Tribit MaxSound Plus Bluetooth Speaker

On arrival there was a minor fault as the battery charge indicator light was not working so impossible to know when the battery is fully charged. Email contact from Cathy at Tribit was great as well as prompt with replies. The result they are sending me another pair of Upgraded Tribit MaxSound Plus speakers within 48 hours of first contact and only 2 emails, WOW, How customer support should be. As a reference I repair and design Hifi speakers as well as being a musician so I’m unfortunately a bit of an audio snob. So, Speakers - For the money (even at twice the price) they feel like a quality product, being robust and simple. These units although small, are, at 0.6 Kg each, quite weighty (which reinforces the feeling of a quality product) wit does mean they will take up a reasonable chunk of your carry on luggage allowance when flying. With 2! However to get a sound this good there will always be compromises and I'm sure there weight is a necessity to produce this kind of quality sound from such a small unit. It also means (although waterproof) I doubt they float, as yet this is thankfully untested. The sound of just one of these is excellent and does a great job with both music and film. However as I purchased 2 to use in stereo my further comments will refer to there use in this configuration using max bass button. If you want the best quality sound from them I suggest wiring them in stereo using the Aux input to both speakers. This is not easy, see below how to do this. Also separate them 3 to 4.5 foot apart at about chest height with equal tow-in. I had them flat (not hanging which you can do using the provided cord) and a meter away from the rear wall (closer to a wall might give you a little more bass?). To my ears they appear to have a virtually flat frequency response between around 80Hz to well over 16000Hz which is a great achievement. You cannot expect really low bass from a speaker this size (simple physics) and these do drop off fairly sharply below the 80 Hz area I suspect nothing much beyond 50Hz. Considering there diminutive size and my low expectations of such a speaker they sound phenomenal and unless you want to rave you will not miss the lack of bass extension. I found myself using audiophile lingo to express the sound created by these surprising little units. Things like depth of soundstage, detail and air are terms that came to mind while listening. I have heard HiFi that sounds worse than these. The only limitations are bass and obviously volume. The latter is more than adequate for a medium sized room unless your putting on a thumping dance party. The stereo is great and with film creates an authentic dimensional soundscape to immerse your self in. They are clear and articulate for voice even in max bass mode no need to use the other EQ. settings. In short, treat them like a pair of good HiFi speakers and you will reap rewards the like of which you would never of thought possible from such units at this price point I certainly didn’t. Don’t get me wrong they are not going to replace a good HiFi system mine weighs around a hundred Kilos and cost £1000’s, they could not even begin to compete, but that is not what they were designed for. For what they are and the market area they are targeting and the money I seriously don’t think you could do any better than these. One of the best purchase options I’ve made in a long while. If you spend a lot more money you could possibly get something that sounds better but I suspect only in the bass area. Cable you need — Aux a pair of these speakers in stereo is — A Stereo 3.5mm mini Jack to 2 x stereo mini jacks, the latter 2 are wired so that one provides two channels of the left signal and the other, two channels of the right signal. Despite an extensive search it appears no one is producing such a lead. So before I say more Im putting in a disclaimer here and say if you are unsure or do not understand the following please do not proceed. Go to your local electrical repair shop and ask them to do it. I take no responsibility for any harm you may do to yourself or possessions it is all on you. You will need to be able to solder. A little useful info - There are 3 poles in a standard stereo plug/socket one for negative/ground. A positive right and a positive left. The tip of the stereo jack is normally? left. The centre R & the bottom section ground. In a mono plug/socket there are only 2 poles 1 for ground. and 1 for the signal. My recipe— The easiest way, is to buy a stereo break out lead (Stereo 3.5 jack to 2 mono RCA plugs one L & one R.) and 2 stereo mini jack sockets. Cut off the RCA plugs close to plug as you will need a few inches of cable available to fit the new sockets. Replace each RCA with a stereo mini jack socket. Solder the single positive signal wire to both L&R poles of the socket. Solder the ground wire (often the outer shielding within the cable) or to be sure it is the wire that was connected to the outer ring of the RCA plug you removed, to the ground pole of the socket. Do the same with the other cable and stereo jack socket. Your new lead should now have the one original (untouched) stereo mini jack on one end. Then divide in to 2 leads each with a stereo mini jack socket on there ends one for right one for left. You can then use 2 standard stereo mini jack leads to connect from the new sockets to each of your speakers hey presto job done. Enjoy the sounds.

