I just tested this new Bluetooth speaker that breaks the laws of physics for amazing bass

The pursuit of bass is the pastime of the so-called bass head. A person that wants their music to have all the low-end possible, the rest of the frequency range be damned. The kinds of people who have three subwoofers in the room, who stand as close as possible to the speakers when they go to gigs. They want to really feel the music.

The Brane X is a speaker that’s designed specifically, as far as I can tell, for people like that. Somehow, the engineers at Brane have packed in room-shaking bass that’s accessible at all volumes, and done it with a box that’s no bigger than your parent’s clock radio.

Brane tells me it had to break the laws of physics to make it possible — but there’s only one thing I can tell. This is the most fun I’ve had with a Bluetooth speaker all year, and while it might not be perfect, there’s plenty to love about this slightly over-the-top sounding but otherwise unassuming black box of noise.

Brane Audio X review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The bassiest Bluetooth speaker, bar none.
• Who is it for? Want all of the bass? Here is all of the bass. Oh, and it sounds pretty good too.
• What does it cost? $499
• What we like: The sturdy build, the strong bass performance and built-in Wi-Fi with Alexa support
• What we don’t like: The battery life could be better

Brane Audio X review: Price and Availability

The Brane X costs $499, making it a fairly expensive Bluetooth speaker, even when you take its physics-breaking abilities and smart features into account. That’s a whole $50 more than the Sonos Move 2, $100 more than the Bose SoundLink Max. While there are some big reasons why you might want to choose the Brane over those options, that extra might make you sit back and consider whether you really need the extra bass on offer from the internal subwoofer (spoiler alert: you probably do).

Getting a hold of one in the U.S. is fairly easy as well — just head over to the Brane website or to Amazon and get one there. For those who don’t live in North America, however, it’s a little trickier to get your hands on one. The speaker will be available in the UK soon, I’m told, but until then you have to order one from the U.S. and get it shipped over. That will make it substantially more expensive, so you might want to wait until you can get one on our side of the pond.

Brane Audio X review: Build and Style

• Non-descript look
• Fingerprint prone surface
• Unuasuming black box

When there are so many interesting-looking WiFi-connected speakers out there, you might think that the bass-focussed Brane X would want to use its design to stand out from the crowd. Not so. The speaker seems to want the subwoofer to do all the talking, as the design of the speaker is to some ‘understated, and classy’ and to others ‘uninspired and boring’. I personally sit in the former camp — I like how it doesn’t shout loudly before you turn it about its ability to shake your floors, instead blending in with its surroundings like the Sonos Move 2.

I do have a couple of gripes about the speaker though. That top surface, which houses the touch buttons that you’ll be getting up close and personal with whenever you use it, is extremely prone to fingerprints. If you’ve particularly oily fingers that means its matte finish will be marred with a greasy sheen when you so much as approach it from the other end of the room. It’s nothing a decent microfibre cloth and some water can’t fix, but it can get unsightly.

Build wise though there’s nothing to complain about. This is a weighty, well-made piece of tech with some great attention to detail. The vibration-dampening feet (which still manage to send the bass frequencies into the far reaches of your room) are a nice touch, and the silicon handle is tight and feels sturdy. There’s a metal panel on the back, and while the top and bottom appear to be made of plastic, they still feel like they’ll take a beating. There’s no IP rating mind you, so perhaps not one for an outdoor excursion, but it’s still a monster of a speaker.

Brane Audio X review: Features

• Brane App
• Alexa support
• Multiple Bass modes

The Brane X is more than just a Bluetooth speaker, of course. While you can just turn it on, hold the Bluetooth button, and get paired up that way, you’d be missing out on some key features. It’s all accessible through the Brane app, which is a bugbear of mine. It’s not the most responsive app, and it does have occasional problems with connection to the speaker. When it works though, it unlocks some great extras for the Brane X.

For one, there’s the internet connection, which means you can stream over AirPlay 2, or Spotify Connect. I couldn’t get it to work with Tidal on my Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold though, which was a shame. Once streaming, you can change some of the speaker's settings in the app. That includes the EQ, with a 5-band equalizer. This is just a more useful version of the bass button, which just seems to adjust the bass slider up and down depending on whether you select low, medium or high. It’s fine, although it would be nice to have more adjustments for the rest of the frequency range.

Then there’s the voice control in the form of Alexa. It works well enough and makes the speaker effectively completely hands-free. You can turn the mic on and off when you’re not using with a touch button on the top, which is a nice touch. There’s even a little ‘click’ when you turn the mic off and on, making sure you know that it's off.

You can also connect multiple Brane speakers together in the app for either more volume (and, of course, more bass) or surround modes. I lack the extra speakers needed, but it's a cool addition. It would get expensive though, given each speaker is $499. You could spend thousands.

