The first impression of the Sony GTKXB90 is that this is the largest Bluetooth speaker I have ever seen! The photo above contains a pic of it with your standard Rolling Stone Magazine and a curious mini schnauzer. According to Sony, it weighs 31 pounds and is over 2 feet tall. If you can handle the size, you will be paid back with a fun, very loud Bluetooth speaker that is capable of deeper bass than any portable I have ever heard at this price point (~$349).
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Let's Party
This is the ultimate party speaker. It puts on a cool, user adjustable, light show, has DJ effects, plays loud, and puts out a lot of bass. That being said, like every other Bluetooth speaker I have heard, it isn’t an audiophile product. It does have EQ settings you can use to dial in the sound, but it will be difficult to match the sound of a properly setup system with two speakers and a sub. I don’t think audiophiles will be buying this speaker for playing their RCA Living Stereo vinyl, but it still sounds pretty darn good for a portable speaker.
Apps - the good and the bad
The speaker requires a couple apps to get everything setup. The Fiestable app lets you setup DJ features and gives you a lot of control over the light show and the Music Center app lets you group with other Sony speakers, access your phone’s library, access most music apps on the iPhone, adjust the EQ, add Extra Bass, select the input you want to use, turn off the speaker, etc.
I found the apps very useful, but somewhat frustrating to use. While the ability to set the EQ is an absolute necessity to get the sound the way I like, the apps take a long time to locate the speaker even if you simply opened another app and go back to the Music app to adjust volume or another setting. I wish Sony would include a basic remote that could turn it on and off, control volume, cycle through inputs, and maybe turn on and off the lights. As I said, the features contained in both apps is what make this speaker so unique, but I would like a basic remote so I didn’t always have to go back to my iPhone or iPad and wait for the app to connect to the speaker..even when the iPhone has been constantly connected via Bluetooth).
Below are some screen shots from both apps to show you some of the features:
I found the apps very useful, but somewhat frustrating to use. While the ability to set the EQ is an absolute necessity to get the sound the way I like, the apps take a long time to locate the speaker even if you simply opened another app and go back to the Music app to adjust volume or another setting. I wish Sony would include a basic remote that could turn it on and off, control volume, cycle through inputs, and maybe turn on and off the lights. As I said, the features contained in both apps is what make this speaker so unique, but I would like a basic remote so I didn’t always have to go back to my iPhone or iPad and wait for the app to connect to the speaker..even when the iPhone has been constantly connected via Bluetooth).
Below are some screen shots from both apps to show you some of the features:
Ports
The speaker actually has several useful ports. It has analog in and out, a USB input, and a mic input (with mic control). I have tested the USB with a thumb drive with some mp3 files and it works fine, but I prefer the interface for apps like Apple Music, so I will rarely ever use it for this purpose.
One of my planned ways of using it was for when we are out by the pool. I could use it with an Amazon Echo Dot plugged into the USB for power, while also being plugged into the RCA input for audio. This will allow anyone to tell it what to play or ask it questions. However, when I plugged it into both ports, I ran into a lot of static. Luckily, I had a ground loop isolator that fixed that problem, but I found that I could also avoid the issue by using Bluetooth instead of the analog inputs. Inside the house, I will probably just keep my Dot plugged into the main office system via analog and pair it with the Sony’s Bluetooth to give me a lot more options.
The interesting thing about the Bluetooth feature is that it will stay connected to three devices at a time. It won't play them all simultaneously, but it doesn't have to be manually disconnected before connecting to a second device like other Bluetooth speakers I have used. It has NFC one touch pairing , but unfortunately my iPhone can't take advantage of NFC pairing. The speaker does not utilize Apt-X, but iPhones don't have the feature, either. It does have Sony's LDAC Bluetooth features available.
One of my planned ways of using it was for when we are out by the pool. I could use it with an Amazon Echo Dot plugged into the USB for power, while also being plugged into the RCA input for audio. This will allow anyone to tell it what to play or ask it questions. However, when I plugged it into both ports, I ran into a lot of static. Luckily, I had a ground loop isolator that fixed that problem, but I found that I could also avoid the issue by using Bluetooth instead of the analog inputs. Inside the house, I will probably just keep my Dot plugged into the main office system via analog and pair it with the Sony’s Bluetooth to give me a lot more options.
