Tribit XBoom BTS30 Bluetooth Speaker for £45.99 at Amazon.co.uk ($65.99 Amazon.com)

The Tribit XBoom BTS30 Bluetooth loudspeaker attracts with 24 watts, 360° sound, two passive radiators, for decent bass, and outdoor ambitions, thanks to IPX7 protection. After our positive experiences with the Tribit XSound Go I am very curious whether the most powerful Bluetooth speaker of the Chinese manufacturer will be able to continue this tradition.

• Tribit XBoom BTS30 bluetooth loudspeaker
  • at Amazon.co.uk for £45.99 (Coupon: TRIBIT35) | Amazon for $65.99

Technical data

Packaging and scope of delivery

Like the Tribit XSound Go, the Tribit XBoom comes in a mostly orange cardboard box. A nice color by the way: ? . Inside you’ll find the Bluetooth speaker and accessories. The scope of delivery unfortunately only includes a Micro-USB charging cable and a manual in English. An AUX cable or a socket adapter are not included, too bad!

Design and workmanship

The Tribit XBoom Bluetooth speaker is in my eyes the result of a comprehensive competition analysis. The speaker doesn’t want to be like a particular speaker on the outside, it’s supposed to be the best of many. Characteristic elements from different manufacturers can be found, which I welcome!

Large buttons on the front remind of the UE Boom loudspeakers, two passive radiators at the top and bottom remind of JBL’s construction, but most likely of the JBL Flip 4. The loudspeaker is covered with a waterproof textile fabric, which is already used by many loudspeaker manufacturers.

All in all, I like the design of the speaker. Its basic shape is square, but its rounded corners make it almost round. It measures 68 x 180 x 68 mm and weighs 545 g, which is comparable to the Tronsmart T6. Unfortunately, it is currently only available in black with white buttons, but the speaker is also shown in red and blue on the operating instructions.

A strap is attached to the top of the Bluetooth speaker. This allows the Tribit XBoom to be attached to a bicycle handlebar or rucksack, for example. The rubber strap is attached with a stylish high-gloss screw, so it can be removed at will.

Like the XSound Go, the Tribit XBoom is also very well processed, I couldn’t find any material defects either. The loudspeaker is completely odourless, there is nothing to criticize in this respect.

Sound of the Tribit XBoom

The speaker is equipped with 2 x 12 Watt speakers. In addition there are two passive radiators with a diameter of 45 mm each. Overall I like the sound of the Tribit XBoom Bluetooth speaker! In the test it convinces with a nice tweeter and midrange, which in my opinion sounds a bit more high-resolution compared to the JKR KR – 1000 and Tronsmart T6.

The bass of the speaker is balanced and precise and can be amplified thanks to the XBass button. Even if the XBass mode is activated, the small speaker doesn’t overdrive. As in the Tribit XSound Go, the built-in electronics seem to regulate the sound reliably according to the volume. Thus, above a certain volume, only the high and mid frequencies become louder, so that overdriving in the low frequencies is successfully avoided.

With the JRK KR – 1000 and especially with the Tronsmart T6 this regulation works unfortunately less well, the loudspeakers overdrive at high volumes. In my opinion a big plus for the Tribit XBoom, because especially during outdoor use a high overall volume without overdrive is desirable.

Because of this I see the Tribit XBoom clearly ahead of the Tronsmart T6 and slightly ahead of the JKR KR – 1000, whose sourround mode is still very good. However, the comparison of the two loudspeakers is not as good anyway due to the different concepts. While the sound of the JKR KR – 1000 is only output in one direction, the speakers of the Tribit XBoom are located on the opposite sides, so that the sound is output to the left and right.

Tribit itself speaks of a 360° sound, which in my opinion is more of a 270° sound, since there are no drivers on the front and back. But since even UE-Boom loudspeakers are built in this way and also advertised with 360° sound, this seems to be a common construction for 360° loudspeakers.

Bluetooth range and connections

The Tribit XBoom Speaker is equipped with Bluetooth 4.2, which allows a connection range of up to 10 meters. In the test I could confirm this value in the open air, in the flat it is accordingly less. As always, it depends on which massive obstacles stand in the way of the wireless connection. In the test a range of 5-7 meters in closed rooms could be reached.

In addition, there is an AUX connector, which is located above the charging connector. A matching 3.5 mm jack cable is unfortunately not included. As soon as a suitable cable is plugged into the connector, the loudspeaker recognizes this and the playback channel is automatically changed.

Operation

The Tribit XBoom Bluetooth speaker has a total of six buttons. Three of them have been implemented on the front for the main functions, the rest can be found on the back.

Apart from the multifunction button, the buttons are not assigned double functions.

Functions of the buttons

All in all, the operation of the Bluetooth Speaker is simple and intuitive. There were no problems worth mentioning in the test – very good!

Battery

Inside the Tribit XBoom BTS30, a 2600 mAh battery was installed, just like in the Tronsmart T6. According to the manufacturer, this should allow a playback time of up to 20 hours. In practice, I was able to achieve about 16 hours at a volume of 50-70% and XBass bass boost switched on.

A solid value, so the battery should last for at least two days at high usage. In case of doubt, the battery can also be recharged via Micro-USB cable and Powerbank on the way, so you don’t necessarily need a power socket!

IPX7 protection in field test

With the IPX7 protection, the loudspeaker is protected against temporary submersion. Should it accidentally land in a lake, pool or paddling pool, the Tribit XBoom will not be affected. In the test we put the loudspeaker into a water bath for about 30 minutes. The loudspeaker survived this without any damage when switched on. However, it takes some time until the textile fabric with which the speaker is covered completely dries again.

The connections are equipped with a thick rubber cover, which protects the speaker from water penetration. If you are not using the speaker with an AUX cable or if it is being charged, we recommend that you make sure that it is properly closed in case of an emergency.

Conclusion

I really liked the Tribit XBoom BTS30 in the test. Compared to the JKR KR – 1000 and the Tronsmart T6 it tends to overdrive less, which suggests a more mature technology. It also resolves in more detail in the high and mid tones.

In relation to the cheaper Tribit XSound Go, it convinces with a similarly good tweeter, but performs significantly stronger in the mid and low frequencies. In my opinion, this, the 360° sound and the possibility to connect two of the loudspeakers, i.e. dual-mono loudspeakers, justify the higher price.

As usual with Tribit, the material and workmanship are perfect, and there’s also a solid battery life. The rating of (4.8 of 5.0 stars) in 102 reviews on Amazon.co.uk also speaks for the speaker. Which speaker would you prefer?