This spatial audio wireless speaker is less than half the price of the Sonos era 300, but it lacks one crucial function to really compete
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- Tronsmart Fiitune X30 is now out for $ 179.99 (about £ 154 / au $ 322)
- 80W output with built -in subwoofer and up Firing “Sky Driver”
- IPX6 water resistance and 14 hours battery life
The Tronsmart Fiitune X30 is a direct rival of the Sonos era 300And it has one particularly attractive quality: it is less than half the price of the Sonos.
Where the Sonos ERA 300 has a catalog price of $ 449 / £ 449 / AU $ 749, the Fiitune X30 is launched with a price tag of $ 179.99 / € 179.99 (about £ 154 / AU $ 322).
As you would expect, there are a few differences in specification to reach that much lower price. And if you are serious about spatial sound, one of those differences can be a dealbreaker.
Fiitune X30: Key functions
The Fiitune X30 has six drivers units, including an upward illuminated “Sky Driver” to throw some audio at the ceiling, a Down-Firing active subwoofer, double tweeters and double mid-range drivers. There are four passive bass radiators and the total power is 80 W. frequency range is not given beyond “an ultra-wide 40KHz bandwidth”.
It is a portable design with an integrated handle, dual device connection and IPX6 water resistance, and it promises to play 14 hours between loads-that is quite low compared to the Best portable speakersAlthough there are many speakers here to be honest, to be honest.
You can tailor the audio to the corresponding smartphone app for iOS and Android, and Android users can stream audio to the speaker in LDAC for the highest possible sound quality. The speaker can be used solo or as half of a stereo pair.
It is not a bad specification for the money, but there is one important reservation: the spatial audio here is not native, because the speaker does not support Dolby Atmos (or rival spatial audio formats, but Atmos is now the crucial for music).
Any spatial effect will be of ‘scaling up’ the music to have virtual extra height with the help of that top-mounted speaker, and every 3D placement outside Stereo will also be added by the speaker.
That means that it focuses on a completely different market than the Sonos, and I suspect that the real rival is not the ERA 300, but the Sonos roaming 2 2. The smallest Sonos is not nearly as loud as the Fiitune X30 – it is 10W instead of 80W and has much fewer speakers – but it is identically priced at $ 179 / £ 179 / au $ 299.
The Tronsmart can in any case be a juicy set of speakers, with a lot of power for a low price, but this can be a case where it makes no sense to put the extra effort of spatial speakers in it, unless you go all the way and include Atmos.
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