Why You Can Trust CNET Sony Ericsson MBS-200 review: Sony Ericsson MBS-200
The sound produced by the MBS-200 isn't going to replace a good sound system at home, but it is enough to rock out to in your bedroom, or to take away with you on a holiday with friends.
Whether you're a minimalist, a hoarder, into Tropical Chic or Vintage Retro, we all like to have nice things and like them to co-exist harmoniously with our other nice things. Sometimes "trendy" new tech inventions are prone to clash with our existing homewares, whether you own an Italian leather lounge suite or a racing car-styled bed frame.
Sony Ericsson MBS-200
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Looking at Sony Ericsson's simple MBS-200 speaker we find it hard to imagine that it would struggle to fit into any design scheme. The moulded plastic sphere is made from three tones of gunmetal grey, with a black fabric covering the woofer. The darkest shade of grey surrounds the fabric with an LED display hidden beneath it and only visible when the speaker is turned on.
Connections to the MBS-200 are made on the underside of the unit. Next to the power and Bluetooth pairing buttons we find two 3.5mm audio sockets, an audio in and an audio out, and a Sony Ericsson proprietary charging port. On the side opposite the speaker are two keys controlling the volume.
After charging the MBS-200 and switching it on the unit went immediately into Bluetooth pairing mode. We connected it to a Nokia N95 8GB handset for our tests and had no difficulties at all pairing or during playback. So far so good, but we were about to get a big and pleasant surprise.
For a speaker about the size of a boules ball, the MBS-200 packs quite a wallop. We've tested mobile phone speakers before and none have come close to the volume we heard coming out of this unassuming pod. This isn't saying the quality of sound was excellent, though, just loud. We showed our age and blasted Geek USA by the Smashing Pumpkins through the speaker via our phone, and noted the sharp snap of the snare drum overpowering the rest of the sound in the track. The mid-range is clear, though muddled, and the bass is present but under-delivered.
The Bluetooth range gets two thumbs up from us. We held the phone with us and sat across the room (approx. 5 metres) from the speaker. Not only could we hear the music loud and clear, but we didn't detect any interference. This meant we could use the handset as a music remote control. This experience came with no physical obstacles between us and the speaker, but be aware that a wall or a solid bit of furniture should break up the signal. Though you wouldn't want a physical object between you and the speaker anyway, the sound is best when the speaker is pointing directly at you.
Overall
The sound produced by the MBS-200 isn't going to replace a good sound system at home, but it is enough to rock out to in your bedroom, or to take away with you on a holiday with friends. We were far more impressed by the volume of sound made over the quality of the sound, but for some people, and in some situations, the volume of the music is a high priority. The RRP for the MBS-200 is AU$199.95, but please, please don't pay this much. We've seen it online for as little as AU$115.00 and even this price is stretching the friendship for a single Bluetooth speaker.