Bluetooth speakers come in all imaginable sizes. This is also proven by the Tronsmart brand, which launches the Bang Max on the market. Despite the size, the most important features for Tronsmart are still maintained with the illumination and the high weather resistance. In the Tronsmart Bang Max review, we check out the speaker, analyze the features, and occasionally compare it to the smaller Bang SE and Bang Halo 100 models.
Specifications
| Performance | 130 W |
| Size | 470 x 199 x 260 mm |
| Weight | 5.98 kg |
| Load time | 5 h |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 |
| Weather protection | IPX6 |
| Frequency range | 50 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Max. volume | 110 dB |
| Battery | 18,000 mAh with powerbank function |
| Battery life | Approximately 24h at 50% volume without illumination |
| Price | € 179.00 * |
Packaging and scope of delivery
- Large packaging with carrying handles
- Safe foam padding
- Basic kit with power adapter and mini jack cable
Yeah yikes – that’s a big box that came! A vacuum cleaner? Nope, a Bluetooth speaker. In principle, the packaging of the Tronsmart Bang Max is kept relatively simple. The speaker is held in a cardboard box by two foam shells. In addition, it is still in a plastic bag. In one of the trays is also the power supply and under the speaker is another bag with the instructions and a 3.5 mm mini-jack cable.
The review unit’s box collected some visible damage in transit for us, but that’s really not a problem in this case, as the foam protects the Tronsmart Bang Max well and causes a safe distance from the outside world. The package is quite large and unwieldy – plus, it’s not entirely lightweight. Therefore, it is good that you can press in the cardboard on the sides to have quasi carrying handles in the box. Quite a useful detail.
Design
- Lighted side panels
- Large design with a generous handle
- Solid cover for the ports
At first glance, it looks like the Tronsmart Bang SE is now full grown. This is because the Tronsmart Bang Max is definitely bulky in size. Although it is easy to grip due to the generous handle, but on longer distances you notice the weight quite clearly. The smaller brother definitely wins in terms of manageability and transportability.
Apart from that, the Tronsmart Bang Max not only houses two speakers, but six! For a stereo orientation, that’s two subwoofers, two mid-treeters and two tweeters each. However, these are not illuminated and cannot be seen through the dense front grille. This front grille also differs from the metal grille of the previously tested Tronsmart speakers. Thus, it is not a pure metal grille, but comes with a water-repellent, solid fabric front.
Underneath the handle, which has been outfitted with purple silicone strips for increased grip, you’ll find the controls, which sit under a labeled silicone strip for weather protection. On the back, under a hefty cover with “Bang Max” written on it, you’ll find the ports for when you don’t want to connect vie Bluetooth. Or simply for charging.
Furthermore, there is a decent sized stand on the bottom, which allows you to place the Tronsmart Bang Max with a decent grip even on not quite even surfaces.
There are light elements on the left and right sides, but they are less of a focal point on the Tronsmart Bang Max than they were on the smaller models.
Processing
- High-quality workmanship
- Tidy cover for the ports on the back
- Long battery life
As with the smaller models, the workmanship of the Tronsmart Bang Max proves to be impeccable. The plastic of the case looks high-quality and feels good, and the front grille with a textile mesh is also firm and does not give in quickly.
The rear cover is very large and thick, yet it can be opened without much effort. Otherwise, the case looks very homogeneous and almost like it was cast from one piece – you really have to look for the places where the individual parts are connected. There isn’t much more to write here and would amount to repetition: The build quality of the Tronsmart Bang Max looks high-quality all around.
When testing the battery life of the Tronsmart Bang Max, it has to be said that there is nothing to worry about here. The battery lasts forever. You can organize and enjoy an evening (and even the whole night) with loud music completely free of the power grid. And probably even longer. In everyday life, where you only use the Tronsmart Bang Max for a few hours a day at low volume, you will rarely need to recharge. The charge is displayed via Bluetooth in 10% increments and if no music is playing, the Tronsmart switches itself off after a while. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about the battery level if you forget to turn off the Tronsmart Bang Max.
