Tribit StormBox Blast 2 review: explosive sound, bright lights and great battery life

Selecting a brand new Bluetooth speaker is loads like selecting a brand new automobile. It’s a must to know the options you need, work out the issues you do not actually care about, after which discover the producer that gives each in a package deal you may dwell with. Personally, with regards to music, I am a bass child. I hearken to lots of blues and rock, which suggests I actually wish to really feel it when the low finish comes on. a number of odd hours of haunting music.

The Tribit StormBox Blast 2 is a large boombox-style speaker that weighs virtually 16 kilos and delivers lovely, daring sound it doesn’t matter what you are listening to. It has a big capability for sound, as much as 30 hours of battery life on a single cost, and customizable LEDs that add some aptitude to these after-dark tenting dance events. Whereas it was a little bit larger than I anticipated, it was well worth the trade-off to ensure my music was loud sufficient to be heard and that it could be capable to sustain for hours (and hours . .. and hours) of DJ time. So what precisely labored in regards to the Tribit StormBox Blast 2? Let’s have a look.

Tribit StormBox Blast 2: specs

Design and options

of Tribit StormBox Blast 2 it is a highly effective mannequin measuring 18.7 by 10.2 by 7.6 inches and weighing virtually 16 kilos. This speaker isn’t any slouch and delivered a giant, daring sound whether or not I used to be hanging out on the again porch or utilizing it to switch the audio system in my good automobile. With a 30-hour battery, it was additionally greater than able to preserving tunes going all day (and night time).

Behind the perforated grille is a punchy 80-watt subwoofer, two 45-watt midrange drivers and two 15-watt tweeters for 180-watt stereo sound on battery energy, or 200-watt when linked to the AC adapter. All collectively it is a large quantity, placing it blast within the identify of StormBox Blast 2. The XBass function additionally deepens the bass in music to excessive extremes. There are additionally built-in LED lighting results that may be managed and customised with the companion Tribit app.

The physique of the StormBox Blast 2 is a tough black plastic shell. It is a strong piece that extends into its tight, textured deal with, making it simple to hold. I say simpleras a result of at 15.7 kilos, the StormBox Blast 2 is a strong speaker, and I am unsure I would attempt to dangle it wherever with that weight with out lots of assist. It might probably get heavy shortly, and once I first took it out of the field, I virtually tweaked my wrist as a result of I did not anticipate it to be so heavy. Tribit could have taken a web page from the Soundcore Growth 2 Plus playbook and added a shoulder strap.

Tribit additionally needed to ensure this speaker can do every part you ask it to, together with doubling as a karaoke speaker (very like most of the a lot bigger and dearer occasion audio system just like the JBL PartyBox Stage 320 we reviewed this yr). It options inputs for 2 microphones which have their very own quantity controls, in addition to a swap so as to add a reverb impact. Sadly, I wasn’t in a position to take a look at this as a result of I did not have a microphone at dwelling. Tragic, I do know.

Every little thing is safely protected behind a sturdy panel with rubber shops on the again – 6.3mm karaoke inputs and quantity/reverb dials, in addition to a USB-A port, a USB-C port, an AUX 3 port .5 mm and AC charging plug. The rubber panel itself seals every part tightly when not in use, and the identical rubber creates a circle on the backside of the speaker to carry it in place as soon as you place it down.

The StormBox Blast 2 has an IP67 ranking, which suggests it is waterproof as much as 3 meters of water for as much as half-hour. I would not recommend truly throwing this speaker within the pool, however you can and you would be good to go. Heavy rain will not be an issue both. I hosed down the speaker and left it within the tub for a couple of minutes to test it out, and after letting it dry a bit, it labored fantastic once more.

The bodily controls for the speaker are on high of its physique and there are eight buttons right here. The three center buttons are your quantity controls, and so they’re all raised, making them simple to really feel even for those who’re not wanting. You get a quantity down, relaxation and quantity up button. MID O button does double responsibility, permitting you to pause the music in addition to skip ahead to the subsequent monitor or again to the earlier monitor.

To the left of the quantity is a Bluetooth pairing button, energy button and battery indicator. Whereas the facility and Bluetooth buttons aren’t raised like the quantity is, you may nonetheless really feel them and so they’re responsive. To the precise of the quantity controls are buttons for lights, XBass and TWS for connecting a number of audio system collectively. The strip that holds all of the buttons on is a unique texture than the physique, making it simple to really feel the place they’re with out having to have a look at precisely what I used to be doing.

