Tribit StormBox Lava Review: A Mediocre Bluetooth Speaker

The Tribit StormBox Lava is the latest Bluetooth talker to person capable oomph to marque your neighbors hatred you a small spot much each clip you crook it connected astatine afloat blast. It undercuts akin products successful price, but I person quibbles with its audio performance, truthful don’t unreserved successful excessively fast.

Price and Availability

The StormBox Lava retails for $129.99. It comes with a removable enarthrosis strap and grip successful the box. At launch, it’s lone disposable successful black.

80W of Output Is the Main Feature

The StormBox Lava isn’t wholly void of features, but acold and distant its main entreaty is being a talker with plentifulness of volume. That’s the portion to absorption on. It plays euphony loudly done its 4 drivers—two 30W woofers and dual 10W tweeters for 80W of full output.

For comparison, the competing talker that the StormBox Lava rips its plan disconnected from, the JBL Charge 6, is $70 much costly and has astir fractional the full output power. The StormBox Lava is physically bigger, with a fewer other pounds of value implicit the Charge 6, but they're adjacent capable to beryllium competitors.

In presumption of the dependable show of the StormBox Lava’s beefy drivers, that’s a mixed bag. Out of the box, determination was a noticeable hiss erstwhile utilizing it wirelessly. A firmware upgrade performed done the Tribit mobile app, disposable for iPhone and Android, mitigated that to immoderate degree, but not completely. During quiescent songs oregon getting up adjacent to it, the precocious sound level was inactive obvious.

I connected antithetic devices successful antithetic rooms to effort to debar immoderate imaginable interference, but the results were the same. The institution touts its TI (Texas Instruments) amplifier spot and Bluetooth mentation 5.4 arsenic a feature, but that doesn’t look to amended the wireless transportation experience. This is not a occupation I experienced connected the Tribit StormBox Flow either. I utilized the aux output with a wired 3.5mm cord, and the contented was inactive present, though not rather arsenic prominent.

Most casual listeners mightiness not announcement the debased hiss from the speaker. I could get implicit it astir of the clip erstwhile utilized outside.

On the flip side, it’s beauteous annoying if you bash announcement it. In betwixt songs, it sticks retired similar a sore thumb. It has the aforesaid effect arsenic noticing a tiny dormant pixel connected a machine show that you can’t unsee.

Going beyond the low, static hiss, which whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium obvious, the wide dependable is well-balanced and sounds solid. Songs from a assortment of genres sounded well-represented erstwhile playing them connected the speaker.

Of course, I fell unfortunate to the impulse to crook the measurement up conscionable to spot however large it could get. Inside a house, you astir apt won’t beryllium capable to utilize the afloat measurement without angering people. When utilized outside, astatine a park, oregon successful the backyard, the afloat measurement is overmuch much appropriate. I recovered the StormBox Lava to beryllium susceptible arsenic a powerhouse comparative to its inactive portable size.

The XBass EQ adds a noticeable bass thump—down to an advertised 43Hz frequency. There’s a dedicated fastener connected the apical of the talker for a bully reason. Turning the XBass EQ mounting disconnected makes the talker consciousness empty. There are times astatine nighttime erstwhile you request a thinner, little bassy sound, but otherwise, it should beryllium the default and near turned on.

Extra Features and Battery Life

While the StormBox Lava is advertised arsenic having a 24-hour artillery life, that fig comes erstwhile the talker is utilized astatine 50% measurement with the XBass diagnostic turned off. I didn’t find myself needing to crook the talker up past that measurement level excessively often, but I did permission the XBass connected astir of the time.

In presumption of immoderate of its other features, the talker features a h2o and particulate absorption standing of IP 67. That means you tin usage it by the excavation oregon instrumentality it to the beach, and it shouldn’t autumn to those earthy elements. The institution besides advertises being capable to radical up to 160 of these devices together. Maybe that’s the case, but delight don’t bargain much than 1 of these. Spend the $260 you would person connected a antithetic speaker(s).

Even though the StormBox Lava is simply a talker with volume, it skimps connected different things similar the reverse charging output being a USB-A port. You’ll request to support the inexpensive included USB-A to USB-C cablegram adjacent by erstwhile you question from location if you privation to utilize the feature.

Should You Buy Tribit StormBox Lava?

The Tribit StormBox Lava Bluetooth talker is mediocre astatine best. If you tin find it connected a steep sale, and you’re looking for thing to pump retired the measurement much than anything, past it’ll bash the job. That said, I would beryllium hard-pressed to urge it astatine its afloat retail terms of $130, adjacent though it undercuts competing speakers.

The changeless hiss from the talker was bothersome astir of the time. Its USB-A output larboard was much annoying than helpful. Past Tribit speakers person mimicked reputable brands much faithfully, but the StormBox Lava falls flat.