HiFuture Ripple REVIEW - BEST Speaker Under $40 (2025)

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Sound
Buy HiFuture Ripple
Comparison with Competitors
Functions
Design
Bottom line

Assessment

6.82

Codecs

SBC

Release date

May 2024

Price

$64

HiFuture Ripple is the BEST speaker you can buy under $40 (1,699 UAH), in the mid-sized JBL Flip. (Let’s hear it) Awesome 17 hour battery life, bassy sound and comfortable design, sturdy construction.

The speaker came out in 2024 for $65 on the official site. But on Ukrainian marketplaces, the portable speaker costs only 1699 hryvnia or $40 at the time of writing this review. There is sound for this money if you tweak the equalizer. And in the review I will tell you about a couple of settings. Plus, the speaker has no serious flaws, only if you don’t take into account the app not working, more about it below.

Overall Score 6.82

Sound

6.14 ▶

Frequency Balance 6.95

Detail 6.00

Naturalness 6.60

Soundstage 5.00

Functions

6.38 ▶

Battery Life 9.00

Controls 7.50

App 1.00

Connection Stability 8.00

Build

8.17 ▶

Comfort 8.00

Durability 8.00

Design 8.50

Reasons to buy:

Good sound with equalizer
Robust and reliable design
17 hours of battery life at 40% volume

Reasons not to buy:

Branded app does not work
No wired audio transmission
Boring sound without equalizer adjustment

V 1.0.0 – 11/21/25 – review published.

Sound

Recording of sound on the FiFine K688 microphone for approximate understanding of sound quality. Volume 60%, Bluetooth connection, distance to the microphone 2-3 cm:

0:00

There are 2 drivers inside the speaker with a total power of 30W – 20+10 to be exact. The speaker is loud, I was able to listen in the background at 40% volume on my phone with Snapdragon chip. On another phone with a budget MediaTek it was 60%. On the iPhone, it’s also around 60%. I immediately recommend adjusting the equalizer, the sound becomes noticeably better.

I tested the speaker without equalizer setting, sounding out of the box by SBC codec, no other audio codecs. For the equalizer setting, see below after the sound evaluation.

Learn more about how we test headphones

Тесты производятся с телефона OnePlus 11 (Android) и iPhone 14 Pro (iOS), через стриминг Deezer HiFi (про эту подписку) в формате FLAC (1411 кбит/c).

Мой плей лист – для теста наушников:

Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing). Поп-фанк.
✅ Проверка низкочастотной составляющей и натуральности – тембр основного басового синта должен звучать естественно и быть в принципе слышен. Бас здесь мощный, но не должен забивать другие диапазоны частот.
✅ Проверка детализации и ширины сцены – бэк вокалы и перкуссия в правом канале должны быть отчетливо слышны.
✅ Проверка высоких частот и натуральности ВЧ – железо барабанов в этой композиции должно звучать мягко и естественно, без песка. Барабаны в этой песне записаны и сведены просто восхитительно (Джонатан Моффетт – виртуоз ударки).
Oasis – Don’t Go Away. Альтернативный рок, Брит Поп.
✅ Проверка натуральности – звучание акустической гитары, должно быть естественным.
✅ Проверка низкочастотной составляющей – бочка, тома и рабочий в этой композиции задвинуты достаточно далеко и там где плохой бас, барабанные сбивки будут просто не слышны.
✅ Проверка середины – голос Лиама должен звучать открыто и забиваться, в этой композиции очень много живых инструментов, которые легко могу закрыть собой середину и вокал, добавив мутность или закрытость голосу.
✅ Проверка высоких и натуральности – в конце песни мой любимый проигрыш с акустикой и бубеном, они должны отделяться друг от друга и звучать естественно, без песка и синтетики.
Twenty One Pilots – Backslide. Хип-Хоп, Альтернативный поп.
✅ Проверка детализации. В этой композиции Тайлер сделал множество бэк вокалов с эффектами и без (как всегда), они должны четко отделяться друг от друга и быть слышны.
✅ Проверка ширины сцены – шейкер который то появляется, то исчезает, с перетеканием из канала в канал, отлично показывает ширину звучания. Как э бэквокалы, которые отлично разведены по каналам.
Adele – Rolling in the Deep. Поп, Соул, Блюз.
✅ Проверка середины и вокала – голос адель здесь должны быть отчетливый, с эффектом присутствия, без вуали и мутности.
Eagles – Hotel California (Live on MTV, 1994). Рок, кантри-рок. Боже, храни тех кто записал и свел этот лайв.
✅ Проверка ширины сцены – звуки толпы, фоновые эффекты, расстановка инструментов.
✅ Проверка высоких – 2 шейкера в левом и правом канале должны быть отчетливо слышны и не быть синтетичными.

