Sony XV800 portable Bluetooth wireless party speaker review

Do you routinely find yourself entertaining very large crowds who want to dance, get entranced by a light show and sing karaoke (and maybe play some guitar)? If so, Sony has the speaker for you.

The Sony XV800 Portable Bluetooth Wireless Party Speaker is a gigantic speaker that can do all those things and more. It's also technically portable, despite its prodigious size and weight, thanks to wheels and a 25-hour battery. But considering its $650 price tag, you should probably be a professional entertainer, or have aspirations in that direction, to warrant the cost.

Sony isn't the only company to offer a party speaker like this — you’ll find ones that are slightly smaller or bigger, more expensive and less. Find out if the XV800 fits your party lifestyle below.

The XV800 pumps out the jams loudly, with plenty of bass to vibrate your chest. It's a party in a box that you can take with you — perfect for DJs, musicians and other entertainers. The $650 price and its sheer size mean the rest of us might want something a bit more reasonable.

When you arrive with the XV800, you will be the center of attention. Its sheer size will impress the crowd: At 28.3 by 14.8 by 12.5 inches, it will make people who brought a typical-size Bluetooth speaker hide in shame. It's a good thing it has wheels since you’ll want to use them to move around the 40.8-pound unit.

The XV800 uses its size well, delivering a big and loud sound. Forget about it filling a room; it can fill a house with sound. However, when you push the volume near max, the sound gets distorted and brash; it's better to keep it around 50 to 60%, which is still very loud.

If the sound doesn't attract a crowd, the ambient lighting will. Multicolor LEDs on the top and bottom blink and strobe in time to the music; you can select from several different patterns to match the mood of the event.

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When you’re re-creating a club scene by the pool or in a parking lot, the people will want bass. All the bass. And the XV800 brings the thumping bass that you can feel in your bones.

The low end throughout Jon Batiste's "Freedom" kept the floor vibrating with its deep tones, while the funky bass on Gorillaz's "Cracker Island" pushed its power throughout the room (and beyond). The pounding drums on Mammoth WVH's "Another Celebration at the End of the World" moved the air impressively. Even on songs in which the bass is usually lower in the mix, the XV800 pumped it up.

A party speaker is about more than playing tunes for friends. It gets its own category because of everything else it can do. In addition to playing music and putting on a light show, you can also connect a microphone and a guitar so people can sing and play along. It can charge your phone. Oh, and when you’re not thrilling a crowd, you can connect it to your TV to boost the dialogue and sound effects.

To take advantage of the speaker's capabilities, you need not one but two apps: Sony's Music Center lets you control the sound mode and input, while the Fiestable app brings the DJ extras, such as manual control of the lights and adding flange to the sounds coming from the speaker. The Fiestable app can be a bit slow to respond to touch input, however.

Because of the emphasis on bass, the speaker shines best on fast and energetic songs; acoustic music such as Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again" and Miles Davis's "Summertime" lacked warmth and the treble tones sounded too bright.

At lower volume, the bass was a bit overwhelming in the mix, but as you turn it up, the balance becomes better. However, the prominent low end tended to squelch the midrange tones and vocals could get lost — the falsetto singing on "Freedom" particularly sounded thin, especially in comparison to the big bass. But at a party, few people are going to be analyzing the sound that closely.

If you’re not a DJ, MC or musician, you probably don't need the XV800. It really is a big and expensive speaker. For most people, the $450 (and often discounted) UE Hyperboom will produce enough sound to entertain a typical outdoor party. Or you could choose from other, more affordable "party" speakers, such as the $350 JBL Partybox 110, which includes lights and karaoke, though only 12 hours of battery life.

28.3 x 14.8 x 12.5 inches

27 x 12.8 x 14.5 inches

14.33 x 7.5 x 7.5 inches

40.8 pounds

38.4 pounds

13 pounds

Bluetooth, optical digital, 3.5 mm auxiliary, two 1/4-inch auxiliary

Bluetooth, 3.5mm auxiliary, two 1/4-inch auxiliary

Bluetooth, optical digital, 3.5mm auxiliary, USB charge out

25 hours

18 hours

24 hours

IPX4

Sony's XV800 lives up to its party speaker name. With plenty of power to fill a venue, you won't have to worry about people hearing the tunes on your playlist. Its lights make it a visual draw as well as an audible one. Throw in karaoke and accents you can add via the Fiestable app, and the XV800 is a party in a box — albeit a very large one.

If you’re an entertainer who works with audio, the XV800 could be worth its $650 price. But you have other choices — especially the well-regarded $550 JBL Partybox 310, which is similar in size and features. The Partybox 310 puts its lights around the drivers instead of on top and bottom, and it has less battery life (18 versus 25 for the XV800). The choice comes down to personal preferences: You’re the DJ — which creates the best party for your people?