The interesting thing about the Bluetooth feature is that it will stay connected to three devices at a time. It won't play them all simultaneously, but it doesn't have to be manually disconnected before connecting to a second device like other Bluetooth speakers I have used. It has NFC one touch pairing , but unfortunately my iPhone can't take advantage of NFC pairing. The speaker does not utilize Apt-X, but iPhones don't have the feature, either. It does have Sony's LDAC Bluetooth features available.
Design
While I like the handle that is built in that makes it easier to carry, one frustration is the lack of water proofing and the plastic housing that could get scratched up without much effort. It is a portable Bluetooth speaker, but make sure you don’t get caught in the rain!
The speaker also has the ability to be paired with other Sony speakers wirelessly using the party mode. You can also use the analog out to pair with more speakers. The speaker has two 7.09 inch woofers and three 2.36 inch (cone type) tweeters, however only two of the tweeters are active at the same time. If you have the speaker upright, the two tweeters on top play, if you have it on its side, the two in each of the corners play, so you get stereo separation regardless of whether you use it vertically or horizontally. In ECO standby mode, the speaker only use .5 W.
The speaker also has the ability to be paired with other Sony speakers wirelessly using the party mode. You can also use the analog out to pair with more speakers. The speaker has two 7.09 inch woofers and three 2.36 inch (cone type) tweeters, however only two of the tweeters are active at the same time. If you have the speaker upright, the two tweeters on top play, if you have it on its side, the two in each of the corners play, so you get stereo separation regardless of whether you use it vertically or horizontally. In ECO standby mode, the speaker only use .5 W.
Is it worth it?
So, given the unusual size and weight, is the Sony GBK-XB90 worth having? I think it depends on your needs and whether you can handle carrying around such a bulky speaker. The large size means that it is louder and has better bass than most portable speakers on the market. They claim 16 hours of battery life, but using the lights and listening at max volume could cut it down to 4 hours. I think most people will fall in between 4 and 16 hours and end up with 7 or so hours at normal volumes. That is pretty impressive for a speaker this size that has this much bass.
For me, it is nice to have because of the many different lighting options. When I was a kid, my grandmother liked gadgets (she introduced me to my first video game...Pong!) and she had a speaker in her living room that would put on a light show depending on the music that was playing. I still remember her playing notes on the piano while I was mesmerized by the light show. This speaker takes that experience to a whole new level, so I know if she was still around, she would enjoy the unique features of this speaker as much as I do.
Below is video using some music recorded with my iPhone using a Blue Raspberry microphone for demonstration purposes. I wish I could use music that people are more familiar with, but I have been unable to reach The Rolling Stones to get their approval, so I simply grabbed a few copyright free tracks that show off some basic attributes.
It should be noted that this type of demonstration is limited because it depends on your speakers, the mic I used, etc. However, your speakers and my mic shouldn't put something in that wasn't there, so you can still get a general idea of how these sound if you have decent speakers/headphones on your end.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
I haven't posted a Youtube video in a while, but if anyone wants a Youtube video to show off the many illumination and DJ features, let me know and I will try to put a video together.
For me, it is nice to have because of the many different lighting options. When I was a kid, my grandmother liked gadgets (she introduced me to my first video game...Pong!) and she had a speaker in her living room that would put on a light show depending on the music that was playing. I still remember her playing notes on the piano while I was mesmerized by the light show. This speaker takes that experience to a whole new level, so I know if she was still around, she would enjoy the unique features of this speaker as much as I do.
Below is video using some music recorded with my iPhone using a Blue Raspberry microphone for demonstration purposes. I wish I could use music that people are more familiar with, but I have been unable to reach The Rolling Stones to get their approval, so I simply grabbed a few copyright free tracks that show off some basic attributes.
It should be noted that this type of demonstration is limited because it depends on your speakers, the mic I used, etc. However, your speakers and my mic shouldn't put something in that wasn't there, so you can still get a general idea of how these sound if you have decent speakers/headphones on your end.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
I haven't posted a Youtube video in a while, but if anyone wants a Youtube video to show off the many illumination and DJ features, let me know and I will try to put a video together.
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