Surprisingly Good Sound for $40

Despite some glowing lights, the Tribit StormBox Mini+ isn’t meant to be the life of any party. What it can do is accompany most journeys, play tunes in the bathroom, or be handed to any kid.

Price and Availability

The StormBox Mini+ retails for $39.99 and is available to purchase now. It’s the larger sibling of the StormBox Mini. It weighs 1.56 pounds and measures 4.69 x 3.58 inches.

The Sound Is Fine For a Low-Cost Speaker

The trend among Bluetooth speakers is about getting the smallest size possible or a big, beefy powerhouse. The StormBox Mini+ falls more in the middle ground. It’s handheld and portable, but it isn’t overly petite. It’s not even one of the two smallest speakers that Tribit makes. You might want to check out the Micro 2 if a tiny size is key.

Still, the size of the Mini+ is suitable to carry nearly anywhere. I just wouldn’t strap to a bike handle.

In the context of size, the sound is decent. There are two drivers and 12W of total power. More realistically, the place the Mini+ excels is its price. The sound is a little better than most $40 speakers.

Although I think the Mini+ has good clarity overall, I specifically noticed the mid-range to be present and clear. Often, low-cost speakers suffer from muddy sound reproduction in this area. That’s not the case here. The dual-driver design also makes the sound largely the same, no matter how you orient the speaker.

The bass is this speaker’s weak spot. Turning the volume up to around 50% will yield some audible bass, but I wouldn’t say it thumps. More importantly, however, is that the Mini+ isn’t hollow. It has enough low-end to sound balanced.

Your mileage will also vary depending on the style of music you play on the speaker. Listening to chilled pop songs from Khalid sounded fuller and better than some alternative rock at the same volume. Additionally, acoustic guitar-driven tracks were surprisingly crisp and detailed.

My takeaway after streaming lots of songs across different genres is that the Mini+ performs better than size and price point would suggest. Even if it doesn’t have the most exciting sound, it’s evenly balanced and clear. In an intimate setting like a small kitchen or on a nightstand, I think a lot of people would come away impressed. Buying the Mini+ for a pool party will leave you disappointed.

While audio aficionados should steer clear, the Mini+’s size, clarity, and battery life also make it ideal for kids. The light is basic, but fun. The play and volume buttons are big and easy to press, too. It’s hard to tell what the long-term durability of this speaker will be, but the $40 retail price should ease the stress of handing it over to younger kids.

There Aren’t Many Features, But There Are Enough

Beyond the physical size and price, the Mini+ has an IPX7 water resistance rating, meaning it’s not afraid of the pool. With it not being rated for dust, however, I would be a little hesitant to take it to the beach. Then again, its low price probably means that it doesn’t need to be overly protected. Surprisingly, there is a 3.5mm aux input for using a wired iPad or device like that.

It is rated for 12 hours of battery life, while listening at 60% volume. I found its battery depletion rate to be in line with this estimate. But I also found that I usually listened to this speaker at a volume between 25 and 50%, so I charged it less frequently.

You can tweak the EQ settings in the Tribit mobile app, available for iPhone and Android. I didn’t find much of a point to doing this, but the ability is there. There are two lighting modes in the app that you can select between, in addition to turning it off.

I tried hard but couldn’t tell the difference between the two lighting modes. I think Mode 1 uses brighter colors and Mode 2 uses more white and pastel colors, but the speed and movement looked the same to my eyes.

Should You Buy the Tribit StormBox Mini+?

As an inexpensive portable Bluetooth speaker that you don’t need to be careful with, the Tribit StormBox Mini+ is a winner. Its sound is crisp and clear, which makes it particularly good for playing videos or listening to spoken word.

This speaker can’t pump out low, deep bass, but it’s not really designed for that, with a compact size and low price. Instead, it’s a value speaker with a very respectable sound.