Overall this is a good portable unit if you wish to have a portable sound system with the convenience of Alexa/Amazon access. The unit is made very well, durable for the environment and being water proof is a nice touch. I really loved how they chose to protect the USB access point underneath with a screw and rubber cap. During my testing this was very durable and prevented any water from trying to get through. The Sound is good but not the top ranking like other portable sound units out there. However appears to last a good long time over moderate usage and charge is quick so thats a plus. My only concern is the Alexa software that you use to compliment this device, caused my Alexa to freeze to the point where I had to power cycle a few times. PROS - Good Sound Quality Plays Local Music Playlists or Streaming Music Service Waterproof Battery Quick Charging Portability Volume Keys Easily Accessible Position of the USB charge access point and durable cover CONS - Treble Sound Difficulty at High Pitches Non-Removable Battery Lack of Training Material / Learning Curve Alexa Software Can Cause Freezing, having to power cycle unit Software - When setting up Blast there is a small booklet advising to download "Ultimate Ears" on your Smartphone. Once installed you can connect via bluetooth to Blast to setup the WIFI connections. This software also allows you to check on the battery charge / status of the unit. Unfortunately that is the limit of what this software can do and there is no other guidance provided on how to use Blast. After long searching on the internet it appears Amazon has a smartphone application that compliments Alexa on Blast called "Amazon Alexa". This software is not 3rd party as the publisher is Amazon themselves. This software allows you to provide Alexa with "Skills". These skills that you set your Alexa with really helps takes full advantage of Blast. Unfortunately some skills even with being certified by Amazon can cause Alexa to stop responding. The Blast unit still plays the radio station / function you choose but is stuck at that trait. Only way to resolve is to power cycle the unit. I really enjoy using BLAST with the many "Skills" you can train your Alexa however wish there was a better quality check system in place for the approved Amazon Alexa Skills. Otherwise this is a really great product to listen to music locally from your playlist or streaming music service.

The UE Blast is quite simply one of the best sounding compact Bluetooth speakers on the market. It easily outperforms similarly priced speakers from the likes of Bose, Harman Kardon, and JBL. It produces a full range of tones without ever sounding tinny or flat. It is capable of producing impressive bass, and volume for its size. I replaced a Bluetooth speaker in my home that was nearly four times the size, without questioning whether or not the Blast could produce the same quality of sound. A unique advantage of this model is that it produces stereo sound as its speakers are multi-directionally positioned within the unit. Now as far as being a “smart” speaker, powered by Alexa...it falls short in a few areas. First and foremost, Alexa is connected through WiFi and only supports (and therefore only can control) Amazon Prime Music or Amazon Music Unlimited. That means that if you use Spotify, Apple Music, or another streaming service, you must connect through Bluetooth and therefore cannot utilize Alexa’s built-in controls. This also means that if you’re streaming music over Bluetooth, that you lose connectivity when Alexa is activated. The speaker cannot simultaneously connect to Bluetooth and WiFi, and is incapable of smartly switching between the two. Once you have activated Alexa you must manually reconnect and restart the music that you had been playing through Bluetooth. This is a huge inconvenience, and the speaker’s biggest downfall. Setup is fairly easy, but requires the Ultimate Ears app to be installed on your phone. The app itself is pretty basic, but even so still has some shortcomings. Once I set up the speaker once, I had to repair Bluetooth to my phone several times for no apparent reason, which was not easily done. Battery life is decent. Not nearly the 12 hours of playback that the materials quote though. Probably closer to 8 or 9. The unit itself is fairly attractive, made out of quality materials, and is fully dust and waterproof which is a must for a portable speaker. My only other complaint is that the charging port is on the bottom of the unit, so you cannot leave the speaker upright (its natural position) while charging. To do so, you would have to shell out $40 for the charging base for either the UE Blast or Megablast. Seems like an ill-conceived design or a way to gouge the customer on what is an already pricey product. If you’re just looking for a great Bluetooth speaker, this does a nice job, but you could probably find a cheaper non-“smart” option.

Great all around Bluetooth speaker ! R Duffey ...

This smart portable WiFi speaker is one of the greatest speaker I’ve own. The sound it’s great for a small compact size of this speaker. I’m amaze how long my speaker last charge without needed to be charge. This water proof speaker it’s great to take it to the beach or the pool. The only thing that I’ve trouble with was with the Alexa voice command , it will not take my command to play the music on my phone, it only plays music from Tune in, Amazon music, also this speaker comes with 3 months of free unlimited music from Amazon. The Alexa addition it’s nice but you most download the ultimate ears app and the Alexa app to have this speaker works correctly.

I received the Ultimate Ears Blast to test and review. I really like the presentation of this piece (especially the box! included in the picture). It is solid and feels very well built and being waterproof is cool. As a standalone Bluetooth speaker, this speaker is very nice. The sound quality is great but not spectacular (does get really loud though which is nice). I really think in today’s market to be a superior Bluetooth speaker you have to standout. They tried here but came up just a bit short. The waterproofing of this speaker makes up almost all that I found unique with it. I will use it a ton this summer but not sure how much otherwise. The app needs tweaking, I am fairly smart when comes to "Tech" but just to get this one up and running was a challenge. Nevertheless, I was able to get it paired and operational in a few minutes (I am hoping that maybe they are still working on the app). I have used other like and non like assistant products such as or similar to Alexa and found the responsiveness from this speaker to be slow or not at all; which required me repeating myself quite a bit. Again though, it did work and Alexa is a fun tool to have around. All in all, I would buy for the speaker aspect and having an Alexa is a plus but not as functional as I would have liked.