Good Points :-
- Excellent audio for the price.
- Carry handle and shoulder strap
- AUX input
- USB for charging
- Solid battery life
- App is well-designed
Bad Points :-
- Still uses USB Type A for charge out
- Default tuning needs tweaking to get the best sound .
The Bluetooth speaker market is packed with choices. You’ve got fancy picks from Bose, home-friendly options from Sonos, and budget-friendly ones from Anker’s Soundcore. Tribit has been around for a while, but it seems like they’re stepping up their game with their latest releases—especially the Tribit StormBox Lava, which looks ready to give Anker a serious run for its money.
The Tribit Stormbox Lava has burst onto the scene, delivering bass so intense you’ll “feel the heartbeat of the earth.” This bold, semi-cylindrical party speaker promises top-notch sound and tough durability, all while keeping the price reasonable. At $129.99 / £111 (around AU$200), it’s an impressively affordable choice for a medium-large speaker.
The StormBox Lava is designed to handle a bit of everything. It’s large enough to pack a punch, but not so big as to be unwieldy. With a built-in handle for easy carrying and a subtle design that blends effortlessly into home spaces, it aims to strike the perfect balance. Many speakers with this “jack-of-all-trades” approach often fall short and end up missing the mark entirely. Will the StormBox Lava rise above those challenges and prove itself as a true all-rounder at an affordable price? Only time will tell.
In the Box:-
The box includes a braided nylon handle and a shoulder strap, making transportation effortless and adding a touch of practicality. There’s also a USB-A to USB-C cable included, though it would have been even better to see a USB-C to USB-C option for added convenience. That said, the thoughtful inclusion of both the handle and the strap is a standout feature that elevates the overall package.
Design.
The Tribit StormBox Lava isn’t designed for ultra-portability, but it’s also not as large or cumbersome as the Tribit StormBox Blast 2. With dimensions of 12.2 x 5.8 x 6.0 inches and a weight of 5.1 pounds, it could technically fit in a backpack, though that’s likely not how you’d choose to carry it. Its size makes it ideal for tossing in the back of the car alongside your picnic essentials.
The StormBox Lava offers an impressive 24-hour battery life, placing it among the top tier of Bluetooth speakers in this regard. Heavy users can rely on it for a few days of power, while lighter users may enjoy weeks between charges. The speaker also features a convenient array of controls, including buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, volume, playback, an “XBass” option for added bass, and a button for linking to another speaker in TWS (True Wireless Stereo) mode. Additionally, the playback button allows for versatile control: a single press plays or pauses audio, a double press skips to the next track, and a triple press returns to the previous one.
On the back, there’s a rubber-sealed panel concealing the ports. You’ll find a USB-C port for charging the speaker, a USB-A power output port to charge your other devices, and a 3.5mm AUX input for wired connections. The construction feels robust, featuring a fabric mesh cover that appears well-suited for regular use. A rubber base ensures the speaker stays steady on flat surfaces, adding a practical touch.
With its IP67 rating, the StormBox Lava is equipped to handle some rough handling. This rating indicates it can withstand immersion in water up to 3 feet deep, though it’s not specifically designed for such scenarios and deliberate submersion should be avoided. However, you can confidently use the speaker by the pool or at the beach without fretting about water exposure. It’s even rain-friendly, perfect for those carefree souls who enjoy spending time outdoors in the rain.
Tribit App:-
The Tribit app boasts a sleek and intuitive design, organized into distinct tabs for managing various features of the speaker. The main screen provides a clear view of the Lava’s battery level, offers playback controls, and enables firmware updates for the speaker.
The second tab is dedicated to EQ settings, offering six presets and the option to craft a custom EQ curve with 10 bands spanning from 50Hz to 13kHz—a standout feature, especially since many budget speakers only provide a five-band EQ, if any customization is available at all.
The final tab leads to the settings menu, where you can adjust essential options like auto-shutdown and voice prompts. While the app may not boast the most extensive feature set, its sleek design and smooth functionality make it a pleasure to use.
Sound And Perfomance:-
The Tribit StormBox Lava is equipped with dual 70mm 30-watt neodymium woofers and dual 30mm 10-watt silk dome tweeters, delivering a combined output of 80 watts. It operates in stereo and covers a frequency range from 43Hz to 20kHz. The speaker also incorporates Tribit’s proprietary TI amplification chip, designed to ensure a clear and balanced sound profile. It supports AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs, though hi-res audio is unfortunately not available.
As for audio performance, the sound quality was generally quite clear. However, to achieve the ideal balance, some adjustments to the EQ may be necessary. While the presets are serviceable, they didn’t quite meet my preferences. Customizing the EQ settings largely resolved this issue.
Even with a custom EQ curve, the speaker can’t create frequencies beyond its physical limitations. Overall, the bass response was solid, but some tracks with heavy sub-bass content lacked depth. For instance, Trentemøller’s Chameleon, which relies heavily on sub-bass, lost much of that lower frequency detail. That said, the speaker still handles bass impressively well—especially given the challenging nature of that track—and outperforms most alternatives in its size and price range.
On the higher end, the speaker offered decent clarity. While it doesn’t deliver the level of detail you’d expect from premium speakers and lacks support for hi-res audio, tweaking the EQ to boost the treble yielded surprisingly good results. For example, on AC/DC’s Back in Black, the hi-hat was crisp, and the guitar solo had a satisfying sharpness.
In terms of volume, the StormBox Lava is likely sufficient for 95% of users in most scenarios. It won’t match the larger StormBox Blast 2 in power, but it gets plenty loud. At home, I usually kept it around 50-60%, only increasing it occasionally for particularly exciting tracks. Testing it at full volume proved it could go higher, but I quickly dialed it back to avoid disturbing the neighbors. For context, my listening sessions were typically conducted about six feet away from the speaker.
I noticed some minor distortion in the bass when the volume reached around 75%, but it wasn’t overly noticeable and likely won’t bother most listeners. One small quirk to keep in mind is that the speaker briefly cuts out for a split second when the volume is adjusted, before settling into the new level. Initially, I thought it might be a Bluetooth connectivity issue, but I realized this only happens during volume changes—whether on the phone or directly on the speaker itself.
Despite these quirks and the frequency range limitations, the StormBox Lava delivers outstanding sound quality for its price point. One of its closest competitors is the Anker Soundcore Boom 2, which I’ve also had the chance to test. While I couldn’t perform a direct comparison, the StormBox Lava impressed me with superior bass performance and better high-end extension than I recall from the Boom 2.
Conclusion :-
The Tribit StormBox Lava proves that Tribit means business. For arround the £100 mark, you’re getting a speaker that can actually sound quite good with a little effort put behind the custom EQ, plus you’ll get a solid battery life, a well-designed app, and extra features like a USB port to charge your phone with. Again, perhaps its best competitor comes from the Anker Soundcore Boom 2, and while you might like the more interesting look of the Soundcore speaker, the Tribit StormBox Lava beats Anker in sound quality and connectivity, while offering the same rated battery life. Not only is the Tribit StormBox Lava is the best mid-size Bluetooth speaker in the £100 price range, it’s the best option for anywhere up to £200.