Comparison and evaluation of SRS-XB31 and JBL Pulse 3: color? Or sound?
Comparison and evaluation of SRS-XB31 and JBL Pulse 3: color? Or sound?

In April 2018, Sony released the new SRS series speakers. The new SRS series has made great improvements in the appearance design, abandoning the previous wrapped plastic body and using full mesh materials instead. The object of this evaluation is SRS-XB31, which is the middle end product model of this series. As the successor of SRS-XB30, what will happen to its sound quality after the major design change? This is also the key content of this evaluation. At the same time, JBL Pulse 3 is also included in this evaluation as a comparison object.


appearance

Appearance, The design logic of SRS-XB31 and JBL Pulse 3 is quite different. The SRS-XB31 still takes the speaker as the main attribute, the whole machine is wrapped in mesh material, and the speaker adopts DSP technology. JBL Pulse 3 is a two-part design. The upper half is the lighting system part, the periphery is a plastic cover, and the interior is an array LED structure. The lower half is the main body of the speaker, and the speaker opening is also located at the bottom, JBL Pulse 3 still has a consistent JBL style appearance, with two passive diaphragms at the top and bottom.

As a portable wireless speaker, Both SRS-XB31 and JBL Pulse 3 support waterproofing, SRS-XB31 can achieve IP67 dustproof and waterproof, while JBL Pulse 3 supports IPX7 waterproof, but does not support dustproof.


Passive diaphragm on top of JBL Pulse 3.


The SRS-XB31 key is located on the side of the speaker, The keys of JBL Pulse 3 are concentrated on the speaker system at the bottom.


In terms of interface, SRS-XB31 supports the charging of mobile devices, while JBL Pulse 3 only has the conventional 3.5mm ear cable interface and Micro USB charging interface.


App

 JBL Connect App

JBL Pulse 3 supports party mode and stereo mode.

Party mode: All speakers supporting JBL Connect+can be connected in series, and the same song can be played at the same time. Up to 100 devices can be supported. The models of products connected in series need not be the same, as long as JBL Connect+is supported.

Stereo mode: Stereo mode requires two JBL speakers of the same model, which are set as left and right channels respectively to form surround sound.

In addition, users can also adjust the light brightness of JBL Pulse 3 through the App, but only for this reason, the light color of JBL Pulse 3 is uncontrollable.  


Sony  Music Center App

SRS-XB31 can adjust the color of light and sound mode in the App. When adjusting lights, users can only select a fixed color type. SRS-XB31 also does not support RGB light adjustment.

In addition, the SRS-XB31 supports Party Booster series connection. It can connect all speakers supporting Party Booster in series to play the same music. When all speakers are connected in series, the sound of each speaker is played synchronously, and the color and flashing frequency of the LED light are also synchronized.


In the sound mode, the user can adjust the weight of the tri band through the equalizer. At the same time, LIVE SOUND mode is added.


lighting

Although both SRS-XB31 and JBL Pulse 3 have lighting systems, one is auxiliary and the other is main.

The LED light of SRS-XB31 is located one circle around the edge of the speaker. When the speaker is turned on, the LED flashes automatically. Users can adjust the light through Sony Music Center, but it is worth noting that, Although the light of SRS-XB31 can adjust the color, the color type is fixed and does not support RGB adjustment.

After starting JBL Pulse 3, the lighting system in the upper half of the speaker will also flash automatically. The light of JBL Pulse 3 is a gradient color, which will gradually change from one color to another. The whole color change process is clear to users. Although JBL Pulse 3 seems to support RGB light adjustment, in fact it does not support it. In the App, only the option of adjusting light brightness is available.


tone quality

The biggest improvement of SRS-XB31 this time is that it uses DSP technology speakers, which has changed from the original SRS series of boiled water sound to the tri band separated surround sound. The SRS-XB31's tri frequency sound division is very open, and each has its own characteristics. The low frequency has a deep dive, large volume, but not muddy. The voice is in the front, the medium frequency density is dense, and the overall atmosphere is very strong. One ear can hear that this is the sound of SRS-XB31, because its surround sound effect is very obvious. Since the SRS-XB31 speaker unit mainly sounds through the front opening, when the user is facing the speaker, it will bring a stronger stereo feeling.


Although JBL speakers have always been characterized by stereo sound and large amount of energy, this is an exception. Since most of the whole JBL Pulse 3 is a lighting system, its sound generating opening and speaker body are located at the lower end of the speaker, so it is actually a combination system of light and speaker, and the light part of the system is the main body, which will cause a problem. Although it is large, its speaker part is actually not large.

The speaker of JBL Pulse 3 is too small, the speaker unit is naturally small, and the speaker system is relatively simple, which makes its sound cannot be compared with other speakers of the same size. In fact, its sound capacity can not be compared with that of pure speakers such as SRS-XB31. Its three frequency capacity is small, which is particularly obvious in low frequency. Its diving and capacity are insufficient, low frequency attenuation is fast, there is a lack of stereoscopic sense between the three frequencies, and the overall atmosphere of its sound is poor. But I have to admit that, The graduated headlight effect of JBL Pulse 3 is really cool.


summary

At first glance, SRS-XB31 and JBL Pulse 3 with similar prices seem to be the same type of speaker products, but after experience, we can know that these two seemingly identical products have different product attributes and design logic. When considering such products with lights, users must have a clear need to judge whether they want a light-emitting speaker or a bedside lamp that can listen to songs. Thanks to this design of the SRS - XB31, its sound is significantly improved compared with the previous generation of products. The speaker has a strong attribute, but its lights seem not cool enough. The JBL Pulse 3, which is close to the price of the SRS-XB31, is actually a bedside lamp that can listen to music, although it looks like a big piece. Its sound quality does not match the product volume.

As speakers with lights, SRS-XB31 and JBL Pulse 3 have different choices. This is a comparison between two products with different attributes. They have different wins and losses in their respective fields.

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Mo Changyou
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