Tribit

I have generally been impressed with the Tribit range of Bluetooth speakers, and theTribit XSound Mega Bluetooth speaker  is no exception.

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Small in size but fairly heavy at 1020g, this speaker belts out 30W of sound from a speaker that is only 250 x 87 x 80 mm in size. The XSound Mega is IPX7 waterproof which means that it has been tested to cope with being immersed in water up to 1 metre in depth for up to 30 minutes.

In the box, there is the speaker, a sturdy carrying strap that clips onto hooks on each side of the speaker, an audio cable, a USB-type C charging cable and there is also a user manual.

The XSound Mega has a frequency response of 60Hz -20Khz and sounds good across all of the ranges, from deep rich bass to high upper notes. It has a maximum transmission power of 6dBm. The charging ports are secured behind a silicone cover. There is a USB Type-A and a USB Type-C port along with an AUX-in audio port. These ports can also be used to charge up to two devices from the speaker -- a useful feature when you need a little extra power.

The XSound Mega has a decent size 4,000mAh battery with a capacity of 29.2Wh. It takes about 4 hours to charge using a 5V/2A input charge fully. If you keep the music below 50% volume, you can get over 18 hours of music. Of course, using the extra bass Xbass function and booming out sound at maximum volume reduces the length of play to around 10 hours.

On the top of the speaker is the control panel. From left to right, there is the power button, the Bluetooth button, the multi-function button which is used to play and pause music, and navigates through the tracks if the button is quickly pressed twice. Clicking and holding the button invokes the voice dial function and answering or rejecting calls.

Next are the volume up and volume down controls and the light adjustment switch. Toggle through three options for the lights that display around the edge of the speaker grille, or turn the light function off.

The final button on the right-hand side controls the equalizer button. Press this button to switch between music mode, Bass mode and audiobook reading mode. A light indicator next to the switch shows which mode has been selected.

Tribit XSound Mega Bluetooth speaker

$110 at Tribit

Pairing to the XSound Mega is quick and easy from either a PC or a mobile device. You can also pair using NFC if you have it on your mobile phone. To do so, open NFC and touch the top of the speaker on the left-hand side, and the phone will pair with the speaker.

You can also use two speakers in broadcast mode. Switch both speakers on and connect the first speaker to your device. Then press both Bluetooth speakers for 5 seconds to go into the broadcast pairing mode. The second speaker will connect to the first speaker. If you have more XSound Mega speakers, then press the Bluetooth button on the third or subsequent speaker to get it to connect.

In use, the speaker delivers really good sound across the ranges with superb bass if the Xbass selection is chosen.

If you use this setting all the time -- as I do -- I found that voice calls were a little boomy. Adjusting the EQ button to toggle to the audiobook setting gave much better audio calls.

I really loved the configurable LED light show -which pulses and moves in time with the beat -unlike theSoul S Storm Max 20W speaker  I looked at last week -- it certainly is a nice addition to the features of this speaker.

The Tribit XSound is priced at$109.99 on Tribit's website  I think it is well worth the price for the superb sound quality, 30W output, and long battery life.

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