Review: Sony Wireless speakers come in all shapes and sizes – BTX500 & BTV5

Sony's wireless sound options are pretty slick, both small and large

We love anything that's wireless, we're pretty sure that's an inherent quality in men anyway, but maybe we have it more than others. In particular, we want wireless sound, as we don't want to be plugging our phone or mp3 into a speaker every time we want to listen to our favourite podcasts or a few tunes on Music Unlimited. That's why we were looking forward to getting our hands on Sony's BTX500, the sound quality was absolutely fantastic, and the device was the right size for use in any room in the house. From keeping up with all our sports podcasts while we were cooking up dinner in the kitchen, to listening to our favourite tunes in our room. The bass was powerful and heavy, but it didn't dominate the sound. There were several options on the side of the BTX 500 taht you could use, from adding more bass with Mega Bass (a little too much perhaps) to Clear Phase (incredible sound quality) and a surround sound option. These were all good, and you got the highs and lows clearly without distortion. You'll get about six hours from the battery charge, but we must admit that we didn't find it running out of battery on us all that often. The other handy thing is that Sony understand that most of use our phones as our music devices now, so when your mobile rings, you can answer it through the speaker without having to break the connection. That said, this wasn't without it's troubles, and on more than one occasion the connection didn't last for the whole call and we had to pick it up anyway. We also had this during the good weather spell a few weeks ago, and it was perfect for bringing outside on a sunny day, not that you'll need to know that for the next few months. One criticism, this is just that bit too big to be really portable, but is perfect for keeping in the house so you can carry it around from room to room listening to your music. With that in mind, we wouldn't have minded a remote for this so we could control it when we're lying in bed or whatever. However, it does go into sleep mode when it's not being used so you won't waste your battery if you fall asleep listening to your favourite tunes. The BTX 5 is a fantastic little piece of kit, about the size of a tennis ball that we really love. It is the right size to carry around the house and place wherever you want, and while it might not be the most powerful speaker you'll ever own, the sound quality is really impressive from something so small. You can bring it anywhere beacuse of its size, and the bass is rich and deep despite the fact that it doesn't pack a huge amount of power. It also can be used to answer calls, but this was a bit iffy too on this model. Still, if you're looking for a small, wireless speaker to keep you connected on the move, we like this little ball. Both models have the great NFC connectivity option, something Sony have really been pushing lately. If your phone is compatible, you simply tap to connect and your in business. That said, you can also pair like a regular device. One option we would have liked would have been to pair a few of these devices and get a real stereo effect going, but that doesn't seem to be possible on them. Overall, we like them both, but it will of course come down to price. The BTV-5 is decent value at around €60, while the BTX-500 will set you €349, which seems a little expensive for what it is. BTX 500 BTV 5