Brane Audio X review: Connectivity

• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Aux port

If you can think of a way to connect to the Brane X, you can probably do it. There’s the Wi-Fi connection, configurable from the app, which allows you to stream music to the speaker over Spotify and a selection of other services. It works well, and enables the Alexa-powered smart features. Once connected the first time, it’ll stay connected for good and communicate with the Wi-Fi whenever you turn it back on.

Then there’s the Bluetooth connection, which you can switch on using the Bluetooth pairing button on the top of the speaker. It’s a simple Bluetooth connection that can’t be used to control the power or the other features, but its a great bonus to have.

Finally, there’s the little Aux port on the back which you can plug a 3.5mm cable in and use a wired connection. This is a lovely addition, and something we’re seeing less and less of in Bluetooth and WiFi-connected speakers. You can select this mode from the Brane app.

Brane Audio X review: Sound Quality

• So. Much. Bass.
• Oh yeah, and it sounds good otherwise

I can’t not start with the bass and how Brane has managed to do it. There are warm-sounding speakers out there — the Sonos Move 2, for example. There are bassy speakers, like the JBL Xtreme. But there aren’t any with an actual subwoofer built in. The engineers at Brane are some of the cleverest folk around, it appears, as they’ve broken the laws of physics.

Well, not really, but they’ve managed something very cool. Previously, Bluetooth speakers have obeyed what’s apparently called Hofman’s Iron Law of Audio. That states, and I’ll quote Brane’s website here, that “speakers must be either large or draw a tremendous amount of electrical power to produce sub-bass.”

It’s all down to the air pressure inside the speaker inside a sealed cabinet, and how it changes when a bass driver wobbles to make the really really low notes — or how it's not possible with all the air packed inside. The Brane speaker has what’s called a ‘RAD’, or ‘Repel Attract Driver’ which uses magnets to cancel out the air pressure and allow for sub-bass from the speaker that can, and I mean can, shake a room.

So that’s where all the bass comes from, and when it's playing music it's one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever heard. There’s so much sub-bass from such a small device that it sounds huge, and like you have a small sub attached to a decent speaker system. It’s loads and loads of fun — although there is something to be aware of. When the RAD is active, and when it's turned on, it makes a weird noise. A kind of deliberate-sounding crackle that disappears when music is playing. Before the music it can be a disconcerting though — “Did I break it already?”

So it doesn’t really break the laws of physics, but it kind of beats them into submission with the help of magnets and some clever audio scientists. And it really works. Play anything with some sub-bass kick, and you’ll feel it in your chest. I mean the kind of bass that rattles your teeth, wobbles the floor, and shakes the room it's in. I can hear the bass from the other end of the house — so perhaps not one if you live in a block of flats.

Play something with some bass, like Chase & Status’ Disconnect, and you’ll immediately notice the effect. The bass synths are deep, weighty, and infectious while Becky Hill is able to cut through the mix. This isn’t a delicate experience mind you — that bass is about as in your face as it comes. And its all the better for it.

Then there’s the crushingly heavy Sungazer from Deathcore outfit Viscera. The sub-bass adds more weight to the kick drum, more presence to the guitars, and makes the whole thing heavier than a speaker this size has any right to sound. Over the whole affair, the detail in the screaming guitar solos and crashing cymbals is left intact, for a remarkable experience. It has to be felt to be believed. And I mean felt.

Then there’s the simple, driving techno beats of Joyhauser and Elements. This is probably about as close as you’ll feel to an actual rave with a Bluetooth speaker that you’ll get. The sub-bass kick is immense, felt in every pore of your being. Is it as impressive as hooking up a Subwoofer to your HiFi system and playing it on thousands of pounds worth of gear? Of course not, but it almost entirely outperforms anything else this size.

Brane Audio X review: Battery Life

• 12 hours
• There are better

If you’re after a speaker that can last you a long time, then the Brane X is not it. There’s 12 hours of battery on tap here, and it takes 3 hours to charge fully over the barrel connector on the back. The Sonos Move 2, one of the best Bluetooth speakers, lasts a whole 13 hours longer on a charge, and the Bose SoundLink Max has an extra 8 hours of staying power. Neither of those feature a subwoofer though, and that really does count for something.

This speaker feels more like a home speaker with a battery for when it's not close to a power source — and for that purpose, the 12 hours is going to be fine.

Brane Audio X review: Verdict

If you’re looking for a super detailed, well-rounded sound, then you’re better off with the Sonos Move 2. It’s less in your face with its bass, and has more in the way of detail. If you want something that will make you giggle with glee every time you turn it on and hear its ‘click, whiiiiirrr’ before it blasts you in the face with some of the coolest sub-bass you’ve ever heard, however, then this is the speaker for you.

It’s not HiFi, but it doesn’t want to be. It’s expensive, but you more than get what you pay for. The battery life could be better, yes, but then the bass kicks in again, and you don’t care. Because you’re seventeen tracks into your favorite playlist, and you’re hearing bass bits you never thought you’d hear outside of a live performance. And that is fun — something that’s lacking from some of the competition.