Knowledgeable’s Score
Professionals
- Glorious sound high quality
- Excellent bass
- All-day battery life
Cons
- Heavy
- No speakerphone perform
Our Verdict
The Tribit StormBox Blast is an imposing, highly effective speaker with an extended battery life that ought to please most customers, offered that weight isn’t a limiting issue.
Value When Reviewed
$269.99
Greatest Costs Right this moment: StormBox Blast
Tribit is aware of make a mark on the audio market, with highly effective, inexpensive and sturdy merchandise. The corporate needs to show this as soon as once more with the Tribit Stormbox Blast Bluetooth speaker.
Tribit guarantees customisable stereo sound with nice bass, at an affordable worth.
Discover out what we thought and whether or not the model has delivered on its promise!
Design
- Multitude of multicoloured LEDs
- Heavy
- Strong
The StormBox Blast is each imposing in dimension and weight, measuring roughly 16.28 x 40.49 x 22.58 cm and weighing virtually 5.6 kg. And whereas it’s principally compact audio system which might be well-liked today, this moveable audio system in actual fact takes up plenty of house and appears extra suited to residence use.
Nonetheless, whereas this can be an issue for you, it didn’t spoil our expertise.
Constructed from sturdy black plastic, with good workmanship and supplies, it reminds us a little bit of the standard of rival JBL’s construct high quality.
However, its tubular design isn’t precisely discreet, particularly with its entrance panel housing a mesh rope protecting grille surrounded by round thirty multicoloured LEDs. To not point out the truth that behind the grille are two extra LEDs illuminating the audio system.
Mathilde Vicente
They mild up and synchronise when music is being performed. Whereas this will likely appear a bit old school to some, others will discover it amusing and welcome at events.
On the highest, along with a large deal with for a very good grip that provides it a pleasant ghetto-blaster look, there are buttons. There are seven of them, every with a selected perform: on/off, Bluetooth, quantity up/down, flip LEDs on/off, and activate bass. They’re easy to make use of and don’t require plenty of stress.
To be used outside, on the seaside, by the pool or within the rain, it’s good that the StormBox Blast speaker is waterproof to IPX7 customary.
Mathilde Vicente
Connectivity and app
- Very secure connection
- Can be utilized as an exterior battery
- Intuitive companion app
- 3.5mm port
The StormBox Blast is appropriate with Bluetooth 5.3, with a transmission distance of 40m that by no means did not be secure throughout our exams. Sadly, it solely helps the SBC codec by default and, at over $200/£200/€200, we have been hoping to see extra with assist for the favored AAC and aptX codecs.
However, because of its USB-A port, just like the Marshall Middleton and the JBL Cost 5, it may be used as an exterior battery to recharge your varied units. What’s extra, you can even play audio through an aux cable because of the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack. This works with a telephone, pill, and even vinyl turntable.
Mathilde Vicente
To configure and customise the sound of the Stormbox Blast, we used the Tribit companion app (obtainable on iOS and Android).
It’s straightforward to make use of and we navigated by varied choices reminiscent of EQ presets (Music, XBass, Audiobook, Classical, Jazz, Celebration and Rock), adjusting standby time, launching firmware updates and setting lighting parameters.
Nonetheless, we missed the flexibility to manage brightness of the LEDs.
Mathilde Vicente
Audio efficiency and features
- Nice sound high quality
- XBass perform not that helpful
The speaker is provided with two 1.2in tweeters and two 4.2in woofers which collectively ship 90W of energy and a frequency vary of 50Hz to 20Hz, emphasising high quality over amount.
The loudspeaker unit is situated underneath the speaker’s shell, with two 30W woofers, two 10W tweeters and two passive radiators for a complete of 80W of sound.
What’s spectacular is the element and separation of the soundstage, with balanced bass, midrange, and treble, ensuing within the clear copy of all devices.
For devoted bass copy, we most well-liked to not activate the XBass perform which, throughout our exams, spoiled the listening expertise with distortions when the quantity was at its most.
In truth, we discovered tracks stood out fairly effectively on their very own with good depth and didn’t want any additional bass assist. The 2 passive radiators at every finish assist to enhance bass response.
However, after altering a couple of settings in Celebration mode, we loved digital music extra, which sounded superb.
Even the decrease sound ranges are stable, proving that Tribit has carried out a very good job with the design. With a lot energy, it shakes the partitions and covers even the biggest rooms fairly effectively, though the dearth of spatial audio assist would have been welcome at this worth.
Whereas it does the job effectively indoors, its out of doors capabilities shouldn’t be ignored both, because it makes fairly an impression.
Battery life
- 30 hours playback per cost
- Rechargeable through USB-C
By way of battery life, the Tribit outdoes itself with round 30 hours of listening time earlier than needing to be recharged, which is greater than the UE Hyperboom‘s 24 hours. Nonetheless, the battery life decreases pretty shortly at 50% and better volumes, however the outcome continues to be greater than passable and continues to defy all of the competitors.
This good longevity is right down to its 2,200mAh battery and Tribit’s Runstretch expertise. Even when the battery will get hammered there’s greater than sufficient for out of doors use with out worrying about operating out of juice for the day.
The speaker recharges through USB-C cable, which is provided. My overview pattern didn’t include a wall plug, however the again has a slot for one to energy the speaker from the mains, and the product itemizing on Tribit’s web site allows you to decide a US, UK, or EU plug at buy.
Value and availability
The Tribit StormBox Blast prices $269.99/£239.99/€299.99, however on the time of writing yow will discover it cheaper in case you purchase it direct from Tribit.
Within the US you should purchase it direct from Tribit or Amazon, within the UK direct from Tribit or Amazon, and in France from Amazon.
It’s dearer than some audio system in the identical class such because the Soundcore Movement Growth Plus, however that’s as a result of the Tribit provides way more spectacular audio efficiency and battery life (30 hours in contrast with 20).
In the event you’d like to check it to different fashions, then check out our choice of the very best Bluetooth audio system.
Verdict
The Tribit StormBox Blast is a Bluetooth speaker that may greater than maintain its personal in opposition to the highest manufacturers at an honest worth. With all its sonic depth, even perhaps a little bit an excessive amount of for easy use, it provides a slightly explosive listening expertise.
It’s very massive and heavy, however stays moveable. You’ll in all probability favor to go away it the place it’s with out shifting it too typically.
The least we are able to say is that such a design provides it actual solidity, which additionally allows it to adapt to any atmosphere, particularly supported by its IPX7 waterproofing.
Add to that the three.5mm audio jack and enjoyable LEDs and also you’ve acquired a dear however performant Bluetooth speaker with excellent battery life.
Specs
- Bluetooth 5.3
- 40m portability
- XBass expertise
- 90W energy output
- IPX7 RATING
- 16.28 x 40.49 x 22.58 cm
- 5.6 kg