Ultimate Ears Boom review
A robust portable speaker that might not sound fantastic, but won't fizzle out in the rain
The speaker supports NFC, which makes it much easier to pair your smartphone to the speaker: you just have to touch the two together. If you or a friend has an additional Boom, you can pair them up using the iOS or Android app and run them in stereo mode. The app detects the colour of each Boom so you can arrange them correctly, and gives you control over volume.
UE says the Boom should last up to 15 hours on a single charge. In our playback tests, we saw a huge 26h 18m – this speaker should just about get you through a festival weekend.
At £170, the UE Boom isn’t cheap, but it does have an extensive list of features. NFC is quickly becoming a must-have for easy pairing, and the speaker’s incredibly tough construction makes it ideal for taking outside the house. The Boom’s sound quality isn’t outstanding, but the 360-degree design means everyone can hear your music regardless of where they stand. However, if you can live without NFC, then the Schosche BoomBottle is similarly tough, costs less, and has even better battery life.
Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | *** |
| Speaker configuration | 2.0 |
| RMS power output | 18W |
| Power consumption standby | N/A |
| Power consumption on | N/A |
| Analogue inputs | 3.5mm stereo, integrated microphone |
| Digital inputs | Bluetooth (SBC) |
| Dock connector | none |
| Headphone output | none |
| Satellite cable lengths | N/A |
| Cable type | none |
| Controls located | main unit, app |
| Digital processing | none |
| Tone controls | none |
| Price | £170 |
| Supplier | http://www.pcworld.co.uk |
| Details | www.ultimateears.com |