This is my review of the new sony GTK-X1BT speaker system.
MANUFACTURES NAME: SONY
PRODUCT CODE: GTK-X1BT
TYPE OF PRODUCT: PERSONAL AUDIO SYSTEM
DATE OF REVIEW: 10/08/15
REVIEW: ON A 500 WATT SPEAKER SYSTEM;
On opening the box it was nice to see that it has been packed well with very little chance of damage and lifting it out of the box the unit had a very nice weight to it. This system has the following in puts available: Bluetooth,Tuner,USB and audio party chain. On the front of the system you will find a small screen along with a small array of buttons for stop, playback/pause,rewind and fast forward. If you install this unit upright (on the right if horizontal) you will see a large volume/dj control knob along with the buttons for led speaker,Flanger,Isolator,Phaser and Pan and Eq. If installed up right you will also find a nice rubber pad to place your mobile device on if you are using bluetooth.
Well now we turn on the unit and for music play back we will be using both bluetooth options and audio in using the party chain input, and for music we have tried many types from pop, dance and irish show music.
Firstly we play all the types of music with all the settings off and in flat mode in which the sound seems to be lacking in depth and heights, but then turn on the many eq settings brings a little life back into the recordings. We then turn on the base bazuca button and then we are introduced to some very low notes indeed. It does seem that with out this button switched on the lower end of the music spectrum seems to be missing. Then we come to the small disco lights that come with it, this is a nice feature that if not required can be swithed off but if you like a little mood lighting with your music then this is the unit for you. We then try out the Flanger, Isolator, Phaser and Pan D.J effects all can be adjusted via the bid knob on the side or top depending on installation. When using these the music changes drastically and the volume drops, the heights in this unit can also be lost at times but in general it seems to be all there.
Tuner is okay on this unit not bad but also not one of the best and the display could be a little larger to see the channels displayed.
Party chain function is also a good option on this unit enabling more than one unit to be joined together giving you even more power and lights to your party.
This unit is well built and as already mentioned has a nice weight to it but has a slightly outdated design, and as for the 500 watts stated it does not seem to be as loud as stated especially if you use some of the effects.
The Lights as mentioned are a nice touch and you have a few options of the type of pattern you would like.
WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE:
Now for the parts of this unit we would like to see changed.
The base bazuca button is a nice function but you cannot change this as you can the Flanger etc as at times it can be very over powering.
And now for those Flanger,Isolator,Phaser and Pan buttons, why oh why put these on it as an ex sound engineer I cannot see any point of these as they make the sound of any track simply awful.
Also in this age of digital sound equipment why was no digital input not included, usb yes even bluetooth and audio in but not a single digital input which makes it hard to connect many devices to it. Especially as when in the shop we was told you could plug a tv in to this, well we could not as our tv has only digital signals out. We did plug in an old freeview box which had a standard audio out to see what the sound from the tv would be like and personally I would not bother, just use this for playing music as it does this well.
Sound as metioned is debatable on this units true output but for many homes and small parties this unit will be fine.
SO OVER ALL:
This is a well build unit with many functions for playing music in which some are pretty good while others not so. The lights are a nice feature and so is the ability to link many units together and the base bazuca adds a lot more depth to the sound, and in most cases just leave this on. If sony sorted out some of the issues mentioned then I would say it is worth the money but as it stands I would say not at present.
This unit is good for house partys but is a little fussy at playing any music that requires all the ranges.
Out of a score of 5 I would give this unit 3 ½.
Note:
The review has been carried out and signed by the person doing this review, we would also like to point out that this review is unbiased and is carried out on the product supplied. This review is also only our point of view but we will always be constructive in any way we can.
REVIEW DONE BY: Allan Carter
