UE Megaboom Review – Best Portable Speaker in Boom Series

Have you been looking for the best portable speaker? Our UE Megaboom review covers all the bases. This handy little device has topped the market for over a year now – and there are plenty of reasons that make it a best-seller. In this article, we go over its design, features, performance, and FAQs. 

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PROS

• Improves on the Boom’s already impressive sound quality with a larger and fuller bass
• IPX7 waterproof
• Great battery life
• Audio quality is enhanced

CONS

• No carrying case
• Could be a bit cheaper
• Sound distorts little bit on high volume, mostly on bass-heavy tracks

The UE Megaboom is similar to its smaller brothers with cylindrical form, waterproof enclosure, 360-degree audio and a lot of other features but in audio volume and quality, it is not even close to them. This style comes with a degree of improvements over its predecessor, including larger size, better sound, greater waterproofing, and longer battery life.

Maybe the Megaboom might be able to compete with other portable speakers at the same budget range with the audio enhancements it has received like Bose Soundlink Resolve+ which holds a spot as my all-time favorite portable Bluetooth speaker.

Best Portable Speaker Comparison Table: UE Megaboom Review

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UE Megaboom Review: Overall Performance

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As you may have anticipated, this speaker offers more bass than the original. It plays louder, with better clarity, and less distortion. When it is pushed hard by certain tracks, it does have limitations but nothing too noticeable or that would make it a deal-breaker. Like the original, its 360-sound feature makes it a good choice for an indoor portable speaker. However, the UE Megaboom shines even brighter outdoors. For the amount of sound it produces, you could easily mistake it for a larger speaker. Since it can cover a wide area, it is ideal for your patio or pool use.

Audio

And that means that Megaboom has some seriously pleasing bass and that it is capable to follow even the more bass-heavy tracks where other speakers fail is impressive itself.Both Mids and highs received major improvements that managed to balance the audio a lot.

Mids finally received some character and much more accurate which made some instruments sound perfect, and highs got some needed presence and clarity which overall enhanced high-end detail at the near perfect point.

Overall the speakers sound much better than Boom, but of course, it has its own problems. Those are noticeable at higher volume as the speaker tends to break up and while it can handle almost all music genres it has its struggle with metal or any other loud heavy rock tracks.

Battery life

For the original Boom, the battery life was advertised at max 15 hours and Megaboom, of course, has upgraded lifetime up to 20 hours of battery life. And when the speaker was tested for the review it managed to impress me once by holding those 20 hours most of the time.

Most portable Bluetooth speakers on test scores fewer hours than the manufacturer advertised hours. With this quite long battery life, it charges quickly too, the average charge time for a fully drained UE Megaboom was about 2.5 to 3 hours of charging time/ This is fast considering its lifetime.

UE Megaboom Review: Design and Features

Ultimate Ears Boom came in a lot of variety in colors, but Megaboom sticks to four colors (Charcoal, Electric Blue, Plum, and Lava Red) and the general design is the same just bigger. That means that you will not be able to stick in places where Boom could fit easily and carrying it around backpack will add bit more weight, but as we spoke already the added size gives too many enhancements so it makes it worth it. The speaker itself is very durable just like it was advertised by Ultimate Ears which we tested ourselves and it survived several drops from different heights and it seemed that it did not suffer in its performance (But we still do not recommend to drop it on purpose, it is just nice to see that the speaker will survive any accidental drops.)

Features

Major feature improvements over Boom is that Megaboom is now IPX7 waterproofing certified (which means that it can withstand 1 meter submerging up to half an hour). Aux and USB port is covered with rubber cover to ensure that the water will not damage it and it even has a mount for a tripod which allows you to place the speaker anywhere you want not just on a table or a shelf (the tripod is not included, but it fits any universal tripod and works the best with Gorillapod).

