What Is It?

The Ultimate Ears line of Bluetooth Speakers offer a variety of different styles and functionality so you can be sure there is one to fit what you’re after. I won’t break down the models that they have in their product lineup currently to try and keep this post as evergreen as possible. But no matter how they evolve their product, I’m confident UE will continue to impress me with the versatility they build into such powerful little (and sometimes not-so-little) speakers.

There are so many different BT Speaker options out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed looking for the one that’s right for you. What UE has done with the Boom line is effectively built something for everyone. So that no matter what you’re after, chances are they have a product that is going to meet your needs. I love it when a brand manages to pull that off because that means that as your needs change, you don’t have to venture outside of a product line that you’ve already done your research on, are bought into, and have possibly even bought proprietary accessories for.

Ultimate Ears has been killing it with this Boom line for years, and every iteration I watch them make of their products keeps me confident they’re not stopping anytime soon. So buy with confidence! These things aren’t going anywhere.

5 Fav Features

• Sound Quality (360)
  • Ultimate Ears is a leader in the audiophile world. They have incredible headphones (I’ve owned several pairs in the past) and were one of the first premier brands to get into the Bluetooth Speaker space. All of that experience has helped them build one of the best sounding BT Speakers I’ve heard out there. You can spend more money and get higher fidelity, of course. But they are the king of that delicate balance that puts them near the top-end of audio quality while still keeping the price point achievable for most consumers.
  • One of the most useful features they’ve built in is true 360 degree sound. There are other speakers that tout it, but I’ve never seen it pulled off like Ultimate Ears does. It genuinely doesn’t matter where you set the speaker and at what angle you’re sitting in relation to it. The sound remains at the exact same volume and retains all of its quality. Incredible!
• Sturdy Build
  • I’ve had the first version of the Boom for years, and it sounds like the day I bought it. The battery life has gone down some, but that’s to be expected. I’ve been extremely happy with how well it’s held up. And I will also say that I haven’t been exactly friendly to the thing. I use it very much as “grab and go” speaker that I throw into my bag, prop up against a random tree while camping, etc. I’ve never been concerned about it breaking because of all I’ve seen it last through.
• Rock Solid Connectivity & Continued Signal Strength
  • The Boom that I have was built with either Bluetooth 4.0 or 4.1 I believe, so that puts the range at about 50 feet. But I get ALL 50 feet with extremely consistent connectivity. Even around corners or through thick walls, I’m always impressed with how well the signal strength maintains in so many different conditions.
• Design/Asthetic
  • One of my favorite aspects of the Boom line of speakers is that really tight mesh knit that surrounds a plastic frame. You don’t see any of that plastic so it makes the whole speaker look like a single unit all self-contained. That helps make it feel really sturdy to me, as well as serves the purpose of making it look awesome! They have done a great job of producing a bunch of different color combinations as well.
• Mobile App & Resulting Functionality
  • Their Mobile App is actually really well done, and those pesky updates like Firmware are handles really gracefully. One of the coolest things the App allows you to do is link up to other Booms around you (up to 50!) with what they call “PartyUp”. It’s a really simple process and it works flawlessly. If you place a few speakers around the room it makes a huge difference in how much volume you can get and how much area you can cover with full, rich sound.

Let’s Get Practical

All of the above describes the product itself, what it does, and how it differentiates itself from others like it.

But let’s talk about what it all comes back to. What does using this product actually look like in day-to-day use? Awesome…it has a bunch of cool features…but in practice, are they actually helpful?

I can answer that question only with my experience. With how I put this product to use in my own life to make it easier, more efficient, more consistent, more fun, whatever the case may be. Your experience will, of course, be different. But this should give you a place to start. You can at least read on with the knowledge that no products make it on this site without being a thoroughly tested, tried-and-true part of some area of my life!

————

One thing I find myself using way more than expected is the loop provided to connect a carabiner or other clasp of any kind. I’m always attaching it to something and always seeming to need that loop. On my version of the speaker, the little loop is actually attached via a threaded metal bit that screws into the speaker itself. When you unscrew it, you can screw anything else in its place and I’ve used that to connect to a tripod plenty of times. That has come in handy more often than I can count!

Another tip is how to see how much battery is left in the current charge. You can, of course, look on your connected mobile device. But if that’s not by you, you can press the “volume up” and “volume down” buttons at the same time and you’ll hear the battery percentage audibly spoken to you. I wish there was some kind of visual indicator on the speaker itself, but until that happens this is an easier way of checking than opening your phone to do it.

Summary

• Pros
  • The flexibility of the UE product line enables you to get exactly the right speaker for exactly how you want to use it.
  • The 360 sound is immersive, full, and unmatched in any other BT speaker I’ve heard.
  • Signal strength is strong and I’ve never had connectivity issues.
  • Constantly updated functionality through firmware updates via the Mobile App.
• Cons
  • There are SO many Bluetooth Speaker options available today, and the vast majority of them are cheaper than the speakers that UE offers. Because of this, it’s hard to swallow the price tag when there are so many more affordable options. If you look at their cheaper models it becomes much less of an issue…but still something to consider (Side note: with BT speakers you will get what you pay for. Quality matters and will show if you opt for a budget option).
  • I wish there was an easier way to quickly assess the battery life. It’d be nice to have a visual indication of that somewhere on the speaker itself.