Buzz
Design Aspect of Tronsmart T6 Plus
Similar to its predecessor T6 generation, T6 Plus takes on a cylindrical form. This makes it quite easy to toss into a water bottle holder alongside most backpacks or long-haul hiking bags. The volume wheel sits at the top of the speaker where you turn the large wheel clockwise to increase the volume. The rest of the control buttons are placed on the front face of the cylinder where the TWS (True Wireless Stereo) button can be found allowing the speaker to pair seamlessly.
People have become quite comfortable with the cylindrical design with products like Amazon Echo and some other speakers in the market. The actual size of the T6 Plus is 9.4 x 3.5 x 4.5 inches. The shape and size make it fairly straightforward to place it anywhere or carry along. Weighing nearly 1kg and made from ABS plastic and aluminum, it's effortlessly portable.
Sound Quality of Tronsmart T6 Plus
Audio quality is evidently crucial and relies on several factors. The type and quality of your audio files are often as important as the speaker itself. So, assuming you're playing high-fidelity audio files, the sound quality will then depend on the input type. Tronsmart T6 Plus supports input from USB, Micro SD/TF, Aux-in, and Bluetooth. Despite playing audio across all input types during testing, I couldn't discern any significant quality changes on T6 Plus. The Aux-in port is specifically for the standard 3.5mm audio cable, quite standard for any speaker.
The standout SoundPulse technology excels in delivering crisp sound. With a maximum output of 40W, SoundPulse technology deepens the bass and enhances vocal clarity. Essentially, SoundPulse technology is an upgraded version of Digital Sound Processing technology. It allows for higher power allocation within Tronsmart SoundPulse-supported speakers.
Most speakers may encounter some sound imperfections like distortion in certain frequency ranges. SoundPulse technology enables Tronsmart speakers to eliminate strong noise to rectify any such imperfections. The end result is better vocal clarity and richer sound quality. SoundPulse also allows the speaker to handle audio differentials. By processing audio separately, it can keep vocals crisp and bass settings intact. This means bass settings won't negatively impact sound quality.
Under the hood, Element T6 Plus features dual passive heat sinks and two 20W speakers. The ultimate result is enhanced vocals and deeper bass. Additionally, T6 Plus seems to outperform most other Bluetooth speakers in the same price range. T6 Plus also positions its speakers in front chambers allowing for wider coverage. This is notable because most similar devices tend to have deeper placements causing narrower sound distribution.
Features and Connectivity
Tronsmart T6 Plus speaker is quite straightforward. Connect via Bluetooth and you're ready to play music. Aside from streaming audio directly via Bluetooth from your phone, as mentioned earlier, T6 Plus also features a Micro SD/TF card slot, USB slot, and auxiliary support. This means however you want to listen to music, you can do so with this speaker. T6 Plus supports mp3, wav, FLAC, and APE formats.
The speaker comes with voice assistant functions activated by holding the control wheel for 3 seconds. This feature essentially pairs with your phone's Siri or Google Assistant, then utilizes the integrated mic. If you have an Alexa dot, it also integrates with the voice assistant feature on T6 Plus. A notable feature is the hands-free calling works well with good mic quality.
In addition to pairing with your phone, you can actually use T6 Plus as a power bank. The speaker has a USB port that you plug your phone into to charge, making it a truly versatile Bluetooth speaker.
Tronsmart T6 comes with Bluetooth 5, the latest Bluetooth version. There are significant benefits to Bluetooth 5 over previous versions including much higher maximum range for connections. The advertised range for T6 Plus is 66 feet. Bluetooth 5 also has much faster pairing and more stable connections. All of which essentially adds up to a connection less likely to encounter quality issues. Bluetooth 5 also updates power management and is designed to reduce energy usage in connected peripherals.
Since Bluetooth 5 is backward compatible, any Bluetooth-enabled source devices can connect to T6 Plus. That means it also works with a Bluetooth USB adapter so you can stream audio from your computer without needing to connect cables.
Battery Life
T6 Plus comes with a robust 6600mAh battery system. The battery actually consists of two separate 3300mAh batteries inside. This is a great improvement over the previous version of T6 with two 2600mAh batteries leading to around 12 hours of runtime. With 6600mAh and all the additional features running, Tronsmart advertises 15 hours of battery life. The advertised battery life assumes you're at 50% volume throughout. For longer Bluetooth speaker battery life, check out Treblab HD7.
The advertised talk time battery life is 20 hours at seventy percent volume. Charging times vary based on what you're using to charge it. Charging via wall socket will get you back to 100% after three to five hours. Meanwhile, charging the battery via USB will take close to 6 hours assuming you're in a powered port. The speaker also attempts to save energy by automatically turning off after 1 hour of Bluetooth disconnection.
If you're running this speaker at 100% volume continuously, you'll see the battery life drop to around 8 hours. This will get you through the day but doesn't necessarily mean it'll last the entire camping trip. While using the speaker as a power bank, you can expect about two full charges on most phones.
Although capable of charging while playing, the manufacturer doesn't advise you to do so. This is essentially a common recommendation with all battery-operated devices including phones. Despite this common advice, people rarely tend to heed it and can expect the battery life to degrade over time.
Another anticipated downside is significantly lower battery life if you're trying to use the speaker as a power bank while playing music. As expected, using T6 Plus as a power bank depletes the battery much faster than just playing audio. When you combine that with full-power sound and the equalizer running, you shouldn't expect too long of a party.
Should You Buy Tronsmart T6 Plus?
Considering this speaker is expected to be used outdoors, the manufacturer includes a 30-day money-back policy and a twelve-month warranty. In addition to the twelve-month warranty, you also get lifetime customer service for general device support. This makes purchasing the speaker a very low-risk buy. The overall price of the device is also extremely affordable when considering all the features it has integrated.
This speaker is crafted to be a hub of features and quality. If you enjoy bringing along a Bluetooth speaker while camping or on biking trails, the Tronsmart T6 Plus will undoubtedly get the job done. Depending on your usage level, I found it particularly convenient to be able to power up my phone on the final morning of the camping trip.
