GeekDad Review: Tribit StormBox Pro Portable Bluetooth Speaker

A few months ago, if you’d asked me for a recommendation on a water-resistant portable Bluetooth speaker with long battery life, lots of energy, and plenty of bass, I would have immediately pointed you toward the Ultimate Ears lineup. Today, I’d say the field has become a little more crowded—especially if you want to keep the price down. I’ve been testing out Tribit’s new flagship portable speaker, the StormBox Pro.

Like the Tribit StormBox Micro I reviewed in March, this is a speaker that performs far better than I expected given its size and price tag.

First Impressions

The StormBox Pro doesn’t really look like anything special. It stands about 7-inches tall, and with its silicone handle, it looks vaguely lantern-shaped. The speaker is wrapped in back mesh, the top is rubberized with a collection of music control buttons and LED indicator lights. A small plug on the bottom back conceals charge ports. It’s nice enough—corners are rounded, the mesh has no frayed edges, and the design is functional. But not really exciting. And there’s no attempt to stand out with flashy color combinations; black is the only option.

Impressive, 2.1 Channel Sound

It’s when you power this speaker up that it makes an impression. It’s really a fairly small speaker, all things considered. You can see that when I set it beside my old faithful red Ultimate Ears Megaboom (which is going on five years of regular use). However, Tribit has used every cubic inch of the available space.

Inside the StormBox Pro is a 3-inch downward-firing subwoofer, a pair of 1.6-inch drivers, dual passive radiators, and a DSP that delivers 25W of power to the subwoofer and 7.5W to each of the drivers.

The speaker offers high-energy, 360-degree audio with plenty of volume on tap. Having a variety of drivers and a decent DSP pays off with a wide frequency response. Music is clear and clean, and the quality compares well against my Megaboom—in fact, in blind listening, it can be awfully difficult to tell the two apart. The StormBox Pro can also get quite loud before distortion kicks in. When playing music in my office, once the volume reaches about one-third, it’s quite loud. The halfway mark is party loud. There’s plenty of volume for use outdoors, too. Press the XBass button and things get even better—at least if you’re a fan of bass. The feature really works that subwoofer, adding a noticeable thump to the low end. This speaker definitely sounds bigger than it is.

If you want to go beyond 360-audio, the StormBox Pro also supports stereo pairing. Considering these speakers are about $120 a pop, doing so isn’t out of the question.

IP Water Resistant, Long Battery Life

I’ve used the StormBox Pro outdoors extensively, including in some wet weather. It had no problems operating in the rain (or in snow, for that matter). The speaker is rated IP67 water-resistant, which means stormy weather should be no issue and it will even survive 30 minutes submerged in three feet of water.

During my time with the speaker, I can attest to its long battery life. Tribit rates it at up to 24 hours of playback. The usual disclaimers about volume affecting that number apply, but I’ve been using it outdoors regularly while doing yard work and grilling and only charge it every two weeks or so. It’s worth noting that charging is by USB-C, and there is also a USB Type-A port that lets you use the speaker’s battery to top up a smartphone’s charge.

Tribit StormBox Pro Key Specs

• 2.1 channel audio with 3-inch downward-firing subwoofer, 2 x 1.6-inch transducers, 2 x passive radiators
• 2 x 7.5W + 25W output
• Tribit XBass feature
• Black mesh body with rubberized top and top-mounted music controls
• Silicone carrying handle
• Bluetooth 5.0 with AptX, 100-foot range, support for dual device and stereo pairing
• 10,000mAh battery capacity rated for up to 24-hours playback (charges via USB-C)
• USB Type-A power output for charging smartphones
• IP 67 water-resistant
• 7.1-inches tall, weighs 2.2 pounds
• MSRP $119.99

Recommendation

The Tribit StormBox Pro is a lot of speaker, especially for its $119.99 price. I can’t think of a competing Bluetooth speaker in this price range that packs the drivers, a subwoofer, and the output power of the StormBox Pro. Up to 24-hour battery life, stereo pairing support, and IP67 water resistance round out an already impressive package.

If you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker that combines energetic sound with plenty of bass, a very portable form factor, and an affordable price, you’re not going to go wrong with the Tribit StormBox Pro.

Disclosure: Tribit provided a speaker for evaluation but had no input into this review. As an Amazon Associate, I earn affiliate fees from qualifying purchases.