Big sounds from a small package

A portable Bluetooth speaker system with good sound quality that can also function as a speaker phone system, the Sony SRS-BTX300 measures a compact 341mm × 115.0mm × 58.5mm yet blasts out the sound thanks to its 20-watts S-Master digital amplifier.

The BTX300 may not produce floor-shaking deep bass, but the bass is enjoyable enough with a passive radiator for added low-end sound.

The speaker system produces clean and clear sound through its two full-range speakers with 70mm woofer.

You can easily connect your smartphone to BTX300 using one-touch NFC technology. Simply tap the back of your NFC-enable phone to the NFC mark on top of the speaker system and the Bluetooth connection is automatically made. Sony has developed a lot of expertise in one-touch NFC technology and now uses it in most of its new portable and home audio systems.

I tested the NFC connection with Sony Xperia V and the connection was a breeze. After tapping the back of the Xperia V on the NFC mark, Xperia V sought my permission to connect to the speaker system. That obtained, it started the Walkman app and streamed music to BTX300.

The BTX300 supports AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) and aptX compression technology. The aptX is an audio coding that delivers CD-quality wirelessly over Bluetooth connection.

The BTX300 can also function as a good quality speaker phone system. It has a dedicated call button for receiving or rejecting calls.

Once connected to your smartphone with Bluetooth connection, you press the multi-function call button to receive an incoming call. To make a call, you must use your mobile phone to dial but after that the device serves as a hand-free calling unit complete with built-in microphone.

You can also redial the last called number by pressing the call button for about two seconds. If you want to cancel an outgoing call, simply press the call button.

The call button can also be used to finish or reject a call.

The BTX300 is highly portable with a built-in rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery that can last about eight hours after one full charge.

It also comes with a side stand and will add elegance to your desktop. It’s easy to operate too, with just five buttons to memorise: a volume rocker, a button for selecting sound effect, one for selecting audio-in source, another for initiating Bluetooth pairing and the power switch. A lock/release switch opens and closes the side stand.

The audio-in function uses a 3.5mm stereo-jack cable so you can also use the BTX300 as a speaker for your desktop computer. However, the 3.5mm stereo cable is not provided with the package so you will need to buy it separately. You can also connect BTX300’s 3.5mm stereo jack to your portable MP3 player and share the music with others on the go.

The Bluetooth speaker system has two sound effects and a normal mode plus Mega Bass mode for enhancing bass sounds and a Sound Field Expansion effect.

Since BTX300 has no LCD display, it uses a light indicator near the Sound effect button to tell you which mode is being used. The amber light means it is in the Mega Bass mode while the green mode tells that it is in the Sound Field Expansion mode. When the light is off, it means no sound effect mode is selected.

BTX300 also uses an illumination lamp to indicate the function it is performing. For example, when it is connected to a Bluetooth device, the lamp turns blue. It turns white when you connect it to another device with a stereo-jack cable. The lamp also flashes three times in white when the volume hits the maximum or minimum.

I found that BTX300 amazingly loud for its size. It has 30 levels of the volume and the sound filled my large living room with the 12th level when paired with the maximum sound volume of my Motorola RAZR MAXX.

BTX300 reproduced sounds with clarity and good details during the test. Although the bass was not very powerful, it was still enjoyable. When I tested it, I turned on the Extreme Bass sound setting of RAZR MAXX and I also used the Mega Bass sound mode of BTX300 for greater depth.

The saxophone sound of the “Sax for Sex – Beautiful Night” album was clear and sweet and the tracks of the “Songs of Sting’s The Best” album were also enjoyable with powerful vocals and detailed musical instruments.

The Sony SRS-BTX300 retails for Bt5,990.

 

Key specs:

_ Reference output power: 10W + 10W (AC adaptor, at 1 % harmonic distortion, 1kHz, 6 ohms), 4W + 4W (Battery, at 10 % harmonic distortion,1kHz, 6ohms) 

_ Main speaker: 70 mm × 2 (full range)

_ Passive speaker:  103 mm × 60 mm (w/h)

_ Bluetooth Specification: Version 3.0

_ Frequency band: 2.4 GHz band (2.4000 GHz - 2.4835 GHz)

_ Modulation method

_ FHSS

_ Compatible Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP

_ Supported Codec: SBC, AAC, aptX

_ Microphone: Electret condenser with 50 Hz -10 kHz effective frequency range

_ Input: Audio In jack (3.5 mm stereo mini jack)

_ DC Out: USB jack Type A (for charging the battery of a connected device)

_ Power: DC 12.5 V, 2.5 A (using the supplied AC adaptor connected)

_ Battery: Lithium-ion battery with 8 hours battery life

_ Dimensions (including projecting parts and controls): Approx. 341mm × 115mm × 58.5mm

_ Weight:  Approx.1,600g including battery