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To further enhance the bottom, Sony has built the speaker with passive radiators on either side. Inside the speaker, the manufacturer has installed its newly developed X-Balanced Speaker Unit, a non-circular diaphragm that's designed to deliver punchier bass while reducing distortion. While this might irritate those who crave symmetry, Sony claims that the optimised weight balance helps to enhance clarity and widen the soundstage. The embossed design helps you to feel your way around, but some illumination would've been nice.Īt the back, there's another small panel featuring a USB-C port for charging the device, a standard USB one for replenishing your smartphone or tablet while you listen to music, along with buttons for checking how much battery you have left, activating Party Connect mode (where you can pair the speaker with up to 100 compatible wireless devices) and launching Stereo Pair (which enables you to hook up a solitary speaker for a more spatial listen).Īs for the shape of the Sony SRS-XB33, it's slightly off-centre. Another thing we found with the control panel on the speaker was that it was hard to see in low light. It's a bit fiddly, to be honest, so you might find yourself using the Sony Music Centre app to control your music – more about that in the next section. Skipping forward a track requires you to press the play/pause/call button twice, while skipping backwards means having to hit that button three times.