Tronsmart HALO 100
Assessment:
What did we like?
What didn't we like?
Unboxing
BT speakers Halo 100 arrived from Geekbuying e-mail. store EU warehouse. You can't have a serious "party" with one column, so we grabbed two! DHL took care of the beginning of the parcel route, and Itella couriers have already taken over the reins in Lithuania. Delivered directly to the house. Sent on 02.03, and in my hands already on 02.10.
In the package, the top and bottom of the BT speaker is protected by thick foam, it is wrapped in a white plastic bag. Both the Halo 100 and the other have no "injuries" after a short but apparently difficult journey. The set includes: a BT speaker, a small manual (it's great that the EN language is included), a Sound Pulse description card, a warranty card, a USB-A/USB-C cable for charging and an AUX cable.
Quality
The developers of Tronsmart did not think about the color of the product, so the only choice is black. The plastic itself is lightly roughened but has a bit of shine. No fingerprints remain. It does not seem that the plastic itself is made of solid, in one place there are casting marks.
All control buttons are located at the top: On/Off, SoundPulse Mode, Stereo Pairing, LED lights, VOL +/- and Play. The physical buttons are placed under the rubber sole, so they have nothing to fear from water. A grille is placed on the front of the column to protect the speakers from mechanical damage. The Trosmart logo is stuck on the grille itself. Speakers and flashing LED lights are clearly visible through the grille.
There are 5 speakers in total, four of them are active, which are located in the front: 1 - for high frequencies, 2 - for medium frequencies, 1 - for low frequencies (woofer). And additionally one passive one is hidden inside at the back, which also performs the function of radiator/ventilation. Attributed to a 2.1 sound system. The midrange and woofers are surrounded by strips of LED lights. When the LED lights are on, the colors transition smoothly, like a running stream.
In the rear part there is a separate compartment which is covered with a rubber, thick, waterproof cover, on which the inscription HALO 100 is printed. Under this cover are hidden: USB-A, USB-C, Micro SD card slot, AUX slot, Reset button. The side-mounted carrying strap is thick and looks really sturdy. It is not just a simple cord, in terms of structure I would compare it to a normal trouser belt. Easily bends both forward and to the rear of the column.
Functionality
Connectors – because it has both a Micro SD slot and USB-A, so you can listen to music from portable media. After inserting a USB flash drive or memory card, their contents are read quickly. The AUX connection also works fine.
Control by app – simple, easy to understand for everyone. You can adjust: player source, LED flashing, SoundPulse EQ type, update software, adjust volume or switch song, Stereo pairing, turn off the speaker.
Control buttons – a long press of the Play button invokes Voice Assistance. If you are calling the phone, you can also answer it by pressing the Play button once, end the call by pressing it twice, reject the call by pressing and holding it. Press and hold the corresponding volume control button to switch songs. A red light on the side of the Power button lights up when there are ~20% batteries left in the column.
Player source – AUX, Micro SD, BT, U-drive. If one of the available media is inserted into the column, it is possible to switch between songs both in the app and using the physical buttons. Very convenient when you want to change the song remotely.
SoundPulse – EQ presets. Available options: Default, SoundPulse, Deep Bass, Classical, Rock, Customize. These options can be changed both through the app and through the physical button at the top.
Stereo pairing - with this button, you can pair another column of the same type. The connection is activated via the app or with a physical button. To pair the speakers, press the stereo pairing button on one and the other must be in BT pairing mode. After pairing, both play the same melody, one becomes Master, the other Slave. To find out which is the Master, it is enough to look at the power button, it will light up blue, in the Slave column the power button will not light up.
LED effects - a total of 5 choices are available: Ballet, Party, City of Phantoms, Carousel, Starry Night. They can be changed both in the app and with a physical button. Statuses like connected/disconnected to BT, volume/mute also have their own light effect.
What did we like?
The sound is neat, high-quality sounding. No difference from which player is allowed: memory stick, bluetooth or via AUX cable. When the volume is turned up to MAX, there is no speaker chatter. As a 60W speaker, it sounds really loud, and if you connect two - the party is guaranteed.
