You can change how loud the bass is on the Sony XB 20, by turning on and off its bass boost mode. When switched on, this mode makes this speaker vibrate much more. Plus it adds a low rumble quality to the playing program, that travels pretty far from the unit. So, for you boom lovers, this post shows how to bass boost this speaker, to get that extra umph in the sound.
You can control bass boost on the XB 20 in a few ways as follows.
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- Use the EXTRA BASS button on the speaker itself.
- Work the bass switch in the Sony Music Center App.
We’ll cover all of these options below. Note though that this particular speaker does not offer individual adjustments for the bass, midrange, and treble audio frequency bands.
How to Bass Boost Sony XB 20: On the Speaker Itself
By default, this speaker has bass boost mode (EXTRA BASS) turned ON when fresh out of the box or after a reset. So any time you run this speaker, and you haven’t switched OFF this bass boost, then the EXTRA BASS button glows, as we see in the next picture.
When the 20 is running, and this light is OFF, then that means that bass boost mode is inactive.
Now when active, bass boost also adds a bit of treble in addition to lots of extra bass to the audio output as compared to when this mode is OFF.
How to Turn Off Bass Boost with Speaker Buttons
You can turn bass boost mode OFF by quickly pressing and releasing the EXTRA BASS button as pointed out by the green arrow in the last two pictures. This deactivates bass boost and switches the speaker into FLAT mode.
How to Turn ON Bass Boost with Speaker Buttons
Again, if the EXTRA BASS button is dark, then bass boost is not active. So to enable bass boost in that case, quickly press and release the EXTRA BASS button. Bass boost resumes once again when this button lights up with white glowing letters.
How to Bass Boost Sony XB 20: In The Music Center App
In addition to by way of the EXTRA BASS button on the speaker itself, you can also control bass boosting in Sony’s Music Center app too.
1. Install the Music Center App
So first, download and install this app on your source Bluetooth device (phone, tablet, computer, or media player). We did this on a test iPad Air.
2. Pair your Sony XB 20 with This Same Device
We did this as we show next.
3. Run the Music Center App
Upon startup, Music Center looks for any compatible Sony products. And since the XB 20 indeed works with this app, the app does indeed find the speaker. Then it displays the Home page for the 20 as we see next.
4. Bring Up the Settings Page to Continue with How to Bass Boost Sony XB 20
Then, scroll the screen down to the Settings item at the bottom of the options list.
Next, tap Settings, and you’ll get the Settings screen, as we see next.
5. Visit the Sound Page
Tap the Sound option, pointed out in the last screenshot. You then get the Sound page, as we see next.
6. Bring Up the Sound EQ Screen
Tap the Sound EQ option that we see in the last picture. Then, the Sound EQ page then comes up, and looks as we see next.
Note that depending on which speaker model you’re working with, you’ll see different sound effect options on this page. Thus the above screen is specific to the XB 20 speaker. Also note that the Preset EQ option is currently set to FLAT.
7. Change Preset EQ from FLAT to EXTRA BASS
Now on this screen, note that the FLAT option is active, and is one of two choices here, EXTRA BASS being the other. Though FLAT is not the default after a speaker reset, to get maximum bass boost, we need to change it the EXTRA BASS as follows.
So tap on the EXTRA BASS option, and then the brown check mark moves from FLAT to EXTRA BASS, as we see in the next screenshot.
8. Tap the Done Button
Touch the Done button in the top right corner of the Preset EQ page.
This puts the bass boost setting into effect on the speaker, and in the app, takes you back to the Sound EQ page as follows.
When set this way, you get the highest amount of bass that the XB 20 Bluetooth speaker is capable of producing. But be careful !
Warning
The drivers really thump when bass boost is active, which it is now. So be cautious in how loudly you play the 20 with the bass enhanced like this, to avoid damage to the drivers inside the speaker. If the bass is crackling, tapping, or otherwise distorting, turn it down or turn off bass boost !
How to Bass Boost Sony XB 20: Conclusion
So we have now shown you how to get the most boosted bass from your Sony XB 20 light show speaker. So do enjoy this bassy sound at your next big or little bash !
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References
Revision History
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- 2023-04-14: First published.