SPEAKERS
90 NOVEMBER 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 381
THEUEBOOM2was an instant classic: this
distinctively cylindrical Bluetooth speaker
was built with IPX7 waterproofing, looked
fantastic and sounded excellent, all of which
set it apart from its competitors. It’s taken a
fewyears and afew spinoffdevices, such as
the Wonderboom and Megaboom series, but
now there’s atrue successor in the Boom 3.
It’s even more stylish than the Boom 2.
The knitted fabric mesh that wraps around
the speaker has amuch finer weave than
before,and it has anatty two-tone colour
that shifts under bright ambient light.
At the front of the Boom 3are two large,
stylised plus and minus buttons to adjust the
volume.Spin it around and you’ll see asmall
fabric loop that allows you to hang it up.
There’s no metal D-ring any more,asonthe
UE Boom 2, but the speaker can be charged
by popping it on the optional charging dock;
this is sold separately for£35.
If you don’t want to spend extra, you can
charge via Micro USB; there’s aport located
under the rubber flap at the rear.It’s good
to see that this has been moved from the
underside (as the Boom 2’s Micro USB port
was) to the side,asthis allows you to charge
the speaker while listening to it.
SUPER GROUP
At the topofthe UE Boom 3are three
buttons, including the power
switch and aPartyUp button,
which allows you to daisy-
chain up to 150 UE Boom and
Megaboom speakers together,
including older models. Even if
you don’t somehow own 150
Bluetooth speakers, as long
as you have just two Boom 3
units, you can also run them
as astereo pair.
The third button is the
Boom 3’s newly added
‘Magic Button’. In addition to
the play, pause and skip
controls, this allows you to
access up to four of your
Apple Music or Deezer
playlists, set via the UE app,
with more supported services
promised later this year.
As forits size,the Boom 3
is 184mm tall with a73mm
diameter.With these
dimensions and aweight of
just 608g, it’s pretty easy to
carry around –much more so
than the JBL Xtreme 2.
UE Boom3
★★★★★
£99•From http://www.ʱoʗnʺȝwʡͭ.com
VERDICT
TheBoom3looksgood,soundsgreat,andis
sowellwaterproofedthatitcanfloat
The Boom 3connects through Bluetooth
using the SBC codec. Yetanother
improvement over the Boom 2isrange: the
Boom 3can be placed 45 metres awayfrom
its Bluetooth source,upfrom 30 metres.
Better still, you can connect the Boom 3to
eight different sources, two of which can be
used simultaneously.The battery lasts a
healthy 15 hours, and takes around two
hours to charge to full from empty.
On aslightly more dour note, there’s no
sign of the higher-quality aptX codec, and
UE has also ditched the 3.5mm aux-in port
in favour of asleeker design.
SPLASH OUT
Weather resistance has long been astaple
of UE’s wireless speakers, and the Boom 3
is no different. It’s rated at IP67,which means
that it’s both dust-and water-resistant, the
latter to adepth of up to ametre in fresh
water forupto20minutes.
There’s another new addition here,and
that’s the Boom 3’s ability to float. This is a
handy,ifsituational, feature shared by the
Wonderboom 2, and we’re glad to see it
replicated on the Boom 3. It helps prevent
water damage by keeping the speaker near
the surface should it be accidentally knocked
intoapool or lake.
As farassound quality goes, the speaker
has the same frequency range
as before (90Hz to 20kHz)
and amaximum volume level
of 90dBA. Producing this
audio are two 2in drivers and
apair of 4in passive radiators.
Sonically,it’s identical to the
Boom 2, so if you liked the
fun sound signature of its
predecessor,you’ll love the
sound of the Boom 3, too.
Specifically,the Boom 3
has apronounced mid-bass
slam, which is both controlled
and precise.Itisn’t
overpowering, so the speaker
doesn’t sound like abassy
mess, but it doesn’t reach
right down intothe very
lowest notes, either.It’s
noticeably worse in this
department than the larger
Megaboom, which is able to
extend down to 60Hz.
The mids are slightly
pushed back and recessed,
too, but that’s not to saythe
Boom 3sounds bad. In fact,
it creates asomewhat warm sound profile,
which is ideal formainstream music.
The highs roll off at the topend, which
createasoftish sound. There is atrade-offfor
this: in some songs, the instrumentals aren’t
as sharply detailed as theycould be.
The Boom 3also has a360° sound that’s
big enough forsmall outdoor gatherings or a
medium-sized living room. The speaker’s
instrument separation is impressive,too.
Altogether,it’s apretty good performer
forboth its size and its price –the
Wonderboom 3ischeaper but doesn’t
sound as good in the mid-range,while the
JBL Xtreme 2manages more balanced audio
but is farmore expensive.
ONALL CYLINDERS
Saveforthemissing3.5mmport,theBoom3is
acomprehensive improvement on what came
before.It’s better-looking and more durable
than the Boom 2, while remaining highly
portable and retaining an attractive price.
There’s no smart speaker functionality,as
you get with the Amazon Alexa-powered
Megablast, but this is the only significant
wayinwhich the Boom 3isinferior.Ifyou’re
not interested in smart speakers and want
something that can float, get the Boom 3.
