Last year, Tribit launched the Stormbox Blast, a new Bluetooth speaker that is supposed to sit above all of the company’s previous models. For a starting price of 200 euros (current: € 229.99 *), the company promises stereo sound through two tweeters and mid-bass drivers that are supposed to provide a sound suitable for parties. Specifically, there’s talk of 90 W of total power and the manufacturer’s usual “XBass”. Furthermore, the speaker, which weighs just under 5.5 kg, is supposed to score with a long battery life of 30 h, integrated ARGB lighting and IPX7 certification.
Whether Tribit can keep the self-set goals, how well the Stormbox Blast performs in practice and whether we would recommend it, we will clarify in the following review. The evaluation is based on the price at the time of testing (170 euros).
Technical details (manufacturer’s specifications)
| Driver | 2x 4.2″ Treble (15W) + 2x 4.2″ Subwoofer (30W) = 90 W total |
| Frequency Range | 50 – 20,000 Hz |
| Dimensions | 405 x 226 x 163 mm (WxHxD) |
| Weight | 5450 g |
| Connection | Bluetooth 5.3 (A2DP, AVRCP), 3.5mm jack, USB-C Out, Euro dual jack |
| Battery Life | 19,800 mAh, 30 h |
| Protection type | IPX7 (protection against temporary immersion) |
| Lighting | 32 ARGB LEDs |
| Price | € 229.99 * |
Scope of delivery of the Tribit Stormbox Blast
- Scarcely any other accessories
- The most important things are included
The Bluetooth speaker is delivered in a large, white-orange cardboard box. In this is the speaker itself, which is protected from shocks by two molded cardboard shells. In addition, the box contains another, smaller box that contains the other accessories. Specifically, in this case, it is an instruction manual and the 1.5-meter charging cable. The Tribit Stormbox Blast is not powered via USB, but via a power cable. This means that you don’t need a USB power supply to charge the device, but a standard power socket.
Construction, design & workmanship
- Lots of plastic
- Stable construction
- Clear preferred direction
Even at first glance, it’s clear that Tribit relies mainly on matte black plastic for the Stormbox Blast. The case consists of several individual elements that are connected with even gaps. The metal grilles on the front and back, as well as the rubber-covered control panel and the connection area are also neatly enclosed. Overall, the speakers make a very stable impression: The casing neither yields to pressure nor creaks. We also liked the material quality: The plastic feels pleasant in the hand.
The drivers are located underneath the front grille. The two illuminated subwoofers are located centrally, while high tones come from the upper corners. There are also two illuminated elements on the side of the front with the remaining 15 ARGB LEDs each.
The Stormbox Blast is operated via the panel on the top. This consists of a total of seven buttons under a rubber coating, whereby the outer four can convey information via LEDs. We liked the pleasant pressure point, which is crisper than in many competing models.
Even further up is the sturdy carrying handle, which makes it easy to carry the Stormbox Blast around despite its high weight. Indentations in the grip area provide grip. This is useful for maintenance, because the plastic surface used here should be less susceptible to dirt and signs of aging than a rubber coating.
The other sides of the speakers turn out a bit more unspectacular. There are two large passive cones on the left and right, rubberized feet at the bottom, and a second metal grille at the back. However, there are no other speakers underneath, but a plastic surface. On the other hand, the connections are located on this side, under a thick rubber flap. The speakers can be charged via a Euro dual jack, and analog playback is possible via the jack. The USB-C port, on the other hand, is intended for charging other devices. Unfortunately, the speakers themselves cannot be supplied with power this way.
Operation and lighting
- Simple use
- Playback with two devices
The operation of Tribits Stormbox Blast is very simple. A quick press of the power button turns the speakers on, and the Bluetooth button can then be used to set up connections. This way, playback can be done via a maximum of two simultaneously connected devices. This is handled exclusively: Only one Bluetooth connection can play back its audio track at a time. If, on the other hand, the active device does not send any sound, the second playback device can take over.
The active device can be operated via the three centrally located control buttons. This way, the volume can be adjusted and a song can be stopped. You can also jump to the next or last song by pressing the stop button several times – all this works flawlessly in practice.
The same goes for the two other buttons on the speakers, which can be used to turn on the lighting and the XBass function. The XBass (de)activates a predefined EQ. The illumination button, on the other hand, switches between two modes and the deactivated illumination.