Tribit have really proven to know something about audio. With some of the only decent wireless in ears, then the Xsound Go ,which was brilliant for the size, and now this... Three important tips for the best sound: 1. Leave Xbass on (perhaps unless you're listening to an audiobook or classical) 2. Have the drivers facing you (either listen with it at ear-level or tilt it upwards by balancing it on only the back two feet or propping it on something) 3. If playing in aux mode, the volume is not in sync - put your device's volume on max and adjust on the speaker It's balanced and hi-fi sounding. They literally tuned the frequency response perfectly. I'm completely blown away by it's price to performance ratio. The design is really nice and it feels really well built. I've had no connectivity issues so far. The battery level also shows up on my phone which is great. I love how tribit took the care of pre-attaching the lanyard (and really neatly) so it can be hung or attached to things. Though the tribit seems more balanced, it still falls a bit short of the denon dsb-250bt but bare in mind it costs almost 3 times less. The denon sounds fuller and has some amazing stereo enhancing, but it does suffer from a battery discharging issue. I also prefer the smaller shape and buttons on the Tribit. Though it might not seem fair to compare, It also falls a bit short of the Minirig 3, with the Minirig sounding fuller and more open due to it's design (despite not having true stereo). Obviously it falls way short of two Minirig 3's in stereo, but they are 5x the price... Not to mention there are major connectivity/interference issues when using two Minirig 3's in wireless stereo. It starts losing some bass above 70% volume, but I normally wouldn't put it past that volume anyway (it gets fairly loud). It sounds amazing for low level listening. Heck, you could even attach it to your forehead somehow and you get such an intimate and detailed listening experience (if you don't mind looking like a weirdo). I really wish it had stereo pairing with another! It would literally make the best portable hifi stereo setup, but alas, it's got enough going for it... Well, actually, I couldn't resist- I purchased stereo to l/r mono splitter and another maxsound plus... I don't know if it'll work as intended (maybe the left tribit speaker will only play the left channel through it's left driver and the right tribit speaker will play the right channel through it's right driver, rather than both speakers playing their respective channels through both of their drivers.) I'll update this review to let you know how that goes. Update: I finally got stereo working thanks to Alessandro Fimiani's suggestion in the comments. Using the Native Instruments Traktor DJ Cable along with two male to male 3.5mm cables (one to each speaker), both speakers play their respective channels through all of their drivers, just as intended! One minor niggle is that the audio cuts in and out if playing in low volumes in aux mode. However, to prevent this issue and also reduce hiss, put your device's volume on max and adjust the volume on the speaker instead. Bottom line; get this speaker - you wont regret it! Update: if your budget stretches to double this and you don't mind something bigger and heavier, get the Anker Soundcore Motion+. It's probably the best bang for buck you can get (with the Maxsound Plus close in second place). With the latest custom EQ from Mr Cow (search YouTube) the Anker is brought to a whole new level...

It has very good clarity across the spectrum, I was mostly impressed with the bass response. Of course its not going to be panel rattling, hair lifting bass with the limitations of the size of drivers used in these smaller speakers, but given its limitations, it does an impressive job of reproducing the bass without compromising the mid and higher notes like ive observed with other speakers. It has 2 speakers and 2 "rectangular passive drivers", they are basically unpowered speaker diaphragms that produce a bit of extra bass by using the pressure off of the powered speakers. It seems to be made of dark matter as it feels incredibly weighty and feels very solid. Iv'e already dropped it once and it didnt even leave a scratch! There is no app to customise the audio and instead there is a 3 mode xbass button, but trust me, it is so well tuned, you do not need any app. If you really want to just use the phones built in EQ or download an app, but that would just compromise the audio in my opinion. The battery life is excellent, If you use without Xbass on and at half volume, it will probably last 20 hours. I have however been using with xbass on at about 60% volume and it lasts 10 hours at least as it didn't deplete the battery, that was also on the first use after charging it, so charging and recharging a few times will yield more battery capacity, thats just how new batteries work. It's also worth to note that the speaker has a 2 cell (7.4v) battery. There has been confusion about it only having 2200mah, but thats 2 x 2200mah in series. So its like putting two 2200mah power banks together, in other words it has more capacity than some have mistakenly thought. Make sure you read the manual so you know how to change tracks as it only has 4 buttons, you double press the play button to go forward a track for example. Overall its an easy speaker to use and most control it off there phone screen anyway. Overall this speaker gives you a lot, for very little cost, I honestly don't know how they do it. But I would say this speaker is probably better than far more expesnive speakers out there. I looked at reviews and comparrisons on youtube, and in the reviewers opinions, this speaker outperformed far more expensive brands in the same contender bracket, which Is why I bought this in the firstt place, and I wasn't wrong to do so having experienced it first hand with my own track lists.

