The Affordable Tribit Stormbox 2 Is All the Bluetooth Speaker Most Folks Need

Tribit’s latest Stormbox Bluetooth speaker is so good for the money, you should probably just buy it. The sound is clear and peppy. The design is hearty and water-resistant, and the big buttons on its front face, heavily “influenced” by Ultimate Ears speakers, offer simple control. Even the battery life is impressive at up to 24 hours per charge.
You can get a sound upgrade and some extra durability by going with pricier rivals from brands like UE or JBL, but the Stormbox 2 is a killer portable sound machine in its own right. If you’re looking to stretch your dollars, it’s among the best Bluetooth speakers you’ll find at this price, and even above.
I’m not pointing any fingers, but the Stormbox looks eerily like someone put an Ultimate Ears Boom and JBL Flip speaker together into one of Dr. Brundle’s telepods. To be fair, there are a lot of speakers sporting a similar look, but the Stormbox series sure looks familiar.
I’m not complaining, as Tribit’s apparent homage to these two popular portables cleverly blends their best design traits. The JBL-style passive radiators at the Stormbox’s endcaps help produce solid low-end punch, while the large control keys that recall Ultimate Ears speakers make playback commands a cinch. I’d even say Tribit improves on UE’s design, setting a multifunction control key at the center for easy access.
Under the Stormbox 2’s dimpled acoustic grille are dual 48-mm drivers powered by a claimed 17 watts each, providing an extra 10 watts of total power over its predecessor. At 7 inches tall and just over 1.5 pounds, its size slots in nearly identically to the Flip and a slew of rivals. It’s not quite as portable as the micro-size Sony SRS-XB100 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but it’s still plenty easy to take along.
The Stormbox 2’s IPX7 certification means it’s waterproof enough for a dunk in the pool but doesn’t offer any dust resistance. That’s a minor disappointment since most new speakers we test offer IP67 certification for “complete protection” against dust. That said, I’ve owned an IPX7 speaker for years with no ill effects—you’ll just want to be careful on sandy beaches.
As for aesthetics, the backside control keys and awkward rubber cover for the USB-C charging port feel a tad cheap, but that’s perfectly in line with the price. The speaker still feels tough and generally well-made, sitting a cut above no-name Amazon options.
Tribit’s latest is well-armed on the feature front, including modern conveniences like the ability to pair with a second Stormbox 2 and extended wireless range of up to 150 feet via Bluetooth 5.3, doubling the previous model. The latter claim held up well in my line-of-sight testing, providing plenty of range for wandering around your next outdoor get-together. There’s even a 3.5-mm input and onboard microphone for taking calls, options many pricier speakers have dropped.
As with the Stormbox Flow (7/10, WIRED Recommends), the Tribit app lets you check battery status, futz with the sound via a custom five-band EQ and multiple presets, and adjust a few other settings like turning off the Auto Shutdown feature. The app misses a few handy options found in Ultimate Ears speakers, like the ability to link multiple speakers together or activate power remotely from sleep mode.
Tribit’s claimed 24 hours of battery life per charge is a huge get at this price, though it seems a bit aspirational unless you keep the volume low. I was able to play the speaker daily for over a week without worrying about charging, but raising the volume above 50 percent drains the reserves quickly. It’s still impressive compared to the 12 to 15 hours most rivals offer, but the speaker is notably less efficient when you blast it.
I didn’t feel the need to blast the Stormbox 2 much anyway, and it does its best work at midrange volume or lower. Playing it on my desk or backyard patio, I was immediately impressed by its clear and well-balanced sound signature across my catalog.
There’s a smooth, pulpy texture to the midrange, and the agile treble register serves up solid detail in instruments like cymbals and piano. Vocals sound firm and present, and instruments are generally well-spaced from any angle thanks to the speaker’s 360-degree soundstage.
The speaker continued to strut its stuff when I compared it to my older JBL Flip 5 and the recently launched Ultimate Ears Boom 4, though both pricier speakers offer an upgrade in clarity and definition. The darker-leaning Boom 4 pulls out firmer low frequencies and more textural grit from acoustic instruments, while the midrange-forward Flip sounds more refined, especially in instruments like crisp cymbals and shouty vocals. Tribit’s model was still close enough that I mistook it for the Boom at one point, admiring its lovely touch on an acoustic guitar solo.
The Tribit falls further behind its pricier rivals at high volume. All three speakers produced some distortion while blasting them outdoors, but the Stormbox 2 was the shoutiest, breaking up bright percussion and electric guitar more readily. I was easily able to identify it in a blind test, but my wife, who has spent far less time with the speakers, couldn’t pick out the budget option from the crowd. It stood out particularly well when I compared it to the smaller but similarly priced SRS-XB100, besting it in pretty much all aspects.
The Stormbox 2’s features, design, and performance all push strikingly close to our favorite Bluetooth speakers in its size class at a much lower cost. Even if you’re picky about sound, it’s worth considering just how much critical listening you’ll be doing while kicking back some cold ones before you spend more. For most folks, the Stormbox 2 should be more than capable of handling the Bluetooth load.