Tribit StormBox Blast Review – Massive sound from an equally massive semi-portable Bluetooth speaker

Last year I covered some of the best outdoor portable Bluetooth speakers for summer. In particular, I personally wanted something that was good for BBQs and gatherings/parties. For me, this meant something reasonably rugged with a decent IP rating that was powerful enough to sound good in a large open space. At the time, I also wanted something suitable for my mothers’ canal boat, which has an annoying loud engine.

I have covered a lot of portable speakers over the years, many of them are rugged with a good IP rating, but quite often, they are on the smaller side. The Marshall Emberton II is fantastic, but it’s the kind of thing I’d only use in a small room or needed a speaker small enough to put in a bag. I gave my mother the Soundcore Motion, which is brilliant for the price and size but gets drowned out by her boat engine.

More recently, I have reviewed some superb speakers that would fit the bill while not being too large. The Soundcore Motion X600 was excellent but was outclassed by the outstanding but more expensive Marshall Middleton.

The Tribit StormBox Blast is in a different league from all the other portable speakers I have reviewed. It has a similar design to the Tronsmart Bang SE or Bang Mini, but it is significantly larger, heavier and incredibly powerful.

If you can overcome the size, weight and design, then this has to be one of the best-valued speakers on the market. The combination of sound quality and power does not match the low price tag at all.

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Tribit Bluetooth Speaker StormBox Blast,Portable Speaker 90W...	1,858 Reviews	£199.99	Buy on Amazon

Specification / Features

• Drivers: 2x 4.2 inch / 11cm bass + 2x 1.2 inch / 3cm treble
• Output: 90W （ 2 x 30W Woofer + 2 x 15W Tweeter）
• Battery: 18650(3.6V*9 2200mAh) – 30 hours playtime
• IP Rating: IPX7 waterproof
• Features: Rigid carrying handle, LED light organ
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 40.5 cm x 22.6 x 16.3 cm
• Weight: Weight: 5450g

Design

The box this arrived in was massive, and I didn’t realise it was a speaker at first. Just getting it out of the box was a challenge as it was a box within a box weighed down by the 5.5kg speaker.

Once unpacked, I realised how much I had underestimated the size and weight of this thing. It dwarves every speaker I have lying around the house.

While 5.45kg isn’t particularly heavy to carry by itself, you can definitely feel it, and the speaker takes up one of your hands. Carrying it around the different rooms in my house or throwing it into the boot of my car to take to a friend’s house is not a problem. Lugging this around with all my gear at a festival or to a camping spot will be more challenging.

You have the function over form boombox design similar to the Tronsmart Bang and Soundcore Motion Boom. It is not the kind of speaker my partner would like me to leave on the kitchen shelf, but it is a handy shape for carrying around.

The front grill of the speaker, you have two tweeters with two bass-midrange drivers. These are then complimented by a couple of large square passive bass radiators allowing this to achieve improved lows over many competing speakers. If you have a track with plenty of bass and dial up the volume, those passive radiators will vibrate with an impressive range of motion.

Tribit has made this more party friendly with a range of LEDs. You have the columns of LEDs that sit to the side of the speaker grill, then there are LEDs inside where the drivers are, and these will all light up in unison with your music. It is not a feature I feel like I need in a speaker, and thankfully you can switch them off.

The controls on the top of the speaker are basic. You have power, Bluetooth pairing, volume control, light control and the XBass button.

On the rear of the speaker, you have a rubber protective tab that conceals the AUX, USB-C output and power port. It is disappointing that this needs a C7 figure of eight power lead for charging, but this is a powerful speaker that is attractively priced, so it is understandable that not everything is perfect. You will need to make sure this is fully charged up and/or take the power cable with you if you take this away with you.

This is IPX7 which should mean that the speaker is resistant to damage from accidental splashes, rain, or brief submersion in water.

Set Up / App

This is a basic Bluetooth speaker; there is no pop-up and pair or WiFi. Pair it up, and then you are done.

There is a Tribit app, which has some basic functionality. You can upgrade the firmware, control the lighting and gain access to various EQ settings.

I actually found the default EQ worked best for me, then the XBass button if I fancy a significant bump in the bass.

I don’t like the fact you need to sign up for an account just to access the app functions, but this is a problem with most brands.

Sound Quality

The app has seven pre-defined EQ options and then the option to create your own custom EQ. I preferred the default music EQ for general use, though if you want slightly less bass emphasis, the rock EQ also worked for me. The XBass EQ can be enabled on the speaker or via the app. I, therefore, rarely felt the need to use the app.

There are no fancy high-resolution codecs with this speaker, but I rarely think they make that much difference.