Lights and Tribit app

The Tribit app has two primary features: to manage lighting results and to fine-tune the listening expertise. Inside the app there are 4 sections: Speaker, Mild, Equalizer and Settings. The StormBox Blast 2 additionally options three totally different units of lights, two gentle bars, a center gentle and two facet lights, making it a enjoyable strategy to gentle up the night time at events or conferences.

Below “Speaker” the app exhibits you the present battery share, permits you to modify the quantity, play/pause and skip ahead or again a monitor whereas listening. Mild provides you entry to a few totally different preset lighting modes and allows you to customise every one. You possibly can modify the sunshine bars, mid gentle or facet gentle, modify the colour and brightness and even inform the speaker if you would like it to activate to the beat of the music. When it comes to coloration, you may select from a coloration wheel, a rainbow, or fully customise the colours utilizing a coloration wheel to decide on the proper shade.

Inside the Equalizer there are eight preset modes to select from, together with the flexibility to create customized settings with a 5-band equalizer that permits you to modify settings and save them for particular songs or playlists. You can also make as many customs as you need, identify them, after which discover all of them below the “Custom-made” tab within the draw settings.

The Settings menu provides you entry to the firmware and another choices, such because the show of the quantity indicator on the sunshine bars, the circumstances below which the speaker will flip off mechanically and the flexibility to replace the firmware, flip off the speaker or return it to manufacturing facility settings.

Sound and efficiency

To check the readability of the StormBox Blast 2’s sound, I went forward and fired up Spotify since that is the place I do most of my listening today. I danced from blues tunes from the likes of ZZ Ward, to exhausting rock from Disturbed, after which jumped into some selection with Epic! Musical, Secret soundtrack, together with some nation songs, and a few rap to spice issues up a bit.

The StormBox Blast 2 sounds nice each on the low finish of the spectrum (about 30%) for indoor listening and at larger volumes (80% to 100%) once I used it to switch the unhappy excuse for audio system that my 2013 Smartcar has. Even at decrease volumes and with out XBass on, the sound was punchy, delivering crisp guitar solos and a punchy bass when taking part in. Simply the way in which I prefer it. At larger volumes, the StormBox Blast 2 was greater than able to overpowering my automobile stereo, even with the home windows down on the freeway.

This bass solely will get higher with XBass on, sounding large, daring and delightful. Nonetheless, I positively could not make all of it the way in which dwelling if I did not wish to annoy the neighbors and provides myself a headache. On extra bass-heavy tracks at larger volumes it was virtually overwhelming, which is okay exterior at a celebration, however much less incredible in small rooms or flats. It is the identical for those who flip off the XBass function, however it’s also possible to … decrease the quantity.

I carried the speaker with me for a couple of week—all over the place from my home to my workplace whereas engaged on my subsequent novel to the automobile on a visit to Delaware. The battery did not fairly make it to the 30 hour mark, however I used to be listening to it loud and stored the LEDs pumping, which attributed to extra battery drain. Nonetheless, I did it for about 20 hours earlier than charging the battery, and even then it wasn’t dangerously low. It was additionally simple to recharge, even utilizing only a transportable energy pack, which meant that even once I virtually ran out of energy within the automobile, I might plug it in and ensure my music did not it died out earlier than I reached my vacation spot.

conclusion

The Tribit StormBox Blast 2 sounds nice, and at $300 you actually are getting what you pay for. Explosive, clear sound at larger volumes, brilliant LED colours and a battery that goes and goes, all come collectively to ship an ideal package deal. Its $300 price ticket is perhaps a bit costly for some folks, particularly with regards to the identical worth as extra premium Bluetooth audio system just like the Marshall Middleton (at its common worth) and much more costly than the superb one. $250 Soundcore Growth 2 Plus. However what none of those audio system have is the Blast 2’s large 200 watts of energy, and that is value loads for those who’re available in the market for quantity.

The Storm 2’s svelte body, large noise capability, and waterproof ranking make it an ideal choice for weekends within the woods, seaside or pool events, or establishing tracks within the yard. It is bought nice sound, choices for tweaking because of XBass and EQ customization choices, and enjoyable, brilliant LED lighting, delivering the actual package deal with regards to Bluetooth growth bins.