Ultimate Ears - BOOM 2 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker - Phantom

I wanted to get a portable travel speaker in addition to my home Sonos setup. Googling for ratings and reviews, I came up with UE Boom 2, JBL Charge 3 and Bose SoundLink Mini II as the frontrunners from nearly all reviewers. All 3 of these have very high ratings on Amazon both in the US and the UK, so the choice likely comes down to personal preferences. I decided against the Bose since it can’t pair with a second speaker for a stereo setup, is slightly older, doesn’t look as attractive (quite a dated look in fact) and the sound quality reviews do not put it above the other two. Then I couldn’t decide between the UE and JBL, so purchased both. I compared them side-by-side for a week with the following observations: 1) Batteries on both last for a ridiculously long time. Yes, JBL lasts longer, but the 15 hour battery on UE is a week of regular use. What other electronics do you charge so rarely? 2) Both speakers are very loud. Assuming you’re not hosting an actual dance party, it would be surprising for either to run out of volume. JBL stays composed all the way to the max, maybe keep UE one notch above the very max on the bass-heavy songs. 3) UE has crisper high and mid frequencies, while JBL has a deeper, bigger bass. It took me a week to decide that this constitutes a tie for me, but most people would likely prefer the bigger bass of the JBL. Also, UE gives you the 360 sound, which is quite neat: you can put it in the middle of the room rather than against a wall. This could work as an effective sound multiplier since you reduce the distance to people if using it in a group. I compared both to a single Sonos 1 speaker (much heavier and non-portable), and Sonos is significantly better across the entire frequency range than either UE or JBL. This is not to say that that UE or JBL produce low quality sound: they both sound surprisingly good for their size. My point is that we shouldn’t obsess with the sound quality comparison between the two because neither is close to being a reference sound device. 4) Size is important here. JBL is over 50% larger than the UE, which makes a huge difference. Please see the photos: the JBL is longer, wider and heavier than the UE. This was the main factor in declaring UE the winner by a good margin. The speakers are roughly tied before the size comes into play, and the UE is just a lot smaller. I am simply more likely to take it with me when travelling. 5) Other features. Both speakers are waterproof. Charge 3 will charge your phone, which is not exactly useless, but probably not a deciding feature. UE feels much sleeker design-wise, with fewer buttons and better symmetry. To summarize: JBL Charge 3 is a great speaker, worthy of a 5 star rating. However, for my preferences, UE Boom 2 was the clear winner given its much more compact size and neater design due to them being close to tied in other areas, including sound quality.

Researched thoroughly before buying. Read more reviews than I should have on bluetooth speakers under $200. Narrowed my search down to the UE Boom 2, JBL Charge 3, and Bose Mini II. Ruled out the Bose due to not waterproof, and I wanted waterproof for that night I forget it on the deck and it pours down raining. haha Also so many of the Boom 2 reviews compared the sound to Bose as equal or better. I went to store to listen and since they were spaced apart it was hard to really tell much. Discussed with the Best Buy sales person about reviews on the UE Boom 2, but I am also a fan of JBL. She said you have 15 days if you want to take the UE home and try it. If not happy bring it back and we will hook you up with the JBL. I immediately made the decision on the Boom 2. The bluetooth distance was impressive, the reviews on best buy were all so positive. (UE BOOM 2 was in the top 3 of every comparison reviews I read online.) Got it home, paired with my computer and phone. I simply could not be happier with the decision. Friends have the JBL and it is wonderful, but I think the Boom has a cleaner warm sound, especially at low volumes. I agree with the reviews that the JBL can go slightly louder and more bassy than the Boom 2, but that is okay because so far the only time I have turned the Boom 2 all the way up was to show it off. haha Personally I think the Boom 2 has great bass sound. Very clean not overloading the other instruments. I am so pleased with this product that I am already looking at buying a second one to pair in stereo. FYI had the UE Boom 2 not been on sale for $149, I probably would have chosen the JBL at $129 just because of the cost difference. Thank you Best Buy for having it on sale, because this speaker is perfect for my listening pleasure. PRO's - size, sound quality, bluetooth distance (one of the best), battery at average volume last for a long time, speaker phone you can be heard from several feet away from the speaker. CON's - No voice command for answering phone. Tapping feature could use some technology advancement. Per UE website it only works while in your hand slightly tilted, not if it is sitting on a table. In other words only if you hold and tap it just right. To sum up my review: I brought it to use with my phone for music on the deck. I have found I use it just as much in the house with my computer, and tote it with me often. I could not be happier with my purchase, I would buy again and have already been recommending to friends.

