I generally like Tribit; it makes great-sounding audio gear at a good value, and I haven’t had any issues with the half-dozen or so of its products I used in the last three years. The StormBox Blast continues to be a favorite, and the oversized speaker still does a great job filling a room with sound.
But I switched to the StormBox Blast 2 six months ago, and it may just be the best portable Bluetooth speaker around. The Blast 2 costs $269 on Amazon — $70 more than the original Blast — and while that is a lot of cash, it’s a good value when you consider just how loud it gets.
The Blast 2 has a cleaner design than its predecessor, and it is considerably bigger; it comes in at 19.18lb, and you can get a decent workout while getting this thing around. It’s definitely the heaviest Bluetooth speaker I used, and while it is gargantuan, I like the changes to the design.
The RGB lighting at the sides is now a single bar instead of individual LEDs, and the overall design looks much more polished. After six months of use, I don’t have any negatives to point out when it comes to the design or build quality. The back of the unit houses the AC port that’s used to charge the internal battery, and it has USB-A and USB-C out, giving you the ability to charge your phone or accessories at 10W.
Tribit retained IP67 dust and water resistance, so you can use the StormBox Blast 2 at the pool without any issues. The ports at the back are housed behind a silicone protective cover, and you get a large carrying handle that makes it somewhat easy to lug this beast of a speaker around.
There are three things I need in a portable Bluetooth speaker: built-in controls, good sound, and long-lasting battery. The StormBox Blast 2 ticks all those boxes; there are volume and music playback controls at the top, along with Bluetooth pairing, battery level indicator, and XBass mode. You can even pair two of these in stereo if you really want wall-shaking sound that’s sure to annoy your neighbors.
Coming to the sound, the StormBox Blast 2 gets loud — incredibly loud. You get an 80W subwoofer paired to dual 15W tweeters and two 45W mid-range drivers, leading to a total power of 200W when plugged in. While using battery power, it goes down to 180W, and that’s still significantly higher than any other portable speaker I used.
In addition to being loud, the sound is detailed; you get energetic bass with a big rumble, good mid-range, and clean treble. Vocals come across a little harsh, but on the whole, the sound is highly engaging. I used it in the living room, and didn’t have to increase volume beyond 50%, and the massive size combined with the sound quality makes this the ideal party speaker.
On that note, the XBass mode does a great job boosting the low-end, and you can easily make out the difference when the mode is active. If you don’t like the way the Blast 2 sounds out of the box, you can use Tribit’s app to customize the sound profile; there’s no 10-band EQ, but you can tweak the bass, mids, and treble according to your tastes, or select presets.
Battery life is pretty great too; I only needed to charge it once a week on average, and while it doesn’t quite last as long as the 30 hours that Tribit claims, I got 24 hours of use between charges. Bluetooth connectivity is rock-solid as well, and I didn’t see any issues connecting the speaker to my Vivo X200 Pro, Honor Magic 7 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Find N5.
Ultimately, the StormBox Blast 2 does everything I need in a portable Bluetooth speaker. It easily gets loud enough to fill a decent-sized room, and the sound quality is great — I didn’t have any issues in this regard. Combine that with IP67 water resistance and 180W sound, and it isn’t hard to see why this is such a good party speaker.
With a dominating presence and standout sound with room-shaking bass, this is the party speaker you want.