Еще треки на которых я тестирую модели:

Modern Talking – You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul. Европоп.
Вокал не должен маскироваться басовой партией, шейкер должен звучать не песочно и натурально.
Eminem – Ass Like That. Хип-хоп и рэп.
Увесистая басовая партия не должна закрывать собой вокал. Слышимость второстепенных этно инструментов и бэк вокалов.
Bob Marley – Could You Be Loved. Регги.
Железо барабанов не должно песочить, вокал и бэк вокалы не должны маскироваться низами, должна быть хорошая читаемость басовой партии.
Disturbed – Stricken. Альтернативный метал и хеви-метал.
Перегруженная гитара не должна забивать собой барабаны и вокал.
Железо барабанов не должно забиваться общим миксом.
System of a Down – Radio/Video. Альтернативный метал и ню-метал.
Шейкер должен звучать не песочно. Перегруженная гитара, не должна забивать собой барабаны и вокалы Сержа и Дарона.

Оценка выставляется в соответствии с нашей методикой “Оценки 3.0“.

Звук — 50% оценки:

Баланс частот в звучании — на сколько гармонично наушники воспроизводят низкие, средние и высокие частоты.
Сцена или звуковое пространство — способность наушников создавать ощущение 3D объема и пространства в музыке.
Детализация или разрешение — способность наушников передавать мельчайшие нюансы звука с высокой точностью.
Натуральность или тембральный баланс — это сохранение естественности звучания инструментов, звуков и вокалов.

Функции и конструкция — 50% оценки:

Качество микрофона.
Шумоподавление и режим прозрачности.
Автономность, управление, приложение и другие функции.
Качество конструкции: удобство для ношения, долговечность и дизайн + доступные цвета.

Подробнее про то, как мы тестируем и оцениваем наушники.

Sound Evaluation:

Sound. 6.14 Good result, my expectations were lower. The main pluses of the sound are the bass and midrange. There is enough bass for the body of the sound. The bass instrument is recognizable and with enough texture. Vocals are deafening, slightly distant with the performer singing in the same room as you, not in the next room. The highs are not quite there, but they are audible and intelligible.
The main disadvantages of the sound are the soundstage, detail and treble. The sound is like from one point, and this is the norm for mono speakers. The detailing in the speaker is average, high-frequency instruments are worse detailed. And the sound of percussion is muffled and you need to listen. In particular, the hi-hats sound rather backward.

Let me tell you right away that you shouldn’t expect a $40 speaker at the level of JBL or SoundCore Motion+. But for its money, the sound is excellent. The general picture of sound: a small cloudy window in 2D. But with equalizer it is already wiped and ajar window. About it further.

Frequency balance. 6.95 The HiFuture Ripple produce a sound with an emphasis on bass, sagging mids and pushed highs.

Low frequencies. 7 There is bass in the speaker, sometimes there is a slight underdrive. The whole bass range is predominant, if you do not break it down into components. However, the bass lacks detail and collectedness. Expected picture for $40.

Lenny Kravitz – Low. Bass guitar is pushed back, while the sound of the guitar is recognizable. The sound of the bass drum is a bit muffled. However, the bass is palpable, it attracts maximum attention.

Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. The bass synthesizer plays a bit in the background, when it should be the lead instrument in the part.

The Weeknd – Blinding Lights. The sub bass is audible, but it blends significantly with the rest of the low frequency range. The bass synthesizer in the track is pushed back and plays almost in the background.

