Ue 984-000551 Boom 2 Phantom Wireless Bluetooth Speaker/speakerphone Review

The UE BOOM line of speakers is one of those products that e'er ends up on a wish list. They're waterproof, accept a bottle-shaped design, become loud, and wirelessly accuse with a dock. Well, at least the newest Nail 3 does. Then what about the previous model, the UE BOOM ii? Is it withal worth picking up now that the Boom iii is around, or should yous just driblet the extra greenbacks for the latest and greatest?

The UE BOOM 2 is technically discontinued, simply you can nonetheless find it for sale in some locations if you make up one's mind it'southward the speaker for y'all.

Editor's note: this UE BOOM 2 review was updated on December 2, 2021, to mention the availability of the UE Blast ii update the Alternatives section.

Who should get the UE Smash two?

• Anyone listening to music exterior. Whether you're going to the beach, on a hike, or just hanging out poolside, the UE Blast two is a good choice considering of the IPX7 waterproof design.
• Someone looking for a deal. While the $130 price tag isn't exactly cheap, it's a bit cheaper than the newest option and is withal a great pick-up.
• Information technology makes a good souvenir. Some people but can't take prissy things, but luckily the UE BOOM 2 is a pretty tough speaker that can take a beating. If y'all're looking to gift someone you know a Bluetooth speaker, you lot can't become incorrect with ane of these.

How'due south the build quality of the UE Blast 2?

UE does plenty of collaborations with artists for limited edition speakers, and this one is past James Reka.

We're looking at the "Lost Fourth dimension" special edition speaker by James Reka, only whichever ane you get volition have the same build and design merely with a different color fabric. Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the original UE Boom will find this 1 very familiar. In fact, it'southward almost identical to the original. A material covering surrounds the speaker relieve for the plastic that makes up the height, lesser, and front end of the speaker. On the front is also where you'll detect the signature UE Smash + and – buttons that control volume.

Start here: What makes a practiced Bluetooth speaker?

The rubberized plastic gives it a great grip and the fabric covering makes this 1 IPX7 waterproof, giving information technology a one-up on the original which just had an IPX4 certification. This means that instead of being just splash-resistant, information technology's entirely waterproof and tin exist submerged for upward to 30 minutes at a depth of one meter. Naturally, this at present makes it perfect if you want to bring information technology to the beach or a puddle party. It also gives the speaker a more durable feel and even though information technology doesn't look it, it survived a few drops with non even a scratch.

The unique + and – sign buttons are still prominently displayed along the forepart of the speaker.

Up tiptop, you'll notice the power button and some other smaller push button in a higher place that which is the Bluetooth pairing push. The bottom of the speaker has 2 flaps that are flush with the speaker, but open up to reveal the micro USB input for charging and the 3.5mm input. At that place'due south too a pocket-sized metal claw on the bottom then you can attach a string or carabiner clip to it. It looks flimsy at showtime glance but it is really fairly strong and should be fine for average usage.

The cylindrical design puts information technology at virtually the size of a tin can of tennis balls, except style thinner. Information technology'southward not big and you shouldn't accept a problem tossing information technology in a pocketbook for ship, but information technology just seems a little likewise tall. I would've definitely enjoyed it more than if it was maybe an inch shorter than information technology is, only that could merely be my personal preference. Even though it fits nicely in the paw, its height just makes it a little bad-mannered in my stance.

How'south the connexion strength of the UE Boom two?

Connection strength is adequately standard for this speaker, and I experienced minimal issues unless testing range.

As far as connection goes these never had a dropped signal in boilerplate usage. UE claims a range of 100 feet but when we actually put this to the test we couldn't get past around 60 feet without the signal being dropped completely, and that was in a wide-open space with nothing in the fashion. Still, that's very impressive and likewise that, the speaker was never more than than 30 anxiety abroad from me resulting in no dropped sound.

Should you get the Nail and MEGABOOM app?

The best function of the BOOM two when information technology comes to its connection is the extra features that you become when using the app. The app shows you a smaller cartoon version of your exact speaker and lets you raise or lower the book by clicking on the + and – signs on the drawing version. Y'all tin can even ability the speaker on and off in the app which is actually really useful in do. You lot can besides tell how much bombardment life is left in the speaker, pair a second UE speaker for double the sound, fix alarms, and customize the sound with EQ settings all in the app.

