Use the speaker at home or bring it outside to rock out under the sun. Traditional EQ preset modes like Bass Boost and Podcast are also available through the companion app. However, Adaptive EQ is just one of this speaker's many sound customization features.Īdditionally, you can manually adjust the speaker's performance using its graphic EQ. Like most premium speakers on the market, there's even a room correction feature that automatically optimizes its audio reproduction based on the unique acoustic characteristics of your room. Voices and lead instruments are also clear in the mix, so it's suitable for many other genres. With a fairly big size, this speaker can easily bring the deep thump and rumble in the bass range to make genres like EDM and hip-hop come to life. It's a premium Bluetooth speaker with great sound quality for listening to your favorite tunes. And if you never open the app, you'll still be impressed with the Megaboom 3's rowdiness.The best UE speaker we've tested is the Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM. If you're fanatic about customizing your audio, you'll like using the app. Beyond that, the bass tended to overwhelm the sound. I found myself keeping the low end just a notch or two above the default, which was just enough to keep things spicy. Once I opened the Ultimate Ears app and futzed the five-band EQ to nudge the bass up a bit, I could hear more of a thump. There's a boost in the low end, but it's not dramatic-at least not with the default settings. I have an original Megaboom that I was able to test alongside the new Megaboom 3, and I found the change in low-frequency response to be barely perceptible. The Megaboom 3, however, has a new passive radiator that UE says offers improved bass response over the old design. It still puts out clean, energetic, and deceptively loud audio for such a compact speaker. The audio quality of the smaller Boom 3 is unchanged from the previous generation. There are also some denim colored options that are exclusive to the Apple Store. The glossy fabric comes in black, purple, blue, and red. I think it's fine, though I would love the option to pick up a matte version. Metallic and shimmering, but not quite sparkly. The fabric also now has a mysterious iridescent quality, sort of like that custom paint job your friend got for his Prelude that looks like one color when you view it straight-on, but changes subtly at the edges when you walk around it. It's still waterproof, but it's finer and glossier. I miss the old, wanna-mash-em buttons.Īlso changed is the fabric that envelops the speakers. You can still find the volume-up button with a wet hand when you want to increase the intensity of your shower-time Hendrix, but the big plus- and minus-shaped controls aren't as easy to finger in the new design, and they don't feel as rugged. As such, the buttons are no longer chunky. The buttons are still there, but they're embedded directly into the body of the speaker, where they sit flush with the fabric wrapping. With this new design, that strip of rubber is entirely gone. One of my favorite things about previous UE Booms was the pair of big, chunky buttons that sat in a fat strip of rubber that ran down the length of the speaker. If that bothered you, well, that problem has been solved (and also please seek help). Of course, with the old Boom, one could just flip the speaker upside-down while it charged and leave the cable sticking straight up. This is a boon for Boom owners without a charging dock, as they can now plug in a microUSB cable to charge the speaker while it's standing up. Since the coupler for the Power Up is on the bottom of the Booms, the USB charging port has moved from the bottom of the speaker to the side, where it sits near the speaker's rubber foot. The new Booms share the Blasts' squared-off corners, and the compatibility with the Power Up charging dock accessory that debuted alongside the Blast line. The new Booms take some design cues from last year's Blast and Megablast, UE's pair of Wi-Fi-enabled speakers that came with Amazon Alexa onboard. Both speakers will ship in September to the US, Asia, and the lucky parts of Europe. The Megaboom 3 is $200, a whole $50 cheaper than the original Megaboom (yes, this is only the second Megaboom, but UE has named it the Megaboom 3 to keep everything matchy-matchy). The Boom 3 is $150, which is a $30 price drop from the $180 Boom 3. The Boom 3 and Megaboom 3 have a refreshed look, slightly updated capabilities, and a new lower price. Ultimate Ears has updated both of its cylindrical Bluetooth speakers. If you're a consumer electronics brand, what do you do when your hit product-a best-seller and a critical darling since its debut-turns five years old? You buy it a new suit, of course.
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