In both cases, the illumination modes are volume visualizations: The side stripes change color when the sections are louder. Either a rainbow is displayed, or there is always an alternating color on a white background. The two LEDs on the bass-midrange speakers also stand out due to their brightness, which is adjusted to match the volume. This seems a bit hectic due to the lack of a digital low-pass filter, but it looks very good in our eyes. On the other hand, the LEDs on the sides look a bit playful. At least: If you change the volume of the speakers, they show the current volume level. Thus, they also have a practical use.
Battery life & range
- Long battery life
- High range
However, the LEDs have a negative impact on power consumption – this is no different with other Bluetooth speakers. At room volume and active lighting, the Stormbox Blast lasted around 15 hours of continuous playback in our test. Without lighting, however, this value jumped to an impressive 39 hours. This value should be a bit lower again with a higher volume, but the speakers should be well-equipped for every household party.
We can also report praiseworthy things about the Bluetooth connection’s range: In the open field, the speakers still reproduced their sound without interruptions even at a distance of 50 meters. Of course, such a value is not achievable indoors, but playback in the neighboring room was possible without problems here as well. In operation, you don’t really have to consider the range of the Tribit Stormbox Blast.
Control via App
- Easy installation without registration constraints
- More customization options
- No lighting editor
Tribit promises further configuration options through its in-house app, which can be easily installed on a smartphone. This has a modern and quickly understandable UI. A registration is offered at the first start, but it is not necessary for use. You can quickly bypass this by clicking the cross in the upper right corner, and you won’t be asked for it again.
Once this step is done, you can simply use the software to search for a connected Tribit box and link it. This gives you a few more setting options. For example, one can then adjust the standby time from the default 15 minutes or disable it altogether, name the device, and apply firmware updates. Furthermore, additional EQs can be selected or even created. This allows the sound of the speakers to be further adjusted, which we liked in the test.
However, we see room for improvement in the illumination. This can also be adjusted via the app, but you can only choose from the two predefined modes. We would have liked to see more options here, such as a brightness setting. Further customization options in the modes or even an editor for lighting effects, as known from some keyboard manufacturers, would have been an added bonus.
Sound quality of the Tribit Stormbox Blast
- Good sound with plenty of bass
- Customization via the app
- XBass is really fun
Finally, the most important thing: the sound quality. Assuming that the Tribit Stormbox Blast is to be used as a party speaker in particular, the bass should be especially important here. This becomes clearly audible from about 45 hertz and offers a very rich sound image when a song hits this frequency range. This becomes especially clear in combination with the XBass EQ, which clearly boosts the lower frequencies. This is far from neutral, but all the more fun for it.
As long as you are in the tweeter’s dispersion direction, the Stormbox Blast can also offer decent highs. Songs that don’t make use of the bass foundation of the speakers lose their fun factor, though: The mids and trebles are decently implemented, but you’d rather switch to the next song and let a decent bass hit your ears again. This finally makes the speakers really suitable for parties. The same applies to the volume: The Stormbox Blast can easily be operated so loud that your own ears rather than the capabilities of the speakers become a problem.
In summary, we can say that the Stormbox Blast offer a not necessarily neutral, but very pleasing sound regardless of the playback source. Thus, the speakers are ideally suited for parties outdoors as well as in closed rooms. In addition, they can also be used well for private use – for example, to watch movies.
Conclusion
For around 200 euros (current: € 229.99 *[/atkp_product), test time: 170 euros], Tribit ventures into a new price range with the Stormbox Blast. The company has succeeded in this venture: The Bluetooth speakers could convince us in many points in the test.
For example, we like the robust build quality, the simple operation, and secondary aspects like the range and battery life. The Stormbox Blast also does well in terms of sound. With activated XBass, it does not offer a neutral, but definitely a party-suitable sound tuning – and the speakers can also be used well for normal home use.
Of course, this product is not quite perfect either: We would have liked to see even more settings for the illumination in particular. In addition, the USB-C charging port can be useful for other devices, but we would have liked to have the option to charge the Stormbox Blast that way as well.
Whether these points are significant for you depends on your individual requirements. Apart from these minor issues, we can recommend the Stormbox Blast in any case. It’s not quite perfect, but it’s very good for the price.
Tribit Stormbox Blast
Workmanship
Features
Sound
Value for money
91/100
Bluetooth speaker with good sound, long battery life and barely customizable lighting.
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