Verdict
The SRS-LSR20 wireless speaker has niche appeal, but it’s a great wireless speaker. Portable, easy to use and offering very good audio reproduction, it is an excellent speakerphone for the hearing impaired or anyone else who needs more clarity in the programs they are watching.
Benefits
- Compact and practical
- Easy to use
- Clear sound quality
- Well built
The inconvenients
- Not suitable for intense action programs / content
Key specs
- Review Price: £ 159
- IPX2 Rating
- 630 g
- 13 hour battery life
- 2.4 GHz wireless connection
- Dedicated central speaker
- Dimensions: 182 x 77 x 87 (mm, WHP)
It’s not often that we come across a product like Sony’s SRS-LSR200. This is a wireless speaker designed to work with your TV and boost sound that may be difficult to hear.
And you could say I can connect any wireless speaker to a TV – what is the Wireless Handy TV speaker so unique about? Well, not only can you listen to the sound from the TV, but the speaker can also serve as a remote control to operate the TV. It’s a wireless speaker with niche appeal, but it executes its job description brilliantly.
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Sony Wireless Handy TV Speaker Design – Accessible the Right Way
The SRS-LSR200 (or portable wireless TV speaker) is not too different in form from the original. But while the SRS-LSR100 looked a bit plastic and functional, the Handy Wireless TV Speaker is comparatively sleeker, more modern, and more beautiful.
There is a handle for carrying the speaker and at 182mm x 77mm x 87mm (WHD), it’s a compact unit. With a weight of 630g, it is relatively light to transport although it is heavier than its predecessor.
When not carried, the speaker sits in a cradle that has multiple purposes. One is to charge the device by drawing its power from the mains and the other is to facilitate connection to a television via the digital optical input (Sony provides an optical cable with the device), transmitting the audio to the speaker via a 2.4 GHz connection.
The cradle has the aforementioned optical input, as well as a power input (USB-C connection) and stereo connection, all of which are color coded for clarity. On the underside is a button to pair the speaker to the TV and a pinhole to reset it. If you prefer not to disturb those around you, there is a headphone output connection on the back of the main unit.
On the top surface is a numeric keypad, on / off dial, a variety of buttons to operate the TV, as well as a battery indicator. The operation is simple with tactile and responsive keys. The ability to change volume, channel and source with the Handy TV wireless speaker adds to its overall utility. That’s not to say that it completely replaces the TV remote control – for the one you can’t dive into the menu settings – but for watching TV it works fine.
Sony SRS-LSR200 features – Wide compatibility with TVs and easy setup
Setting up this plug-and-play speaker is pretty straightforward, once you have mastered the instructions in Sony’s manual. One thing to note is that when connecting via optical, the audio output of the TV must be changed to PCM otherwise you will not hear anything.
Battery life is 13 hours – compared to the original 16 hours – although that’s still enough for a solid day of listening (if not a few). It takes three hours to fully charge the speaker via the cradle, and two adapters (UK and EU), 3.5mm cables, optical and USB-C come with the speaker.
The signal from the docking station is, according to Sony, good for around 30m. I’m not so sure about that number, but unless you take the speaker upstairs and away from the TV (and I can’t imagine why you would) the connection turns out to be reliable and strong. .
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The Handy TV wireless speaker also has a bit of character, the friendly feedback sounds give a good feeling of an 80s electronic toy.
The speaker is compatible with a range of televisions, and to set up the remote you will need to enter a few numbers on the numeric keypad. Sony is the default, Panasonic is 40/41, Samsung is 60, and Philips is 50-54. Other compatible sets include LG, Loewe, Hitachi, Toshiba, and Sharp. Hisense does not appear to be supported.
The Handy TV wireless speaker has an IPX2 drip rating, so you can use it near a tap without worrying about water (clearly designed for those who watch TV while cutting vegetables ).
Sony Wireless Handy TV Speaker Performance – Excellent sound and voice clarity from a small speaker
The Wireless Handy TV speaker is a speakerphone for those who have trouble hearing what’s on TV, providing a solution without having to resort to turning up the volume, which could risk even harsher sound . Against this background, the practical wireless TV speaker delivers sparkling performance.
Obviously, with such a compact speaker, the soundstage is relatively small and you aren’t going to be using it for watching action-packed movies. But for standard television, it works great for reproducing stereo content.
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With three built-in speakers that include a dedicated vocal center, the presentation is larger than the speaker with good levels of detail and decent depth. It sounds very refined and surprisingly precise in terms of tone.
Vocal clarity is excellent, with distinct dialogue and succinctly rendered, the way people have a good tone when watching the Scottish edition of Come dine with me. Press the voice zoom and it raises the voices more, pushing other sounds slightly further. Double tap for a more pronounced effect and make the dialogue the focal point.
Despite its size, it produces a decent amount of bass, and the 2.4GHz low latency connection ensures that what you hear is in sync with what is on screen.
The only problem is a feeling of harshness with some YouTube content. This was not a problem with the speaker because the videos already had harsh sound at the start indicating that the Handy TV wireless speaker will not improve poorly recorded audio sound.
Should you buy the Sony SRS-LSR200 wireless speaker?
The Handy TV wireless speaker is a product with niche appeal, but it’s a great wireless speaker that delivers on its promise of personalized sound. Its portability means you can “bring the TV” wherever you go, and the clarity of the presentation means you don’t lose much, if anything, in terms of fidelity with standard TV content.
Consider its ease of use and control over various functions of the TV, and glaring issues are hard to think of. It is less suited to richer in action or advanced audio tracks, but other than that the SRS-LSR200 Wireless TV Speaker is a great solution for those who want to hear their TV sound more clearly.