In mid-September, Logitech’s ultimate ear brand launched the UE Boom 2, an upgraded version of its popular mid-level Bluetooth portable speaker. With Apple adding new speakers to its online store and retail locations a few weeks ago, we decided to take a look at the new and improved speakers.
Priced at $200, the UE Boom 2 isn’t the cheapest Bluetooth speaker on the market, but its feature set will appeal to many. The rugged, waterproof design is highly portable, puts out plenty of sound, and keeps things simple for those who want to leave the speaker in a bag. It’s roughly the size of a water bottle, so you can easily put it in a cup holder or water bottle holder when you’re out and about.
Apart from the speaker grill that wraps almost completely around the UE Boom 2’s cylindrical body, the dominant feature of the device is its pair of oversized buttons along a rubber strip on the side that makes volume adjustments easy with a quick grab.
Small buttons on the top of the speaker handle power and syncing, while the bottom has a 3.5mm audio-in jack and a microUSB port for charging, both with flaps to keep them out of water. A small fold-down ring on the bottom lets you hang the UE Boom 2 up or clip it to a bag, and opening the ring reveals a standard tripod mount.
Compared to the original UE Boom, the Boom 2 features a number of improvements, such as a 25 percent increase in volume output to 90 decibels and doubling the wireless range to 100-feet, both of which are welcome improvements for those looking to roam a little more. From their speakers to the beach or park or out in the yard during the day.
The UE Boom 2 is shock-resistant, Ultimate Ears calls it “drop-proof” to a height of five feet, and it survived several drop tests on various surfaces from heights close to the stated limit. A new IPX7-rated waterproof design protects against submersion in water up to one-meter deep for up to 30 minutes. While I didn’t push the absolute limit for water resistance, I did fully submerge it for a few minutes with no ill effects and took it into the shower where it did a lot of splashing while sitting on the shower floor.
Also new to the UE Boom 2 is an accelerometer that lets you perform basic controls just by tapping the device. Picking up the UE Boom 2 and tapping it once will play or pause music, while a double-tap will skip to the next song.
The UE Boom 2 offers up to 15 hours of battery life, with an included adapter and microUSB cable making recharging easy.
As with most Bluetooth devices, setup is simple and requires pressing the small sync button on top of the speaker to enter pairing mode, and then going to the Bluetooth section of the Settings app on your iOS device, finding the speaker, and pairing. Once paired with it, you can easily switch between your device’s internal speakers and the UE Boom 2 via the AirPlay menu in your iOS device’s Control Center.
Another handy feature of the UE Boom 2 and other Ultimate Ear speakers is the Double Up mode, which lets you synchronize two UE speakers (including the original Boom, Megaboom and Roll) for even more sound. A “double up lock” mode allows you to automatically enter double up mode when powering your speakers together
Ultimate Kan has a simple UE boom App [Direct Link] For iOS and Android that makes it easy to operate Boom 2 for tasks like walking through setup for Double Up, managing custom and preset equalizer settings, monitoring battery levels, setting alarms, and applying software updates that allow Ultimate Ears to add new features over time. Features with
One of these features, recently added in a software update, is a block party mode that allows up to three people to connect to the speaker simultaneously and play music. Block parties are managed by a host who then has the ability to manage party members, change which device is currently playing to the speakers, adjust the volume and even eject other devices to allow new users to join.
Overall, the UE Boom 2 is an excellent Bluetooth speaker with a rugged design that can withstand daily abuse. Its $200 price tag puts it above many other options on the market, including Ultimate Ears’ own well-known UE Roll at half the price, which may give some potential customers pause. But long battery life, strong wireless range, and near-360-degree sound combined with water, dust, and drop resistance make it worth considering for those looking for a durable speaker on the go.
The UE Boom 2 speaker is priced at $199.99 through Ultimate Ears and is available in six colors: Cherrybomb (red), Tropical (orange), Yeti (white), Phantom (black), Greenmachine (green), and Brainfreeze (blue). Apple carries blue and black options both in stores and online at essentially the same price points.
