The Tronsmart Bang is a Bluetooth outdoor party speaker with many positives, of which the first and most obvious is its $138 price tag. That's significantly less than what you'd have to pay for a brand-name Bluetooth speaker of comparable size, power, and purpose, such as the JBL Xtreme 2 ($250) or its newly-released successor, the Xtreme 3 ($380). In a direct comparison with the aforementioned Xtreme 2, the Tronsmart Bang plays audibly louder. That instantly makes it a viable option for outdoor activities.

Outdoor usage of the Bang is further made possible by its excellent build quality. For a Bluetooth speaker of its price, it's built like a tank. Its cylindrical, fabric-wrapped body feels rugged, as does the integrated carrying handle. The speaker has an IPX6 rating for water resistance, so you won't have to worry about it getting splashed by water when used on the beach or by the pool. One additional feature I like is the inclusion of a USB-C charging port. In a pinch, you'll be able to charge the speaker with a power bank, which is a huge convenience when you're not at home. I'm mentioning this because JBL's own Xtreme 2 can only be charged through a power outlet, which has been fixed with the Xtreme 3. Charging works in the opposite direction, too, so you can plug your mobile device into the Tronsmart Bang and charge its battery. Output power is relatively low at 5 W, but it's certainly better than nothing.

Although it's primarily a Bluetooth speaker, the Bang offers three other inputs: USB, microSD, and 3.5-mm auxiliary. The USB and microSD playback is pretty basic as the music files are played in alphabetical order, but that's just something to keep in mind while making a playlist for your planned activity.

I can't say anything clever about the lighting effects. I don't like them and would never use them, more so since the LEDs take a heavy toll on battery life, but your mileage may vary. Battery life is standard for a speaker of this size and purpose. With the LEDs off and the volume turned up to 50%, expect to get around 15 hours of playback from it. Turn the volume all the way up and you're looking at a battery life of approximately 11 hours.

The sound quality of the Tronsmart Bang varies from mediocre to very good depending on the listening volume and used sound profile. The default sound profile, which is active whenever you turn the speaker on, sounds dull, especially at lower listening volumes, mainly because it lacks bass and energy. This changes drastically after activating the Deep Bass sound profile available through the Tronsmart mobile app. The speaker then has a much warmer tonality, significantly deeper low end, and even sounds more spacious. The Deep Bass profile should have been the default for the Tronsmart Bang. Hopefully, they'll consider changing this in a future firmware update. The speaker has a dedicated button to switch from the default sound profile to the so-called Sound Pulse profile, but the Deep Bass profile still sounds much better. Too bad you can't assign a different profile to the button mentioned above as that would be a nice improvement to the overall user experience.

I could also complain about the quality of the integrated microphone, which isn't realistically usable from a distance of more than a meter. Nevertheless, for $138, the Tronsmart Bang strikes me as a good buy. You will have to maneuver around some of its quirks, but if you want a good-sounding, rugged Bluetooth speaker for your outdoor activities, the Bang can be precisely that without breaking the bank. If Tronsmart releases a firmware update that changes the default profile to Deep Bass, I'd recommend it even more.