Tronsmart Bang SE Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Less Bass, More Mids, Clear Sound
Tronsmart Bang SE is a $69 USD Entry-Level Bluetooth speaker with IPX6 Waterproofing, a Detachable strap, 3 Lighting modes, and 24 Hours of quoted play time. Today we will dive in and review what the Bang SE is all about, how it sounds like, and whether it is worth the investment as your next Bluetooth speaker.
Introduction
Tronsmart has always been a good option if you’re on a budget, but want a good quality for your products. In fact, at times I even wonder how is it even feasible to produce the whole thing on this budget, and still make it sound good, but regardless, Bang SE is a good example of how you can get loud, with a reasonably sized product, but still get a fairly good sonic performance. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and youtube channel.
I’d like to thank Tronsmart for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here – https://amzn.to/4bMdeJS
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here – https://amzn.to/4bOnjpv
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here – https://amzn.to/42RIu5X
Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort
Tronsmart Bang SE is a portable bluetooth speaker designed to entertain your friends and annoy strangers, and it comes with a 40W quoted Bright Stereo Sound, with the SoundPulse Technology, and it has both a handle and a strap. Most of the photos on the product page are taken of young adults partying in the summer, which is where and when I think you’d have the best experience with the Bang SE, as it even has light modes to give you a bit of ambience, with circling, breathing and beat driven effects.
Since there’s a high chance Bang SE will see the light of day at a pool party, or generally outdoors, it has IPX6 Waterproofing, but this is proofing against splashes and spills, not for playing music underwater entirely. This is the first Bluetooth speaker that comes with multiple play modes, besides Bluetooth, and the list includes a USB Port, and Aux Input, and a TF card you can plug in the speaker to use it like a shuffle boombox.
The company made this one without an app, but made it the lightest of the bang series, being great for a little party, or even to take with you on a park date / trip, and carry it around like a laptop bag. Bang SE will be charged using the Type-C port at the back, and it takes around 5 hours for it to fully charge, having a rather large battery inside. Thanks to this battery, you can use the TronSmart Bang SE as a Power Bank, and it has a maximum quoted SPL of 104 dB, but this is the first time I think the company has been conservative with the SPL, this little speaker could get to 110dB in a smaller room, and 104 dB outdoors, which is incredibly loud, especially considering its size.
The Output power is 40W, and there’s a built-in microphone for taking phone calls, which I think will be the least used feature of the speaker, given its size and design. There is no aptX or LDAC, only SBC, and AAC, but that is enough, it should be plenty clear and clean in the sound. At max volume, there is a bit of distortion, but at 90% of the max volume, it can hold its ground nicely, offering a fairly punchy, deep sound. The Bluetooth works well, I experienced zero dropouts in a 2 hour listening session, moving around the room with my phone quite a bit. The quoted 24 Hours of battery life are a hyperbole and measured at low listening volumes, with the lights turned off. This being said, even at loud volumes, the battery is ridiculously loud, and this one boombox speaker can give you more than 8 hours of party. I would keep the light effects off to improve the battery life.
There is no big sonic difference between the inputs, and I would stick with using Bluetooth for the Bang SE, as plugging anything in the flap at the back is a hassle for me and I prefer just using it wirelessly. What I am most surprised about is how well the Bang SE is made and assembled, and most portable boombox speakers like this feel cheap, creak and otherwise you fear they’ll die, especially knockoff supermarket products, but Bang SE looks good, there are no uneven edges, no glue is visible, it is assembled really well for the price point.
Sound Quality
With a price point of $69 USD, you’d expect the boombox unit to sound pretty bad, but it follows the description of Tronsmart accurately, it has a bright, sharp sound with a bit of grain and texture, fair detail, and most of the energy stored and present in the midrange. You can stereo pair multiple speakers, and having just one provides a sound that is stereo, but to hear it stereo, you have to have the speaker right in front of you, as the two drivers are really close, otherwise it becomes a point source of music and the sound is very unidimensional, coming from the speaker as an entity. The best sound can be found at medium volumes rather than in the extremes, as at low volumes, the sound gets scattered and loses detail, while at high volumes, the sound gets sharp and aggressive.
The bass of the Bang SE starts being produced at 65 HZ, which might sound high on paper, but it starts with a fair amount of it from that frequency, and you get some mid bass and some upper bass presence, which gives music volume, presence and a bit of depth, although there is no sub bass present at all, and the company even quotes the frequency response to be between 60Hz and 20 kHz. The two passive radiators on the sides of the Bang SE produce music with a boomy resonance between 70 Hz and 110 Hz, adding more substance and presence, as well as size to the sound.
The midrange is where most of the energy lies in the Bang SE, and the midrange has a fairly forward, crisp presentation in the upper midrange and lower treble, but a somewhat recessed presence in the lower midrange, making male voices feel distant and slightly nasal. The sound is good for a guitar, and Bang SE sounds open, allowing music to happen without compressing it too heavily. The headroom is not high, so the speaker is optimized down to the last bit, you can’t really EQ much out of it, but the company managed to get a pretty fun boombox sound out of it. It has that boom part of the boombox nailed down for sure. I did not expect much detail and resolution out of the Bang SE, but in the song Devilish-P – 5150, it manages to layer the background guitars nicely separated from the lead Vocaloid vocals, the cymbals further behind, and the stereo image is clean and clear, with each instrument fairly well defined.
As you would expect, the best music styles for the Bang SE are Pop, Electronic, Dubstep and most commercial music, although I found an unlikely pairing with rock and metal, thanks to the actually bright, brilliant sound that has a good extension up to 16 kHz, giving music air and sharpness. There is a bit of grain in the midrange, but no grain in the treble, so we have a smoother, cleaner upper presence, the whole speaker sounding well balanced for music which has been dynamically compressed, and the lower the dynamic range of your song, the less you’ll feel the limitations of the smaller drivers, and the bigger the speaker will sound.
Value and Conclusion
With a meager price of 69 USD, Tronsmart Bang SE is one of the most affordable boombox style speakers, and with a strap to be carried around, it is one of the most practical ones out there, so it is a fully recommended purchase today on Audiophile-heaven. I reviewed many of those because I tend to party outdoors at times, so I have some experience with what one of those should have in the sound to be fun, and Bang SE checks all the boxes.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a high-quality speaker with a good build quality, portable design, and a sharp, bright, brilliant sound that works well with commercial and modern music, Tronsmart Bang SE is a great option to share a bit of your playlist with your friends and make memories that will last forever.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here – https://amzn.to/4bMdeJS
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here – https://amzn.to/4bOnjpv
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here – https://amzn.to/42RIu5X
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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