1 day Ago By Gareth Butterfield
Recommended Tribit StormBox Lava review: powerful 80w Bluetooth speaker with punchy bass By Gareth Butterfield Published 14th Apr 2025, 08:09 BST The Tribit StormBox Lava has 43hz of bass, so it delivers a nice, deep sound | Tribit This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Consumer writer Gareth Butterfield takes the Tribit SormBox Lava out and about to test its power and sound quality Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
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I still get quite surprised, every time I test a new Bluetooth speaker , at just how far the technology has come, and how much power you can get from a small device. The Tribit SormBox Lava Speaker isn't actually all that small, not compared to some competitors at similar price points. But size means power in this sector, and power means punch.
And the Tribit StormBox Lava certainly packs a punch. It's a roughly tubular shape, which is quite common, but with a sturdy base and a rubberised strip across the control panel and over the passive radiators either end. This makes it feel particularly robust, especially when you clip on one of the two carrying options - a short braided hand strap, or a longer shoulder strap.
Read More I tried the Elitone pelvic floor device that's completely changed my life Simba’s Easter sale knocks 20% off Hybrid mattresses – including my favourite one (aff) Anker’s £79.99 200W GaN charging station is a powerful desk declutterer (aff) The K-Beauty brand you need to know - now in Boots It's bigger than you might think, but easy to carry thanks to two strap options | Tribit They're both included and they feel incredibly well made, particularly the hand strap, which is what I found most useful. Given its relatively chunky size, I found the StormBox Lava wasn't especially easy to drop into a rucksack or picnic bag, so the fact it has two carrying options is welcome.
Happily, it's not as heavy as you'd expect. And that's surprising, because it has an 80w output, across its two 30w woofers and two 10w tweeters. The extra volume of the main unit makes for a large area for air to pass through, and this means those beefy woofers can deliver very powerful bass.
It's certainly not the deepest or most thunderous sound I've heard from a portable speaker but, especially with the XBass setting on, it's everything you'd need. Even with the XBass engaged, there's a lovely clarity to the sound from the StormBox Lava . It's a sweet, immersive sound with good separation, and a lovely depth from the bass drivers.
It's 24 hour battery life is pretty much market-leading | Tribit At a low volume, it's really crisp and it handles higher volumes really well, too. Becoming almost too loud at full power. Other features I like are really just the bare essentials.
It links to your phone through Bluetooth , it can answer and receive calls, it has a headphone jack as well as USB outputs and inputs and, handily, it can charge USB devices from its built-in battery. Battery life, incidentally, is another strong point. Tribit reckons it can manage 24 hours of playtime, which is certainly impressive.
I've been using it on and off for a few weeks and haven't had to charge it yet, which is promising. The Tribit StormBox Lava costs £129.99, but you might be lucky enough to catch a deal on Amazon - there's currently a £10 voucher for example.
NationalWorld Love magazines but hate the cost? With Readly, you can access dozens of top tech titles for one low price – and right now, you can get two months free . Click here for more information. It's possible to use the speaker's Bluetooth connection to rig two of them together and create stereo sound and, I'm told, you can actually link up to 160 speakers - or more - together.
Although why you'd want to do that I'm not sure. Building demolition, perhaps? I love the fact it has an IPX7 rating , and I found it quick and easy to connect and pair to my phone. The multi-function button is a bit confusing, and it takes a while to learn its functions, but that's perhaps my only gripe.
If sound quality is important to you, and you're not interested in a compact speaker for parties, picnics, or relaxing time in the garden, this should be at the top of your list. Want more great deals? Then subscribe to the Top Buys newsletter Continue Reading Related topics: Amazon Music Tech first person Reviews Boost Affiliates.
