Sound quality: Tribit's MaxSound Plus had Fair overall sound quality - this model has sonic shortcomings that leave a lot to be desired when listening to music but don't rule it out for dialog. With the XBass setting engaged the bass is uneven; the mid-bass has good impact, but is somewhat prominent and boomy while the upper bass is somewhat subdued. Deep bass is lacking, the dynamic range may sound compressed with some program material, and the bass occasionally distorts with program material with strong bass content. Bass distortion is not present when the XBass feature is turned off, but bass is much more subdued. Midrange is fairly even but lacks a bit of body, and is somewhat grainy. Treble is extended, but the mid treble is somewhat smeared while the upper treble is sizzly and somewhat subdued. Does a decent job of recovering room ambience in the upper midrange and lower treble, but is so-so otherwise, and sounds a bit congested. There is no significant difference between Bluetooth and Aux sound quality. Provides a decent volume level in a small sized room. Would have score in the Good range, but bass the distortion drops it down to a score of Fair.
Ease of use: We found the Tribit MaxSound Plus ease of use to be Very Good overall. Bluetooth pairing requires the press of a low contrast button; then discover with your device. There is an indication when unit is in pairing mode and when it has paired. The volume controls are low contrast buttons (+/-) with an audible indicator for max volume. Unit source selector: No switch, line-in audio plays, but is automatically overridden by connected Bluetooth audio playback, when Bluetooth audio is stopped (does not need to be disconnected) line-in audio resumes.
