Tribit, the California-based makers of some of the smallest and most rugged Bluetooth speakers around, announced the launch of its long-awaited new StormBox 2 compact portable speaker that’s gotten more power, improved Bluetooth capabilities, and a new app for controls and customization.
The original Tribit StormBox launched in 2018 and swiftly found its way onto best Bluetooth speaker lists near and wide, including our own at one time or another. But it’s been a minute, so we’re glad to see that the mighty StormBox has gotten the love it deserves.
On the outside, it doesn’t look like the second-gen of the StormBox is much different. It maintains the compact, cylindrical 7-inch by 2.7-inch by 2.7-inch form factor and is still super portable at just over a pound. There are still two passive bass radiators on each end, and the “+ O —” buttons and Tribit logo on the front remain the same. But the back buttons on the speaker have changed slightly with the addition of a TWS button, which means you’ll now be able to create a multi-speaker setup with other StormBox 2 speakers and StormBox Flow or XSound Plus 2 speakers for bigger sound.
On the inside, the StormBox 2 has gotten some notable upgrades, too. Its two drivers have gotten a slight bump in size to 1.8-inches (48 mm), as well as a bit more power to drive them, going from 24 to 34 total watts output for bigger-than-you’d-think 260-degree sound. The added power should also bode well for the speaker’s decent XBass bass boost feature.
The StormBox 2 features Bluetooth 5.3, giving it a range of up to 98 feet (30 meters), but perhaps the most significant addition comes by way of a new Tribit app that the company says allows for its sound to be “fully customized to match individual preferences and listening environments.” New options for equalization include presets you can choose, such as Audiobook, Classic, Jazz, Rock, and XBass. There’s also a nine-band EQ.
Battery life of the SromBox 2 has also been lengthened from 20 to 24 hours, and it can be fully charged in four hours. The speaker also hangs on to its excellent IPX7 waterproof rating, meaning it can be submerged in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
The Tribit StormBox 2only comes in black so far and is available now for $70 at the Tribit website or on Amazon.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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