Short answer: the Tribit Stormbox Lava. It ranks #3 of 77 large speakers by sound quality at $100; the Bose SoundLink Plus ranks #22 and costs $199, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the Bose SoundLink Plus gets right: IP67 rated, IP67 water/dustproof. The tradeoff: Boosted thuddy bass, but not as deep as the SoundLink Flex and you should probably just buy one of those instead if you want a Bose.
What the Tribit Stormbox Lava offers: Fantastic bass extension. Set against that: Quite heavy for the size.
Buy the Tribit Stormbox Lava. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Bose SoundLink Plus and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
Specifications Side By Side
| Bose SoundLink Plus | Tribit Stormbox Lava | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199.00 | $100 |
| Ranked | #22 of 77 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #3 of 77 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes |
| Aux Input | No | Yes |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built in Microphone | No | Yes |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IP67 |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Party mode) | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) | Yes (USB-A) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 3.3 lbs / 1.5 kg | 5.2 lbs / 2.37 kg |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | AAC, SBC |
| EQ | No | Yes (10 band) |
| Stereo | Yes | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Dimensions | 9.1" x 3.9" x 3.4" (231 x 99 x 86 mm) | 12.2" x 5.8" x 6" (310 x 147 x 152 mm) |
| Output Power | Specs not published by manufacturer | 80W |
| Drivers | 1x 2.5" (63.5mm) woofer + 1x ~0.78" (20mm) tweeter + 4x passive radiators | 2x 70mm woofers, 2x 30mm tweeters |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Aux Latency | - | 20ms |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | - | 44Hz |
| Bluetooth Latency | - | 128ms AAC, 144ms SBC |
| Max Volume | - | 108dB |
| Frequency Response | - | 43Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- Soundcore Boom 2 vs Teufel Rockster Cross
- Teufel Rockster Cross vs Soundcore Motion X500
- Teufel Rockster Cross vs LG Xboom Bounce
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- Soundcore Boom 2 vs Bose SoundLink Plus
The Two Speakers In Full
Bose SoundLink Plus: $199.00 Amazon
Pros: IP67 rated, IP67 water/dustproof. Close to 20 hour battery life. Vibrant sound with booming bass, clean mids. Bluetooth 5.4 with good range. Premium tactile grille, smooth silicone. Quality build at $269.
Cons: Boosted thuddy bass, but not as deep as the SoundLink Flex and you should probably just buy one of those instead if you want a Bose.
Full Bose SoundLink Plus review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 |
| Built in Microphone | No |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 9.1" x 3.9" x 3.4" (231 x 99 x 86 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 2.5" (63.5mm) woofer + 1x ~0.78" (20mm) tweeter + 4x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | Specs not published by manufacturer |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Party mode) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 3.3 lbs / 1.5 kg |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Bose SoundLink Plus vs Teufel Rockster Cross
- Bose SoundLink Plus vs Soundcore Motion X500
- Bose SoundLink Plus vs Soundcore Rave Neo 2
- Bose SoundLink Plus vs Soundcore Motion X600
- Bose SoundLink Plus vs Sonos Move 2
- Bose SoundLink Plus vs JBL Xtreme 3
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- See all 26 comparisons
Tribit Stormbox Lava: $100 Amazon Aliexpress
Pros: Fantastic bass extension. Goes deeper than the Boom 2 as seen in the linked video of sound samples. Firmware 2.0.0 is a big improvement in neutrality.
Cons: Quite heavy for the size. Some bass boost way down low. Treble and upper mids have some peaks.
Setup: Try out the Alan Ross EQ’s at this timestamp in his video There’s also a max bass EQ from Oluv and you can turn down the lowest slider for it to be more neutral
Full Tribit Stormbox Lava review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Aux Latency | 20ms |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 44Hz |
| Battery Life | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 128ms AAC, 144ms SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 12.2" x 5.8" x 6" (310 x 147 x 152 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 70mm woofers, 2x 30mm tweeters |
| EQ | Yes (10 band) |
| Frequency Response | 43Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Max Volume | 108dB |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 80W |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 5.2 lbs / 2.37 kg |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- JOY‘s 3D Audio Show: Tribit StormBox Lava vs SoundCore Boom 2 - sound quality demo More from Oluv’Sone →
- Oluv Patreon: An evening with the “best portable speakers”?
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Stormbox Lava Latest Firmware Update Result! v2.0.3 More from alanrossreviews →
- Alan Ross Reviews: From harsh to smooth with these EQ settings - Tribit StormBox Lava
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit StormBox Lava Just Got a MASSIVE Update… WOW! 🔥
- Alan Ross Reviews: Some people love the Tribit Stormbox Lava, highly professional review 😁
- Mateusz Cholewa: Tribit Stormbox Blast 🎶 🆚Deep BASS - Tribit Stormbox LAVA More from Mateusz Cholewa →
- Mateusz Cholewa: TRIBIT StormBox LAVA vs EarFun UBOOM X
- Mateusz Cholewa: TRIBIT StormBox LAVA vs Soundcore BOOM 2
- Mateusz Cholewa: TRIBIT StormBox LAVA - Unboxing.📦 Short Test vs Xtreme 4
- Mateusz Cholewa: TRIBIT StormBox LAVA Deep BASS 🆚 JBL XTREME 4
- Oluv Patreon: Tribit Stormbox Lava - quick look
- Mateusz Cholewa: 👌TRIBIT StormBox LAVA Deep Bass 🆚 Bogasing S8 Pro MAX - HiFi?
- Reddit Search for Tribit Stormbox Lava Review
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