Weatherproof
- High water resistance
- When in contact with wetness, the silicone cover of the ports should be closed
The Tronsmart Bang Max, like its smaller siblings, has intense protection against wetness. So at the garden party, a rain shower does not have to mean the end of the music. You also don’t have to worry about bad weather when transporting it, and if you use it by the pool, you don’t have to be careful because water splashes don’t really bother the Tronsmart Bang Max. However, there is one small limitation: This applies to when you use a micro SD card as the source or the Bluetooth connection. As soon as you open the protective flap to the ports at the back, they are naturally exposed. Thus, you should only use these ports in a dry environment.
Of course, a test cannot only rely on the manufacturer’s statements – the weather protection has to be practically tested as well.
All openings and controls are well protected by silicone and the textile fabric simply lets the water roll off. So the Tronsmart Bang Max stood comfortably in the heavy rain for quite some time and continued to play its music undisturbed and without any loss of sound. I was in the meantime so cowardly and sat dry under the canopy in the garden.
Connection options and control
- Some functions are not self-explanatory
- Good connectivity
- Powerbank function
The Tronsmart Bang Max not only offers some buttons on the front, but also ports and controls under the rear cover. Unlike the smaller models, there is no dedicated backlight button, but a short press on the power button changes the backlight.
If you are in Bluetooth mode, which is what the Tronsmart Bang Max was primarily built for, the play button functions for the corresponding function and accordingly for pausing. A quick double press on this button selects between the sound sources: Bluetooth, USB, Micro-SD and Aux. A corresponding port is found at the back for all of these. The + and – buttons next to it control the volume with a short press. But if you press these buttons longer, you can jump to the next or previous track. This is also how the control of songs from SD card or USB stick works. There is no other way for this, not even via app. Therefore, it makes sense to select music on SD cards or USB sticks manually beforehand.
The Echo button does not work with regular music, but is a reverb effect for a connected guitar. More about that in the corresponding section. Speaking of guitars, two 6.3mm jack connectors are found on the rear panel and both have a gain control each, which can be operated with a slotted screwdriver to boost the input power of a signal. And also, each of the two channels has a volume knob to control the output power, or volume.
A stereo pairing button allows you to connect multiple Tronsmart Bang Max. Although other models also have this feature, it is not possible to connect different Tronsmart models, it is only possible within one series. This is a bit of a pity. However, if you buy two or three Tronsmart Bang Max or coordinate with friends, you can sound a party from one source in several corners of a room.
If you connect a smartphone (or other device) to the back of the Tronsmart Bang Max via USB, you can charge it through this – the Tronsmart acts as a powerbank here.
Sound
- Ordinary sound
- Fuller sound at higher volume
- Sound Pulse mode improves sound in almost all scenarios
The sound of the Tronsmart Bang Max seems quite okay at low volumes, but still unimpressive. This changes when it is turned up a bit and the subwoofers get enough pressure. From now on, the Tronsmart Bang Max clearly sets itself apart from its smaller siblings and delivers a solid sound over the entire frequency range. This is especially true when activating the sound pulse equalizer, which is activated with the SP button.
Unlike the Tronsmart Bang SE and Halo 100, I actually didn’t find a case where I liked the sound better with SP disabled. So for me, a no-brainer: activate immediately! Possibly with one restriction: With the Tronsmart app there are other ways to influence the sound. You do not have to necessarily deal with it, because the sound is quite convincing as it is and offers – at higher volume – really a good sound experience.
Volume
- Extremely loud
- Minimal noise perceptible at very low volume
- Noise reduction cuts off very quiet passages
On the subject of volume, it should be said that I was never able to fully extend it for testing purposes. The Tronsmart Bang Max is so loud that the whole neighborhood would have had their joy. You need larger locations for party situations, where you can bring the Tronsmart Bang Max towards the limit.
However, there is one peculiarity regarding the volume. I played music with my smartphone and set the volume to a humane room volume. If the playback was now paused and then continued, it reset the volume, which in this case was significantly louder than before. The first few times, this was still unexpected and made me cringe quite a bit. The problem was also not consistently reproducible. It just happened every now and then and could very well be an incompatibility with the smartphone.
