony Music Center App on the main device that you intend to use, in my case that device is my phone. So far, having used it with my phones and laptops, the signal has been reliable with great sound quality. >> Connections. The device provides three main connectivity options, Bluetooth, Audio-In and USB. In addition, a primary Mic input with volume and Echo options is available; as well as another input for Guitar (could also be used for a secondary Mic) with volume and Effect options. One thing to note is that the Sony XV500 doesn’t come with Optical Input. I have older TVs for which I like using Optical Output to connect to external speakers. For these, I have used the regular Audio-In input to connect. >> Mega Bass. I’d say the bass is one of the most prominent characteristics of the Sony XV500, its sound and feel is just so powerful. If you are indoors, the Megas Bass setting makes it feel like being at the disco (well perhaps not that much “noise” as in the disco), the vibration is felt going through all your body, perfect to play some tunes and get right into dancing. Personally, I’ve been using this mode to listen to my favorite rock tunes, the sound and feeling of the songs are just so enjoyable. One of the highlights of this device, to enjoy and have fun with friends and even just alone! >> Switching connected devices. You can have multiple devices connected to the Sony XV500 Speaker and easily switch among them for playback (of course, just a single device at a time). You can do so with the Sony Music Center App, as well as with the controls at the top of the speaker, and select Bluetooth, Audio-In or USB. The Sony App gives you more versatility, though, as you can not only select any of the three input options, but within the Bluetooth option, you can have several devices connected to the Sony XV500, and you can choose any of them as playback device. This last feature comes very handy when different people have different music selections that they want to play or sing along with, and so it is easier to switch the playback to come from their own devices. >> Mic and Guitar (second mic) inputs Both Mic inputs have volume control, which is very convenient when the Mics used (or guitar for that matter) don’t have their own volume controls. The main Mic has an echo function to highlight your words or song lyrics. For karaoke, you’d need a decent Mic to avoid any interference that can get in the way of enjoying the sound coming from this device. I am planning on buying a couple of UHF wireless Mics that will hopefully provide a better experience than having wired Mics. >> Sound compared to other party speakers. We own another party speaker, different brand, a little smaller, and boy you can tell the difference in Sound quality. For a party, the Sony XV500 with its bass makes the difference, its sound surpasses expectations when compared to our other party speaker. The extra weight and size of the Sony XV500, for sure, helped with a way better overall sound. >> Sony Music Center App Overall, the Sony Music Center App has all the options needed to control the device. You can adjust the different settings, sound, light, even access an equalizer for custom sound configuration. There are only a couple of small issues I mention below. The Sony App lacks Mic control. It'd be nice to control the mic volume and effects, as well the Guitar input (or second mic), through the App, as opposed to having to go to the speaker and do the adjustments. I think I'll be buying a pair of those UHF mics that come with their own volume controls, to make it easier to adjust volume. The other issue is one “glitch” in the Sony Music Center App. When you only have one Bluetooth device connected and you want to change playback from Audio-In to Bluetooth, the Bluetooth device cannot be “reselected” for playback (as it is already selected), so you either need to press the Bluetooth button at the top of the speaker (walk to the speaker) or in the App Music Center you need to mark the Bluetooth device as being “fixed” (you can unfix it later on anyways). Now, if you have multiple Bluetooth devices connected, then you can select another non-selected Bluetooth device and go back to the one that was selected before. This is a little inconvenient for sure.

Inside the box for the Sony XV500 you’ll find the speaker itself, a detachable 5ft power cord, and some documentation. Looking around the outside of the speaker you’ll find the main control panel on top, two built-in handles on the front, and a sealed hatch on the back covering additional controls and I/O ports. There are rubber feet in two places (on the bottom and one side) allowing the speaker to be used either upright or on its side. Construction-wise, the bulk of the main body is a dark charcoal plastic while the front speaker grill is metal. The control panel features a large physical power button while the rest of the controls are capacitive. Dimensionally, the speaker stands 22” tall with an approximate 10.5” X 11.5” footprint and weighs 24.4lbs. Inside the rear panel, you’ll find two 6.35mm jacks that can be used for microphones or instruments, as well as volume levels for those jacks. There is also a 3.5mm input and a USB-A port that can be used for playback from a USB flash drive as well as charging a mobile device (when the speaker is powered on). Additionally, you’ll find the C7 port for charging the speaker here. Once paired to the device of your choice, the upper control panel offers basic control of the device, such as Play/Pause, Next, Last, Volume Up/Down and changing the input source. Additionally, the colored LED lights, concealed in the handles, as well as the Bass Boost can be enabled or disabled here. Regarding performance, the sound quality is excellent, offering crisp highs, thumping lows, and more than enough volume for the patio at your next pool party. Battery life is advertised at 25hrs, which is possible in my testing. Note that, enabling the lights and using higher volumes will reduce this. The speaker does offer “Party Connect” so that you can use multiple speakers at the same time. Unfortunately, this is a Sony-specific feature and I didn’t have any other Sony Bluetooth speakers to test this with. A couple of critiques: To fully access all of the speaker’s features requires the installation of 2(!) apps on your device: The ‘Sony Music Center’ app and the ‘Fiestable’ app. These apps aren’t required for basic operation, but they are the only way to access things like different light modes or change things like power settings. Also, there is no visual battery life indicator on the speaker nor is the battery life visible via the BlueTooth connection. You must either press the Battery button under the rear hatch (speaker verbally announces the approximate battery life) or install the ‘Sony Music Center’ app on your phone. All in all, the Sony XV500 is a great sounding party speaker that offers excellent sound and battery life and plenty of connectivity.

