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Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 Wireless Speaker, Deep Bass, 360 ° Surround Sound, Waterproof, 2 Speaker Connection for Powerful Sound, 13h Battery, Black

£9.9£99Clearance
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Where Ultimate Ears has made a big fuss with this new speaker is the use of more environmentally friendly materials. The Wonderboom 3 uses “a minimum of” 31% post-consumer recycled plastic (i.e. plastic sourced from end-of-life electronics). The nod towards sustainability is always good to see, and it’s to UE’s credit that the speaker’s build quality is still of a high standard. Both versions of the Wonderboom are perfect for anyone seeking immersive audio and a wide soundstage. Durability winner: Tie (other than the recycled plastic, there aren’t any changes; I wouldn’t expect the recycled plastic to impact durability for the better or worse) As a well-designed portable Bluetooth speaker at this price level, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 certainly has its appeal, but it’s not the only – or the best – option worth considering now.

Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2, Portable Wireless Bluetooth Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2, Portable Wireless Bluetooth

Neither Wonderboom version discloses specifics about the size of the battery. However, the Wonderboom 2 is rated for 13 hours of use, while Wonderboom 3 improves on this slightly with a 14 hour rating.While sound quality is often tested in ideal conditions, it’s important to consider how the Wonderboom speakers perform in various real-world environments. From outdoor picnics to house parties and quiet indoor sessions, the use of these portable speakers isn’t limited to just one setting. In crowded environments like house parties, the speakers hold up reasonably well, but don’t expect them to compete with larger, more powerful sound systems. They’re loud enough to be heard over a crowd, but the sound can become distorted at higher volumes. It’s important to remember that these are still compact, portable speakers and their performance should be evaluated with that context in mind. The other bit of good news is that, thanks to its wraparound grille, the Wonderboom 2 boasts 360 degrees of sound, which means you get the same audio quality wherever you are in relation to the speaker. During testing, there wasn’t any noticeable difference in battery life. Having said that, the only way to be sure would be testing the products side-by-side for 14 hours with the exact same audio at the exact same volume. In full disclosure, I didn’t test it that closely — and I don’t intend to. As we mentioned earlier, the Wonderboom 2 has an IP67 rating, meaning it now brings with it dust resistance on top of last year’s IPX7 water resistance. You can also drop the speaker repeatedly from 5ft so it’s a speaker that can take a beating whether you’re hiking or at the pool.

UE Wonderboom 2 review: long battery, extra bass | What Hi-Fi?

We cue up an iPhone and listen to The Waking by Kurt Elling on Spotify Premium. The first thing to note is that the extra bass promised by UE is here, and it pays dividends in the mix. Elling’s voice is as forward as we’d expect, but thanks in part to that extra bass injection, it never dominates.The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 is a stereo portable speaker that comes equipped with two drivers and two passive radiators. Its driver diameter measures 40 millimeters, and it has a sensitivity of 86 dB. The speaker connects to devices wirelessly through Bluetooth technology, with a range of up to 33 meters. It does not have a 3.5 millimeter connector or AUX input. With music streaming from Apple Music and Tidal, the Wonderboom 3 delivers a cohesive, detailed and substantial sound that still impresses at this price. There’s an even balance to the tone, and the volume it emits from such petite dimensions is always surprising. It’s an enjoyable, crowd-pleasing listen. This speaker does not offer Wi-Fi, a 3.5mm connector, or an AUX input, which limits its compatibility with certain devices that rely on those connectivity options. However, the built-in Bluetooth functionality provides a versatile and easy-to-use wireless experience.

Wonderboom 2 — Ultimate Ears Support Getting Started With Wonderboom 2 — Ultimate Ears Support

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence. Rather than having to manually pair the speaker at start-up, the Wonderboom 3 basically automates the process. Software winner: Wonderboom 3 (Fast Pairing is great for Android users, and the bluetooth version seems to have been updated, which also slightly improves battery life) Although bluetooth versions aren’t disclosed by UE, the Wonderboom 3 promises additional bluetooth range (130 feet vs. 100 feet). During testing, there weren’t any observable distances. Once WONDERBOOM 2 is on and connected to your mobile device, just hit play to begin streaming your music.

The chord loop on the top of the Wonderboom 2 is now flat and slightly stretchier, too, with a little rubber slider in the middle which takes care of branding. That unmistakable yellow charger is sadly gone, in favour of a white cable, but it's still of the micro-USB variety. Other elements of the design are oh-so-familiar: there’s the stretchy rubber loop for hanging the speaker and the IP67 rating means the speaker is ultra-durable. Not only is it waterproof and can survive dust, sand and being dunked in water, but it will also float just like previous Wonderbooms. However, the above assumption is tough to confirm since Ultimate Ears doesn’t like publishing information about battery size or bluetooth version.

WONDERBOOM 2 vs Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 3 Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 vs Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 3

The Wonderboom 3 is incredibly easy to use from the second you get it out of the box. This is as straightforward as a Bluetooth speaker gets: simply power up and pair it with your device (it makes friendly noises to indicate its status). The connection is swift and stable. We used the Wonderboom 3 for nearly a month during testing in various settings, and we found that it reconnected to our phone every time automatically, instantly and without fail. Many portable speakers have “dead zones” where the audio sounds poor (or quiet). Usually, these zones occur when you are standing behind the speaker, or at a diagonal to the speaker, or if the speaker has a higher or lower elevation than your ears. With the Wonderboom, there really aren’t any dead zones — instead, the speaker sounds similar from almost any position in the room. My guess is that the battery is the same, and the additional 1 hour of battery life comes from an upgraded bluetooth version. Newer bluetooth versions tend to be more battery-friendly, so I would assume that is how UE plans on gaining an extra hour of function. Maximum volume was almost identical on the two speakers. And both sounded great at volumes up to 70%, and then started to distort above 80%.It's not all good news, though. Soundstage was a weak point of the original Wonderboom and it still is with the second generation. However, Ultimate Ears added the ability to play in true stereo if you pair another Wonderboom 2 where as the first gen could only link up to boost volume. The Wonderboom 2 is every bit as precise as the original five-star model, yet it delivers a weightier sound while losing none of the core musicality. The design on the top of the speaker has also been tweaked, with a circular button where the branding used to be – press this to ‘double up’ the sound by pairing two Wonderboom 2s. This feature was available in the original version, but has been upgraded so that pressing the central button on two new speakers means they now pair in stereo mode. You can still pair old and new Wonderboom models in mono (the older one doesn’t support stereo).

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