Buying guide for best ultimate ears speakers
Ultimate Ears is known for its ultra-durable, portable, and impressive-sounding speakers, and there is a wide range of models and colors available for the discerning buyer. While any UE speaker will look good sitting on your office shelf, these speakers were designed to be by your side wherever you go, and will easily survive a drop, spill, or soak and keep on jamming.
With so many speakers in the UE family, it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. With many models cracking the $100 mark, a UE speaker is an investment, and smart shoppers should take the time to compare sound quality, battery life, and other features of each device before buying.
Our team of reviewers has looked at and listened to the best of what Ultimate Ears has to offer, which we’ve summarized here. We also have a few suggestions to help you with your purchasing decision.
Key considerations
Battery life
Anyone researching UE speakers is likely interested in taking their favorite music on a camping trip or to the beach. Wherever you go with your top tracks, an efficient battery can mean the difference between fueling an awesome party all night long or having to put your speaker away when it runs out of power. Battery life for UE speakers varies from 9 to 20 hours, something to keep in mind as you compare different models.
Sound intensity
Ultimately, the most important factor for many people when researching speakers is how impressive the device sounds. The good news is that even the most affordable Ultimate Ears speakers emit nice levels of balanced sound, and the sound quality only gets better with price. If sound quality is your number one priority, consider buying a larger 360° speaker. We were especially impressed with the thundering bass and dynamic range from the MEGABOOM and BOOM 2 models.
UE speaker features
An Ultimate Ears speaker should catch your attention because of its remarkable range of sound, booming bass, and balanced audio, but these devices are loaded with other innovative features that anyone can appreciate:
Waterproof: All UE speakers easily endure a dip of one meter for up to 30 minutes, but the MEGABOOM 3 floats!
Durability: Ultimate Ears speakers are made with strong materials to ensure the longevity of the devices. Some, like the BOOM 2, are shockproof.
Amazon Alexa: UE’s BLAST and MEGABLAST speakers include Amazon Alexa voice controls.
Color: Some Ultimate Ears speakers feature a wide selection of colors and patterns. For instance, the WONDERBOOM is available in 11 different styles, including Lilac, Phantom Black, and Neon Forest.
PartyUp: All BOOM and MEGABOOM speakers can wirelessly connect to each other to amplify your sound through more than 150 speakers at once.
Portability: UE speakers are designed to be thrown into your bag so you can play your music anywhere. Some models come bundled with a bungee cord or inflatable flotation device, further showcasing the brand’s clear emphasis on portability.
Did you know?
Few will ever have the opportunity, but you could connect more than 150 BOOM, BOOM 2, BOOM 3, MEGABOOM, and MEGABOOM 3 speakers together using the PartyUp feature.
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UE speaker prices
Ultimate Ears has created a range of quality portable speakers for people who want to play their music on the go. All of these speakers are exceptionally rugged devices, but generally speaking, the more you spend, the better the speaker will sound.
Inexpensive
Expect to pay at least $90 for an Ultimate Ears device, with the WONDERBOOM and BOOM 2 speakers leaning toward the more affordable side.
Mid-range
Newer, larger, and more advanced UE speakers, such as the ROLL 2 and MEGABOOM, are a little pricier at $109 to $130.
Expensive
If you’re in the market for superior sound quality above all else and money is no object, the best and most expensive speaker UE offers is the MEGABLAST. If you can find one of these speakers for substantially less than $250, it’s a great deal!
Tips
Keep track of the battery life. Don’t let a dead battery ruin the party. If you press the Plus and Minus buttons on your UE speaker at the same time, the device will share its current battery level in an audio message.
Double the speakers and the sound. It’s easy to pair up WONDERBOOM speakers. Connect one to your Bluetooth device and then press and hold the UE logo button on both WONDERBOOM devices for three seconds. After you pair your speakers for the first time, they’ll automatically connect whenever you turn on both devices again.
Keep your speakers up to date. UE releases regular updates to improve its products. Update your speakers by connecting to the UE app and tapping the More prompt to check if an essential update is available for your device.
- Get the most out of your speakers with the UE apps. There are three different apps, each created to control certain devices. The BLAST & MEGABLAST, BOOM & MEGABOOM, and ROLL apps are available for download on Google Play and the App Store.
Other products we considered
There are plenty of UE speakers to suit every taste and budget. The MEGABLAST sports a 16-hour battery life, 360° sound, the highest level of sound intensity, the deepest bass of any UE speaker, and convenient voice control options utilizing Amazon Alexa. The only reason this premium speaker didn’t make our top five is its $250 price tag, which is pretty steep for a portable speaker. There are more affordable speakers in the UE collection that get the job done just as nicely. With its best-in-its-category 20 hours of battery life, balanced 360° sound, and dustproof design, the MEGABOOM is an excellent speaker, but if this model caught your eye and you’ve got a little more money to spend, you might be interested in the upgraded MEGABOOM 3. A few of its notable upgrades include how it floats on water, a side charging port, and the ability to pump out noticeably more powerful sound, including 50% deeper bass.
FAQ
Q. Can I wirelessly connect any combination of UE speakers together using the PartyUp feature?
A. No. Only the BOOM, BOOM 2, BOOM 3, MEGABOOM, and MEGABOOM 3 models can take advantage of PartyUp, but you can connect more than 150 compatible UE speakers together to spread out the sound over a huge area. Connective compatibility varies between models. For instance, you can only wirelessly connect a pair of WONDERBOOM speakers together to create a stereo effect.
Q. What is the best way to clean my UE speaker after a day at the pool or beach?
A. Salt and corrosive pool chemicals may eventually damage the speaker’s waterproof seals if you don’t completely rinse the speaker with fresh water after every outing. For safety’s sake, wait until your speaker is completely dry before charging it again.
Q. My UE speaker isn’t connecting to my Bluetooth device. How do I fix that?
A. There are a few methods you can use to pair your speaker to your Bluetooth device:
Move the speaker closer to your Bluetooth device. It might be out of range.
Restart your speaker.
Double-check on your Bluetooth device that you’re trying to connect to the right speaker if you’re attempting to connect multiple UE speakers.
Make sure that both your UE speaker and Bluetooth device are on, and that Bluetooth is enabled on your device.