Furthermore, when playing quiet music, particularly quiet parts also tend to get swallowed up by the noise gate, which simply turns down below a certain volume level. This is useful from time to time, because the Tronsmart Bang Max, like the Halo 100 before it, has a very quiet noise floor that is noticeable at very low volumes – which isn’t really what the outdoor party speaker was built for.
Tronsmart app
- Easy sound source selection
- Control of lighting and equalizer
- No control for media on SD or USB storage device
Tronsmart offers an app that allows you to tune the Bang Max even deeper. This is available for free on Android in the Play Store and in the Apple App Store. In both cases, the reviews are rather moderate, but I did not encounter any problems in the Tronsmart Bang Max review. As I said, there is no problem to operate the Bluetooth speaker without this app. For the connection, the Tronsmart Bang Max has to be turned on and you have to have your Android or iOS device connected via Bluetooth. Now let’s take a look at the features:
Realistically, it must be said that most of the app acts as a simple remote control – most of the functions can be set directly on the device. For example, a quick press of the power button activates the lights, and each subsequent press changes the lighting mode until the lights are off again. The only function that has really been added is the deeper adjustment of the equalizer.
The source can also be clearly selected, i.e. whether to play from Bluetooth, micro-SD or USB. What I miss so completely in the app is a display of artist and title as well as an overview of the folder structure of media that are plugged into the Tronsmart Bang Max. That means micro SD cards or USB sticks. This would noticeably improve the control and I hope that it will be added on occasion. This has already bothered me when testing the Halo 100.
Use as a guitar amplifier
- Orderly sound
- An amp simulation is needed for electric guitars
- Minimal latency is a bit annoying
As a full-range speaker, the Tronsmart Bang Max is primarily not suitable for use with electric guitars. However, if you have an acoustic guitar with a pickup, you can get it connected quite easily, as there are two 6.35 mm jack connectors on the rear panel, as is common in the guitar field, although only one of them is designated as for guitars. Separate gain and volume controls allow you to adjust the volume of each input to find a suitable balance with different pickup systems, or even with a microphone on the second connector.
Or an electric guitar after all? Electric guitar amplifiers have the characteristic that they strongly color the sound, which the Tronsmart Bang Max does not do – after all, you want the clearest possible sound when playing music. So if you want to amplify an electric guitar with it, you need suitable effect pedals. Apart from a preamp, you need a speaker simulation. Most multi-effect pedals, like the various versions of the Line6 Pod, have this built in – but there are also dedicated pedals that can perform this function.
A practical test shows that there is a small latency, however. This means that the attack of a note is only reproduced minimally later. This is not a long time, but definitely noticeable as a player. In addition, the smoke suppression also hits here at low volumes, which cuts off the sound. So you should really want to play louder – those who want to practice quietly in the evening should rather reach for headphones than the Tronsmart.
The Echo button allows you to select a reverb effect – this can be set in three stages, after which the effect is switched off and the button’s illumination goes out. You can’t visually tell which level you’ve selected, as long as you don’t press through until the effect turns off on the last press.
Conclusion
The Tronsmart Bang Max proves to be a strong Bluetooth box in the test. The controls are not always entirely intuitive, but the sound is very good – especially at high volumes. Likewise, the build quality is high-quality and the weather resistance is very practical. The app does little more than act as a remote control, but it also proved to be functional in the test. Thus, the biggest weakness of the Tronsmart Bang Max is actually the weight, which (together with the quite decent size) makes it difficult to take this Bluetooth speaker with you in some situations. However, the Tronsmart Bang Max is well suited for use at home and especially for providing sound at parties and birthday celebrations – even outdoors. Or even for occasional street music.
Overall, I think the Tronsmart Bang Max is a very cool piece with a good sound at a thoroughly more than reasonable price.
Tronsmart Bang Max
Workmanship
Sound quality
Features
Value for money
91/100
The Tronsmart Bang Max may be large and heavy, but it offers good sound, high volume and is resistant to weather conditions.
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