Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3
£170
The portable Megaboom has always been designed for outdoor use – by the pool, at a festival, muddy camping and other adventurous activities – but for the the latest version of the speaker, the high-density fabric protecting has been reworked.
It’s now IP67 rated, which means it’s dustproof as well as waterproof (up to one metre of water for 30 minutes), and not only is it sturdy, it floats too. Like the Wonderboom, this third-gen Boom speaker can bob next to you in the pool – just don’t leave it in for too long.
The big strip that housed the giant volume buttons has been moved to the back, allowing the speakers’ 360-degree sound to be delivered more freely, and leaving a cleaner look, too.
In fact, the UE Megaboom 3 has a more sophisticated appearance overall, thanks to a flatter top panel and dual-tone finishes of the new fabric. It comes in Night (black), Sunset (red), Lagoon (blue) and Ultraviolet (purple) colours, with two Apple-exclusive Denim (deep blue) and Cloud (light blue) finishes too.
The speaker itself feels as chunky and indestructible as ever, but it’s still light enough to carry around in your backpack or just around the house. One of the banes of the older Booms and Megabooms – turning it upside down to plug the charging cable in underneath
– has finally been rectified. The charging port has been repositioned, so you can now charge the Megaboom 3 upright, as normal. Alternatively, you can dock it on a Power Up charging stand. At £35, it’s pricey, but nice to plonk the speaker on. The Megaboom 3 lasts 20 hours on a full charge – a decent amount, but unchanged from the previous generation.
New tricks
The redesigned “Magic Button” on top has learned some new tricks. You can play and pause songs with a single tap, skip tracks with a double tap, and, with a long press, summon a playlist.
That’s right, the speaker can play your favourite playlists without you having to reach for a smartphone. The Megaboom 3 doesn’t even need to be turned on; just connected to your device. You’ll need the accompanying Ultimate Ears app to set up multiple playlists, and you can also skip through them with more long presses. It’s a nice addition that gives you a slightly quicker access to your music without wasting a precious few seconds tapping away at your screen.
The new playlist feature is fun, but it does have limitations. There’s no Spotify, so if you’re an IOS user, you can import playlists only from Apple Music, while Android users have to use Deezer. Other staple Ultimate Ears features such as Partyup and Stereo can also be controlled through the free app. You can link up more than 150 Megabooms or Booms of any generation, for an almighty party, and you can pair up two for stereo mode. Its Bluetooth range has been increased from 30m to 45m, too. With Megaboom 3 boasting so many features, it’s easy to forget that it’s “just” a portable Bluetooth speaker. Thankfully, it sounds just as fun, punchy and capable as we’ve come to expect from Ultimate Ears products. It’s a hugely enthusiastic sound that favours excitement while still keeping an eye on balance.
The 360-degree dispersion of sound is impressive, easily filling a room. Push it too hard and you’ll clearly hear its limits, but the sound is satisfyingly solid, has well-defined edges, a great helping of detail, and a terrific sense of rhythm.
Blast from the past
The Megaboom 3 has been given a bass boost thanks to popular demand, with Ultimate Ears enhancing its passive radiator to give deeper bass. Sure enough, it sounds a lot bassier and punchier than its similarly priced stablemate, the Alexa-powered Megablast. Compared with the new speaker, the Megablast's treble sounds distinctively thinner and coarser, with the Megaboom 3 filling in the lower midrange to make it a weightier, smoother listen.
Basslines are deeper, drive the song with more momentum and grip, and that solidity runs through the entire frequency range. It can sound a touch thick thanks to the added bass weight – in some tracks, voices could sound cleaner – but overall the Megaboom 3 is a more enjoyable and easier listen.
At its price of £170, there really isn’t much to rival it. While the Audio Pro Addon T3 is a more nuanced, refined listen, its boxy, more domestic design will attract a different audience from the rugged Megaboom 3.
There’s no shortage of weatherproof portable speakers, but Ultimate Ears has carved out a niche by combining great design and fun features with an entertaining sound. The Megaboom 3’s new playlist features, sleeker design and improved sound are definitely worth seeking out.