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

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When we reviewed theBrane X portable speakerearlier 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 onAmazon. 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

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 thebest 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 theBang & Olufsen Beosound A5at $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.

You might also like

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.

JBL Authentics 200 review: a punchy smart speaker with vintage style

Marshall Emberton III Bluetooth speaker review: a small speaker with stacks of personality

Black Friday is here: Sony XM5 over-ears drop to their lowest-seen price – act fast!