The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 has excellent sound quality for its size, unless played at maximum volume. Its long battery life, flexible mounting strap and waterproof rating make it suitable for outdoor use. However, do not use it to charge your mobile phone – the elasticated strap built into the StormBox Micro 2 is different to any speaker mounting method I have been involved with. This unbreakable strap offers incredible flexibility and strength. Although it is limited in what it can be attached to, it has stretched beyond what I expected.
The power bank feature works, but not consistently. My phone charged for a few seconds and then disconnected. It was lovely for a few seconds while charging, but very disappointing afterwards. With a speaker of this size, the range of audio performance is so wide, it’s hard to know what to expect.
To summarise the audio of the StormBox Micro 2, we can say that the sound is well-proportioned across most of the volume range and the bass is quite punchy for a speaker of this size. Bass comes from the back of the speaker, not the front. I thought the sound would be muddy as the sound waves bounce back into the speaker, but this is not a problem for playback at volumes above 70%.
Like the original model and the Bose SoundLink Micro, the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 has a built-in rubber strap that can be used to secure the speaker to anything, including backpacks, poles, tree branches, bicycle handles and trouser belt loops. It’s made of fabric, so it’s not as sturdy as the Bose, but it’s sturdy enough.
It should fit in most pockets, unless you’re wearing tight jeans. Externally, the speaker buttons are highlighted in white to make them stand out more. The volume can be adjusted with the + button and the O button controls playback. It also has a power button and a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button.
The first generation Stormbox Micro impressed us with sound comparable to the Bose SoundLink Micro at around half the price of Bose, and the Stormbox Micro 2 sounds even better than its predecessor, with more clarity, greater volume and more bass. The sound has improved by about 20%. For the most part, the speakers sound quite impressive for their size, and they sound louder and fuller than the similarly priced JBL Clip 4.
On songs with intense bass, such as The Knife’s “Silent Shout”, the StormBox Micro 2 distorts at maximum volume. The sub-bass in this song comes through as a more tapped sound, which is to be expected from an affordable speaker of this size.