Gadgetory

this is the sony SRS x3 one of the smaller models in Sony's 2014 lineup of portable Bluetooth speakers they very likeable wireless speaker for its compact size and $150 price point hi I'm David Carnot and welcome to another CNET video review of a portable bluetooth speaker I'm a fan of the step-up srs x5 which retails for about $50 more and I like this one a lot - it seems designed to compete with the Bose Soundlink mini and delivers big sound for a small size a basic place as loud as the Bose and sounds arguably as good or better though can distort a little at higher volumes in hand it feels sturdy and has some heft to it weighing in at around 1.75 pounds with 210 watt 1.3 inch drivers and dual passive base radiators as you can see its design is straightforward and elegant and the speaker itself has a nice smooth to the touch finish it comes in a few different colors including black red and the white you see here as far as extra features go you get speakerphone capabilities along with NFC tap to pair technology for smartphones that support it there's an audio input and battery life is rated at around 7 hours which is good but not great the speaker charges via micro USB which is better than having a charge with a separate AC adapter the speaker has a couple of different sound modes one of which is designed to widen the soundstage a bit because speakers like this with their drivers so close together offer minimal stereo separation aside from the design what I like about the speaker and the step-up x5 is that they sound relatively natural for Bluetooth speakers the sound is relatively clean with good detail in the treble and clear mid-range the bass doesn't go quite as deep as the Bose mini but it does seem a bit tighter while the bass isn't huge this little guy managed to have some kick to it and it does well in smaller rooms and makes for an excellent little background music generator the sound does have its limitations and as I said you can get some distortion when you crank the volume aside from that caveat this is one of the stronger mini Bluetooth speakers I've tested both in terms of sound and design and so worthy contender to the Bose like many particularly since it cost $50 less I'm David karna wife thanks for watching