For some time I wanted to have a portable speaker system with Bluetooth. I have finally finished converting my 600 CD collection to Digital and am storing them on a Apple IMac Mini as a Music Server. I have loaded several hundred songs on my IPhone 6 and am using it to control the UE Boom 2 speaker. What a fantastic sound the unit puts out. It also has an EQ in the custom App setting which I continue to play with. But they have done the job right!!! One does not need to look anywhere else. Yes it retails for 2 bills however I got mine on sale at BestBuy for $149.99. What could be better, right? Remember, one gets what one pays for! So if you are cheap, then you will get cheap, tinny sound and features etc. I recommend that you pay a bit more and step up to the very best and buy the Boom 2. Remember, long after you have spent the money you will have to live with your choice. Go for the home run and step up to the UE Boom 2 and be done with it. BTW I think the Mega Boom is a bit much and somewhat overkill. Plus its a lot to lug around. The UE Boom 2 is the way to go. I have showed it around and compared it to other makes and models and the feedback is always the same....The UE Boom 2 is by far and away the best sounding and feature packed unit on the market. Everyone says how clear and clean the sound is and being a life-long Audiophile I agree with them. Don't wast your money, purchase the best...the UE Boom 2 Good luck with what ever you decide......

All of the hype is true!! This little speaker is the bomb!! I read the reviews and did some research and found out first hand that this speaker is worth the money. During my research I discovered that the UE brand is made by Legitech (and they make great sounding speakers). Don't let the small size fool you. I originally purchased the UE Boom and returned it for the UE Boom 2. The original Boom was nice but I wanted the Boom 2 because of the ability to submerge at least 3 feet in water and the shock proof (just in case I need it). The Boom 2 may be slightly louder but that's about it. I didn't notice any improved battery or bluetooth extension verses the Boom. I had two (borrowed another one) to try out the Double Up feature. It worked perfectly and sounded great in stereo (however, you need to have the same type matched/double up i.e. boom and boom, boom 2 with boom 2, etc.). I plan to buy a second one for the double up ability (one for each night stand, both sides of the backyard, etc.). I love the app that works perfectly from my phone, I like the DJ feature and spend hours enjoying music with friends taking turns playing our favorite songs. The battery gives you about 5 hours on midway but does not reach the claim of 15 hours as battery life is linked to volume, the louder you play it the shorter the battery. However, when played around midway, the battery can last for hours/days. This is well worth the money (even better when it's on sale). Since I purchased it a couple about two months ago, I don't leave home without it. It's small enough to take it everywhere, work, bathroom, backyard, car, friends house, etc. It's as easy and comfortable as having your phone in your hand. Try it for yourself, if you don't like it, Bestbuy will allow you to return it so you can try it risk free.

I've been using a Braven BRV-1 for the last three years. It doesn't seem as loud as it used to, I'm not sure if it's age, usage or the fact that I always leave it in my car unless it's charging (it's been left in my car for some -17 degree winter nights and some 90 degree summer days). Anyway, it was time for an upgrade. My friends have a UE Boom and I liked it so I decided to get a Boom 2. I love this speaker! I keep it in my car all the time. The stock stereo in my Xterra is too much of a hassle to replace so I use my Bluetooth speaker for music. The Boom 2 fits in the console just below radio like a glove. The alcove amplifies the already loud speaker so much you can hear it clearly outside the vehicle (that's not what I'm going for but I noticed it one day when I hopped out to run into 7-11). It also fits perfectly in a cup holder. I used to like the square shape of my Braven but now I'm discovering how much more I can do with the round shape of the UE Boom 2. I use my speaker for disc golf, hiking, snowboarding, and just hanging out around the campfire, hot tub, or patio. The round shape fits perfectly in the side water bottle pockets of my disc golf bag, Camelbak, and camping backpack. It's waterproof so it's great for tubing, the hot tub, or the pool. The app is great for setting the equalizer and seeing the battery level and when I connect it to my friend's Boom with the Party-Up mode the two of them are crazy loud! I can't imagine connecting 3 or 4 let alone 50! Great battery life, love the flat cable charger included. If you're looking for a great Bluetooth speaker check out the UE Boom 2, you won't be disappointed.

