Tribit StormBox 2 review: I tested this waterproof Bluetooth speaker — and it’s surprisingly good for under $70

I’ve tried a fair few Bluetooth speakers in my life. Some are great, some are alright, and some leave something to be desired. But how do you find the best bluetooth speakers? 

Well, first you have to figure out your price point. Are you going to splurge, or is something under $100 more up your street? I’m always on the lookout for the best cheap bluetooth speaker: something with the oomph and the power of the more luxury brands, without breaking the bank. The Tribit StormBox 2 seemingly has it all: customizable EQ, waterproofing, and portable, and only $67? 

If a speaker has a customizable EQ, I’m already halfway to heaven. There’s nothing I love more than pumping the bass up all the way and having a not-so-secret dance party in my bedroom. On top of that, the StormBox 2 has an IPX7 durability rating, which means it’s waterproof in up to three feet of water. 

The StormBox 2’s customizable EQ already puts it ahead of the Bose SoundLink Flex ($149), but will its budget price tag affect its sound quality? The short answer is yes, but read on to find out if this affordable speaker is worth it in our StormBox 2 review. 

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Tribit StormBox 2 is an affordable, portable speaker, with a customizable EQ and a bass-boost setting
• What does it cost? $67 / £60
• Who is it for? This is an affordable speaker for people who aren’t obsessed with audio quality
• What should you use it for? This did well playing in a park and two speakers in stereo mode sounded pretty good
• What are its weaknesses? I’m not going to lie, the sound quality isn’t great. But for $67, you can’t complain

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Specs

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Price & availability

The Tribit StormBox 2 is available for $67 at Amazon and via the Tribit website. The $67 pricetag makes this a great entry to the budget speaker market, as it’s considerably cheaper than the JBL Flip 6 ($129) or the Beats Pill ($149).

Unfortunately, the StormBox 2 only comes in one color, and it’s the most basic of them all: black. I would’ve liked to see this in at least white too, but it’s not the end of the world. The Tribit StormBox Micro comes in blue, red, and black.

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Design

Tribit isn’t trying to win any aesthetic awards here. The Stormbox 2 looks a little like a bulkier JBL Flip 6; a classic ‘pill’ shape with square-ish edges and exposed woofers on the sides. I’m not crazy about it, but I don’t hate it either. 

It’s lightweight, at only 1 pound 4 ounces, perfect for taking on day trips. That said, after being in a backpack for an hour, the plastic casing tarnished, which I’m not obsessed with. If this bothers you, I’d recommend a case. 

I like that the mesh casing is fabric, but I wish the Stormbox 2 came in more colors as I mentioned earlier, or was a bit more adventurous like the Tribit StormBox Blast with its light-up LEDs. This is a casual, low-key speaker, however, so its casual, low-key design makes sense.

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Connectivity

Unlike more luxury models, the StormBox 2 does not remember your mobile device between listening sessions. Each time you turn on the StormBox 2, you have to manually connect your device in the settings tab. Obviously, this is a little annoying considering similarly priced speakers, even those from Tribit itself like the Tribit XSound Plus 2 ($69), automatically connect to your device. 

However, the Tribit StormBox 2 is supercharged with Bluetooth 5.3. You might think this is par for the course, but the last speaker I tested, the Bose SoundLink Flex ($149), used the 10-year-old Bluetooth 4.2.

Bluetooth 5.3 means the StormBox 2 has enhanced range and connectivity. In testing, I found this to stay connected up to about 400 feet. Considering this is a budget speaker, that’s a fantastic range, making this a great option for outdoor listening. Particularly when you take into account its outdoor sound quality — more on that later. 

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Features

The StormBox 2 comes with a durability rating of IPX7, which means it’s waterproof in up to 3 feet of water but has no dustproofing. So it’s great to take to a pool party, but not the beach, because the sand will do its thing and the StormBox 2 will go kaput. This rating isn’t as advanced as the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3’s ($99), which is IP67 (dustproof and waterproof), the Tribit is $30 cheaper. 

Speaking of a pool party, if you have two Tribit speakers, you can link them up via the Tribit app in ‘Stereo mode’. This is a really impressive feature for such a cheap speaker, and the volume in stereo mode blew me away. A great option if you are due to DJ at a flurry of pool parties this summer (unfortunately I will not be as I am trapped in the UK). 

I immediately downloaded the Tribit app to find a custom EQ section and I had plenty of fun playing around with the EQ, but I settled on my old faithful settings: max bass, mid mid (say that five times fast), and just-below-max treble. 

