Review: Brane X

Bass is foundational. A dedicated speaker capable of reproducing convincing bass and sub-bass not only makes music and films feel more authentic, but can even improve the detail and dynamics of the higher registers by freeing up sonic space below. So attempting to jam a real subwoofer into a handheld speaker is by no means a crazy idea—it's just crazy difficult.

That’s what makes the Brane X so impressive. Over the years, I’ve heard lofty claims about low-extension “woofers” in virtually every kind of compact speaker, but the Brane X is the first to hit all the notes literally. It does so with a specialized RAD (Repel Attract Driver) that seems to perform physics-defying magic from within the speaker’s stout frame. That's matched by multiple high-frequency drivers above for clear and surprisingly expansive performance across registers.

To land this kind of breakthrough bass in a package you can take virtually anywhere, Brane charges a fee that will make most casual buyers spit up their beverages. But if your budget is negotiable, the Brane X is a fabulous wireless speaker that comes as close as I’ve heard to putting a full home audio system in a pint-sized box.

Surreal Sound

Do you listen to music with percussion or drums? Bass guitar, synth, or strings? If so, you’ll benefit from what the Brane X can do. What’s most notable about the speaker’s potent punch isn’t how much bass it pumps out, but the kind and quality. This is pure, full, and unadulterated low-frequency performance from the source.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

As you might guess, the Brane X is most viscerally impressive when hammering hip hop and electronic grooves, where the kick hits with clean authority well below 50 Hz, without overpowering the other instruments. Yet, listening through my catalog, it became increasingly clear that the RAD subwoofer’s pointed touch is just as impressive when more subtly deployed.

The haunting vocal and guitar intro in Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad” sounds clear and airy, as you’d expect from a quality portable. Then the bass guitar kicks in, and everything is elevated. The rich natural tone the Brane X reproduces adds depth and gravity to the song, bringing its full emotional poignancy to life.

I didn’t have a suitable portable that could stand up to the Brane X, so I called in some of my favorite homebound Wi-Fi speakers, including the Sonos Era 100 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) and Era 300 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). Even the thrilling 300, which serves up impressive bass in its own right, couldn’t match the Brane in the heaviest tracks, sketching out more of an impression of the lowest tones than the full monty.

Brane says its Repel Attract Driver can deliver this kind of authenticity by using a special magnet and spring system to cancel the “internal air pressure forces” that hinder other speakers. This results in a claimed “tenfold increase in sub-bass sound and a hundredfold increase in sub-bass efficiency.” It sounds like so much techno mumbo jumbo out there, but with the Brane X, you can actually hear it working, and not just from the performance. Tapping the power key evokes little whirring sounds, apparently adjusting its complex internal mechanism ahead of playback.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

All this bass wouldn’t be much good without help from above. Thankfully, the subwoofer is supplemented by a capable set of drivers, including dual tweeters at the speaker’s center and dual side-facing midrange drivers that combine for confident tactful clarity and detail. The soundstage is also surprisingly wide, thanks in part to Brane’s digital signal processing. I found myself pulled from other tasks to marvel at the speaker’s stereo separation as it played behind me, including a few moments where sounds actually seemed to come from the front.

The Brane X’s advanced tech makes its portability and weatherproofing all the more remarkable. With a 12-hour battery and IP57 weatherproofing, the breadbox-sized speaker is primed to go virtually anywhere, from dusty beaches to a dip underwater (though at this price, I’m not sure I’d go that far). Portability is also key at home. The rubberized strap lets you easily take the speaker's seven-plus pounds along to fill up small and even midsize rooms. After a few days of testing, my wife took to calling it “the loud lunch box.”

The sound is so big, I sometimes forgot I was listening to a portable speaker, making the Brane X’s occasionally edgy upper register stand out in tricky tracks like Bob Marley’s “The Heathen.” If you really push it to bleeding volume, you can evoke some minor distortion up top. Those moments were rare, though, and I could only crank it that loudly outdoors. I was mostly enamored with the little tub’s ability to expose everything from the lush acoustics of Nickel Creek’s “Out of the Woods” to the rip-roaring guitars in Sam Evian’s “Health Machine.”

Solid Software

As skeptical as I was about the Brane X’s advanced speaker tech ahead of my review, I was nearly as dubious about its streaming skills. We may be living in the future, but I’m constantly reminded of the past due to how many high-end audio companies still flub the basics of wireless playback.

I’m happy to say the Brane X gets that right, too. The speaker is easy to set up and showcased excellent playback reliability over several days in both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming. I was also pleased to find a 3.5-mm aux input for legacy devices like turntables, while smart-home fans will appreciate the inclusion of onboard microphones for voice control from Amazon Alexa. Onboard controls include volume commands and a helpful microphone mute, but a playback key is oddly absent.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

The Brane app is accessible, if basic, offering familiar features like the ability to group up to four speakers together, a five-band EQ, and three bass levels for quick adjustments. The Streaming section is the most wanting, with only Spotify available. AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth 5.1 offer more versatility, but Android users who want to stream compatible services over Wi-Fi like TuneIn, Deezer, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio need to use Amazon Alexa. The system does support UPnP for more streaming options, but Chromecast would be a better fit.

One other odd quirk; I couldn’t find a way to rename the speaker from its default label of “Brane” followed by 16 random digits. A firmware update to add more convenience features should be in the works.

It’s easy to brush aside such concerns once you press Play and experience the Brane X for yourself. It's truly amazing how much rich, powerful, and full sound this little breadbox can muster. The fact that it goes anywhere is icing on the cake, outperforming any competing boombox-style speakers I’ve tried.

The Brane X’s price is a shocker, but when you consider all it does, $600 doesn’t feel so out of whack. I could easily see folks in smaller spaces using this speaker as their primary sound solution, with the ability to travel and combine with other speakers when needed. All that and the best bass I’ve heard in a speaker this size makes the Brane X enticing. If you love bass, this is the best portable speaker out there.