Average frequencies. 6.9 Vocals are intelligible and recognizable. The position is slightly backward, noticeably lacking in transparency across the frequency range.

Lenny Kravitz – Low. The voice comes as if from the cone of the room.
Oasis – Dont Go Away. The lead vocal is pushed back and sounds on par with the instruments.
Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror. Vocals sound slightly removed.

High frequencies. 6.5 High frequencies are lacking, there is little airiness, and the percussion sounds muffled.

Oasis – Dont Go Away. The sound is boring. The track lacks airiness, no emotion.
Daft Punk – Get Lucky, Lose Yourself to Dance. The tracks lack brightness of vocals and instruments. The sound of high heats in the background is muffled and indistinct.

Detailing. 6 The main and background parts are intelligible. You have to listen to the sound of bass instruments and percussion. The instruments are pushed back and sound muffled. Less discernible are the percussion sounds – the sound of the drum cymbals. Small details cannot be made out. Bass instruments are well detailed and it is difficult to confuse the sound of the instruments. High-frequency instruments are less intelligible.

Oasis – Dont Go Away. The sound of the tambourine is difficult to make out, the sound is mixed with the shaker. The sound of the tambourine itself is more like the sound of coins in your pocket. The sound of the ryde is sandy.
Johnny Cash – Hurt. The voice is slightly distorted on the chorus.
Sting – Englishman in New York. The sound of the double bass is recognizable, you can make out every tone of the strings. However, the sound of the string in the lower register is lost, it feels like playing through one string.

Naturalness. 6.6 The naturalness of bass instruments is good, you can distinguish bass guitar and double bass, the sound of the drum is unnatural. High-frequency instruments sound synthetic.

Oasis – Dont Go Away. The sound of the tambourine is more like the sound of change in your pocket. Sand on the cymbals.
Sting – Englishman in New York. Contrabass sounds quite natural.
Lenny Kravitz – Low. The sound of the drum is reminiscent of banging on a plastic pipe. There is synthetics on the guitar strings.

Scene. 5 Sounding as if from a single point with minimal instrument separation.

Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror. Lead vocals, chorus and instruments sound like they come from the same place.

What genres are the HiFuture Ripple best suited for? Out of the box for listening to hip-hop, electronica and dance genres. Worse suited except for complex instrumental music.

Involvement in music? 5/10. The sound is more for background listening during physical work for example. But with sound enhancement via equalizer the sound is more engaging – 6.5/10. Already have the desire to spin different tracks.

HiFuture Ripple volume – 60% is enough for me for personal listening at home.

Sound enhancement

Sound with improvement. 6.5 I recommend 2 settings in the PowerAMP equalizer.

HiFuture Ripple ready graphic preset 1Custom SA02

Recommendation 1: Raise bass frequencies to 50%, treble to 70%. More emphasis of low and high frequency instruments. At the same time the problem of transparency does not disappear. And on some bass tracks the bass gurgles. In this case it is better to lower the bass to 20-30%.

Recommendation 2: ready-made graphic preset 1Custom SA02. More bass, transparency and brightness in the sound. The sound is noticeably better and more melodic on the various tracks I listened to. On bass tracks and on some tracks at high volume there is an overdrive of bass. If you turn down the bass in the equalizer a bit, the gurgling sound goes away or is less pronounced.

Physical Improvements:

Warm up → how towarm up?
New headphones can sound a bit stiff – warming up will open up the sound.

Programmatic Improvements:

Listen to music in good quality. In music streaming services, always set the sound quality to high in the application settings. When listening to music from the phone memory it is recommended to use MP3 files with quality not lower than 320 kbps, for FLAC not lower than 1010 kbps. Read more about file quality.
Deezer HiFi → FLAC 1411 kbps (Premium only 320 kbps MP3).
Apple Music → ALAC up to 24 bit / 192 kHz.
Spotify Premium → AAC 320 kbps.

Customize the equalizer to your liking → how to customize the equalizer.
Make EQ adjustments in your streaming or player. Try different presets, adjust frequencies manually.

Use third-party software. You can customize the sound in various pre-installed applications on your phone, such as Dolby Atmos. Or you can use third-party equalizers from Google Play or the App Store.

