Ultimate Ears has a history of making loud, rugged, portable Bluetooth speakers with features that simplify the listening experience. Their devices have always been among the best, with features like a party mode that supports over 100 speakers simultaneously and the ability to remotely power off the unit with your smartphone. UE’s new option, the Everboom ($250), sits in the middle of the lineup in terms of size and power. Ultimate Ears’ convenient features are back, but so is the company’s lack of clarity and fidelity.
Ultimate Years
Small enough to carry around, yet loud enough to get the party going, the Everboom ticks many boxes you’d want in a UE speaker.
Pros Rugged and waterproof 20-hour battery life Great features True 360-degree sound Cons Lack of midrange in audio profile Expensive for a speaker this size No AUX port Playlist functionality limited to two services $250 on Amazon
design
The Everboom is slightly smaller than the middle of Ultimate Ears’ Bluetooth speaker lineup, with the compact Wonderboom and cylindrical Boom 4 and Megaboom 4 being the smaller options, while the Epicboom and Hyperboom are larger. The Megaboom 4 is actually taller than the Everboom, but the latter is wider, making it larger overall.
Cosmetically, the Everboom is most similar to the Epicboom. It’s oval-cylindrical with a rubber base. The only difference between the two, other than size, is that the Epicboom has a strap on the back, while the Everboom has a loop. Use the included carabiner, or opt for a clip or hook. And like all recent UE speakers, large “+” and “-” buttons are part of the look, with volume controls located on the front of the speaker. On top, you’ll find buttons for power, Bluetooth, Outdoor Boost, and play/pause. The last control also lets you skip tracks with a double press (forward) or triple press (back).
Like most of UE’s recent speakers, the Everboom is plenty tough. Rated IP67, the unit can survive being completely submerged in water, but you don’t need to worry, as it floats. UE emphasized this in its announcement, but it’s worth pointing out that the Wonderboom also floats. The company says that the Everboom has been drop-tested from heights of up to one meter (about three feet), so the occasional trip shouldn’t be a problem beyond a few scrapes and scratches.
UE Boom Apps and Features
Billy Steele (Engadget)
To use the Everboom’s advanced features, you’ll need to access them through the UE Boom app. Once you’ve plugged in the speaker, the main interface displays battery status above controls for power, Outdoor Boost and megaphone tools. There’s also a volume slider, media player, and tabs for PartyUp and EQ. Megaphone lets you make announcements using your phone’s microphone. Partyup is Ultimate Ears’ name for pairing multiple speakers. You can sync up to 150 units on the same setup, provided they’re Boom, Megaboom, Epicboom or Hyperboom models.
Digging deeper into the advanced settings menu, you’ll find even more useful tools. You have the option to add playlists from Amazon Music or Apple Music, which you can start directly from the Everboom’s play/pause button (long press). You can add as many playlists as you like and play them on repeat without having to take out your phone. You can also access your playlists from the in-app media player while playing one of your collections.
There are a few other things in the settings: you can enable the so-called Sticky PartyUp to keep your speakers grouped together even if you change locations, and you can also disable the ability for others to add your device to a PartyUp arrangement. Bluetooth standby is on by default and is how the app remotely switches your speakers on and off; however, this has an impact on battery life, so the app gives you the option to disable it to extend playback time.
Sound quality
Billy Steele (Engadget)
One of the best things about the Everboom is that the driver placement allows sound to travel 360 degrees. If you’re sitting next to the device, you can hear the music clearly, but the tuning favors treble over bass. My main complaint with Ultimate Ears speakers is that it’s always felt like the company prioritizes volume over fidelity. Speakers generally sound good, and the Everboom is no different, but they lack the overall depth and detail that other Bluetooth speakers have.
Songs feel consistently compressed, and despite punchy highs and rumbling lows, there’s a noticeable lack of midrange. The bluegrass tunes of Nickel Creek and the open, atmospheric instrumentals of Phantogram’s “Come Alive” lack clarity throughout. Vocals always sound clear, but the soundstage is limited to the extremes of high and low frequencies. Saosin’s Live From The Garden Amphitheater is one of the best-sounding live albums I can remember, but Everboom’s lack of tuning dynamics stifles the energy of the show.
Of the EQ presets, only Bass Boost improves sound quality, but not dramatically. Unlike most bass-heavy profiles, it doesn’t further muddy the audio quality, though in some genres, such as Balance and Composure’s brooding alternative rock, the added bass can make constant rhythmic bass lines harsh.
In large open spaces, Outdoor Boost helps improve your listening experience. The company says it only raises the volume by one decibel (from 90dB to 91dB) and that’s it. However, when you enable the feature indoors, you’ll also notice a slight change in tuning. Meanwhile, outdoors, you’ll notice the sound is slightly louder and carries better. This feature makes a noticeable difference once you get out of a tight space and solves the issues that usually come up when using Bluetooth speakers outdoors.
Battery life
Billy Steele (Engadget)
The Everboom has enough power to keep you listening to your music for a long time. Ultimate Ears promises up to 20 hours on a single charge, which is enough time for a full day of music listening. After testing, I can confidently say the speaker will perform better than that, unless you use it at full volume for hours (you won’t, trust me). After 12 hours, the UE app said the battery was at 70%. These tests were mostly done indoors, and around 40% volume is plenty loud. I also didn’t notice that the Bluetooth standby mode that the app uses to turn on the speaker had any impact on battery life like the company warns.
Competitors
As mentioned, there are plenty of alternatives in the Ultimate Ears lineup if you want similar features in a slightly different package, but my pick for a speaker of this price and size is the Marshall Middleton ($250), our pick from the Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers list. It’s currently available for the same price as the Everboom, and it offers some handy features that the UE speaker doesn’t.
Firstly, there’s a joystick control knob on top that gives you a visual indication of the battery and volume level. You can also adjust bass and treble on the device, and there’s a 3.5mm jack for wired input. Of course, it has all the iconic Marshall guitar amp style, and a stack mode allows you to use multiple units for a more robust setup. The Middleton is IP67 waterproof and offers 20 hours of battery life; both of these specs are the same as the Everboom.
Also, don’t miss the new Beats Pill ($150). It’s a small speaker, sure, but it still packs a big punch. Bass performance varies by album and genre, but overall it produces great bass from a compact unit. Plus, the angled drivers project sound better than previous versions, and you can listen to lossless tunes with the wired USB-C connection. And perhaps best of all, it’ll save you $100.
summary
While Ultimate Ears is usually a solid choice for the price, it’s the company’s smaller speakers that offer the most value. The mid-sized Everboom takes UE’s best features and puts them in a new design, while still maintaining strong dust, moisture and drop protection. All that convenience is offset by a deafeningly loud sound profile that lacks refinement for detailed, immersive listening. For all of the punchy highs and deep bass, the overall sound effect is muddy and bland due to the lack of midrange. Still, the fact that the speaker floats and the dedicated outdoor sound boost make this a good option for adventures. And it will definitely irritate people at your next campsite.
1 / 12
Ultimate Ears Everboom review
The Everboom is built for adventure.
