Treblab has long been a favorite audio brand of mine. The company continuously releases quality audio accessories and Bluetooth devices for consumers at a reasonable price. At the top of its lineup for the last few years has been the Treblab HD Max wireless speaker.
This monster of a modern boombox has been fantastic, but it was time for a refresh. I’ve been testing the new iteration of the HD Max for a few weeks, and it lives up to its heritage.
Design
The overall look and feel isn’t a huge departure from the older model of the HD Max. Treblab has softened some of the curves and materials, but it has stuck with if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The entire speaker grill is covered in a woven fabric that looks, and feels, like it can take a beating in the elements.
You still get a massive 60Watt system with two large subwoofers on each side as well. The Treblab HD Max is IPX7 waterproof and can last up to 20 hours on a single charge. The rear of the unit houses an auxiliary 3.5mm jack, a USB-A for charging other devices, and a USB-C input for charging the HD Max.
Atop the speaker are the rubberized tactile controls. Here you get dedicated, large volume up and down buttons flanking the rest of the options. In the center of the array, you have the power, play/pause, LED controls for the HD Max’s party lights, and TWS mode. The last button is Treblab’s Two-Way Sync option to link multiple speakers together over Bluetooth.
Lastly, it’s a small detail, but the Treblab HD Max comes with a sturdy shoulder strap. While the unit may not seem heavy at first, if you’re trekking across rough terrain or the beach, I can see it starting to tire some people. Not only does it serve its obvious function, it also comes equipped with an integrated bottle opener.
Sound
You can’t cover the Treblab HD Max without a sound review, and you won’t be disappointed in this department. The speaker puts out a robust experience. While it’s obviously the largest option in the company’s portable speaker lineup, it outperformed my expectations in volume and quality.
The highs and mids come through very well for a speaker that you’d think is tuned more towards bass. But don’t think the bass misses the mark, either. When you throw on some music you know has a punch, the Treblab HD Max hit its mark well with thunderous flexes of the subs.
With the additional waterproofing and industrial build, you should have no problems enjoying music from the HD Max. Whether around the house, at a campsite, or wading the pool, it should perform great.
Battery life
The Treblab docs rate the HD Max at 20 hours of playback, with LEDs running and volume set to around 10 percent. I’ve found this to be accurate. Playing music and podcasts periodically during my first week of testing got me through about three workdays with no fuss.
Even with better, I found only a few hours of lost endurance after fully recharging my Pixel 8 from 20 percent. The HD Max still managed to get a little over 18 hours of playback after depleting part of it power banks. It’s worth noting that the USB-C is a one-way channel to only recharge the HD Max itself. You have to use the traditional USB-A to recharge a peripheral device.
The company states the internal power banks support USB-C quick charge, but I found it still takes several hours to replenish the HD Max from zero. The Treblab site and docs show it can take up to six hours. I found it was closer to five hours, but that’s still a long reset time.
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Final thoughts
I enjoyed my time with the Treblab HD Max. It’s hard to be compelling at times in a saturated market, but I think the $140 price tag gets you a lot of potential here. The above average sound, good battery life, and beefy build quality make this speaker well worth it. The overall package and audio make it a sound choice for anyone in the market for a larger, but still portable, wireless speaker.
You can snag your Treblab HD Max in the refreshed colors of black and graphite gray in the new 2024 model. We have links below for both from either Treblab direct or Amazon. You can currently get quite the deal with Amazon, paying only $111 for the HD Max.
