STEREO GUIDE verdict
The Tronsmart Bang Max lives up to its name. For less than 200 euros, no one can beat it for bass and volume. Not in the features either.
Pros
- Mega bass - very deep, powerful and relatively clean
- quite successful mid and treble tuning
- can handle ludicrous levels
- two 6.35 mm jack inputs for microphones and musical instruments
- Most important functions can be controlled via app and on the bo
Cons
- there is a certain risk of boomy beats at indoor use
- Playback from the MicroSD card caused problems in the review
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Sound: naturalness / transparency7.3
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics9.5
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Practice / Connectivity9.2
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Price/Performance9.8
The Tronsmart Bang Max is the manufacturer’s largest portable Bluetooth speaker. Anyone who has ever carried the 47-centimeter-wide and 6-kilogram box will naturally ask themselves the question: Is it worth lugging this XL ghetto blaster to the beach, or should it be the JBL Boombox 3 or the Tribit Stormbox Blast?
Table of contents
The shape of the Tronsmart is a bit of a hybrid of the two: Tubular and wide like the JBL, with a bulky handle like the Tribit. With the IPX6 waterproof rating, nothing stands in the way of pool parties. However, there is no explicit dust and sand protection.
On the other hand, the technical data provided by the manufacturer of the giant reel are impressive: 130 watts of total power, a maximum sound pressure level of 110 decibels and up to 24 hours of battery life at half volume. It takes 5 hours to fully charge the integrated 18,000 mAh battery pack using the external power supply unit, which is supplied with a mini-jack cable.
Lots of chassis, lots of power
The Tronsmart has a special feature that is actually familiar from hi-fi speakers: it is equipped with a fully-fledged 3-way configuration. There are two central bass speakers on the front and a combination of a small midrange speaker and tweeter on the outside. Thanks to a width of 47 centimeters, the manufacturer can promise a certain stereo effect.
Two passive diaphragms are added at the sides, which are driven by the spring effect of the air in the tube and reproduce the lowest bass. LED light rings around the radiators provide some party effects that can be varied using the Tronsmart app, which is available free of charge for iOS and Android . However, the most important functions can also be controlled on the top of the cylindrical Bluetooth speaker.
All buttons – such as those for volume control or Bluetooth pairing – are integrated into a rubber strip that protects against moisture and are easily recognizable thanks to the color print. Numerous buttons take on multiple functions, which suggests studying the operating instructions in the app or watching the YouTube video from Tronsmart. For example, the lighting effects can be varied and deactivated by briefly and repeatedly pressing the on/off button. This is practical, but not without preconditions.
The Bang Max generates a positive echo
The echo button has no effect on music playback, only on microphones or guitars. Press repeatedly to cycle between “On” and “Off” through the three different intensity levels for the reverb effect. Like the buttons for the sound pulse sound preset, the corresponding button lights up for visual feedback.
A rubber strip on the back not only conceals all kinds of connections. There are also controls for adjusting the level of the two 6.35 mm jack inputs for microphones or musical instruments. There are even small gain controls to adjust the amplification factor in order to compensate for general level differences between sources. But that’s not all: Tronsmart has added a few extras: the Bang Max has a slot for playing micro SD cards and a USB-A input.
The USB socket is not only suitable for playing MP3 files from memory sticks, it also turns the Bang Max into a power bank for smartphones. Of the audio files we tried on a FAT32 formatted memory stick, the Tronsmart only accepted MP3. It ignored FLAC or MP4 The playback is controlled either by the buttons that are also used to control a smart device connected via Bluetooth – i.e. start/stop and the volume buttons, which can be used to skip tracks backwards or forwards by pressing and holding them. If the cell phone is connected to the party speaker during USB playback, you can even use the control buttons in the Tronsmart app for these functions. However, the Tonsmart Bang Max spurned our PC-formatted MicroSD card with the same selection of tracks.
