Short answer: the Tribit Stormbox, with only $2.14 between them. The notes say nothing else at the S97’s price has bass that deep with a reasonable tuning, though it does not get very loud compared with other speakers in its class. The Stormbox is IPX7 water resistant with dual pairing for stereo, 20 hours of battery, instant on/off buttons and 97dB max volume, though it sounds muffled with a treble dip from 5kHz-12kHz.
The case for the Tribit Stormbox: IPX7 water resistant, dual pairing for stereo setup, excellent battery life (20 hours), instant on/off buttons, 97dB max volume. The catch: Muffled sounding, treble dips from 5kHz-12kHz.
What the Zealot S97 gets right: There is nothing else for $48 with that deep of bass and a reasonable tuning. The catch: Doesn’t get very loud compared to other speakers in this class.
Buy the Tribit Stormbox at $68 for a medium speaker, or the Zealot S97 at $65.86 for a large speaker instead.
Still deciding? The full Portable Bluetooth rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| Tribit Stormbox | Zealot S97 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $68 Discontinued | $65.86 with coupon YZZL10 |
| Ranked | #96 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #46 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | No | No |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Aux Latency | 0ms | - |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 52Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| EQ | No | 3 EQ presets |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IPX6 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 166ms | - |
| Maximum SPL | 97dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | - |
| Weight | 1.2 lbs (535 g) | 7.3 lbs (3.3 kg) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC |
| Dimensions | 7.1" x 2.7" x 2.7" (180 x 68 x 68 mm) | 12.6" x 7.3" x 5.9" (321 x 185 x 151 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 45mm full-range drivers + 2x passive radiators | 2x 76mm (3") woofers + 2x 38mm tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| TWS | Yes | No |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (PartyAdd up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Amplifier Power | 20W | 80W |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Omnidirectional | Yes | No |
| Discontinued | Yes | - |
| Stereo | No (360° mono; true stereo requires two paired StormBox units) | Yes |
| MicroSD Playback | - | Yes |
| Power Bank | - | Yes (USB-A + USB-C) |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Zealot S97 compares with other leading options:
- Vifa Helsinki vs Zealot S97
- JBL Xtreme 5 vs Zealot S97
- Tribit Stormbox Lava vs Zealot S97
- Brane X vs Zealot S97
- Zealot S97 vs Minirig 4 with subwoofer
Prices on this page were last checked September 23, 2026 at 11:24 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
The Two Speakers In Full
Tribit Stormbox: $68 Discontinued eBay
Pros: IPX7 water resistant, dual pairing for stereo setup, excellent battery life (20 hours), instant on/off buttons, 97dB max volume. Measured bass extension of 52Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Muffled sounding, treble dips from 5kHz-12kHz. Listening from the front is the worst frequency response, lay it down facing up with xbass off for the smoothest response. Not technically a 360 speaker, only front and rear. Discontinued; Tribit has retired it, superseded by the Stormbox 2. Discontinued.
Full Tribit Stormbox review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 20W |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Aux Latency | 0ms |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 52Hz |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 166ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.1" x 2.7" x 2.7" (180 x 68 x 68 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 2x 45mm full-range drivers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Maximum SPL | 97dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Omnidirectional | Yes |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No (360° mono; true stereo requires two paired StormBox units) |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 1.2 lbs (535 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Alan Ross Reviews: All Tribit Speakers Compared - Maxsound Plus, Stormbox, Xsound Go, Maxboom More from alanrossreviews →
- Alan Ross Reviews: Earfun Uboom vs Tribit Stormbox - 360 degree bluetooth speaker comparison
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Stormbox Pro Review - vs Tribit Stormbox - bass monster?? 🤔
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Tribit Stormbox vs Sony SRS-XB20
- Tribit Stormbox vs Sony SRS-XE300
- Tribit Stormbox vs Yamaha True X Speaker 1A
- Tribit Stormbox vs Klipsch Groove/Heritage Groove
- Tribit Stormbox vs Ultimate Ears Boom 3
- Tribit Stormbox vs Ultimate Ears Boom 4
- Tribit Stormbox vs Bose SoundLink Color II
- Tribit Stormbox vs Ultimate Ears Wonderboom
- See all 74 comparisons
Zealot S97: $65.86 with coupon YZZL10 Aliexpress eBay
Pros: For a compact 3.3kg boombox, the S97 delivers unusually deep, clean-enough bass with a more sensible default balance than many inexpensive Zealot models. It also brings IPX6 protection, aux and microSD playback, power-bank outputs, three EQ presets and PartyAdd linking.
Cons: It is not especially loud for its size, battery life is only a claimed 12 hours, and the bass preset can swamp the rest of the music. There is no app or fine-grained EQ, so the Vocal preset is the only practical way to improve the balance. It is still heavy for a speaker with this output ceiling.
Full Zealot S97 review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 80W |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 12.6" x 7.3" x 5.9" (321 x 185 x 151 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 76mm (3") woofers + 2x 38mm tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | 3 EQ presets |
| IP Rating | IPX6 |
| MicroSD Playback | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyAdd up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A + USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | No |
| Weight | 7.3 lbs (3.3 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons