The front top view of the Sony SRS XB23 speaker.

Sony SRS XB23 Extra Bass Mode Explained

You can change how loud the bass is on the Sony SRS XB23 BT speaker, by turning on and off its extra bass mode. When switched on, this mode makes the passive bass radiators vibrate much more, and adds a low rumble trait to the playing program, that you can hear far from the speaker.  So, for you boom lovers, this post shows how to bass boost this speaker, to get that extra umph.

You can control bass boost on the XB 23 in a few ways as follows.

    1. Use the BATT  button on the speaker itself.
    2. Work the bass switch in the Sony Music Center App.
    3. Make fine bass adjustments in the EQ section of the Music Center app.

We’ll cover all of these options below.

Sony SRS XB23 Extra Bass Mode: Via the Speaker Itself

By default, this speaker has bass boost mode 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 STAMINA  light is dark, as we see in the next pictures

Picture of the dark STAMINA lamp on the Sony SRS XB23.
The dark STAMINA lamp on the Sony SRS XB23.

When the 23 is running, and this light is OFF, then that means that extra bass mode is in effect.

Now when active, Extra Bass also adds a bit of treble in addition to lots more bass to the audio output as compared to when this mode is OFF.

The -BATT- button on the Sony SRS XB23.
The Sony SRS XB23 -BATT- button.

How to Turn Off Extra Bass Mode on the Sony SRS XB23

You can turn extra bass mode OFF by pressing and holding in the BATT button that we point out with the green arrow in the last picture. Release it when the STAMINA lamp lights up orange as we see next.

Picture of the STAMINA light glowing orange on the Sony SRS XB23.
The Sony SRS XB23 STAMINA lamp glowing.

This deactivates extra bass mode and switches the speaker into STAMINA mode.

How to Turn ON Extra Bass Mode with Speaker Buttons

Note that if the STAMINA lamp is lit, then bass mode is not active.  So to enable this mode in that case, then again, press and release the BATT button. Extra bass mode resumes once again as soon as the STAMINA lamp goes dark.





Sony SRS XB23 Extra Bass Mode, Via the Music Center App

In addition to by way of the BATT button on the speaker itself, you can also control the bass mode 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.

Screenshot of the Sony Music Center app icon on iPadOS.
The Sony Music Center app icon on iPadOS.

2. Pair your Sony XB23 with This Same Device

We did this as we show next.

Screenshot of the iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing the Sony SRS XB23 speaker as Connected.
iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing the Sony SRS XB23 speaker as Connected.

3. Run the Music Center App

Upon startup, Music Center looks for any compatible Sony products.  And since the XB23 indeed works with this app, the app does indeed find it.  Then it displays the Home page for it as we see next.

Screenshot of the Sony SRS XB23 Home page in the Music Center app on iPadOS.
The Sony SRS XB23 Home page in the Music Center app on iPadOS.

4. Bring Up the Settings Page

Then, scroll the screen down to the Settings item at the bottom of the options list.

Screenshot of the Settings item on the Home page for the Sony SRS XB23.
The Settings item on the Home page for the Sony SRS XB23.

Next, tap Settings, and you’ll get the Settings screen, as we see next.

Picture of the Sound item on the Sony SRS XB23 Settings page.
The Sound item on the Sony SRS XB23 Settings page.

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.

Screenshot of the Sound Effect option set to EXTRA BASS.
The Sound Effect option set to EXTRA BASS.

6. Bring Up the Sound Options Screen

Tap the Sound Effect option that we see in the last picture.  Then, the Sound Effects 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 here.  Thus the screen we show next is specific to the XB23.

Screenshot of the EXTRA BASS option active on the Sound Effect screen.
The EXTRA BASS option active on the Sound Effect screen.

Now on this screen, note that the EXTRA BASS mode is active by default. You can turn it OFF here by tapping the OFF (STAMINA) option.  And then you can enable it again if you wish, by tapping the EXTRA BASS mode option again.  These actions take immediate effect on the speaker, as you’ll be able to see the STAMINA lamp on the speaker switching ON and OFF as you make these selections in the app.





7. Tap the EXTRA BASS Option to Activate Extra Bass Mode on the Sony SRS XB23

Now if you want to do more with Extra Bass than simply turn it ON and OFF, then tap the EXTRA BASS item.  Note that although you could also adjust the speaker EQ in STAMINA mode, you will get more bass when running it in EXTRA BASS mode.  So that’s the mode we did for this demo, for you bass lovers.  This option is the last item in the list of options on the Sound Effect screen, as we see next.

Screenshot of the EXTRA BASS mode option on the Sony SRS XB23 Sound Effect page.
The EXTRA BASS mode option on the Sony SRS XB23 Sound Effect page.

Tapping EXTRA BASS takes you back to the Sound page that looks the same as it was before, since we actually did not go to STAMINA mode, as we show next.

Screenshot of the Sound Effect option set to EXTRA BASS.
The Sound Effect option set to EXTRA BASS.

Note though that if we had changed to STAMINA, that that selection would have appeared for the sound effect value in the last screenshot. But we wanted to show you these screens so you’d know how to check that the options for your speaker are indeed set for maximum bass boost.  Thus you’re good to go if your speaker is already in EXTRA BASS mode as ours is.

But you can still get a bit more bass by going forward to the next step below.

8. Bring Up the EQ (Equalizer) Page

Tap the BASS / MID / TRE option on the Sound page. We highlight it next.

Screenshot of the BASS / MID / TRE option on the Sound Effects page.
The BASS / MID / TRE option on the Sound Effects page.

Touching this option brings up a three band graphic equalizer page.  Now by default, this EQ is set to FLAT for all frequency bands, as we see next.

Screenshot of the Custom EQ screen with all sliders set to FLAT.
The Custom EQ screen with all sliders set to FLAT.

But you can get maximum extra bass by moving these slider controls as follows.  For example, lower the other two frequency bands to minimum, but raise the BASS one to maximum, as we show next.

Screenshot of the Custom EQ page with controls set to max bass boost.
The Custom EQ page with controls set to max bass boost.

When set this way, you get the highest amount of bass that the XB23 speaker is capable of producing. But be careful !

Warning

The drivers really thump when bass boost is active.  So be cautious in how loudly you play the 23 with the extra bass mode active, to avoid damage to the speaker drivers. If the bass is crackling, tapping, or otherwise distorting, turn it down or readjust the EQ !

Conclusion

So we have now shown how to get the most bass using Extra Bass mode on the Sony SRS XB23.  Thus, we hope you enjoy your speaker even more now !

Related Posts to Sony SRS XB23 Extra Bass Mode

    1. JBL Charge 3 Extra Bass Mode Explained
    2. JBL Flip 5 Extra Bass Mode Explained

Other Posts About the Sony SRS XB23 

    1. How to Pair Sony SRS XB23 to iPhone
    2. Checking the Battery on the  Sony SRS XB23
    3. How to Charge Sony SRS XB23 Speaker
    4. Sony SRS XB23 Charge Time for Fast Recharging
    5. SRS XB23 Sony Bluetooth Pairing Tips

References for Sony SRS XB23 Extra Bass Mode

    1. Sony SRS XB23 Portable Speaker Product Page, on Sony.com

Revision History

    • 2023-02-05: First published.