Categories: Techno

Test and review of the new Everboom speaker from Ultimate Ears

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A respected brand in the field of portable audio, Ultimate Ears has shared for several years with JBL the role of leader in the sector of portable outdoor speakers. However, the brand's latest products have struggled to achieve complete unanimous approval. This was particularly the case with the Wonderboom 3, but especially with the Epicboom, a plush model made official in September 2023 at a price of 380 euros.

Revengeful, the Swiss manufacturer decided to return to business just before the summer by completely renewing its catalog. The most iconic models have moved up a gear (Wonderboom 4, Boom 4 and Megaboom 4), while a brand new model has appeared, the Everboom.

Coming in just below the Epicboom, this new speaker aims to combine robustness, ease of use and sound power. Is the Everboom allowing Ultimate Ears to get back on the road to portable audio with conviction ? Here is our answer after several weeks of wandering around with it.

The Everboom from Ultimate Ears Everboom has been available since the end of June 2024 for a price of €270. This Bluetooth speaker comes in two colors: charcoal black and blue.

Unlike models like the Wonderboom 4, the Beats Pill or the Sony ULT Field 1, the Everboom is more of a portable speaker than an ultra-portable product. By that, understand that it will not fit in your pocket, but rather in your bag.

Both slender and slim, the Everboom has a relatively appreciable size for its category. Be careful, this does not mean that it is a featherweight (205 x 110 x 85 mm for 960 grams) and that it will be easy to use with one hand. Let's say instead that it has managed to lighten up compared to its elder, the Epicboom, which reached almost 2 kg.

In terms of finish and build quality, the Everboom is an Ultimate Ears speaker all spat. A thick silicone coating takes place on the base and the top, while the famous mesh fabric of the manufacturer dresses the center.

Undeniably, she looks like all her sisters. She exudes robustness and fully embraces her adventurer soul. Certified IP67, it is not afraid of dust or falls from a height of one meter and its USB-C port is cleverly protected by a notch. In addition to being waterproof, it is capable of floating. Obviously, used in this way, the speaker will not deliver the most optimal sound reproduction.

Easy to use, even for the first time, Ultimate Ears speakers have always enjoyed impeccable ergonomics. On the front, we therefore unsurprisingly find the manufacturer's aesthetic signature: its large volume buttons.

The other three buttons available on the top of the speaker share the rest of the possible and expected actions. Play and pause, pairing, power on, navigation between tracks, nothing is missing and everything will be done according to the number of presses.

To complete these complaints, it is also possible to activate a “Plein Air” mode, which will mechanically reinforce the bass, and to have access to the “Magic Button” function. The latter allows you to launch a playlist or an album from Apple Music, Spotify or Amazon Music. Beforehand, it will have This choice had to be predefined within the dedicated UE Boom application.

Aesthetically refined, the latter is not overflowing with options, but has the merit of offering the main ones. Namely a five-band equalizer, pre-recorded listening profiles and the ability to deactivate sound indications. Still as gimmicky as it is fanciful, the “Megaphone” mode is still there. Thanks to it, your smartphone then transforms into a microphone in order to make an announcement to your audience.

The only connection available, USB-C is only present to recharge the speaker. No audio via this port, nor a jack, everything is done via Bluetooth. In addition, no quick pairing via Google Fast Pair is available, as is multipoint and reverse charging, which are absent.

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For a speaker sold at this price, these shortcomings are clearly damaging. Especially since unlike JBL, which has taken the step of Bluetooth LE Audio on its latest models, Ultimate Ears is turning its back on modernity somewhat by depriving itself of Auracast technology.

To increase the decibels, the manufacturer prefers to continue to rely on its proprietary PartyUp solution< /strong>. With the latter, it is possible to pair several Ultimate Ears speakers in mono. This can be a different model and/or an older one. Of course, it is useful, but this functionality remains proprietary. With Auracast, the pairing possibilities would have been much more extensive, since it is accessible to all products with this technology.

Like other manufacturers, Ultimate Ears likes to play on the ambiguity of the marketing term “360° sound”. Technically, this is inaccurate. The Everboom has a wide-range speaker and a passive radiator on each side. In other words, a technical base that does not allow it to access this sound privilege.

Certainly, the stereo scene is extended and some lateral effects can be felt. However, despite a relatively enveloping listening experience, the latest from Ultimate Ears does not offer a 360° acoustic experience. Once this truth has been reestablished, let's take a look at another particularity of the speaker.

Despite the absence of a speaker specifically dedicated to bass, the Everboom offers a good foundation in this register. Unlike many speakers that would fall into an exaggerated “boomy”, this adventurer perfectly manages its increase in power.

As a result, rap and electro playlists benefit from a good level of precision. And above all, the Everboom has reserve. With only 50% of the volume, it is largely possible to provide sound for a group of friends of around ten people outdoors.

The rest of the spectrum is expertly treatedsince it is slightly ascending. The midrange enjoys a nice balance, the voices are sufficiently intelligible, while most of the instrument departures are clearly identifiable. Far from being erased, the highs never fall into excess or acidity. However, the absence of a tweeter on the front logically penalizes them. They lack precision which has the effect of not airing the listening too much.

In the end, the Everboom is much more balanced and dynamic than its big sister the Epicboom, a much more expensive product. However, it retains the same ambiguity. The quality of listening will strongly depend on your position. From the front, the rendering will be more coherent, while close to the sides, the impression of a stereophonic scene will disappear somewhat.

More than any other product, Bluetooth speakers can have quite significant variations in battery life depending on the volume. Even if the difference sometimes seems minimal. Sometimes between listening at 50% or 60%, the endurance can melt like snow in the sun. Therefore, when the manufacturer announced an ambitious battery life of 20 hours, we wanted to know the test conditions.

It was obtained with a default volume of 42%. To evaluate the autonomy of the Everboom, We used the speaker for an entire afternoon and evening with the volume at 50%. That's about 10 hours in total. At the end, the Everboom showed a small 55% battery.

Although battery energy loss is not an exact science, the autonomy announced by the manufacturer seems to be on target. A solid score that will allow you to take the Everboom for a whole festive weekend without fear of running out of battery. And if that's the case, know that it takes about 1h30 to get it back to half its strength.

Eager to make up for an average Epicboom, Ultimate Ears is making a strong comeback in the portable speaker sector. With a more acceptable price positioning, the new Everboom ticks all the boxes of the adventurer speaker. Robust, well-designed and waterproof, it has a solid autonomy and its ergonomics are almost perfect.

Despite its promise of 360° sound, which is not technically possible, its sound reproduction is powerful, dynamic and balanced. The scene is wide enough for it to fulfill its role wonderfully: providing sound for small impromptu evenings or afternoons with friends.

It's a shame that Ultimate Ears ignores certain features. We are thinking in particular of multipoint, reverse charging, Auracast technology, Fast Pair connection or even audio playback via USB-C. This is the only major flaw of this Everboom. Especially for its price.

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Teilor Stone

Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116