• Sony unveiled the SRS-XV500 party speaker globally last week, and now the company has confirmed when it will arrive in South Africa.
• The new party speaker features an on-device touch display, supports inputs for karaoke and guitars, and up to 25 hours of battery life.
• The Sony SRS-XV500 party speaker will be available to purchase in South Africa from 11th April.

Earlier this month Sony revealed a new offering in its X-series of speakers with the SRS-XV500 seeing the light of day. This new party speaker is packing a number of noteworthy features, and now we know when Sony plans to bring it to our shores.

To that end, the Sony SRS-XV500 party speaker will be ready to purchase from local retailers from 11th April, with the company slapping a recommended price tag on it of R11 999.

So what does R12k buy you?

For one, a hefty party speaker at 56.4cm tall and tipping the scales at 11.2kg.

One of its other key features, particularly pertinent to South Africa, is its battery life, with Sony claiming it can muster up to 25 hours of playback from a single full charge. As such, it is almost ideally suited for longer loadshedding bouts in SA, which can arrive at a moment’s notice.

“After being fully charged, the SRS-XV500 will offer up to 25 hours of playback. Plus, quick charging of 10 minutes lasts for up to 2.5 hours of playing time. With the Battery Care Function, you never have to worry about overcharging your speaker, making it more dependable for longer,” Sony highlighted in a release shared with Hypertext.

The company added that the party speaker is IPX4-rated in terms of waterproofness, along with a built-in handle to assist with portability.

Other noteworthy elements include an on-device touch screen for playback controls, as well as support for a number of mobile music apps via Bluetooth 5.2. There is also support for a karaoke mode, as well as guitars.

“To sing your favourite song, simply plug in a karaoke mic and press play. The Echo and Key Control on the rear panel of the unit let you adjust sound to your preference. A second input means you can duet with a friend on a second mic or even plug in a guitar to ramp things up even further. Both inputs have individual mixing,” Sony noted.

Lastly, on the sound side of things a pair of tweeters and woofers are present, with Sony adding support for Clear Audio+, MEGA BASS, LIVE SOUND, and custom EQ band 3.

As for how much this new party speaker will cost, the recommended retail price is listed at R11 999.