Expert's Rating
Pros
- Excellent all-weather construction
- Solid audio quality, particularly outdoors
- Compact and reasonably lightweight despite a beefy battery and big subwoofer
Cons
- Relatively expensive for what’s delivered
- Clearly sounds better with its Xbass mode active
Our Verdict
This Bluetooth speaker is impervious to the rain, but you’ll find better values if you’re looking for an indoor entertainer.
Best Prices Today: Tribit StormBox Pro Bluetooth speaker
At 2.1 pounds and 7 inches tall, Tribit’s new StormBox Pro Bluetooth speaker certainly doesn’t make a dramatic physical statement, but it’s proof that big things do come in small packages, offering impressive omnidirectional sound in a weatherproof vessel.
Designed for outdoor use (and complete with a kicky rubber handle), the Bluetooth 5.0 speaker is IP67 water resistant, which is impressively rated for protection against immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes as well as being fully dust tight (you can read all about IP codes in this article).
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best Bluetooth speakers, where you’ll find reviews of the competition’s offerings, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.
The system packs a lot into a small package, with 40 total watts of power divided between two 40mm speaker driver that get 7.5-watts each, and a 3-inch downward-firing subwoofer 25-watts. There is also a pair of passive radiators onboard. The main speakers face in opposite directions, giving the unit room-filling capabilities no matter how you have it positioned. Naturally, the speaker is battery-powered, recharging its 10,000mAh battery via a USB-C cable, which is included, although an A/C wall adapter is not. The company says the battery will last for up to 24 hours in normal use, though I didn’t test it for that length of sustained playing time.
Tribit
The Tribit StormBox Pro Bluetooth speaker features 40 watts of amplification.
The device itself is simple, with just three rubberized buttons on top, two for volume and a multifunction button that handles play/pause/skip functions. It can also be used to activate Siri on an iPhone or answer incoming phone calls. Additional buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, and a self-explanatory “Xbass” button are also available. The only other additional feature is a USB-A port located alongside the USB-C charging port; this can be used to charge other mobile devices from the Tribit’s internal battery.
The unit performed well in my audio tests, though the specified frequency response of 60 to 20,000Hz is a bit weak on the bass side. Perhaps that’s why I found audio to sound best across the board with the Xbass feature activated. It gives you perhaps a 10 percent boost to low frequencies, which is just enough to enrich the sound and give it a beefier, fuller texture. Other speakers I’ve tested in recent months, including the Tronsmart Mega Pro, have had better clarity, but I found Tribit’s omnidirectional design made it more effective in outdoor settings, even at a slightly lower wattage.
Like many of today’s Bluetooth speakers, the StormBox Pro supports the aptX codec for higher-resolution wireless audio, and two units can be paired to work in stereo. I received only a single unit for my testing, however, so was unable to experiment with the stereo feature.
Tribit’s $120 price tag is perhaps the only real downside to this unit, a price that puts it decidedly on the high side in comparison to other units in this power range. If you’re looking for a unit that’s primarily for indoor use, a more affordable model is probably a better bet.