App-struse translations
The Tronsmart app is simple but functional. There is a manually adjustable 5-band graphic equalizer with five usable presets. Useful apart from the German translation: the default setting “Felsen” (“rock”) provokes a grin. Give my regards to the Google Translator: Nice try! Apart from such minor details, including the sometimes tiny and low-contrast explanations that stand out from the black background, there is nothing to complain about. Hidden behind “External setup” (grin) are three controls that only affect the music instruments and microphones connected to the rear panel.
Behind the “Broadcast Masters+” button is a function for pairing several Bang Max to form a whole gang of Bangs. Tronsmart promises that more than 100 of these party speakers can be synchronized wirelessly for maximum volume at parties. Unlike the name in the app, Tronsmart calls its pairing function TuneConn. Other manufacturers usually refer to this as party mode. Stereo pairing of two Tronsmart Bang Max is also possible via Bluetooth. Thanks to the non-intuitive but, once learned, very useful integration of special functions into the keypad on the top of the round Bluetooth party box, such pairing can also be accomplished without an app.
Nomen est Omen: Bang Max lives up to its name
In terms of sound, the Tronsmart Bang Max underlines its name very impressively. He starts off in such a way that some people’s jaws drop. Especially in the bass, it pushes powerfully. Far more powerful than both its dimensions and its price would suggest. It may only cost around half the recommended retail price of the JBL Boombox 3. In terms of bass and level, this comparatively inexpensive party speaker leaves nothing to be desired. Placed on the floor in closed rooms, the Bang Max barely scrapes past the drone at higher levels and makes the floor vibrate. If you have neighbors who are sensitive to noise, you should be very careful with the volume control and/or use the manual equalizer to cut the bass a little.
Even if the Tronsmart is quite thick at low frequencies, it remains very clean even at extreme listening levels. It’s more the room and the furniture that boom than the bass section of the speaker. Despite this bass attack, the mids and highs sound quite balanced and well resolved. In fact, the tuning is so natural that you can even listen to jazz and classical music with it, where the bass range, which is thick with electronic beats and drums, is not so strongly stimulated. As far as the sound presets are concerned, there is even a classical mode that does a good job.
Soundpulse preset did well in the listening test
We actually like the Soundpulse sound preset. It makes the Bang Max sound less like a loudspeaker box and distributes the music more generously in the room. However, this effect can tend to be a little shouty with vocals in high registers. As usual in this one-box class, you shouldn’t expect a real stereo sound where you can clearly distinguish between left, right and center, despite the two-channel design. However, the Tronsmart Bang Max still produces a relatively large, transparent image. Our review revealed a certain directional effect in the upper frequency range when moving away from the center in front of the Bluetooth speaker. At parties, however, in contrast to the impulsive joy of playing, no one should notice or even be disturbed by this.
When you listen to “The Cosmos Is Mine” from the latest Depeche Mode album “Memento Mori ” with the Tronsmart Bang Max, for example, you can’t help but pay tribute to the party barrel-shaped speaker. This is really extremely powerful, controlled and deep. We don’t know of any other Bluetooth speaker in this price range with such a wow factor.
Conclusion and alternatives to the Tronsmart Bang Max
At a significantly lower price, the Tronsmart Bang Max naturally competes against the top dogs on the market: The JBL Boombox 3, and its challenger Tribit Stormbox Blast. And the latter in particular cannot keep up in comparison. It doesn’t get that low in the frequency range, nor can it deliver such levels with comparable cleanliness, especially in the bass.
The JBL speaker bestseller costs a lot more and doesn’t offer comparable connectivity – especially when it comes to connecting microphones or electronic instruments. He doesn’t put on a light show either. However, it sounds more balanced and transparent. In addition, the Boombox 3 is easier to use in a normal living room and has the entire power supply unit built in.
Technical specifications Tronsmart Bang Max
- Manufacturer’s recommended retail price: 179 euros
- Dimensions (W x H x D ): 47 x 19.9 x 26 cm
- Weight: 6 kg
- Battery life up to 24 hours
- Special features: AUX input, IPX6 water protection, stereo pairing, party mode, LED light organ, 2 microphone/musical instrument inputs, mains adapter
- More at: www.tronsmart.com
