Sony SRS-X77 review

There are plenty of multiroom speakers to choose from, but few are designed for moving around the home. A built-in battery separates Sony’s SRS-X77 from the competition. At 300x132x60mm and weighing 1.9kg, it’s also the smallest speaker in the SRS range, making it well suited for portability; the larger X88 and X99 lack an integrated battery, so are meant to remain stationary. The only limitation will be your Wi-Fi range, but even then you can still use it as a conventional Bluetooth speaker.

Design

The SRS-X77 is a minimal, piano black rectangle with a front face completely covered by its uninterrupted speaker grille. I’m a big fan of the monolithic look; it feels premium and well-constructed, and there’s a decent heft to the cabinet – without making it too heavy to comfortably move around the house. The only issue, as is the case with all glass piano black glass objects, is how dusty and fingerprint prone it is. Be prepared to constantly wipe it down to keep it looking its best.

The glossy glass top has touch-based controls for swapping between Bluetooth, Network and wired Audio In modes, plus volume adjustment. Disappointingly, the buttons aren’t backlit as they are on the more expensive models. The NFC contact point on the top for quickly pairing a Bluetooth device is a handy inclusion, though.

The charging port, Ethernet port and 3.5mm auxiliary connection can all be found on the back. There’s also a USB port, which can be used to charge a device but not for playing music off a flashdrive. The back also houses a pop-out antenna that can be used to improve wireless reception. When extended it slightly ruins the clean lines of the speaker, but it’s not too big a sacrifice for a stronger connection.

Setup and App

As with Sony’s other multiroom speakers, setup and controls are handled through the SongPal app for Android, iOS and desktops. A tutorial takes you through the process of adding your wireless network details to the speaker if you don’t use the WPS pairing option. You first connect to the speaker over Bluetooth, before entering your Wi-Fi details and assigning the speaker a name. The app also handles firmware updates, and out of the box I was immediately presented with one. It took about 20 minutes to download and install, which is more than a little slow, but it’s not something you’ll be doing too frequently.

Multiple speaker grouping is handled by grabbing and dragging icons representing each one around the screen. It’s an intuitive way to visualise how your speakers are arrayed, and shows at a glance whether a speaker is in Network or Bluetooth mode. Tapping a speaker displays individual controls, where you can choose what source you want to use. The SRS-X77 is both Google Cast and Spotify Connect compatible, supports AirPlay, and can play music over DLNA. With Bluetooth and the auxiliary connection, you’re well covered. Unlike with Bose’s SoundTouch multiroom app, you’re able to also play locally stored music on your smartphone or tablet over Wi-Fi as well.

The SRS-X77 supports Bluetooth LDAC, which allows for better quality wireless streaming from compatible devices at a higher bitrate compared to Bluetooth SBC. Unfortunately, not many devices support it, apart from Sony’s smartphones and Walkmans.

Sound Quality

Two 46mm full-range drivers, a subwoofer and two passive radiators deliver a combined 40W of output. They work together in concert to deliver some impressive sound, using digital sound enhancement to upscale low bitrate audio.

The SongPal app lets you change sound settings; by default, Sony’s ClearAudio+ DSP is enabled, but you can use preset equalizer settings or adjust using a custom EQ. I was personally not a fan of how ClearAudio+ coloured the sound. It not only makes everything louder, but over-emphasises bass. Even on the Flat pre-set, there’s plenty of low-end frequency presence.

Listening to A$AP Rocky’s ‘LSD’, which features strong electronic bass, there was a little cabinet reverberation, but beyond this, the impactful bass is well controlled. Bass begins to distort a little when approaching maximum volume, but considering how loud the speaker can get you probably won’t be dialling it all the way up. Mids and trebles had the level of delicate control I’d expect for a speaker at this price and size.

You can also adjust the Wide Stereo setting between Normal and High to add some width to the soundstage. While High did indeed disperse the sound more between the left and right channels, I found it left vocals feeling thinner and more distant, so preferred to keep this off.

Conclusion

Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the integrated battery make the SRS-X77 a jack of all trades, rivalling the more expensive Bowers & Wilkins T7 – which lacks any real multiroom functionality. Used as a conventional Bluetooth speaker, you’ll get about 10 hours of battery life, and while it won’t last quite as long when used as a Wi-Fi speaker, having the flexibility is a great benefit. Sound quality matches the elegant design and when used as part of a Sony multiroom system it makes a great addition for a smaller room.

Now that it’s widely available for considerably less than its launch RRP of £259 (if you shop around you can find it for around £180), the SRS-X77 is a legitimate alternative to rival entry-level multiroom speakers from the likes of Sonos and Bose.