Punches well above it weight!
This is a cracking little speaker that packs a bass rich, full and rounded sound. I tried many "high-end" Bluetooth portable speakers, including flagships from Bose and JBL etc. This Sony SRS-X55 kept drawing me to it, again and again. Having listened many times in store I couldn't get away from the simple fact that depite my leanings towards a Bose, this Sony just delivered more all around.
Overall tone is consistent throughout the spectrum. Bass is incredibly 'round' and full, delivering a satisfying presence even at very low volumes. Mids and highs are well defined, again all through the volume range. At half to three quarter volume and set on a solid platform, the passive radiators throw out one heck of a wide sound field. It's a cliche, but this will fill a spacious room without trying. It's never going to be a 'party speaker', but then that wouldn't be playing to its strengths.
The SRS-X55 is a fantastic portable or 'bedside' rechargeable speaker that can more than provide quality big sound backup on occasions that demand mobility. I really can't say enough about how solid and full sounding this speaker is. Try this and then go back to any other class leader in this bracket. Tell me that you aren't a little stunned by just how much more impressive this SRS-X55 is in comparison.
Connectivity has proven to be solid and stable. Sony's proprietary sound enhancement trickery is way beyond a gimmick. It works superbly. Cabled input into the AUX in produces a noticeably more intricate sound (to my ridiculously picky ears anyway), but not to any real detriment, especially at higher volumes. That's Bluetooth for you though.
Build quality is very satisfying. It's a pleasingly hefty oblong of black. No frills, just a secret weapon of a discreet hardback sized powerhouse! It's sits there disarmingly challenging you to test it, then innocently blows the lid off your expectations without even breaking sweat. The thin rubber pads in the base really grip the surface it stands on and help transfer some of that bass into air wobbling loveliness. You can see the whole unit almost shimmer, yet none of that vibration is transferred into distortion or rattle. It's almost as if the whole unit is designed to do nothing other this shift the air around it, and nothing else. Which of course, is exactly what it should doing.
It's frankly, bordering on ridiculously brilliant. Careful placement is rewarded even more, so experiment. And in my experience, lay off any equalisation if you can. The SRS-X55 does all the work that's required so any extra processing is just not nessecary. I'm an EQ junky, it takes a lot for me to say that!
Oh, and it charges your portable device as well, acts as a speaker phone...(haven't tried it, I'm listening to music... I'll call you back later, leave me in peace!)
And that's it really. Get one while you can and next time you see or hear the Bose Mini Traveller, be happy that with the SRS-X55 you've hit on a speaker that has it licked, no contest, before the bout even started! Enjoy!
