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So the new Sony XB43 has gotten an all new speaker set up which is very similar to the speaker set up that you’ll find on the JBL Xtreme 2 which is a very popular large portable bluetooth speaker and I still very much highly recommend it. Now even though the new XB43 does sound noticeably better than their predecessor… the Sony XB41. Lets see how the XB43 stacks up to the JBL Xtreme 2.
Now price wise, the Xtreme 2 has a retail price of $350… but you can routinely find them on sale now $250 which is what the XB43 retails for. Now the reason why the Xtreme 2 is routinely on sale now for $250 is cause it is now 2 years old and I think its very likely that we’ll see the Xtreme 3 at IFA 2020 which takes place in September… and if not then we’ll maybe see the Xtreme 3 as CES 2021 if we make it that far. But regardless if you want to pick either of these speakers up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first off I want to address the design and portability of these speakers cause these speakers are very different from one another. Even though these speakers are roughly the same size of one another its much easier to travel with the Xtreme 2 than the XB43 obviously cause the Xtreme 2 has a shoulder strap… but its also noticeably lighter. The Xtreme 2 weighs in at 5.3 pounds where as the XB43 weighs in at 6.5 pounds. But everything else is very similar between these two speakers. Both of these speakers a fabric covered body so that should be able to stand up to constant bumps and scrapes, both of these speakers are water proof so you don’t have to worry about them getting wet, and they both have exposed passive radiators on either side that you want to be mindful about not pushing in. But over all if you are looking for a speaker to constantly take on the go with you… the Xtreme 2 is a no brainier here cause of that shoulder strap and its lighter weight.
But the XB43 does have this light feature going for it. Now no this light feature isn’t amazing and its certainly isn’t the best one out there… but it does get the job done. And from a Sony’s app you’ve got a very lighting modes to choose from but the main ones here are Rave, Chill, and Strobe.
Now when it comes to tech specs, the XB43 charges via a USB C port which is great especially if you’re an android user cause you can charge your phone and your speaker with the same cable. Where as the Xtreme 2 charges via an AC port so you gotta remember to keep its charging cable handy.
Now when it comes to battery life, the XB43 has an advertised battery life of 24 hours but that when this speaker is set to stamina mode and playing at 50% volume with the light feature turned off. And plainly said, stamina mode isn’t worth using cause this speaker sounds very flat. But this speaker also has an advertised battery life of 14 hours when its set to Extra Bass mode.
But real world use with this speaker playing at max volume while in extra bass mode this speaker only lasts me around 2 hours of playback time. And at 80% volume this speaker only lasts me around 5 hours of playback time. So over all the batter life on the XB43 isn’t all that impressive.
Where as the Xtreme 2 has an advertised battery life of 15 hours but at 80% volume this speaker lasts me around 9 hours of playback time and at max volume this speaker is good for around 4 hours of playback time. So yeah, the Xtreme 2 does have way better battery life performance than the XB43.
But when it comes to bluetooth connectivity both of these speakers can be connected to two devices at the same time so you and a friend can both be DJ. But the Xtreme 2 is strictly only using SBC, where as the XB43 also has support for both AAC and LDAC.
But if you want to you can always just use a wired connection on either of these speakers cause they both have an audio jack. Which I do think is important to point out cause some of Sony’s and JBL’s other speakers now don’t have an audio jack. And both of these speakers also have a USB A out port so that you can charge your own devices.
Now when it comes to listening to music with these speakers like I mentioned earlier, the biggest upgrade found on the XB43 is that it has an all new speaker set up thats completely different from its predecessor. XB43 now has a dual woofer and dual tweeter set up on its front and it now has dual passive radiators shooting out its sides. Which is very similar to the Xtreme 2 cause it also has a dual woofer, dual tweeter, and dual side shooting passive radiators. But now we’re going to jump into a sound test. This sound test has both of these speakers playing at max volume so that you can see and hear their stark performance difference.
So like you may have just heard, the Xtreme 2 gets much louder than the XB43 and the Xtreme 2 also more bass than the XB43. Now like I mentioned in the full review, the XB43 does sound better than its predecessor the XB41 cause thanks to its new tweeters, the XB43 sounds more open and the highs are much more defined. But when compared to the Xtreme 2, the XB43 is still trailing behind. I still feel the Xtreme 2 still sounds more open clearer than the XB43 but then there’s also the fact this its just louder. Having the XB43 set to max volume is like having the Xtreme 2 set to 85% volume while its playing off of its battery. Cause with the Xtreme 2 you actually get a noticeable perforce bump when you use it while it plugged in. If you use the Xtreme 2 while its plugged in, its going to get louder and also have more bass. Where as with the XB43 you don’t get any such performance bump while its plugged in. So plainly said, the Xtreme 2 is the better sounding and better performing speaker here.
So up until here I think its pretty obvious that I prefer and recommend the Xtreme 2 over the XB43. But before you do decided to pick up the Xtreme 2 I do want to address JBL connect plus. The Xtreme 2 is using JBL connect plus which means you can only pair it up to other JBL speakers using JBL connect plus like another Xtreme 2, an original boombox, a charge 3, charge 4, flip 4, or a pulse 4.
Where as JBL’s newer speakers are now using party boost, so you can’t hook up an Xtreme 2 to like a JBL boombox 2, a Flip 5, or a Pulse 4. And like I mentioned at the top of this video… the Xtreme 3 is maybe a few months out and that speaker is also going to be using the Party Boost. So if you decide to go with the Xtreme 2 today… its technically a last gen speaker.
But if for some reason you’re thinking about going with the XB43, keep in mind the XB43 is now using Party Connect. So you can only pair an XB43 to other Party Connect speaker like another XB43, an XB33 or an XB23.
you can’t pair an XB43 to Sony’s older speakers using wireless party chain like an XB41, XB32, XB22, XB31, XB21 and so on. So both of these speakers do have some type of fragmentation to look out.
So overall even though the Xtreme 2 is technically a last get speaker cause it can’t connect to JBL’s newer speakers using Party boost… I still highly recommend the Xtreme 2 today cause it sounds good, it gets decently loud, and it also has really good battery life. And at $250 the Xtreme 2 is completely justified. Where as with the XB43… even though im glad that it does sound better than its predecessor, its lack in over all volume, and poor performing battery life just makes it very hard to justify this speaker when compared to the Xtreme 2. So if you’re looking for a speaker for summer 2020 you still can’t go wrong with the Xtreme 2.