Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was never a fan of Sony music products until I happened to hear this portable compact bluetooth speaker while strolling through Target -- which now has a surprisingly large offering of portable bluetooth speakers. The build quality of this Sony SRS-X5 is solid and commands respect for high quality and though weighty, it certainly is not too heavy to compromise its portability. If you enjoy the deep room-consuming sound of Dr. Dre's Beatbox, you will then thoroughly also enjoy the high crip, clear trebles and the surprisingly deep reaching bass that has surprising depth and substance for such a thin unit (about 1.5 inches or so). Most bluetooth speakers this size offer a listener either muffled hollow bass, or an artifical bass that lacks the ability to reach true low decibles that one would only hope to hear a hint with a speaker this size. However, this will not disappoint. In fact, of the dozen or so bluetooth speakers I have heard, this is the first one of this small size to offer such range of bass to trebles. Now, as one who appreciates the best sound quality without being fiscally ridiculous, I always look for the "Wow" factor when I listen to speakers. In fact, I was very close to taking the leapt to purchase the Bose Soundlink Mini, which gave me a "Hmmm...that sounds pretty good" reaction - for the small size footprint. On the other hand, the Sony SRS-X5 instantly game me the "WOW!" reaction. The spectrum of sound was surprising - particularly for me since I don't prefer Sony products. I would go as far to say that this is probably the best sounding small-to- midsize bluetooth speaker on the market as of April 2014. Now, if you expect the sound quality of an expensive home theater system, you have unrealistic expectations. When holding the speaker bass literally vibrates with clear authority in your grip to let you know it's rockin'! FYI -- I have auditioned virtually a dozen different speakers, including many popular brands and models of comparable or larger size. To me, it's about the sound quality - not size. However, this Sony provides a shocking sound quality in relation to its portable small size (to slip into an attache case or work bag), yet with the paradox of creating the almost shocking sound quality of the bass and volume capability (streaming from my Galaxy Note II phone) that almost seems impossible (based on the today's audio technology available), and therefore, I believe stands above all the rest. Please note that I have NO affiliation with Sony, Target, Bose or any other manner of conflict of interest. And, unlike many, I own three different Bose products (2.1 computer speakers, cinemate gemstone speakers, and Bose in my Audi A7) -- I am not a Bose hater. Keeping in mind its size and cost (I purchased it for $187.50), among small-to-midsize bluetooth speakers, I summarize as follows: OVERALL SOUND QUALITY: 10/10 BASS: 9/10 TREBLE: 9/10 BUILD QUALITY: 9/10 PORTABILITY: 8/10 VOLUME LEVELS: 9/10