I picked up this speaker as my previous BT speaker was working, but could not a hold a charge. I also wanted something that could take a beating as I have kids and love to throw everything they can get their hands on. I can safely say that after 5 months having this speaker, it rocks. The pairing process is seamless and while I have not really used the app, i have not had any issues with it (though UE has issued 2 iOS updates since I bought it). The sound nothing short of amazing, especially when you consider the size of this speaker, it is BT, and is using a battery. I mainly use this on vacations for my kids music when they sleep, but since it is all weather, we took it on the 2 beach vacations we took this. The sand and water had not affect on the speaker what so ever. in fact, my kids buried it in the sand and we have dropped it more than a few times. The nit i have is with the charger. Is use a standard USB cable, but if you are not using the yellow one which it came with, I have noticed 2 things: (1) When it is fully charged, the charging light still blinks with the non-UE cable where as with the UE cable, the charging light will be solid; (2) while the charging port is a USB cable, the entry is quite small, so you have use a small USB cable that does not take much space. I have several and oddly enough, they were all too big, so I have been using the UE cable, but just something to know ahead of time. On one trip, i brought along another cable and it didn't fit, but thankfully it was fully charged and it lasted us the entire weekend.

-Great speaker with an even better discount. - Battery: I've had this speaker for a very short time so I can't say wether it has battery issues (read other comments and watched some videos of people complaining that the battery was awful). Til now it has worked great. - Sound: It's not the loudest or bass heavy speaker out there definitely, but it produces a very nice balanced sound overall. It gets really loud with minimal distortion, would recommend for a small to medium-sized room. -Compared to other speakers: Own a UE Megaboom and JBL Charge 3. The UE Megaboom produces the same balanced tone sound but being bigger in size it obviously sounds louder and has a heavier bass. The JBL Charge 3 is also bigger than the BOOM 2 (almost like the megaboom) and is definitely inclined to the bass response. -Portability: If you're looking for something that's on-the-go this is an easy choice. It's sturdy but not really heavy and it's size makes it easy to fit almost anywhere. Being water resistant is a great bonus if you plan to use it outdoors. -Price: Being that I got it on discount I can't really justify the price over other speakers. Regular pricing is higher than the JBL Charge 3 and cheaper than the Megaboom. -Music choice: I would recommend this speaker to someone who doesn't listen a lot of bass-heavy music, since it lacks in that department (get the Charge 3 or the megaboom if you can afford it instead). But, if you need something that has a very nice neutral sound, great portability, and is very well built this is a great option for you.

I would find myself eyeballing UE products every time I went into a Best Buy but wouldn't dare purchasing one because, to be honest, UE products are a bit overpriced. And yes, I could have bought a speaker and returned it within 15 days. But, is that a decent, realistic listening experience? No one wants to keep rotating speakers every 15 days. The BOOM 2 doesn't even sound good enough to justify its original price (came out at $199!). But, when I saw it on sale for just $99.99, I instantly got one and have been enjoying my purchase ever since. For a hundred bucks, this speaker is FANTASTIC. It doesn't shake the ground with bass, as it's physically not big enough to do so, and that's fine. I find it to have a pretty balanced sound signature; no too harsh in the highs and does a decent job with the lows at 50% volume (I rarely go higher as it enough to fill my dorm room). The fact that this thing blows out 360-degree is a bonus. The waterproofing is great; haven't had any issues yet. Seriously, get whichever model is on sale because, otherwise, if you have $179+ to spare, you're better off with a Bose speaker, since that thing will give you bass for days and all-around quality sound. But it ain't gonna be as durable as a BOOM 2, that's for sure.