So most of the positive things that have been said about this product are true. The sound quality is great, the price point is awesome and it can easily compete with the more expensive JBL , Logitech, etc. I bought this coming from an jbl clip 3 which is a really awesome product too. However, the Tribit manages to replace both the jbl clip 3 AND my Logitech Z533 on my PC. The only problems I've had with the device are: - a bit iffy first use - I thought it was doa because I had to charge it for a good while and it wouldn't work just on charger alone - when I connect it to my pc and move it to the other side of the apartment, the BlueTooth connection seems unstable and disconnects. So I am not sure what the max range is, but it seems fair enough. - switching the connection between multiple devices is a huge bummer, like, I expect to be able to connect it to my pc, phone or laptop even my tv easily - however that is a chore, you have to press the + - buttons to clear the previous pairing, which is very very inconvenient. hope they will fix that in the future - in general, the item looks nice on the outside but does not feel like any premium quality. not a big issue as such, but just want to say there is some to be desired in terms of design. Overall an amazing device at this price point, they did not lie. Very portable and if you are not too bothered about speaker quality (I use headphones for better & immersive sound), this thing does the trick and you can easily move it around the house, no cables, excellent sound, just neat. Do grab it on a sale though, otherwise, there may be some alternatives to consider. Edit: I have lowered my rating due to how hard it is to switch between devices. I mean if I want to power it on and use it on my PC or phone or tablet within a short amount of time, it take sooo much effort to pair it to a device that it is just a huge pain and a deal breaker. It's a shame what could have been a speakers replacement is down to just an ordinary portable speaker due to the pairing situation Cheers,

UPDATED: 4 months on and still loving this amazing speaker. Still loving the sound - the most important aspect as well as the size (fits in my pocket) and shape (cute, round), texture (soft touch, grippy), features. Didn't use them for a week, plugged them into the laptop using a wired 3.5mm jack to remove all lag in the sound (Bluetooth does exhibit lag), and was again surprised by the quality and volume of this tiny, cute, great sound product. My latest favourite tech company Tribit - long may you reign! I test speakers using Doctor Vox - Frontier, the regular version, not bass enhanced, and it sounds great, really does. Only downside, but common to all Bluetooth speakers is that the range is not 100ft as advertised, so typical overselling! But why would you want to use 100ft range? Won't be able to hear it from there... --- Was really surprised with this speaker, managed to get it quite cheap during one of Amazon's flash deals. Sound quality is really quite good for the price and particularly the size of the speaker, seems they have been designed with good quality speakers and a good bass response/reflex design. So offer a quality sound, especially in the bass. Obviously to put this into context, they are not as good as larger, better quality drivers, but for the price and size of the drivers here and considering the extreme portability, very impressive. Design is very nice too, soft touch materials, right size to hold when being carried, I can fit this into my trouser pocket for example. Well built, easy to control and use. And all in a nice looking package. No complaints, totally recommended. I would said pay extra for this model, as there is a smaller one, but that won't have the same quality of sound - I checked some reviews before buying and can confirm their findings. Never heard of Tribit, but now I'm a fan.