The StormBox Blast is a good example of why big and heavy speakers are better suited for good audio that’s capable of big bassy sound. They simply have the capacity to move the air around them easier than speakers with all the components crammed into a space as small as possible.

Like most speakers nowadays, the default tuning has a bass-forward sound profile. With the XBass switched off, I think it sounds great. For those that prefer flat sound profiles for analytical listening, this may not be ideal, but for a speaker that is geared towards parties, the lively sound this produces is perfect for that.

Without XBass enabled, I thought the overall balance was quite good. It may not be perfect, but it works well for all the genres I have tried. I will typically listen to a range of things, including dance music, hip-hop, metal, and punk. When I need something more chilled out, I’ll listen to blues, folk and an increasing amount of classical.

One of the issues I have with U or V shaped sound profiles is that the emphasis of the treble to add detail can also add an unpleasant sharpness due to the sensitivity of my ears. I haven’t noticed any of this sharpness when using the default sound profile.

Depending on the track, the bass can sometimes creep into the mids a bit and make vocals sound a little recessed. I only really noticed this when listening to Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, as the bass from the drums is quite deep. In general, I thought the mids and vocals were excellent.

I wouldn’t recommend using XBass on the regular. The bass gets a significant boost, and it can dominate tracks, but from time to time, if I am listening to something energetic (mostly dance/electronica for me), it is good to switch on and let the bass do its thing. For the right tracks or genres, it is definitely a fun sound and will work well in a party environment.

I haven’t used this in a party situation yet, but I have no doubt it is more than capable for any social event I am likely to go to. In my kitchen, I never go above 50%, and I will close the doors so I don’t disturb my neighbours too much. With the XBass enabled, the added bass will travel far.

The soundstage of this speaker is quite good. The tweeters have been spaced apart as possible which seems to help improve the separation.

The Bluetooth button on the top of the speaker can be used if you want to pair two phones at the same time. One device can play audio at a time, but it is handy if you want multiple people controlling the audio.

Like many other Bluetooth speakers, you can pair this up with a second StormBox Blast for true stereo audio. I can’t imagine any scenario where I would need two of these, but I bet it sounds good.

Battery

This speaker is rated for 30 hours of playtime, which is normally when used at 50% volume. Because this is so powerful, I rarely went above 50%.

I didn’t test the battery life properly, but I must have used it for over 20 hours without having to recharge.  

The speaker doesn’t have any visible indication of the battery percentage. The power button will flash red when it is running low, but if you want to check the exact charge, you will have to use the app.  

The default playtime for most speakers is around 20 hours, so this should be better than many competing options.

This can also work as a basic power pack to charge other devices. The USB-C output is limited to 5W, which is not great, but it will give your phone a slow charge while you play music if you are running low. With a battery capacity of 18650mAh, you should be able to charge a phone and play the speaker without worrying too much about the battery.

Price and Alternative Options

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Tribit Bluetooth Speaker StormBox Blast,Portable Speaker 90W...	1,858 Reviews	£199.99	Buy on Amazon

The Tribit StormBox Blast is available on Amazon with pricing ranging from £160 to £200, depending on discounts.

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	soundcore Anker Motion Boom Plus Bluetooth Speaker, Portable...	6,707 Reviews	£153.99	Buy on Amazon
	Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Loud...	No ratings yet	£369.99	Buy on Amazon
	JBL PARTYBOX 110 haut-parleur Noir Sans fil 160 W	No ratings yet	£267.66	Buy on Amazon

The Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is a logical alternative recommendation. This has an RRP of £190 but is typically available for £120 to £160. It is a similar physical size but less powerful at 80W. However, it weighs about half, which you will appreciate if you plan on carrying the speaker for a long time.

The Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM has a similar weight of 5.9kg, and it is a touch larger in overall dimensions. They don’t state the power, but the driver and passive radiator arrangement is similar. This will set you back around £360.

You could go the other way with something bigger, heavier and louder with the JBL PartyBox110 for around £300. It weighs almost double and has a 160W power output.

Overall

If you want a big and powerful Bluetooth speaker, you will have a hard time finding something that is better than the Tribit StormBox Blast anywhere close to this price point.  

My last speaker review was the brilliant Marshall Middleton, and these two speakers are a good example of how different variables can affect the price and how you need to think about your priorities. The Marshall Middleton ticks all the right boxes, it looks great, it sounds amazing, and it is incredibly powerful for its relatively small size. You, therefore, have to pay a premium for it.

Tribit hasn’t concerned itself with making a speaker that is as compact or as attractive as possible. Instead, they put the emphasis on performance and keeping the price down. They have achieved this perfectly.

Originally posted on Mighty Gadget

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.

Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API