While the Tribit app is not without its faults, it is a simple enough looking app that does what it says on the tin. However, the app thinks I own four StormBoxes (I most certainly do not), which is incredibly frustrating if you want to edit your EQ in a pinch. To fix this, you have to go through the devices, figure out which one is currently connected, and delete the surplus. So, as I said, not without its faults, but if you’ve got a spare thirty seconds and $67 lying around, the Tribit app is perfectly fine for most users.

The Tribit app also comes with EQ presets. Now, I rarely use EQ presets anyway, and with these EQ presents, that won’t be changing any time soon. Tribit only provides four presets: audiobook, classical, rock, and jazz. While I appreciate the audiobook category, Tribit has, rather peculiarly, omitted the three most popular genres in the world. Where’s pop? Where’s hip hop? Where’s EDM? Was this an oversight, or did Tribit not think to include the three most listened to genres (according to Billboard Hot 100)? Color me baffled. 

It’s not that deep, though, because you can create your own custom presets, it’s just perplexing that these genres weren’t included. 

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Sound quality

Given its customizable EQ and high durability rating, I wanted it to be a hattrick of success and blow me away with its sound quality. Unfortunately, performance is a bit of a sore spot, especially if you consider yourself an audio purist.

To test the speaker how its creator intended, I listened to the first few tracks with Tribit’s default EQ settings. ‘Swoon’ by The Chemical Brothers has a seriously high-pitched synth motif, and, without any tuning to lower the highs, it hurt my ears. So for the next few tracks I turned down the treble on the app. 

When I played ‘Modern Romance’ by Cats ‘n’ Dogs (another electronic track), the high violin section got a bit lost amongst the shrubbery of the track. So, with a sigh, I upped the treble again and tried again with a different genre. 

Hayley Williams has a powerful, sparkling, evocative soprano voice, so I listened to ‘Running Out of Time’ by Paramore to test the StormBox 2’s treble capacity. But the usually vibrant track came off as a bit flat and lifeless. 

“So, maybe this speaker is good for bass,” I thought, and switched genres again. I played ‘Comic Sans’ by Audrey Nuna and Jack Harlow, a hip-hop track with swooping, bubbling bass and a deep, thumping beat. I was so relieved to find that this track sounded good. ‘What’s A Girl To Do’ by Fatima Yamaha, another house track, tugged on my heartstrings, just as I expected it to. 

Louder, bassier songs sound good on the StormBox 2, but if your chosen playlist has a lot of treble, it’ll pinch your eardrums unless you reduce the setting on your equalizer — but then you lose a lot of depth. 

Where the speaker really shined, however, was when I took it outside the confines of the office for a park. Sure, there’s more room for error when you’re in a huge park and not sat at your desk listening for every little detail, but this little speaker held its own well. I used the ‘bass boost’ feature here, and wow! It was loud enough to make me feel self-conscious that I was playing music in a park — let’s just put it that way. 

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Battery life

The Tribit Stormbox 2 has an epic battery life. Tribit claims it lasts a whopping 24 hours. In testing, it lasted about 27 hours, and I didn’t need to charge it for ten whole days of listening.

Its listed battery life is far better than the pricier speakers Bose SoundLink Flex ($129) and JBL Flip 6 ($129). Within the budget speaker sphere, it beats the Ultimate Ears Everboom ($99) and the Sony SRS-XB100 ($59), and matches the Anker Soundcore 3 ($51). The StormBox 2 also matches more spec-heavy designs like the JBL Xtreme 4 ($379) and Sonos Move 2 ($449), which is beyond impressive for a $67 speaker. 

Tribit StormBox 2 review: Verdict

The Tribit StormBox 2 is a good little speaker for on-the-go use, perfect for picnics, campsites, hikes, or garden soirees. While it’s not going to win any design or sound awards, it’s good enough for casual listening. I would gravitate towards this if I was going to a pool party (enter my jealous tears) or a day hike. With its boss battery life and ample waterproofing, it’s perfect for those occasions where you might be going a while without a plug. And it doesn’t hurt that the great outdoors can be a little more forgiving for that pinchy sound quality. 

However, if you're someone who takes a lot of pride in having a speaker with the best sound quality, you might be let down by the StormBox 2’s slightly flat performance. While you’re not going to get anything mind blowing at this price, you might have better luck spending a little more and getting something like the JBL Flip 6. But for $67, this isn’t a bad budget speaker by any means, and could be great if Tribit pays a little more mind to audio quality in future versions.