The most mind-blowing portable speaker of 2024 is now cheaper, and finally coming to the UK too

The bass is insane in the Brane

· TechRadar

News By Carrie Marshall published 6 November 2024

(Image credit: Future)
  • Absolutely ridiculous bass from something so small
  • Now $100 cheaper at $499, and available on Amazon
  • UK availability before the end of 2024

When we reviewed the Brane X portable speaker earlier this year, we were blown away – and we mean that literally, because the amount of bass it emits is "borderline unbelievable". It's the size of a toaster but kicks like a home theater subwoofer.

That power came with a premium price and wasn't available outside the US (and even in the US it was often wait-listed), but we've got good news: not only is the Brane coming down in price, but it's also coming to the UK too, and will generally be easier to buy due as it becomes available on Amazon. And it'll be rolling out globally next year.

If you're not familiar with Brane, that's because it's a brand new audio company and this is its first speaker. And that bass is courtesy of something that Brane calls RAD.

What’s so RAD about the Brane X speaker

The RAD subwoofer in the Brane X. (Image credit: Future)

RAD stands for Repel-Attract Driver, and it's Brane's name for its subwoofer system: it uses an extra magnet array to cancel out air pressure within the speaker enclosure, meaning that a real subwoofer can fit in a much smaller enclosure. That means big bass from a relatively small box that looks perfectly normal until you turn it up and make everything around you vibrate.

The Brane X has always been a strong candidate to be one of the best portable speakers, but at $599 (around £475 / AU$915) it was also one of the more expensive options, and hard to buy. But according to Brane, "manufacturing and scaling breakthroughs" mean that the firm has been able to drop that by $100, so you're now looking at a more affordable $499 (about £386 / AU$758). And many rivals do cost more, such as the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 at $1,099 / £899 / AU$1,950.

For now the Brane X remains US only, but it'll be rolling out globally next year and coming to the UK "very soon" – we couldn't get an exact date, but apparently before the end of 2024. Which is good news for UK music fans and not so good for their neighbors.

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