Smarter Bluetooth

Bluetooth Smart allows the user to turn the speaker on and off from the UE app. You can pair two speakers together or even pair your UE Megaboom with the original Boom if you would like. The upgraded model features sound tweaking features and an alarm clock. As you would expect, pairing two different speakers together can be a little bit tricky. But once you do, the sound quality is so much better than the speakers are alone. 

The speaker has a long Bluetooth range in it which allows to establish and maintain a connection up to 100 feet away and at about 105 feet there were few dropouts but it was still listenable.

Speaking about Bluetooth it has Smart Bluetooth which allows controlling the speaker thru an app which allows setting two speakers (even the old Boom) as a stereo speakers, to turn it on/off, adjust equalizer and even sync up with multiple speakers to augment the sound.

Waterproof

Measuring slightly over eight inches tall and twice the size of the original, the UE Megaboom is still easily transportable and much more durable. One of the major changes that we are most excited about is its increased waterproof ability. As opposed to simply being water resistant, the UE Megaboom can be fully submerged in water for several minutes at a time without getting damaged. A rubber gasket covers the USB and audio ports. The speaker offers a few technical upgrades. It is paired with a longer range Bluetooth and can stray up to 100 feet away from the speaker with connectivity.

Portable Speaker FAQs

When you are shopping for portable speakers, you will most likely want a wireless system. Ask yourself whether Bluetooth or WiFi is better suited for your usage purposes. We highly recommend using a Bluetooth system. If you take your speakers to the beach, you can play music from your phone instead of hoping there is an internet connection somewhere nearby. Another good question to ask is what type of range you are looking for. There are probably plenty of other questions that are applicable to you. Before you decide on one system, consider and carefully weigh your options.

WiFi Portable Speaker Systems

The Wifi system that you use is connected to your home connection. WiFi connects your laptop,  tablets, smartphone, and any other electronics that you use. For your WiFi to function properly, you need to have a router connected to your internet. This will share the signal with all of the electronic devices in your home. The speaker system will not need to connect directly to the internet; all you need to do is tap into the existing system. The main benefit of this technology is that it is available almost anywhere in your home and is not obstructed by physical barriers. There are quite a few types of wireless speakers on the market that can connect to your at home WiFi system.

Bluetooth Portable Speaker Systems

Bluetooth technology works differently than WiFI does. This type of connectivity offers a way for devices to pair without any internet connection. As long as the two devices are in the same range, they can communicate with one another and perform various functions. While Bluetooth is not as adept as WiFi at connecting multiple devices, it is still a very useful tool.

What is the Most Versatile Home Solution for Connectivity?

When it comes to a portable speaker system, WiFi is the best connectivity solution if you plan on only using your device at home. When you use a WiFi connection, you can connect your network to as many devices as you would like. This means that you could use a speaker in your living room, bathroom, bedroom, and out on the patio if you would like. However, if you want to bring your portable speaker outside the house, Bluetooth is the obvious connectivity choice.

Bluetooth is the Best Connectivity Choice for Travel

After our explanation of WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity benefits, it is time to make your decision. Which type of system do you prefer? Frequent travelers and those who enjoy being out and about need a Bluetooth connectivity system. As long as you have a smartphone (preferably an iPhone) along, you can enjoy music just about anywhere. Take your device to the beach, on a road trip, or on a picnic.

As we mentioned above, Bluetooth connectivity does not depend on having internet access. All you need are two Bluetooth-enabled devices (e.g. your smartphone and portable speaker system). If you want a portable speaker system that you can bring anywhere, a Bluetooth device is your best option.

UE Megaboom Review: Our Final Conclusion

The Ultimate Ears Megaboom isn’t quite as compact as Boom 2, but with that comes a bigger punch in the bass department, enhanced lows and Mids, waterproofing, Smart Bluetooth, and better battery life. Many people will enjoy its audio quality both indoors and outdoors. Although it still does not force Resolve+ out of my favorite portable speaker spot it is damn near close at the top and even at its high budget, it is an easy recommendation.

Last update on 2024-05-03 at 13:42 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API