Review - Sony SRS X11 Personal Audio System

I recently purchased a Sony SRS X11 bluetooth speaker system.  In fact, I got two of them, since they came as a pair.  That's not a normal retail package, so I took advantage when I saw it; especially as the cost was only half again for the second unit.

There are many bluetooth speakers on the market, all of varying cost and quality.  I chose these because I have a good history with Sony product, and whilst they may not be the cheapest, you can usually be sure of a quality purchase.

OK - let's have a closer look.  As you'll see from the pictures, it's tiny.  But don't let that put you off.  This pumps out 10w of music.


This cube is 61mm in each direction, and weighs just 215g.  The battery will last up to 12 hours on a full charge.  The build is solid, with a rubbery texture on the top and the back, with a plastic underneath.  The grills covering the speakers look and feel like metal.  Overall, this feels like a quality product.

On the reverse you will find a stereo mini-jack input (if you use this, then you don't need to pair using bluetooth) and there is a micro USB terminal for charging.

The top of the unit contains the controls; the power button.  Press and hold to set the unit into pairing mode.

The volume buttons are on the right.  There is also a button to initiate hands-free calling, using the built-in microphone.  Music will automatically cut out when a call is in progress.

It's simple to set up - just power up (the first time will automatically set the unit to pairing mode), search for the connection on your device.  Just select it, and the pairing will be complete.

You may have spotted the Near Field Communication (NFC) icon on the top.  Tap this with your NFC enabled device and it will automatically switch your bluetooth connection on.

Now, when you play anything on your device, the audio will output from the speaker.  Magic.

One great feature is the ability to daisy-chain two of the units together.  There are two modes available.  Either create stereo sound, or double up, and put each device in a different room.  Now, so long as they are both within the bluetooth range, you can play the same music across a wider area.  Ideal for a party!


Also included is a lanyard that is useful for hanging the speaker; maybe on a branch, tent pole, or just on a door handle.

So - how do they sound?  It isn't hi-fi.  It's not tinny; there is bass, and the volume can be turned up fairly loud (although, of course, distortion will appear at the top!)  If you're looking for pure quality, then you'll need to spend more than this!  However, for general listening; playing Spotify playlists, it's ideal.