Change the player. The sound in every music player is different due to sound settings and equalizer. You can get good sound on Android with PowerAMP player.

Install the proprietary app → HiFuture Audio, you can download it for Android and iOS. There are sound settings in the proprietary app. However, I was unable to connect to the proprietary app.

Audio by AAC. 6.1 The speaker only supports the SBC codec.

More about codecs.

Dealing with codecs once and for all:

Read more about codecs in our separate article.

Sound in games. 6.6 Normal sound for mobile games. Slightly deaf and unintelligible.

Testing Parameters:

Games – PUBG MOBILE, Lineage2M, NFS No Limits.
Thedevice is a OnePlus 11/Motorola G72 on Android. iPhone 15 Pro.
Theaudio codec is AAC.

See where the HiFuture Ripple came in – in the portable speaker rankings.

Buy HiFuture Ripple

Buy HiFuture Ripple for 1699 UAH – on Rozetka.ua.

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Comparison with Competitors

All speakers cost more.

Comparing the lineup: HiFuture Ripple vs HiFuture Gravity.

HiFuture Ripple vs HiFuture Gravity

Drivers:

1 x HF 10 W + 1 x LF 20 W

Power:

30 W

Autonomy:

12 ч

Defense

IPX7

Weight

550 г.

Size

200 x 75 x 82 mm

Drivers:

1 x HF 15 W + 1 x LF 30 W

Power:

30 W

Autonomy:

8 ч

Defense

IPX7

Weight

1730 г.

Size

261 x 117 x 116 mm

HiFuture Gravity for $65 (2700 UAH), bigger, louder and more powerful. Out of the box, the speaker has more bass, and music sounds more dynamic and engaging. As with the Ripple, the speaker has little transparency and sounds muffled. The high frequencies are muffled and you can’t hear the sound of the cymbals. The sound in the speaker is like a single point. At the same time, the abundance of bass gives more volume compared to the Ripple. And with equalizer the sound is even better and more pleasant.

MyChooz – HiFuture Gravity.

Comparing with competitors on price: HiFuture Ripple vs TRIBIT XSound Plus 2.

HiFuture Ripple vs TRIBIT XSound Plus 2

Drivers:

1 x HF 10 W + 1 x LF 20 W

Power:

30 W

Autonomy:

12 ч

Defense

IPX7

Weight

550 г.

Size

200 x 75 x 82 mm

Drivers:

2x 40 mm woofer + 1 passive radiator

Power:

30 W

Autonomy:

24 ч

Defense

IPx7

Weight

580 gr.

Size

198.5 x 66.5 x 70 mm

TRIBIT XSound Plus 2 for $60 – the emphasis is shifted to the midrange and treble. The sound is noticeably cleaner and more pleasant. The bass in the speaker is not much and the bass is rather dry. I liked the HiFuture Ripple better with the equalizer. Plus the proprietary app works without any problems. Ripple still couldn’t add to the branded app either on android or iPhone.

MyChooz – HiFuture Ripple for fans of bass and rocking. TRIBIT XSound Plus 2 for those who like clean and precise sound.

Watch review – TRIBIT XSound Plus 2
View Rating – Best Inexpensive Speakers 2025 Top 10

Benchmarking: HiFuture Ripple vs Anker SoundCore Motion+ vs JBL Flip 7.

HiFuture Ripple vs Anker SoundCore Motion+

Drivers:

1 x HF 10 W + 1 x LF 20 W

Power:

30 W

Autonomy:

12 ч

Defense

IPX7

Weight

550 г.

Size

200 x 75 x 82 mm

Драйверы:

2 x ВЧ (40 кГц) + 2 x НЧ + 2 x пассивный излучатель

Мощность:

30 Вт

Автономность:

12 ч

Защита

IPX7

Вес

1 кг

Размер

257 x 79 x 81 мм

The Anker SoundCore Motion+ sounds better in all sound parameters. The bass is nicer and more spacious, the midrange is more transparent and the treble is better emphasized. The sound is more natural and detailed with aptX HD codec. And most importantly, the speaker has a noticeably better soundstage. The four drivers give a pleasant and spacious sound. And the speaker itself can be used as a mini soundbar for TV, PC or laptop.

