Review: Ultimate Ears Everboom

Have we finally reached peak Bluetooth speaker? There’s now a swell of models for virtually every use case, size, or sound signature and then some.

Take the new Everboom, a rugged and weatherproof addition to Ultimate Ears' ever-expanding Legion of “Boom.” UE positions the speaker as the little sister to the more powerful Epicboom, while its features, size, and performance all hew closely to the brand’s middle-rung sound pillar, the Megaboom (now in its fourth generation).

Apart from its design and a few minor upgrades, I didn’t find much to distinguish the Everboom from the Megaboom 4, making it tough to justify its $50 price hike. I think most people looking for a powerful midsize portable will do just fine with the Megaboom, but the Everboom is a solid enough alternative that does have a bit more “boom” onboard.

Rugged Reflection

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

The Everboom’s new(ish) design is the biggest differentiator from legacy Boom speakers. Its oval shape isn't as rollable or ground-friendly as its cylindrical cousins, but an included carabiner provides some setup versatility. The speaker keeps UE’s trademark giant volume buttons while eschewing the ambiguous three-key system of older models for more discernible power, playback, and pairing keys. You’ll also find an NFC pad for one-touch pairing with Android phones and an Outdoor Boost button to punch up the sound in the elements.

Keeping in step with the rest of the Ultimate Ears family, the Everboom is well-appointed from top to bottom. Its squat, partially recycled plastic body is wrapped in the brand’s signature kevlar-like acoustic grille, designed to protect its unmentionables from the elements and drops of up to a meter. Its obligatory IP67 certification means it's both dustproof and dunkable and, like nearly all current UE portables, it floats.

Though it borrows the Epicboom's oval-shaped aesthetic, the Everboom’s dimensions are strikingly similar to the aforementioned Megaboom. Its 8-inch tall frame is shorter yet wider, and it's about an ounce heavier by my kitchen scale, at 34.3 ounces. It boasts a slightly larger pair of full-range drivers at 2.23 x 2.21 inches and comparable dual passive radiators. It even matches the Megaboom's 20-hour battery, dropping to around 14 to 15 hours if you crank it.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Like a lot of the fancier Bluetooth speakers we test, the Everboom’s antenna provides extended Bluetooth range, something most budget models don’t offer. Ultimate Ears claims 55 meters for the Everboom, again just passing the Boom and Megaboom’s 47 meters. In testing, both the Everboom and Megaboom held fast up to 150 paces, line-of-sight. I was able to push the Everboom further, but both models lost range when I put the phone in my pocket, and the Everboom lost the battle when I put my body in the way, with more blips at closer range.

The Ultimate Ears app unlocks plenty of extras, including the ability to connect to up to 150 Ultimate Ears speakers at once, a built-in alarm, a customizable EQ with multiple presets, and even a funky megaphone feature that lets you talk through the speaker, albeit with a delay. The feature provides less volume than I expected, meaning my Voice of God act fell a little flat. Last but far from least, the always-on power option lets you turn on the speaker from your phone (with a small hit to battery life). It’s the little things.

Keeping on theme, all those features are available in the Megaboom and Boom models. That’s a nice bonus for smaller budgets, but it leaves the pricier Everboom with little means of standing out. None of the models offers a built-in speakerphone or the ability to charge devices via the USB-C port, let alone using it as a hi-res wired input like the new Beats Pill (8/10, WIRED Recommends) offers.

Familiar Boom

Every upgrade in the Everboom seems at best a minor notch above its predecessors, so it’s not surprising that the theme holds in terms of audio performance.

Ultimate Ears’ 360-degree soundstage aims to provide clear and full sound from all angles, making it difficult to judge a speaker like the Everboom in small listening rooms like my treated home studio. You'll get smooth balance across registers, relatively full bass, and good definition in the treble from the side-firing drivers, but the midrange can come off rather muted and stuffy in close quarters, especially when compared to the snappier Boom 4 or even the more tubular Megaboom 4. The new Beats Pill sounds better in tight spots, providing more bite but also better fidelity for nuanced instruments like acoustic guitar and vocals.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Most people won’t be listening to the Everboom on their desktop, of course, so I did most of my testing outdoors, where the speaker really steps up. I particularly enjoyed its sound from around 10 feet or more, marked by full-bodied punch in the bass and midrange and refined clarity in the higher frequencies, with a touch of stereo separation. There’s a pulpy warmth that hits just right when rendering snappy percussion, jangly strings, or crisp vocals.

You can crank it pretty heartily to fill a large space, including engaging the Outdoor Mode for a bit more punch, though you’ll likely notice some digital compression at top volume that can tamp down the excitement. The Everboom easily serves up a fuller sound out in the open when compared to the smaller Boom 4 and my aging JBL Flip 5, as well as the brawnier Beats Pill, which tends to sharpen up in the higher registers outdoors.

It's much harder to differentiate between the Everboom and Megaboom 4. Over several hours of critical listening, the Everboom revealed a smoother touch, with warmer and fuller midbass and slightly more power, while the Megaboom is more focused in the mids and less refined in the treble. It’s a difference that's unlikely to make a big impression, especially when you're kicking back a few drinks at a barbecue or outdoor gathering.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Neither speaker can dig into the sub-bass regions with much authority. If you want bigger bass, you’ll likely need to jump up to larger options like the Epicboom (which I have yet to test) or something even pricier like the physics-defying Brane X (9/10, WIRED Recommends), though the latter doesn’t offer the same kind of go-anywhere, do-anything security that Ultimate Ears provides.

What really makes UE’s “Boom” speakers so appealing is their balance of high performance and top-notch durability. Like its cheaper siblings, the Everboom serves up a great cocktail of sound, features, and battery life in a frame that feels like it could be tossed into a wood chipper and come out the other end (please do not do that). Then again so do a lot of options on our Best Bluetooth speaker list, many for less money.

I never found a strong enough argument for the Everboom's heftier price, leaving me pointing to the tried-and-true Megaboom 4, or JBL's Charge 5 if you want a speaker that charges your phone. Those on tighter budgets will find similar spoils in the Boom 4 or JBL Flip 6. Barring a good sale, that’s where I’d put my money.