LED effects - a rich variety. It's great that it shines like a running stream, so you can't see the contours of the LED lights themselves. It would be more correct to say that the LED dances to the music. When paired with another speaker, they flash in different colors, it's not like one is copying the other.
Management is simple, easy to understand. I appreciate the fact that the speaker itself can be turned off via the app. If they are placed further away, you won't need to go further to them. If the speakers are paired, in this case both turn off. Ability to charge another device using the USB-A connector. While listening to music, you can also charge from the power grid at the same time.
Overall, I really give it a high score for both design and quality. The carrying handle looks like it will last a really long time. Since the column has a rather high moisture/water resistance class, it will be safe to take it on a trip or some kayaking.
What we didn't like?
Sound when using the flash drive, there is sometimes a white noise. It's only slightly audible when the volume is turned down, and this sound becomes more pronounced when the music is stopped. After connecting a device with an older version of BT (POCO X4 PRO with BT5.1), you must first raise the volume on the device from which it is allowed, and only then you can increase the volume of the speaker itself.
Low frequency could be softer and stronger. After turning up the volume to the maximum possible level, the music stops, a corresponding sound message appears that the max has been reached, then it goes silent again and the music starts playing at full volume. Well, this kind of ripping off the speaker is really not useful.
LED Effects - The older version of BT mentioned before affects the lights. If the sound is muted, the lights will not flash according to the music. The algorithm is strangely done. Don't expect to light up the entire dance floor, LED lights are more of an element of beauty than disco lights.
When a longer USB stick is plugged in, the rubber cap contacts its body. For this reason, there is a shaking / popping sound. For the battery, it is really far from the declared 18 hours of operation. When listening for 1.5-2 hours per day with the LED lights and sound turned on, up to ~40% lasts no more than a week. Under such conditions, operation ~ 11-14h.
When two speakers are paired, the memory records which will always be Master and which will be Slave. Therefore, if a memory other than the Master is inserted before that, it will have to be transferred to another column, because the Slave is only intended for sound output or its adjustment. Also, it can only be paired with an identical column. The manufacturer could still allow pairing between different Tronsmart models.
I also didn't like the fact that when listening to music both from BT and from a memory stick, in the app where you can switch and stop the song, it doesn't show its name. In this place, I think it would not be difficult to transfer the track info. Especially if you would like to see what song is being played while listening from memory.
HALO 100 (60W) vs Force MAX (80W)
Comparing Tronsmart's Halo 100 and Force MAX wireless speakers, MAX has a much softer sounding low frequency, this difference is very audible. No amount of EQ tweaking on the Halo 100 will produce this sound. However, the MAX has a longer delay when reading songs from memory, and a smaller number of steps to adjust the volume, in other words, one click of the volume button on the MAX speaker corresponds to 2-3 clicks on the Halo.
Both have a strap for transportation, but the MAX strap is longer, so it is convenient to carry on the shoulder. Although the MAX is 20W more powerful, I personally didn't notice those extra Ws, both sound similar in volume. Both the Force MAX and Halo 100 models are priced similarly. Which one should you choose?
2022-08-18
Tronsmart Force MAX is a serious 80W bluetooth speaker with IPX6 resistance
The Halo 100 has LED lights, app control, and slightly longer battery life than the MAX model. Well, the MAX has a much softer (for me personally and much more pleasant) "BUM" sound, a longer shoulder strap and a rubberized body.
If you plan to use more at home, both can be charged and used at the same time. But outdoors, longer battery life is a more serious factor.
Verdict
The manufacturer describes Tronsmart Halo 100 as a party type wireless BT speaker. Let's think, what can we imagine a good party without? Good friends, good quality music, and to liven up the music - light effects are simply necessary!
I was skeptical at first. If you think about it, how can a 60W speaker be used as a party speaker? However, after trying more - it seems that it is an option at all! However, it is worth noting that two columns would certainly be a much more logical solution than one. If the party is held in an apartment, then one column can be placed in one room, the other in another, of course at a permitted distance. Well, if it's outside, then one in front of the other on the dance floor. In this way, both sound and light will be fully utilized.
