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So the new Sony XB23 is a great sounding portable bluetooth speaker. But if you’re looking for a small speaker for the summer then the JBL Flip 5 and UE Wonderboom 2 are two great options as well. But all three of these speakers are pretty different from one another so depending on your needs one might be better than the other for you.
Now when it comes to price all three of these speakers retail for $100 which isn’t too bad. So if you want to pick either of these speakers up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first off lets talk about the designs of these speakers. Now all three of these speakers have mostly fabrics covered bodies so all of these speakers should have no problem standing up to constant bumps and scrapes if you plan on constantly taking any of these speakers on the go with you. And all of these speakers are water proof so you don’t have to worry about getting any of these speakers wet. But the XB23 is the largest speaker here, where the flip 5 is a little smaller and then there’s the Wonderboom 2 that just looks like a ball. Now like I mentioned in the full review, the XB23 is very large for a small portable bluetooth speaker, but you can still easily take it on the go with you. But personally I do prefer the Wonderboom 2 here if you’re looking for a speaker to take camping or to take to the beach cause it is smaller but more importantly it doesn’t have those exposed passive radiators to worry about like these other two speakers.
But the biggest draw back about the Wonderboom 2 is that since this speaker is the oldest speaker here, its still using a micro usb port for charging where as both the XB23 and flip 5 are using USB C for charging… which is what we like to see these days. But keep in mind the USB C ports on both of these speakers are strictly used for charging. You can’t use these usb c ports as a wired connection and you can’t use these usb c ports to charge your own devices.
Now when it comes to battery life… unfortunately the XB23 has the worst preforming battery life here. Now even though this speaker has an advertised battery life of 12 hours… thats while this speaker is in stamina mode playing at 50% volume. And I don’t like using stamina when I don’t have to on this speaker cause stamina mode makes this speaker sound very flat. But this speaker also has an advertised battery life of 10 hours while in extra bass mode.
But while in extra bass mode and when this speaker is set to max volume this speaker is only good for about 2 and half to 3 hours of playback time and at 80% volume this speaker is only good for about 4 and half to 5 hours of playback time. So I feel the battery life on the XB23 is very so so.
Where as both the flip 5 and Wonderboom 2 are good for around 4 hours of playback time while they’re both playing at max volume and they’re both good for around 8 hours of playback time when they’re playing at 80% volume.
Now when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity, all three of these speaker can be connected to 2 devices at the same time so you and a friend can both be DJ. But both the flip 5 and wonderboom 2 are strictly using SBC where as the XB23 has support for higher quality audio codecs like AAC and LDAC.
But something thats very important to keep in mind with all of these speakers is that none of these speakers have an audio jack. Now personally I don’t mind not having an audio jack on any of these smaller speakers but it is something to look out for.
But now lets talk about listening to music with these speakers. Now all of these speakers have very different set ups. The XB23 has new dual frontward firing transducers and dual passive radiators that shoot out the sides. Now the Flip 5 also has dual passive radiators that shoot out the side but it only has a single frontward firing transducer. And then there’s the wonderboom 2. Now both the XB23 and Flip 5 are standard frontward firing speakers where as the Wonderboom 2 is a 360 degree speaker. Now this speaker has a dual transducer and dual passive radiator set up but its components shoot out in all directions. But now we’re going to jump into the sound test. All three of these speakers are playing at max volume, the XB23 is in extra bass mode and the Wonderboom 2 is playing in its default mode as well.
So first off I want to say that I think the XB23 is the best sounding speaker here cause it sounds the most balanced here… the highs and bass aren’t fighting each other here for superiority. Where as the flip 5 does like to put a little more emphasis on the highs which is what JBL likes to do on all of their speakers, and the Wonderboom 2 is the warmest sounding speaker here but personally I don’t mind that cause the wonderboom 2 does have the most amount of bass here. Now when it comes to maximum volume, both the XB23 and Flip 5 get just as loud as one another. But the Wonderboom 2 does get a little louder than both of these other two speakers.
Now like I mentioned earlier, the wonderboom 2 is a 360 degree speaker and this speaker is great to use with friends cause it can cover a large area with music without having to crank the volume up super loud. But if you want to crank the volume up on the wonderboom 2 then you can also do that. So personally for me I prefer the wonderboom 2 here cause it gets loudest here, it has a ton of bass, it sounds good, and also since its a 360 degree speaker its great to use with friends. But technically the XB23 is the better sounding speaker here cause it sounds the most balanced.
But also with the XB23 you can go in and adjust the bass, mids and treble on this speaker to your liking. Where as with the Flip 5 you’re stuck with JBL’s stock EQ. But then there’s the wonderboom 2 which has an outdoors mode. Now what out doors mode does it that it reduces the bass on this speaker and increases the mids and highs on this speaker so that this speaker sounds louder and so that it sound can travel out farther. Now out doors mode is definitely a welcomed feature but if you want to get the best sound out of this speaker you’re better off using it with out doors mode turned off.
But now lets talk about speaker pairing protocols cause all of these speakers have some kind of fragmentation to look out for. Now the XB23 is using Sony’s new party connect meaning that you can only pair it up to Sony’s newer speakers that are also using party connect like an XB43, XB33, or another XB23.
Now the JBL flip 5 is using JBL’s new Partyboost meaning that you can only pair it up to JBL’s newer speakers that are also using party boost like a Boombox 2, another Flip 5, a JBL Pulse 4, and any other new JBL speakers that are coming down the pipeline like the JBL Xtreme 3.
And then there’s the Wonderboom 2 which is using Party UP but you can only pair it up to one other wonderboom or one other wonderboom 2. And if you want to get stereo sound going you can only do that with 2 wonderboom 2’s.
So with all that being said, like I said in the full review the XB23 is a great sounding speaker. Its has a much wider sound stage and much better instrument separation than its predecessor and it also the most balanced sounding speaker. And through Sony’s app you can also customize its EQ to your liking. But I feel that you really gotta watch out for the battery life on the XB23. So if you’re looking for a small speaker to take with you camping or to the beach this summer then the XB23 wouldn’t be my first pick. Personally i still prefer to use the wonderboom 2 cause it has the most amount of bass here, its gets the loudest, its 360 degree sound is great to use with friends, but more importantly it has much better performing battery life than the XB23 which is crucial for a portable speaker. The main thing you gotta look out for on the Wonderboom 2 is that its still using a micro USB port for charging. But if you’re simply just not interested in a 360 degree speaker or if USB C charging is a must for you than the Flip 5 is a good alternative as well cause remember the XB23’s battery life jut isn’t the best out there.