This is the review of the comparison between two speakers from two different brands that are popular in the market. The comparison here is between the Sony SRS-XB23 and the Bose SoundLink Micro. To know which one is good for you to buy, go to the detailed review.

Sony SRS-XB23	Bose SoundLink Micro
BUY NOW	BUY NOW
PROS	PROS
Powerful bass depth and crisp highs in a compact design. Stereo pairing and Party Mode. Very portable and well-built design. Waterproof and dustproof.	Fully waterproof. Ruggedised and portable design. Multiconnect. Massive sound from a palm-sized design. Speakerphone capabilities.
CONS	CONS
Weaker without Extra Bass option on. Doesn’t get very loud. Unclear battery level alerts. No 3.5mm port, only Bluetooth.	Average battery life. Doesn’t float. Latency issues. Micro-USB for charging. The Micro-USB port should be USB-C for faster charging times.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Sony SRS-XB23

The Sony SRS-XB23 is one of the popular speakers in the market as its predecessors or the larger version speakers. This speaker is retailing for quite a budget-friendly price range that is for around ninety-eight dollars currently on Amazon.

Bose SounLink Micro

If you’re looking for ultimate portability and one of the best compact designs the Bose SoundLink Micro might be the answer. This speaker is retailing for around a hundred dollars currently on Amazon.

DESIGN:

Sony SRS-XB23

At first glance, the crawl red looks really good but if that’s not your thing it’s also available in black, taupe, light blue, and olive green. As for the design and build of this speaker, it is made out of a hard plastic material that is rated to be waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, and rustproof. On the top of the speaker, we have the exposed surround like other speakers in this price range, and the same thing can be found on the bottom. We like how the bottom has cutouts so that the base is not totally blocked out when placing the speaker vertically.

On one end of the cylindrical face of the speaker, you can find the removable strap and all the controls on the speaker. You’ve got your usual power button, Bluetooth button, play-pause, and volume controls, the battery indicator which speaks to you, we thought that was a super cool feature then under that we also have the party mode which allows you to connect up to 100 compatible devices, and the stereo mode which requires another SRS-XB23. At the very bottom, there is a watertight flap, which hides the much appreciated USB-C port but there was no 3.5-millimeter audio jack.

Bose SounLink Micro

While Bluetooth speakers like the UE Wonderboom or the JBL Flip 4 are considered small Bluetooth speakers. They’re not a slim or portable as the Bose SoundLink Micro. This speaker is made with tear-resistant silicone rubber, it’s meant to be a durable outdoor speaker with span abrasions. One of the biggest reasons why you would buy the Bose Micro is this strap on the back. From my testing, it’s very simple to use and highly convenient. At first, it seems sketchy to use as it’s barely latching and to this little hole right there but after attaching this in random areas the tension provides a lot of security. So you attach to a bike handlebar with these shocks and shakes, it’s not going anywhere it’s not going to unsnap on you.

Button-wise and going around the speaker, power, and pairing is up top, thankfully there’s a battery level indicator something that I wish that the Sony speakers would have. To the front there you know simply volume up and down, and right in the middle, there is the multifunction button. One press pauses and plays, two taps the song moves forward, and three taps go back on your music. Although most devices are wireless these days it would have been nice though to have a three-and-a-half millimeter input to connect this to your Playstation controller or a PC, there’s unfortunately not one. But anyways most devices are wireless, so you’ll be the judge on that.

FEATURES:

Sony SRS-XB23

As far as the unboxing of the speaker, inside you get the user manual, the USB-C charging cable, and the speaker itself. As it is rated IP67, water does no harm to the speaker, if anything it just makes the speaker look even better. This speaker also claims to be salt water-resistant, which I personally found pretty cool. When it came to the Bluetooth range of the speaker, we took it to the test. Without any walls, I was able to go around 150 feet. I’d suggest the speaker is for those who listen to music casually at lower to mid volumes. The sound is very crisp and can compete with higher-end speakers but if you’re someone like me who likes to listen to music at high volumes, the bass starts to lack. Otherwise, this is a great portable speaker to take to the beach or have in your room.

As for the delay/lag latency test, I found no audio delay at all, while streaming on both YouTube and Netflix in both Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (Android 10) and iPad Pro (iPad OS). So I highly recommend this for all of you who like to use Bluetooth speakers for video streaming. Just like its predecessors, XB23 also supports 3 audio codecs: SBC, AAC, and the highest one, LDAC. For those who don’t know about LDAC, LDAC is a Bluetooth audio codec developed by Sony, which is capable of data transfer rate up to 990 kbps Which is the highest data transfer rate compared to other codecs at the moment. If you have devices that work on Android 8 or later, you can opt to use this LDAC audio codec and this LDAC is quite useful for all of you who own high-resolution audio files, or those who subscribe to high-resolution music streaming services such as Amazon Music HD, and Tidal.