In short, Sony SRS-XV500 is a great party speaker with sleek and simple design AND great sound! Here are my observations/thoughts: It has a simplistic but very functional design. The case is made of recycled plastic. The controls are at the top of the speaker and are "touch" controls. They light up on the touch which is good thing specially in a party setting where lights are usually dim. On the back, it has charging input and other inputs (3.5 mm standard jack for audio in, 1 mic input, 1 mic/guitar input) as well as controls for mic and guitar (volume, echo etc.). It has handles at the top and bottom to easily carry it around. The set up was super simple. As soon as I turned on the speaker and unlocked my phone, there was a notification to connect to the speaker, click yes and done. The sound is good. I am not an audiophile so I can't provide technical details of sound quality but I played different kind of songs and all of them sound pretty good. Even at full volume I didn't hear sound distortion. There are two apps to used with it (not sure why two instead of just one?): 1) Sony Music Center (SMC) and 2) Fiestable. The SMC allows you to configure/customize sound effects, custom eq, power option and few other things while Fiestable provides options like party playlist, DJ control, Karaoke etc. I like the customization options and additional features provided by these two apps. The specs say that it has 25 hours of battery life but I haven't really tested that yet (I don't party that long :)). The IPX4 splashproof rating is good to use it outdoor. I haven't tested the Karaoke function yet (I need to buy the mics) but I am definitely looking forward to it. So, as I said in the beginning, overall it is a very versatile speaker, with good sound and functions. At this price, it probably is one of the best party speakers.

The Sony XV500 X-Series Bluetooth Wireless Party Speaker is technically a portable speaker; however, it’s huge in comparison to many BT portable speakers coming in at 2 feet tall and weighing in at 25 pounds. Sony has been in the “party speaker” market for a few years now, and they have continued to improve upon those offerings. The XV500 has a number of new features and tweaks to the design over previous versions. In the Box: The speaker was shipped and arrived with no issues as the box and packing material are well thought out to protect the speaker. Most materials are recyclable which speaks to Sony’s environmental focus. Included in the box is the speaker, power cord and documentation. On unboxing Sony’s quality manufacturing is evident as the unit feels solid with great finish details. At close to 25 lbs. it’s the largest and heaviest “portable” BT speaker I’ve owned. Performance and Features: There isn’t much in terms of set up, Sony recommends downloading the Sony Music Center app which I already had installed for other Sony products. I was able to connect the speaker through Bluetooth with no issues, and the XV500 was ready to use. Within minutes of opening the box, the XV500 was cranking songs from SiriusXM. It was set on “MEGA BASS” and that’s where it remained for the initial testing. This speaker cranks, and it seems to come into its own as the volume is increased. The sound quality remains clear and rich as the volume was pushed up! The two 5.5” X-Balance subs are solid performance-wise and it sounds like a much bigger speaker when cranking up the volume a bit. With the app, there are options to change between live, custom, mega bass and also an automated option called ClearAudio+ which I ended up settling on for most music genres. Sony’s goal was to create a portable speaker that would bring a bit of a party vibe, so they added lighting options and two ¼” inputs for a karaoke microphone and guitar. The mood lighting I found to be very cool, there are several colors and modes that can be used from calm to rave. They will flicker to the bass/beat of the music and they will certainly get people up out of their seats at a party. They can also be toggled on and off from the speaker or app. One of the features that makes a lot of sense on this model are the carry handles. They make for easy handling when on the go. They are positioned on the top and bottom of the speaker for easy use and also house the built in lighting. There are rubberized feet on the base and one side to keep it steady while being used either vertically or on its side. The speaker is also IPX4 water resistant, which is great when used around the boat, pool, beach, etc. On the backside of the speaker is a water resistant port that houses a number of the inputs including the AC power port, karaoke and guitar inputs and a USB-A port that can be used to charge phones, etc. from the lithium ion battery in the speaker. A great option if you’re music source is running out of juice. The control buttons are located on the top of the speaker for BT connection, power, lights, Mega Bass, etc. All those functions can also be controlled with the Sony Music Center App. Sony Music Center App: The Sony app provides a number of settings for customizing the sound, power options, illumination, etc. In “Sound”, customization of the output is simple with an auto ClearAudio+ option or Mega Bass, Live Sound or Custom…which has a basic equalizer. There are functions which are great for building playlists or selecting the audio source. The light features are also managed on the app, where users can select the light from a Sony created list. The lights can also be toggled on/off. There’s a battery management option, speaker grouping, and many more. The app is easy to download and very easy to operate. Pros: - Sony Quality is top-notch and seems like it will last for years to come - IPX4 water resistance is perfect for boating, pool or beach use - Sound quality is exceptional for a speaker this size, dual 5.5” X-Balance speakers do the job! - Mood Lighting is pretty cool, flashes to the music’s beat and gets the party going - Battery Life is outstanding, can be conserved by turning off lights, 25 hours stated by Sony - Can be linked with other Sony BT speakers - Built in Power Bank is an added bonus in a pinch - Inputs for guitar and Karaoke microphone - Carrying Handles and rubberized feet provide options for vertical or horizontal usage - Easy to set up and operate Cons: - The speaker weighs just about 25 pounds so it’s not going to be an option for everyone All-in-all the Sony XV500 is a solid BT speaker option for an individual user or for a party environment. A DJ could easily use this speaker for functions/events. Music quality is outstanding and the IPX4 water resistance puts my mind at ease when using it on the boat and at the lake. I would certainly recommend this speaker to anyone looking to up their music and party game!

