XSReviews

Today we’re looking at an compact Bluetooth speaker with a pair of six watt drivers, which should provide pretty good audio despite the unit’s small size. The XSound Go also promises a full 24 hours of battery life, which would be impressive in such a small body. Let’s put it to the test!

Manufacturer’s Features & Specs

• Innovative design with simplistic curves for ultra portability
• 24 hour play time after 4400mAh battery is fully charged
• Two 6W drivers for immersive stereo sound
• IPX7 water resistance allow you to listen in the shower
• Always connected with Bluetooth 4.2
• 170 x 56 x 58 millimetres / 381 grams
• RRP: £79.99

Design

The Tribit XSound Go is a small Bluetooth speaker, about the size of a glasses case. The rounded shape make it easy to grasp, and you can fit it into most cup holders found on bicycles, automobiles and backpacks. A lanyard is also attached, which can be tied onto other objects or looped around your wrist. (We detached this for our photos, though.)

Along the top, there are a series of flattened buttons that allow you to begin pairing, skip songs, adjust the volume and so on. A blue LED shows when the unit is on and connected, while a red light shows when the speaker is charging.

The speaker is charged via Micro USB; a cable is provided. The Micro USB port is hidden under a water-sealed flap on the back, which must be removed and replaced each time you start and finish charging. A 3.5mm input is also provided, allowing you to connect non-Bluetooth devices (or improve sound quality if you feel Bluetooth isn’t up to the task).

Testing

We used this speaker for about a week on-and-off, testing its battery life, sound quality, connection stability and more. Here’s what we found.

Audio quality: The XSound Go lived up to its name with surprisingly loud sound, with noticeable bass and reasonable reproduction of mids and highs. However, a larger speaker will still provide better bass, and high tones sounded a bit shrill to our ears.

Battery life: We charged the XSound Go after we unpacked it, then used it from full. In our week of testing, comprising of about 12 hours, we haven’t yet exhausted the battery. Therefore, the claim of 24 hours seems not entirely unrealistic.

Usability: The speaker is quite easy to use, with easy-to-press buttons at the top of the unit. The small size makes it easy to take with you, which is handy if you want to bring it with you from room to room.

Microphone: The microphone on this unit is not the best, but it was suitable enough for quick calls.

Water resistance: As advertised, the Bluetooth speaker continued working in the shower. Just remember to keep the charging ports fully covered!

Stability: The Bluetooth connection only flagged when we put our audio source in one room and the speaker in another. If you keep both in the same room, you should expect near perfect connectivity.

Wrapping up

The Tribit XSound Go is a great Bluetooth speaker, thanks to its excellent battery life, good audio quality and perfect water resistance. For its current price of £36, it’s a bit of a bargain.