The portable wireless speaker market is packed with brands offering the latest creations such as House of Marley, Cleer Audio, JBL & Edifier all competing in this space. In this review, we focus on the brand Ultimate Ears which sent us the Wonderboom 3 which is their latest portable Bluetooth speaker.
Who are Ultimate Ears?
Ultimate Eats started back in 1995 in California with a mission to create products that really stood out and their journey to create innovation to their products including monitors, earbuds and a range of speakers has given them an army of fans including Sam Smith, Rita Ora & Sir Paul McCartney.
The new range of the Wonderboom 3, Boom 3, Megaboom 3 and Hyperboom all come with 360° sound. The products are all made from Military grade fabrics that prevent damage from water, and dust and are designed for extreme performance.
First Impressions
The Wonderboom 3 is the upgrade on the previous Wonderboom 2 which was an award-winning Bluetooth speaker so when the Wonderboom 3 arrived on the scene we wanted to see how they could make it even better.
The key differences are longer battery life, extended Bluetooth range and the use of eco-friendly materials. The Wonderboom 3 comes in 4 different colours:
- Active Black
- Performance Blue
- Hyper Pink
- Joyous bright (Grey)
The Wonderboom 3 currently costs £89.99 and falls in that under £100 range of the market. If you compare this to the likes of the JBL Flip 6 @ £99 or the Cleer Scene @ £99 you can see the Wonderboom 3 is competitively priced.
Build/Design
If you are someone who has followed this brand for a while you will notice design wise the Wonderboom 3 and the previous Wonderboom 2 are identical. If this is your first time checking out this brand this speaker is a portable wireless Bluetooth speaker measuring 104 x 95.3mm and placed on the scales it’s only 420g.
This makes this speaker perfect to take with you on the go for a day out or simply have in the garden. The speaker also comes IP67 rated so it will be able to handle being outdoors as it’s completely waterproof.
What makes this speaker stand out from the previous model is the fact it’s made from 31% of post-consumer recycled plastic. This is a real benefit for trying to save the planet and the Ultimate Ears’ move to be sustainable.
Looking at the other factors of the design a big question appears around the use of the micro USB cable and charging port which is covered by a rubber cover to protect the port. Now the market as a whole has used USB-C for some time and the use of the micro USB feels a little dated.
The Wonderboom 2 as mentioned is identical to the previous model so it will not come as a surprise to see the rubber loop for hanging the speaker.
The speaker has a rubber top and bottom with the large plus and minus shown in the middle of the speaker which is the volume controls. The top of the speaker keeps things simple with 3 buttons – A power button, a Bluetooth pairing button and a multifunction button that provides:
- Play/Pause
- Skip track
- Double up
The speaker uses Bluetooth 5.1 and in testing, we found the connection to be stable regardless of where we were and every time we connected it the speaker paired automatically. The range was an impressive 40m which is also useful if you bought a second and created that stereo sound.
The Wonderboom 3 does not provide a way to use voice assistant and there is no need for an app either they have kept the controls very simple. What you are provided with is outdoor mode which can be controlled by the button at the base but more on that shortly.
Battery Life
The Wonderboom 3 has increased in battery compared to the Wonderboom 2 in that you now have 14 hours of battery life. What this meant for us is in charging you only needed to charge this once a fortnight.
There is a downside the use of micro USB means no fast charging capability so when it’s time to charge this will take 2.5 hours via the micro-USB Port covered by rubber protection to support that IP67 rating.
Getting the battery status by pressing the large volume buttons that play a different tone depending on the battery level. This was just annoying a battery indicator would have been much better to have.
Features
The Wonderboom 3 provides the outdoor boost mode what this does is reduces the level of bass so the mids and highs can be heard more clearly outside.
The other feature is the double-up mode that allows you to pair a second Wonderboom 3 to create a stereo mode. ( Something to consider the Wonderboom 3 won’t pair with the Wonderboom 2)
Sound Quality
The most important part of any Bluetooth speaker review is how does it sound? Well, the Wonderboom 3 comes with a 360-degree sound delivery via 2x 40mm active drivers and twin passive radiators.
What this means to the user is a loud and detailed sound that will impress you. There is a balance to the tone and the volume from such a small speaker is surprising the only other speaker I have seen do something similar is the Gravastar Venus speaker.
The Wonderboom 3 (Left) & Gravastar Venus (Right) both provide a similar soundstage
The sound profile is dynamic and spacious and offers much more detail. When testing this with “Kate Bush’s – Running up that hill” the bass is deeper and more focus is made on the instruments used in the song. This just provides a more full-bodied presentation of the song and the all-important vocals sound crystal clear.
Here is an example of the speaker in action:
Verdict
The Wonderboom 3 at the price point it sits in at under £100 provides a very competitive audio performance. Ultimate ears have not made dramatic changes but the subtle changes it has made improvements compared to the previous model. The sound is better and the battery and Bluetooth range has also been improved.
If you are looking for an affordable, long-lasting, Stylish and loud Bluetooth speaker the Wonderboom 3 is well-designed and will pack the punch you are looking for especially when it comes to the overall sound.
A great speaker to consider with summer just around the corner.
Product Rating
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Battery Life: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Features: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Sound Quality: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 4.8 out of 5.0 stars – 4.8-star rating
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