I got this unit to try an update the flexibility of my portable PA system. This will free me from having to be near an outlet. My old blutooth speaker is plug in, and when I saw this and the claim on battery life duratuon, it will cover any purpose I will use it for (1-3 hours runs) easily. The app is somewhat useful with limited sound settings, the custom mixer only has 3 spectrums to modulate the sound ranges. This paired very easily to my phone (android). I do not have any other compatable speaker devices to see if the party mode or the stereo pairing. Sound wise, this does sound good from straight in front of it and to about 170 degrees in front of it. I have another large floor speaker that has similar power, but no mic or guitar input. It has better room filling round sound than this, so I can sit it in the middle of a group and all can hear it. That being said, how I use this it will have people to the front most of the time, so going out one direction is not a big deal, it will be clear and easy to hear. This also gets quite a bit louder, and has much fuller/deeper bass. I can add 2 mics or a mic and guitar, I tested both and they work well. That makes this also much different than my other unit. For speech, this does well with a lic. As for music, I have tested many genre’s and it does well with all of them. Again, I use a custom setting on the euquilzer, but the default with mega bass isn't to bad. This is a heavy unit to lug around by the handle on the front if it, bu it seems sturdy enough. You can change the light effects, there are about a dozen to choose from. Overall, when I was looking at other good quality battery powered PA speaker units like this, this one is comparable in price. I know audio products from this company quite well, and the sound spectrum I could expect from it, and so far it hits the mark for what I need it for. I reccomend this for anyone who needs a good loud PA speaker sized blutooth speaker

The speaker is a very nice addition to any social gathering or even when alone listening to music. I really enjoy the speaker and i have the previous model and this one has some nice upgrades. The quality of the sound is very full and rich, it does have a great bass as well even though it does not have the hardware option of a added BASS button. The water resistance is always nice but i really don't hang out on the deck playing music during inclement weather or hang near a pool. The improved battery life of an additional 5 hours is very nice, less need to recharge frequently and it holds a charge decently. The battery life has lasted after sitting for a week or so and the charge is still stored. The nice light show does add a little bit of fun but being an older guy i can see how it would appeal much more to a younger crowd but it does have a nice bright light source without being too much. The finish is real nice, it has a soft matte finish and feel. I truly think it has a sleek, clean and modern look. It does have easy carry handles and can be placed sideways or stood upright. The biggest change i believe is the addition of the inputs which allow for simultaneous mic and or guitar with separate volume levels. There are many inputs located on the back with many possibilities for add ons and gives it versatility which alot of other portable speakers do not offer. This speaker has GREAT SOUND, VERSATILITY, BATTERY LIFE and LOOKS.

The Sony XV500 is an amazing speaker. It is not that large and is very light but still packs a punch. Right out of the box without any settings tweaks, it sounds great. It was also really easy to setup. The packaging was easy to open down to the tape (instead of a twisty tie) on the power cord. The directions were really easy to follow too. I plugged it in and it connected right away to my phone (without 3 seconds) and I was able to stream audio to it. The Sony Music Center app is a great companion for tweaking the settings. You can also switch the audio input using the app and launch many common apps to stream sounds. It has great range on Bluetooth and it puts on a really cool light show in sync with the music and the bass. There are also several lighting modes to turn from based on your preference. You can also use the app to group it with other speakers for true surround sound if you want and have compatible speakers. The app also has a ton of ways to control it right from your phone. Overall, I highly recommend this speaker - it’s great for indoor or outdoor use too.