Abstract

• Tribit StormBox Lava provides 80W output energy, which is its most compelling characteristic.
• There is a noticeable hiss when utilizing the speaker wirelessly.
• The $130 price ticket is not value its compromises, together with the fixed hiss and an outdated USB-A port.

The Tribit StormBox Lava is the newest Bluetooth speaker to have sufficient oomph to make your neighbors hate you just a little bit extra every time you flip it on at full blast. It undercuts comparable merchandise in worth, however I’ve quibbles with its audio efficiency, so don’t rush in too quick.

Value and Availability

The StormBox Lava retails for $129.99. It comes with a detachable shoulder strap and deal with within the field. At launch, it’s solely out there in black.

80W of Output Is the Principal Function

The StormBox Lava isn’t fully void of options, however far and away its principal attraction is being a speaker with loads of quantity. That’s the half to deal with. It performs music loudly by means of its 4 drivers—two 30W woofers and twin 10W tweeters for 80W of whole output.

For comparability, the competing speaker that the StormBox Lava rips its design off from, the JBL Charge 6, is $70 costlier and has round half the overall output energy. The StormBox Lava is bodily greater, with a number of additional kilos of weight over the Cost 6, however they’re shut sufficient to be opponents.

When it comes to the sound efficiency of the StormBox Lava’s beefy drivers, that’s a blended bag. Out of the field, there was a noticeable hiss when utilizing it wirelessly. A firmware improve carried out by means of the Tribit cellular app, out there for iPhone and Android, mitigated that to some extent, however not fully. Throughout quiet songs or getting up near it, the excessive noise flooring was nonetheless apparent.

I linked totally different units in numerous rooms to attempt to keep away from any potential interference, however the outcomes had been the identical. The corporate touts its TI (Texas Devices) amplifier chip and Bluetooth model 5.4 as a characteristic, however that doesn’t appear to enhance the wi-fi connection expertise. This isn’t an issue I skilled on the Tribit StormBox Flow both. I used the aux output with a wired 3.5mm wire, and the difficulty was nonetheless current, although not fairly as distinguished.

Most informal listeners won’t discover the low hiss from the speaker. I might recover from it more often than not when used exterior.

On the flip aspect, it’s fairly annoying when you do discover it. In between songs, it stands proud like a sore thumb. It has the identical impact as noticing a tiny lifeless pixel on a pc monitor which you could’t unsee.

Going past the low, static hiss, which can or is probably not apparent, the general sound is well-balanced and sounds strong. Songs from a wide range of genres sounded well-represented when enjoying them on the speaker.

After all, I fell sufferer to the urge to show the amount up simply to see how loud it might get. Inside a home, you most likely received’t be capable to make the most of the total quantity with out angering folks. When used exterior, at a park, or within the yard, the total quantity is rather more applicable. I discovered the StormBox Lava to be succesful as a powerhouse relative to its nonetheless transportable measurement.

The XBass EQ provides a noticeable bass thump—all the way down to an marketed 43Hz frequency. There’s a devoted button on the highest of the speaker for motive. Turning the XBass EQ setting off makes the speaker really feel empty. There are occasions at night time if you want a thinner, much less bassy sound, however in any other case, it ought to be the default and left turned on.

Additional Options and Battery Life

Whereas the StormBox Lava is marketed as having a 24-hour battery life, that quantity comes when the speaker is used at 50% quantity with the XBass characteristic turned off. I didn’t discover myself needing to show the speaker up previous that quantity degree too typically, however I did go away the XBass on more often than not.

When it comes to a few of its additional options, the speaker encompasses a water and dirt resistance ranking of IP 67. Which means you need to use it by the pool or take it to the seaside, and it shouldn’t fall to these pure parts. The corporate additionally advertises with the ability to group as much as 160 of those units collectively. Possibly that’s the case, however please don’t purchase a couple of of those. Spend the $260 you’ll have on a special speaker(s).

Although the StormBox Lava is a speaker with quantity, it skimps on different issues just like the reverse charging output being a USB-A port. You’ll have to preserve a budget included USB-A to USB-C cable shut by if you journey from residence if you wish to make the most of the characteristic.

Ought to You Purchase Tribit StormBox Lava?

The Tribit StormBox Lava Bluetooth speaker is mediocre at finest. If you’ll find it on a steep sale, and also you’re in search of one thing to pump out the amount greater than something, then it’ll do the job. That stated, I’d be hard-pressed to suggest it at its full retail worth of $130, regardless that it undercuts competing audio system.

The fixed hiss from the speaker was bothersome more often than not. Its USB-A output port was extra annoying than useful. Past Tribit speakers have mimicked respected manufacturers extra faithfully, however the StormBox Lava falls flat.