Tronsmart Bang SE portable party speaker: trip the light fantastic
Tronsmart Bang SE. Picture: Tronsmart.
A couple of months ago I reviewed the Tronsmart Bang, a large portable Bluetooth speaker. This week I’ve been testing the baby version aka, the Tronsmart Bang SE, which has many of the same features albeit smaller in size and sonic boom. However, it still manages an impressive 24 hours of battery, dazzling lights and stereo pairing.
The Bang SE looks similar to the bigger Bang and comes with the same ports including USB-C for charging, USB-A, 3.5mm AUX-in and a microSD slot to play audio from a card. All of these ports are on the back and protected by a rubber flap to ensure it meets the IPX6 standard which means it can resist high-pressure, heavy sprays of water.
It has a cylindrical shape with a built-in handle with hooks on either side to connect the included strap. You can hold the speaker with the handle or sling the strap over a shoulder to carry it. It’s about 30cm long and weighs 2.5kgs, so it’s not tiny or super light, but this allows it to house two full-range speakers for a total of 40 Watts and a 4,000mAh battery that can be used as a power bank via the USB-A port on the back.
On the top are all the controls for playback, volume, power, SoundPulse EQ, Stereo pairing and Light switch. One of the things I didn’t like about the buttons on the Bang is it’s hard to make out which button does what since they’re all black. In good light, this isn’t a problem, but on the Bang SE, the buttons have embossed white symbols that make them easy to distinguish.
There’s a mic on the top that can be used for calls when connect to a smartphone. This is great for hands-free calls and works well.
The base has two large rubber circles that allow the speaker to sit stable and secure on a flat surface.
Around the front is a metal speaker grille with a large Tronsmart logo printed in white. When you turn on the lights it illuminates the two speakers on the inside as well as both ends with rings of light.
You can toggle between three lighting modes: circling, breathing and flickering. Each mode has its charm but of course, you can turn it off if you’re not into flashing lights. The next time you power on the speaker it will remember the last lighting state, so if you turn the lights off they’ll stay off until you turn them on again.
The light show syncs to the music and I love how well it lights up the speakers to show them off. Also, if you have two Bang SEs and stereo pair them you only have to control the lights, playback and volume from either one of them - change the lighting on one speaker and it will change it on both to match.
The Bang SE has an impressive 24 hours of battery life. This will be reduced to a potential 16-hour if you use the lighting effects. Unfortunately, it takes up to five hours for a full charge from 0%. It’s a pity there isn’t a faster charging option, so an overnight charge will be necessary most of the time. Still, considering the excellent battery life this is a small complaint.
This is easily one of my favourite features of the Tronsmart Bang SE and of course, you need two speakers. First, you’ll need to pair to one of the speakers and then press the Stereo pairing button on both speakers, one after the other. This will synchronise the speakers with each other. One speaker will become the left channel while the other is the right channel. Place the speakers to your left and right and sit back and enjoy your music or moves in an expansive stereo soundstage. Not only does this improve the sound quality and soundstage but it also doubles the sound output.
I used two speakers as a stereo pair while connected to a Chromecast with Google TV that was plugged into my projector. This is an ideal use case since the projector is on one side of the room while the screen is on the other. I placed a speaker on either side of the screen and it worked brilliantly for a wireless stereo setup for movies and TV shows - the lip-syncing was perfect too.
The EQ button turns the SoundPulse EQ preset either on or off. A small white LED light above the button indicates when it’s on. This is Tronsmarts own custom EQ preset and while it does colour the sound I liked how it sounded and left it on most of the time.
A single speaker is good enough to fill a small room with sound but you shouldn’t expect it to fill a large room with booming loudness. For its size, it packs a mighty punch but if you’re looking for a bigger sound then take a look at the Tronsmart Bang.
Unfortunately, the Bang SE isn’t supported by the Tronsmart app so you can’t update the firmware. You do get Bluetooth 5.3, but only the standard SPC codec - no AAC or AptX. The sound quality is still excellent and I had no issues using the speaker on both an iPhone and Android handset. Adding the extra speaker for a stereo pair makes a massive difference to the sound quality but then it’s double the price. That said, buying two Bang SEs is still cheaper than many similar-sized speakers from competing brands.
You shouldn’t expect audiophile sound quality, but it’s perfect for casual music listening and podcasts.
The Tronsmart Bang SE is a small portable speaker with excellent battery life, cool lighting and good sound quality. It’s relatively inexpensive and versatile enough to make it an easy speaker to recommend for those who don’t want to spend more on better-known brands.
Tronsmart Bang SE — €80 (ÂŁ69.99) AmazonÂ
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