The key to pairing two Sony SRS XB40 speakers together is the ADD button. It lets you join two XB40s for Stereo or Double modes. It’s the fourth button from the left edge of the buttons panel, just to the right of the Play-Pause button, and just to the left of the Volume DOWN button.
Sony SRS XB40 Pairing Two Speakers, Explained
The Stereo Pairing function lets you join two XB40s such that one plays the left channel of the stereo program, while the other plays the right channel. Now to create a stereo pair, you need two SRS XB40s. Pairing the 30 with speakers other than the same model did not work in our tests, and the Sony documentation states that you must have two identical speakers in Bluetooth range of each other for connecting the two as a stereo pair to work.
When stereo mode is active, one or the other of the L and R lamps glows, depending on which channel the speaker is set up to play. On the speaker that plays the left stereo channel, the L lamp glows and the R lamp is dark. On the right speaker, the R lamp glows and L lamp is dark.
Now To form a stereo pairing of two XB40 speakers, do as follows.
Preparing the First Speaker
- Power up the first speaker. We’ll call this XB40 Speaker One.
- Press the ADD button on Speaker One for three seconds. The L and R lights will then start blinking white. E.g. See these lights in the last picture above. After a few seconds, these lamps stops flashing, and start glowing solid white.
Preparing the Second Speaker
-
- Next, turn on the second XB40. I.e. Speaker Two.
- As you did on Speaker One, press and hold the ADD button on Speaker Two for three seconds. The L and R lights will begin flashing on that speaker just as they did on the first one. And again, they assume a solid white glow after several seconds.
Create the Stereo Pairing Between the Sony SRS XB40 Speakers
As far as your source device is concerned, this two speaker pairing acts just like a single Bluetooth speaker. So you pair your device to it just like you would a single BT speaker.
-
- Put this stereo pair into Bluetooth pairing mode if it is not already, by pressing the Bluetooth Pairing button on Speaker One. Then the Bluetooth lamp on that speaker should fast flash.
- Now go to your Bluetooth source device, and connect it to the speaker pair, called “SRS-XB40”. If you do not see this device, the move your phone / tablet closer to the speakers.
- Press the ADD button once to take the speakers out of Double mode and put them in Stereo mode.
- Finally, you can start playing music on your source device. Then it will stream to that speaker pair, and you’ll hear the program in STEREO!
Reversing Stereo Channels
When in Stereo Pair mode, each speaker is assigned one of the two stereo channels (either L or R). On each speaker, one or the other of the L and R lamps lights to tell you which channel that particular speaker is playing. Now drawing on our example above, let’s say that Speaker One is playing the left channel, and Speaker Two is playing the right. In that case, the L lamp on Speaker One glows while the R lamp is dark.
Conversely on Speaker Two, the L lamp is dark while the R lamp glows.
With the ADD button, you can reverse these assignments such that Speaker One plays the right channel while Speaker Two plays the left. To do that, simply press and release the ADD button repeatedly on either speaker until the L and R lights on each speaker display the channel assignment you desire.
Ending the Stereo Pairing Between the Two Sony SRS XB40 Speakers
When you’re ready to break the stereo pairing, simply press and hold the ADD button on one of the speakers for three seconds. A tone then sounds and the L and R lights go out, indicating that the pairing is now over.
Pairing Two Sony SRS XB40 Speakers in Double Mode
When two XB40 speaker operate in Double Mode, both speakers play a monaural version of the music. I.e. They both play the sum (L + R) of the left and right stereo channels.
Double Mode is the mode that the speakers initially pair in when you connect them together. But if you have since then, switched to Stereo Mode and want to get back to Double Mode, you simply press and release the ADD button on one of the speakers until both L and R lamps light up. When that happens, your speakers are now operating in Double Mode.
Related Posts to Sony SRS XB40 Pairing Two Speakers
Other Posts About the Sony SRS XB40
References for Sony SRS XB40 Pairing Two Speakers
Revision History
-
- 2022-10-03: First published.