If it was me and my money, I would opt to just buy the XB22 and save some money. Well, the reason behind this is simply “value for money”. I don’t think the XB23 really brings a significant upgrade over the XB22. If we add Bluetooth 5.0 and USB Type-C here too, but other than those, I’ve found no significant improvements in XB23 compared to XB22. Instead, there are some features that are removed from XB22 here, such as “party”-LED, 3.5 mm jack, NFC, and Live Sound. Okay, I admit, NFC is not a really important feature these days, as the quality of Bluetooth pairing has improved significantly in recent years. However features like “party”-LED and “party booster” would still be nice to have here in XB23, I think.

Bose SounLink Micro

Although there’s a quick mentioning on Bose’s website saying quote there’s no need to panic if you drop it unquote I didn’t see any mention in the user manual of a formal drop-resistant height or certification. I dropped damn thing on tile flooring at the office actually I’m on multiple occasions just to test it out here and it’s still fine. It’s also sealed to prevent water damage the Bose micro is IPX7 certified meaning it’s able to be submerged in water up to one meter they say three feet for up to 30 minutes.

Bose also claims it’s safer on ocean water as well so saltwater, not a big deal. The bigger question though especially for those who bring this on a boat out on the water does it float. With my testing dropping this into a bucket of water the speaker sadly does not float, so keep that in mind. For many who are unaware or don’t read the instruction manual like me, the instruction manual says this can be used in the shower, rain, or snow. Some Bluetooth speakers can’t withstand water jets breeze that is.

I’ve always enjoyed the Bose pairing process, they give you voice prompts when it’s connected but also who this speaker is connected to. The Bose pairs easily for me and the Bose Micro is able to remember up to eight devices at the same time. Placing the speaker on one side of my room and walking to the hallway over there, letting the signal go through several walls, I’m able to achieve 42 linear feet before the speakers started to crackle. As far as the battery life, Bose claims up to six hours of typical use I ran this at 50% vinyl I can do all my tests and let them play from a full battery to die. With my test, I achieved 14 hours in 35 minutes to be exact which is very impressive. Other than that, this speaker is very simple to use without any extra features and gimmicks, it’s very straightforward.

SOUND QUALITY:

Sony SRS-XB23

The sound quality on this thing was honestly very impressive. At lower to mid volumes, the sound quality rivaled the Bose Revolve SoundLink speaker, a speaker which is a full 100 more expensive. Through extensive blind tests, we concluded that at lower to mid volumes, the SRS-XB23 sounds better than the Bose Revolve, in some instances. Unfortunately, at high volumes, the speaker does not do too well in comparison to the Bose Revolve. The sound quality becomes a bit too crispy, the treble stays somewhat intact but the bass starts to trail off hard and loses the overall clarity of the sound. It doesn’t sound bad by any means but for the average consumer, this will be perfect.

Bose SounLink Micro

As far as the sound quality of the speaker, for a small speaker it does very well at providing enough for personal space listening but also smaller reception-like areas that need background audio. Although this is priced at $100 don’t expect it to be as loud as the JBL Flip 4 or again the UE Wonderboom in this price range. But for the size of this thing, the Bose Micro is really good. For such a small speaker this thing has pretty darn good bass, more so than any other ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker. There’s a little thump in the music that helps make this little speaker enjoyable.

WHICH TO BUY?

I would highly recommend you to get the Bose SoundLink Micro if ultra-portability is at the top of your list and you can quite give up on its sound quality for its size. If you want better sound quality but less portability then the Sony SRS-XB23 also comes with a pack of features for the same price range almost. In my opinion, the XB23 is good for you to buy than the SoundLink Micro until and unless a small form factor is important for you.

Expert Reviews of Sony SRS-XB23:

By PCMag
Sony’s $100 SRS-XB23 speaker delivers solid audio for its size and price in an outdoor-friendly, waterproof design.

By Tech Radar
The entry-level Sony SRS-XB23 boasts a new design that moves the passive radiators to the top and bottom of the speaker…

By rtings.com
The Sony XB23 is decent for outdoor use. It has a great build quality with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, although…

By techguide.com.au
The Sony Extra Bass XB23 ticks all the boxes for durability, design, value, and audio quality and should be the first thing in your bag…

Expert Reviews of Bose SoundLink Micro:

By Expert Reviews
If you told me this speaker was £40, I’d excuse its poor sound for its multifunctional voice-assistant button and…

By cnet
The well-built and travel-friendly Bose SoundLink Micro is arguably the best-sounding speaker in its tiny size class.

By Sound Guys
If you’re knee-deep in the Bose ecosystem and want a travel-friendly speaker that can withstand nearly anything, the SoundLink Micro is a great addition…

By Pocket-lint
As small-scale Bluetooth speakers go, the Bose SoundLink Micro brings mega sound and volume…

By Craving Tech
Bose SoundLink Micro is a compact and lightweight portable speaker with the power to deliver sound, perfect for outdoor adventures…