How long does the UE Boom two battery final?

In our testing, we got close to 12 hours of constant playback for the UE Boom ii.

Like the original Blast, UE claims a battery life of fifteen hours but too like the original it fails to live up to that expectation. In our testing, we got closer to 12 hours which is still decent but nonetheless pretty far off from the claim. We would've liked for them to up the battery life since something similar the JBL Flip 3 gets almost 10 hours and isn't as big. But I guess that's just me being critical since 12 hours is nevertheless going to get you through a solid solar day at the embankment. If you need to bank check how much battery life is left you lot can just hold the + and – buttons downwardly at the same time and it'll tell you which is a handy feature.

How does the UE Smash 2 sound?

The UE BOOM two sound can be tweaked via the EQ app.

You can change the sound with the EQ settings in the app and I was able to customize a setting that fabricated the speaker sound way better in my opinion, so yous tin mess around with it to your wildest fancy. However, we did all of our testing on the "standard" EQ setting.

You can customize the audio signature of the UE BOOM 2 in the UE app.

The bass is at that place, but it doesn't go as low equally most people might desire. Bass kicks in Feel No Ways by Drake are lacking a lot of their depth and experience more similar they'd prefer to exist a part of the mids. Mids were a lilliputian fuzzy overall. Vocals in Got Information technology Bad past Leisure weren't overly clear, but they were amplified over other elements of the song. Highs were very slightly harsh but not enough to be a bother. The how-do-you-do-hats and crashes in the drums of Seed 2.0 by The Roots lost a good amount of detail overall and were a lilliputian too loud for my taste.

What almost the UE Smash 3?

Information technology may not exist the all-time-sounding speaker, but the UE BOOM 3 nonetheless gets plenty loud.

The UE Nail three solved many of the issues that I previously had with the UE BOOM ii but not all of them. Nothing about it was drastically changed, just tweaked. The shape was slimmed down to be virtually exactly the size of an boilerplate h2o bottle making it super portable, it had an improved IP67 build with the ability to float in deep water, and information technology all the same got loud. The problem was that battery life took a pretty significant hit and instead of getting meliorate, appeared to get worse in our testing. Overall, the UE Blast three is definitely an comeback over the BOOM ii, merely just barely.

Should y'all buy the UE Blast ii?

The UE BOOM three is a better UE BOOM speaker than the Nail 2, and it can often be found discounted through various vendors. If y'all really like the Blast series, then the BOOM 3 has a meliorate build, is more portable, and has a longer range to boot. The UE BOOM 2 is also technically discontinued, so even Ultimate Ears thinks it'southward outdated.

UE Blast two

All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. Prices may modify over time, and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, equally they vary greatly past currency.

What should you get instead of the UE Smash 2?

if you look exterior of the UE brand, in that location are plenty of options available that are better than the UE Blast 2. For example, there's the JBL Flip 5 which is smaller, sounds amend, and but equally portable, though admittedly it doesn't float so if you drib it overboard it's a goner. If yous desire quality speakers but don't want to break the depository financial institution, check out our list of all-time Bluetooth speakers under $100.

The speaker isn't pocket-sized at around v.9kg (13 pounds), but it does have a handy handle.

If y'all're looking into a UE speaker considering summer is on the style and you desire a good speaker to assist keep your political party going, and so you might want to check out the UE HYPERBOOM. While it's fabricated by the aforementioned company, it'south the complete contrary of the UE BOOM two, in a proficient way. Where the UE Blast 2 is small and portable, this speaker is huge and much less portable. But with that large size comes big sound and a agglomeration of nifty features designed specifically for parties (similar the option to pair a second telephone to the speaker without disrupting or pausing the music). Information technology's also waterproof and has long bombardment life. While it'south much more than expensive, it might be what y'all demand.

Side by side: Ultimate Bluetooth speaker guide

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Source: https://www.soundguys.com/ue-boom-2-review-8795/

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