If you’re on the market for portable speakers, one that can withstand a beating and still deliver powerful passive bass, you should give the Tribit StormBox Micro Bluetooth Speaker a try. Don’t let its size fool you, it’s one of the best Bluetooth speakers around. Underneath its durable shell is great sound quality, heightened by some surprisingly hefty bass.
Why We Like It – Tribit StormBox Micro Bluetooth Speaker Review
A powerful portable speaker capable of producing some hard-hitting bass, wrapped in a sturdy shell with IP67 water and dust resistance, and a sturdy rubber strap for on-the-go adventures.
- Impressive amount of bass for the size
- Built with durability in mind
- Great price point
- Slight hissing sound at higher volume
Performance
For such a speaker that fits in the palm of my hand, I was very surprised by the sound quality—especially the bass. I used music where the bass is real punchy—Pantera, Megadeth, Black Sabbath, and some classical music—and not once did the bass overpower but rather enhanced the music, like other similarly sized speakers. It isn’t enough to add bass and call it a day; preventing it from drowning the rest of the music is key. The Tribit StormBox did an excellent job of finding that mid-range balance. Even better, the 360-degree sound is a much-needed bass boost, like an Ultimate Ears speaker.
There was some ever so slight hissing at higher volumes. That’s “thermal noise” being produced by the resistors inside, and every speaker has it. The hissing is worse when listening to low-quality audio, but even then you’d have to be listening for it to notice. It just goes to show the Tribit StormBox prefers higher quality audio.
Design
The performance behind the Tribit StormBox fits inside a 3.93 x 3.77 x 1.55-inch box, weighing 9 ounces. Its lithium-ion batteries give it an 8-hour battery life, two more than the Bose SoundLink Color II Bluetooth Speaker. It ran just under that at 7.5 hours. Through USB C charging, charge time took about 3.5 hours to charge. There’s a built-in mic near the power button, opening up the option to answer phone calls. And with Bluetooth 5.0, it can stay connected to devices from 100 feet away. But if you want a speaker without an in-built mic, check out the Tego Audio CERA wireless portable speaker review.
More importantly, the Tribit StormBox Micro is built for activity. For starters, it has a water-resistant rating of IP67; the OontZ Angle 3 Bluetooth Speaker is rated lower at IPX5 This makes it not just waterproof in depths of 1 meter, but also dustproof. Dirt and sand won’t find their way inside. Lastly, there’s a rubber strap along the bottom you can slip through all kinds of loops—pants or otherwise.”
Value
After taking into consideration the Tribit StormBox Micro Bluetooth Speaker’s powerful performance and tough design, I can say with full confidence that StormBox has excellent value. This is especially true when you have the option of pairing two speakers together for an even more powerful audio performance, called Party Mode. Its long battery means you’ll get to enjoy the sweet sounds of music for an entire 8-hour shift, and its tough durability, top, and bottom, begs you to take it along on a hike or bike ride. Altogether, the Tribit StormBox paints a far better for pound value than the JBL Charge 4 by several miles, aside from its better battery life of 20 hours+. Another great Tribit speaker that lasts for 24 hours is detailed in the Tribit XSound go review.
Tribit StormBox Micro Bluetooth Speaker Review Wrap Up
After taking the Tribit StormBox Micro Bluetooth Speaker for a spin, it was a joy to have around. It’s an excellent device to have if you crave full-sounding bass without strapping a pair of headphones to your head while being sturdy enough for hiking and poolside events—all of which are packed into a $56 price point. Any hissing sounds heard were negligible.