MyChooz – Anker SoundCore Motion+.

Watch review – Anker SoundCore Motion+
Watch Rating – Best Portable Speakers 2025 – Top 15 Bluetooth Speakers (All Sizes)!

HiFuture Ripple vs JBL Flip 7

Drivers:

1 x HF 10 W + 1 x LF 20 W

Power:

30 W

Autonomy:

12 ч

Defense

IPX7

Weight

550 г.

Size

200 x 75 x 82 mm

Драйверы:

1 x НЧ 45×80 мм + 1 x ВЧ 16 мм

Мощность:

35 Вт

Автономность:

14 ч

Защита

IP68

Вес

560 г

Размер

182.5 x 69.5 x 71.5 мм

$150 на Soundmag

And let’s compare it briefly with JBL Flip 7 for $140 – here the price flies into space. The speaker is also better in all parameters than HiFuture Ripple for $40. Sound, features, and design. There is much more detail in the sound, the stage is a bit wider, bass is more harmonious, mids and highs are on the surface.

MyChooz – JBL Flip 7.

Watch review – JBL Flip 7 vs JBL Charge 6 and JBL Flip 6
View Rating – Best JBL Speakers (Top 12)

To summarize the comparison. The HiFuture Ripple is the most budget-friendly option I’ve tested this year. And if your budget for a speaker is $40, this HiFuture is definitely worth the money. Their competitors for this price, Tronsmart models still come to mind, and in this comparison, I like HiFuture much better.

More comparisons in MyChooz.com’s top rankings

Functions

Autonomy . 9 Claimed 12 hours of operation. I actually got 17 hours. 30 minutes at 40% volume. No fast or wireless charging.

Management. 7.5 When pressing the buttons on the back of the speaker, you have to tilt the speaker towards you. The travel of the buttons is stiff and you have to press them with force. Accidental presses are excluded. The buttons are not backlit (which makes me happy), you can’t reassign the control.

HiFuture Ripple control scheme:

Power. Hold for 2 seconds to turn the speaker on or off. When on, a single press turns the RGB backlight on and off.
Volume up (+): One press increases the volume, long press increases the previous track.
Center button (triangle). One press to pause or play.
Volume down (-): Press once to decrease the volume, long press to decrease the volume, long press to play the next track.
Function button. Connecting for joint mode, changing the equalizer.

To use together, turn on both speakers and press the function button 1 time.

Press the function button twice to switch the equalizer. The first double press turns on the main EQ preset, the LED near the charging port lights up. The second double press is BASS Boost, the LED near the charging port blinks blue.

To reset the settings, hold down the power button for up to 7 seconds.

appendix. 1 HiFuture Audio, you can download for Android and for iOS. I couldn’t connect the speaker to the app. Automatic search does not find the speaker. Manual addition does not work. And this is the second speaker of the manufacturer, which cannot be added to the branded app.

Connection stability. 8 Within 10m – the signal is stable and does not drop out on android. On iOS there were stutters within 2 meters, about 2 times in 1 hour. Bluetooth version 5.3.

Sound Delay. 6 About 80-90 ms.

Checking the sound delay through the Earbuds Delay Test app.(Google Play).

Important features and sensors:

Multipoint – stated by the manufacturer.
Automatic shutdown at idle – yes.
Google Fast Pair support – none.
There is no support for Swift Pair for Windows.

Design

Comfort. 8 The speaker is comfortable to use and rests well in the hand. There is a lanyard to secure it to your wrist or backpack.

Durability. 8 Dustproof IPX7 – the speaker can withstand immersion in water up to 1 meter. The assembly is neat without visible defects. The speaker frame is made of plastic, the front cover is made of nylon. There are no claims to the materials. Only the plastic is stained and collects fingerprints.

Design. 8.5 The HiFuture Ripple speaker is available in three colors – blue, black and red. It looks good. Visually it reminds me of JBL Flip speakers of the 4th-5th generation.