I was looking for a cheap speaker which I could take to work without worrying that if something happens to it I will tear my hair as I spent nearly £200 for it. I have choosen two one was the Tribit MaxSound Plus and the other was Anker Soundcore 2. First the Anker arrived and I was impressed with it as it sound as good as the Bose SoundLink Mini 2. But then the Tribit MaxSound Plus has been delivered and I was SHOCKED, it was a positive shock it took me only a few minutes to realise that the Tribit is much much better than the Anker. After some testing I have sent the Anker back to Amazon as it was nowhere near as good as the Tribit. I went further and compared the Tribit against the Beats Pill+ and I was shocked again how good the Tribit was. I even like the Tribit better especially for the bass it is very rich and powerful. I recommend keeping the Xbass on all the time. The speaker has two 12w drivers and two passive ones( one at the front and one at the back) Which deliver exceptional sound. It fills small and mid size rooms with very loud and clear sound. Some say that it lacks usb output charging but I say it is a speaker not a charger and it is an excellent speaker. It is fully waterproof which is another bonus as you can use it anywhere you want without worrying about rain or the speaker falling into the water. If anyone is looking for a decent speaker than this is an excellent choice for £40 . The speaker comes with a Micro USB cable and an aux cable. Best of all comes with 18 months warranty which you can extend free of charge by a further 12 months simply registering your purchase on the Tribit website, giving you a total of 30 months Warranty! The customer service is exceptional, they react quick and help you solve any issues you may have with your speaker. I have not posted a video of the sound purposefully due to the fact that the microphone and the video compression would not give you a true representation of the exceptional sound it produces. Buy it and try it for yourself, you are backed by Amazon’s return policy but believe me you will not want to listen to any other speaker once you try this one!!

I will admit I am a little bit of an audiophile, and I definitely do not expect a tiny little box to produce audio anywhere the quality of full-size quality speakers and amplifiers. However... For the size, the price, this speaker achieves remarkable results! Excellent audio clarity, great balance between bass/midrange/treble. The bass is punchy, not overpowering and drowning. There is a sense of depth between the frequencies, I believe they achieved this with great tuning to get the best they could out of this small size, a job well done! Even JBL can't match this for balance, they're usually treble/bass-happy speakers and tend to drown out the midrange, different listening audience I guess. The XBass button makes a subtle but defining difference to the low-end frequencies, I'd say it is best to keep it on as it improves all types of music and doesn't come at the cost of any 'boom', just a more rounder punchier bass range. I have not found any problems with this speaker other than it having the same ground-loop issues most of these small portable speakers suffer from, ie they lack ground isolation between aux and power. Maybe cost saving? However this isn't really an issue if the ground polarity matches between aux input and power input. A very good build speaker, doesn't rattle or move at loudest volume. When you max out the volume it makes a beep to let you know you've reached the highest volume setting. If I could ask for improvement in V2 of this speaker, I would request for the engineers to design-in ground isolation to prevent ground-loop issues when using the AUX port and charging at the same time. In comparison to other speakers, this is a refined listening experience that sounds more like a quality set of speakers than a budget kit. Especially recommended to audiophiles who appreciate a good sound-stage where clarity of frequencies is more important than overpowered compressed bass and treble which other speakers in this category favour due to today's terribly over-compressed music. But it is always going to be down to audiences really, youngsters tend to be fairly midrange deaf these days anyway. If you're in the 30+ group, your ears will probably love the refinement of this speaker than say a JBL or Anker equivalent.

This is amazing! On it's own and with the bass booster on I cannot fault it, with a stereo-over-bluetooth pair it blows the average hifi system out the water. The bass is tight and the timing is excellent beautifully crossed over. It is truly HIFI. Without bass boost on it is still great and you will get more battery life out of it. A friend of mine bought it's main rival and I was not impressed, this speaker is definitely better imo better and tighter bass and just clearer more spritely and musical. So good I bought another to use in stereo! I use these every day as my 'listen to music at work' speakers and am really impressed. It remembers that it is stereo paired when you switch them back on too. Even hooked up to TV and watched a movie,again really good, had to adjust a tiny bit for delay though. Can't judge too much on battery as I have them plugged in most of the time however when unplugged they lasted a good 6 hours with bass boost on at medium volume playing flac and I reckon without it in they would last a lot longer especially at lower volume. They are quite heavy for their size but this helps the sound quality and are still very portable. Exceptional speakers for their size.