See why the Sony XB13 speaker is great for spring break touring

I’m hoping to strike the parkway, decreased all the home windows and travel to Asbury Park (or a different favored beach front city) just as shortly as everyone else. And alongside with my telephone, a neat pair of sun shades and my most wonderful swim trunks, I’m also packing a tiny but mighty speaker alongside with me.

The Sony XB13 is our very best travel pick for Bluetooth speakers. It excels as an ultra-moveable selection with a remarkably long battery everyday living and a keen capacity to provide sturdy seem. Oh, and it’s just $59.99 — or as little as $48 when it’s on sale, like now — and arrives in a slew of enjoyable hues: black, coral pink, mild blue, powder blue or taupe. Let’s unpack why it’s the perfect journey stowaway, specially when you’re taking into consideration packing for spring break.

Sony’s XB13 is pint-size, coming in at just a lot more than 4 inches in height. Dependent on the dimension of your hand, it mirrors the sizing of a closed fist and is smaller sized than the dimensions of a standard coffee mug. You can toss it in a backpack, a suitcase, a tote bag or even a fanny pack. Its exceptional portability indicates that it can make the trip with you, no matter if you’re traveling or driving to your spring break place.

And here’s the kicker: A colour-matched cloth strap arrives preinstalled on the speaker, which implies it can act like a carabiner to something. I’ve attached the speaker to a backpack for a hike. The choices are endless, as it is created out of very long lasting cloth. I’ve had my XB13 for close to a 12 months, and right after a lot of drops, it is scratch-free of charge and the fabric strap is continue to fully intact.

It can take care of a dip in a pool or a dance social gathering in the rain since it carries an IPX7 rating — in other words and phrases, it can final for up to 30 minutes in as a lot as a meter of drinking water. I would not suggest purposely dropping it into a pool or a body of water, but it does pack some protection in opposition to it. It also has some security against the sun with a unique UV coating. Sonos has a very similar layer on the bigger (and pricier) $399 Go, and it is mainly there to preserve distortion or cracks from appearing on the painted outer layer. There is also a collection of rubber strips on the base of the XB13, which keep it firmly in location no subject how substantially bass is on your keep track of.

Sony’s layout group was very sensible with the controls and charging port. You are going to come across tactile buttons designed into a rubber strip for volume, playback, energy and Bluetooth pairing together the bottom portion of the speaker. Hidden below an easily obtainable flap, which also keeps it guarded, is a USB-C port for charging.

I was a minimal skeptical when Sony promised a runtime of 16 hours on the XB13, particularly when thinking of this Bluetooth speaker’s tiny size. But in my battery exam, the XB13 blasted for a entire 15 hours. It is an hour below the promised battery everyday living but continue to stretches for a longer time than most Bluetooth speakers, including our other showcased picks in our ideal Bluetooth speakers information.

That is a long participate in time for a trip, a extensive car or truck experience, a day at the beach or even a day at a villa. When the time comes for a recharge, you can just plug in the included USB-C cable. Do notice, having said that, that the a single that is incorporated is rather quick.

Powering the audio on the XB13 is a top rated-going through speaker and a passive radiator for bass that sends tones out of the base of the device. These are a good deal of tech phrases, but what you require to know is that it makes a apparent, rich sound. It can fill a decently sized area with seem. Even outdoor in less-than-perfect situations, it can deliver sound healthy for a modest group or for unique listening.

Irrespective of whether I was enjoying “Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo, a deep minimize by Bruce Springsteen or “New Rules” by Dua Lipa, the seem was lively and aimed to take pleasure in all factors of a observe evenly. It was an spectacular combine of seem, regardless of whether it was vocals, a range of guitars, powerful reduce tones or even some electrically curated appears. In my listening practical experience, I haven’t listened to included distortion or crackling no matter of the quantity.

If you want a more sizeable, louder audio — for case in point, if you are traveling with a large team or want to fill a larger sized room with new music — you can pair a number of XB13s with each other. Two paired XB13 equipment will give you stereo seem and considerably louder quantity.

For $59.99 — or a lot more probable beneath $50 when it’s on sale — the XB13 is an great speaker for day-to-day use or a mighty journey that requires you someplace new (or common). Not only is it a light-weight, resilient style and design that can match your persona with colour, but it will very last for many hrs and makes good audio.

If you are seeking for a little bit of added protection for your XB13 when you consider it on the street — or in the air — this spring crack, a carrying situation could be the fantastic addition to your set.

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