Bottom line

Is HiFuture Ripple a MyChooz or not? For 1699 UAH – yes, for this price I can safely recommend the speaker. A great option for nature, for summer cottages, for background listening during sports, physical work and so on.

Good portable speaker, with good sound with equalizer. Good volume reserve, assembly without defects, and the charge is enough for a light day. There are no significant disadvantages, except for the attachment to the application. I tried to connect two HiFuture speakers from two phones – it didn’t work. There is also no wired sound transmission.

For which scenarios is HiFuture Ripple suitable?

Outdoor activities and travel – yes. With IPx7 protection, water won’t damage the speaker.

Walking and traveling, yes. You can wear the speaker on your belt.

Parties and events – yes. The volume is enough for a company of up to 10-12 people.

Home use – yes. The volume is sufficient for a room of 20-25 m².

For games and movies – with reservations. In games, the sound lag is minimal. In videos without equalizer, the sound lacks transparency and volume.

What are the alternatives?

Under $70 – TRIBIT XSound Plus 2. Clean sound out of the box, little bass. The speaker is lightweight and compact. IPX7 dustproof.
Under $100 – Anker SoundCore Motion+. Wider soundstage, more detail and clearer sound out of the box. IPX7 dustproof.
Under $120 – JBL Flip 7. Nice, melodic sound out of the box. Audio streaming via USB-C and Auracast. IP68 dust and water resistance.
Up to $170 – JBL Charge 6. Excellent in detail and natural sound, great bass. Audio transmission via USB-C and Auracast. IP68 dustproof.

Be sure to write what you think about the new HiFuture Ripple, I’ll be very interested to chat with you in the comments. Have a great sound and see you on MyChooz, bye!

HiFuture Ripple – Features:

HiFuture Ripple release date – May 2024
HiFuture Ripple price at launch is $64
Design: Portable wireless speaker
Transmitters: Dynamic low frequency 45 x 80 mm + high frequency 36 x 52 mm, 1x 20 W + 1x 10 W
Rated power: 30 W
Bluetooth: 5.3
Wireless chipset: AC6966B8
Amplifier and DSP: ACM8625
Audio decoding: SBC/CVSD
Support profiles: A2DP1.3/AVRCP1.6/HFP1.7
Speaker impedance: 4 ohms (plus or minus 15%)
Battery Type: Lithium-ion polymer 4000 mAh
Battery life: 80% capacity remaining after 500 cycles
SPL (Sound Pressure Level): 81 dB / 1 m / 1 W
Music playback time: 12 hours
SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio): greater than or equal to 80 dB
Charging voltage and current: DC 5 V at 2 A
THD + N (Harmonic + Noise Ratio): less than or equal to 1% (20 W/1 kHz)
Wireless communication range: 10 m
Waiting time: 300 days
Dimensions (L x W x H): 200 x 75 x 82 mm
Charging time: 2.5 hours
Water resistance: IPX7
Charging port: Type C
Net weight: 620 g

What’s in the box?

Column
USB-C-USB-A cable
Warranty form
Instruction

HiFuture Ripple – how to connect a wireless speaker?

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your source: phone, tablet, PC or laptop.
2. Open Bluetooth settings and select the “add new device” option.
3. Turn on the speaker. Press the power button for 2-3 seconds.
4. Wait for the speaker to appear in the list of available devices. Select the speaker.

Do you still have a question about HiFuture Ripple?

Ask a question in the comments and I’ll answer you.

Tags: Wireless speakers

Александр Мойсеенко

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HiFuture Ripple REVIEW – BEST speaker under $40, in JBL Flip format

Contents

Sound

Мой плей лист – для теста наушников:

Sound Evaluation:

Sound enhancement

Buy HiFuture Ripple

Comparison with Competitors

HiFuture Ripple vs HiFuture Gravity

HiFuture Ripple vs TRIBIT XSound Plus 2

TRIBIT XSound Plus 2

HiFuture Ripple vs Anker SoundCore Motion+

Anker Soundcore Motion+ Bluetooth

HiFuture Ripple vs JBL Flip 7

Functions

Design

Bottom line

Popular Questions:

HiFuture Ripple – how to connect a wireless speaker?

Do you still have a question about HiFuture Ripple?