Treblab HD77 review: Outdoor-ready but underwhelming sound

What makes a speaker one of the best Bluetooth speakers? As someone who tests speakers on a weekly basis, I look for a number of things: sound quality, ease of use, design, and value for money. So how does the Treblab HD77 Bluetooth speaker hold up?

Well, it’s just $89, making it more affordable than Bose and JBL’s lineup of portable speakers. Other budget-friendly speakers I’ve tested have sacrificed sound quality to keep the price low, like the Tribit StormBox 2. The durability rating of IPX6 means the HD77 speaker will survive occasional water splashes but might not survive water submersion. The 20 hour battery life means this would be a great speaker for hiking or camping trips — even if it rains.

Pardon the pun, but the HD77’s 3.5mm aux jack is music to my ears. The wired playback offers a higher quality sound than Bluetooth 5.0, great for parties where you want real volume. You can also link up two Treblab speakers for stereo sound — a feature I expect to see on all Bluetooth speakers these days. If all these juicy features are making your mouth water, there’s more where that came from in this Treblab HD77 review.

Treblab HD77 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A portable, durable Bluetooth speaker under $90
• What does it cost? $89
• Who is it for? People who want an affordable Bluetooth speaker for day trips
• What should you use it for? Make the most of its IPX6 rating by taking it on camping trips
• What are its weaknesses? The sound quality is merely acceptable

Treblab HD77 review: Specs

Treblab HD77 review: Price & availability

The Treblab HD77 Bluetooth speaker is $89 at Amazon U.S.. It doesn’t seem to be available in the U.K. at the moment — I’ve reached out to Treblab’s representative for confirmation. This sub-$90 price places the HD77 speaker as a budget option, $40 cheaper than the Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2 I recently tested and loved. One of the cheapest durable Bluetooth speakers I’ve ever tested is the Tribit StormBox 2, which is just $67 and boasts a higher durability rating of IPX7. And to round it off, the Anker Soundcore 3 is one of the cheapest speakers I’ve ever seen at just $51; it has custom EQ and a 24 hour battery life to boot.

Treblab HD77 review: Design

The Treblab HD77 speaker looks almost exactly like every other cylindrical portable speaker. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is up to your personal preference. As soon as I unboxed the HD77, I remarked, “Huh, it looks like the JBL Flip 6 and the Tribit StormBox 2 had a baby.”

I do, however, want to point out the HD77’s pizzazz — the piece de resistance, if you’ll excuse the hyperbole. The HD77 has two RGB panels on either end, just above the woofers. These panels change color based on its modes: red means it’s charging, green means fully charged, and blue means it’s turned on and playing. I really like these funky panels, but I wish they had more functions. If there was a companion app, perhaps changing colors in-app based on genre, or battery alerts. Unfortunately, there’s none of that. A girl can dream.

Treblab HD77 review: Connectivity

I was able to connect the HD77 with my iPhone 11 and MacBook Air M2 with no problems. I think it’s interesting to note that the HD77 doesn’t have simultaneous connection, unlike the UE Wonderboom 3 ($99). You can link up the speaker to your device with the provided aux cable and Bluetooth, but, as you’ll read in the ‘sound quality’ section, I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s a USB-C charging port but it isn’t capable of playback.

The range is pretty good: I was able to hear my music from my upstairs bedroom while I was in the garden at the back of the house. I was impressed with this range for a budget speaker considering it transmitted through multiple layers of brick and concrete. Although it's running on Bluetooth 5.0, which boasts a range up to 800 feet, walls often interfere with range.

Treblab HD77 review: Features

There aren’t that many features on the Treblab HD77. There’s no companion app, no custom EQ, and no simultaneous connection. There is, however, the capability to link up multiple Treblab speakers for a stereo sound experience. I only had one Treblab HD77, but if I’d had two, it would have been possible. You’ll also see this feature on other cheap options like the Tribit StormBox 2 and the UE Wonderboom 3.

Treblab HD77 review: Sound quality

Given this is a budget speaker, its sound quality isn’t going to match that of the Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2, or even the Bose SoundLink Flex ($149) (which I gave 3 stars for its high price tag and middling sound quality).

To test the HD77, I ventured on my usual quest of a genre-hopping, beat-popping, bass-thumping playlist. I played ‘Widow’ by Working Men’s Club, which is an ‘80s-inspired synth-heavy gothic pop track. I hate to say it, but the mid-ranges were extremely tinny through the HD77’s mesh casing. Every time the hi-hat hit I felt it in my eardrum, and not in a good way. However, the male vocalist’s deep voice was evocative and powerful, so I switched to a more bass-heavy track for my second song.

‘10-20-40’ by Rina Sawayama is a twinkling pop track with a groovy, rotating bassline, so I thought it would sound a little better. While the popping bass was viscous and satisfying, I found myself suffering with the same mid-range tinniness as with the previous track.

I switched the Bluetooth connection to my MacBook Air M2 to take advantage of Apple Music’s built-in EQ customization. As the Treblab HD77 has no companion app, I couldn’t adjust the EQ settings on my phone.

When I played Muse’s ‘Hysteria’ with customized EQ, I realized I’d finally found a song that sounded good. If you don’t know ‘Hysteria’ by Muse, it’s a catchy rock track supported by a slick, snaking bassline. I played the song with and without my custom EQ: without the EQ, the track was plagued by tinniness.

It’s so frustrating that the HD77 doesn’t come with built-in EQ adjustment. When I listened with my custom EQ enabled, every song was groovy, powerful, and tremulous. Without custom EQ, however, every song was flat and left me yearning for more.

Given that this speaker ships with a 3.5mm aux cable for wired playback, I needed to try that out, too. As soon as I inserted the aux, the speaker started emitting a horrible hissing sound, like a punctured tyre. Unfortunately when I started playing tracks, the hissing didn’t go away. So unless you want your music to sound like it’s coming from an enraged snake, I’d skip the aux playback.

As this is designed to be an outdoor rugged speaker, I went out to test the sound quality in the wild. While listening in a silent room opens a speaker up to weak spots, outside tends to be more forgiving. I was blown away by this speaker’s power outdoors — it was able to drown out the busy main road by my house and be audible over a neighbor mowing their lawn. If you’re an avid camper, hiker, or general outdoor-person, this would be a fantastic speaker to soundtrack your next adventure.

Treblab HD77 review: Battery life

Rather frustratingly, the HD77 has no battery level display and doesn’t announce how much battery is remaining upon startup. The only way I could view battery level was on the ‘Bluetooth’ widget on my iPhone home screen.

Treblab claims the battery lasts for 20 hours of playback. I was playing music on the HD77 for about 10 hours and it only ran down to 75%, so I’d say that’s pretty good going. This battery life places the speaker around the same as the Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2 (in eco mode) and better than the JBL Flip 6 and Bose SoundLink Flex.

Treblab HD77 review: Verdict

There are better speakers than the Treblab HD77 for the money. If you seriously care about sound quality, you’d be better off spending $40 more on the Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2. If you want a rugged speaker that is pretty cheap but still decent, I’d recommend the Tribit Stormbox Micro or the UE Miniroll ($79). Then, if you want something mid-range with a custom EQ and all the specs, I’d recommend the JBL Flip 6.

The HD77 performs well under certain circumstances. It’s excellent outside, meaning it could be a handy adventure speaker. To listen at home, I’d recommend using a custom EQ app to bump up the sound quality. With a custom EQ, this speaker would be a great way to save some dollars without skimping on sound quality. But with Treblab’s default setting, this wouldn’t impress an audiophile.