Sony SRS X7

Sony SRS X7

When it comes to design, Sony has been knocking its competitors out of the park. It is one thing to carve out a unique design identity and another to maintain a cohesive one across different product lines and Sony is one of the few who has done it to great success.

Crafted to give it the same look as Sony's Xperia smartphones and tablets, the X7 is an upright brick with speakers projecting sound from the front. 

Its smooth left and right side has a brushed aluminium finish, while the top, where the touch controls sit, is made of the same glass panel found on the rear of Xperia phones.

There is a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip on the top to pair NFC devices and six buttons line up on the right side of the top panel. Only the Power button is a physical one, while the Volume, Bluetooth and Network buttons are all touch buttons. Wrapped in black, the X7 is elegant looking and looks at home in the bedroom or living room.

Inside the brick are two speakers, two passive radiators and one woofer, all which work together to produce sharp, accurate audio cross the board. Overall, this has slightly less boom than the Jabra Solemate Max, which is twice as thick. The X7 packs less bass than the Cambridge Audio Minx Go.

The X7 is great for solid lows and for delivery of distinct highs, though there is some muffling when audio levels are pumped all the way up.

While the inclusion of a six-hour battery promotes portability, the smooth sides, glass panel and overall size (1.9kg), makes this one of the more difficult and bulkier speakers to carry around, as there is a lack of grip.

Lacking the rubber handle that the Solemate Max has, the X7 is more of a chore to lug around.

It has AirPlay, LAN, audio port and a USB charging port, all features that people are likely to use, but does not go overboard like Creative's Roar.

It is a pity the X7 cannot handle calls.

TECH SPECS

Price: $499

Additional features: NFC, Network, AirPlay, LAN port, audio in, Bluetooth, USB charging

RATING

Features: 4/5

Performance: 4/5

Value: 3/5

Overall: 4/5


This article was first published on July 16, 2014.
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