Kicking off my theme of handy tech to have during the dark and rainy season (more here), whether you’re outdoors exercising, taking your songs into the shower (for that hit of warmth), or just braving the British weather, the TRIBIT StormBox+ Mini will has you covered for your choice tunes, in one impressively chonky portable wireless speaker!

Coming in Blue (ours above), Black or Green, it offers up to 12 hours of playtime, so covering a good night out (or in!), it’s got 2x 6W speakers which offer that essence of surround sound, integrating 48mm drivers, giving you a 12W sound output, together a 2+1‑band Dynamic Range Control for refined clarity – basically meaning crisp and loud sounds, as they deserve to be heard.

That aforementioned playtime comes courtesy of the enveloped 2,600 mAh battery but note that means at a middle volume without the light option – which is a rhythmic LED addition to make it a bit more fun in the ambiance side of things. The light brings play to a little, darker room but as it’s a small device, it’s not specifically a gamechanger. For a beasty battery, what’s the charge time? Well, you’ll get two and a half hours via an included charge cable, another one of those USB-C that everything has now. If you’re aware of the audio codec thing, and don’t worry if you’re not, it supports both AAC and SBC.

And, like many things, the TRIBIT StormBox Mini+ allows you to download their app (although you can use it without it), which will nip you through their five EQ presets, and helps you to pair a device – if you’ve got more than one of these specific gadgets. In terms of pairing via your phone, etc, it’s Bluetooth 5.4 that reaches up to 30 meters (100 feet!), which covers a good distance in the home or outside. There were no issues either with the quality of the music stream, running through all types of music genres – from rock to indie, and from alt to pop – to set whatever mood you’re after. It’s designed to be mobile, so I wouldn’t say it’s there for an impeccable experience but in the moment = It hits the brief. One of the best uses of its sound I discovered was in the bathroom, where the natural – more open – acoustics reverbs in the best conceivable way, so I can see myself implementing it there regularly as you feel the 360 sounds.

And the aforementioned app itself was easy to find and download, it kicked in a quick firmware update and found the device instantly, which enabled me to check out the preset EQs, and my recommend – for a little hit of bass which isn’t quite as solid on its opening first-use – is definitely the Rock one, although there isn’t an excessive amount of difference, but you can set your personalised EQ if you need as well. Volume levels, you can also adjust that on the app, but it’s not needed if you’re connecting through your phone and favoured music service, as you can change the volume as you would normally on your device.

It’s also IPX7 waterproof, which technically means it can be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes, I wouldn’t say you’d want to but if it happened, then you’ve got less to worry about it when it comes to it dying. In this way, it’s good for both this time of year and the summer when you finally get to hit the beach again. I’d say it’s also very handy if you want some music in the shower or bath, helping to keep the good vibes going for your self-care time. As mentioned, those acoustics were inspired in my shower/bathroom, so try that out when you get it.

As a package, the TRIBIT StormBox Mini+ offers you a reliable balance of smart but subtle design, a hefty and trustworthy weight to the unit, and the most vital thing – respectful sound quality and ease of connection, so you can get into your music however you need!

The TRIBIT StormBox Mini+ is available now and, for a short time, slightly discounted to*: https://amzn.to/47JeMnS

*This is an affliate link, the review is very much from my own assessments