The market for Bluetooth speakers is oversaturated with models of any kind, but it’s grown stale after the initial period of rapid innovation. In 2024, it’s hard to surprise anyone with a portable speaker. Everyone has one, and they all are similar. Ultimate Ears has been hard at work adding more and more models to its lineup; the American subsidiary of Logitech has a lot going for it, and usually, its products get high marks. But is the Everboom any good? Let’s find out.
Positioning
The Everboom costs $249.99 which is a steep price, considering some of the much cheaper rivals. The speaker does not offer a plethora of features — in fact, it’s pretty simple in its offerings. But it also boasts a great instantly recognizable design, as well as an impressive ruggedness. Drop it, drown it, do whatever you want — the Everboom will live to see another day. And it’s fun, too, with the design that easily sets it apart from the competitors.
Design and features
I am a fan of Ultimate Ears’ design language, and the Everboom comes in a few colours, all of which look pretty nice and, dare I say, fun. I have the blue version here. It’s simple, but there’s no mistaking it for any other speaker.
The capsule form ensures a true 360-degree sound, and the build quality is excellent. It’s small and light, created to be as portable as possible without sacrificing the sound quality. It is one of the most convenient BT speakers I’ve owned, and I truly appreciate its nonchalant attitude towards any danger. I dropped it in the bath and it hardly noticed, continuing the playback. Drop it on the floor and it most likely will bounce off it with no noticeable damage.
The device is not that feature-heavy, but there are a few pleasant additions like multipoint (you can use it with two phones at the same time). And that NFC logo means Android phones can use it for quick pairing. As an iPhone owner I had no such luck, but pairing the normal way is hardly an issue — it takes about a minute.
Despite the USB port, you can’t use it for anything except for charging. No lossless input, no nothing. A deal-breaker? Hardly — it’s just a portable speaker, after all. But hey, you can use it as a megaphone.
Despite it being a very enticing speaker, it does not have a lot of features. Some might expect the 3.5mm port, but no luck. The only way to listen to music is via Bluetooth. There are also no microphones — it is strictly a speaker. Oh, and there’s a Magic Button for your saved playlists. Neat.
The battery life is 20 hours, which is more than enough for any kind of activity I can imagine.
Sound
By this point, I’ve heard hundreds of BT speakers, and most sound about the same. Some (a lot of them) put the emphasis on bass, neglecting everything else. Some take another approach. The Everboom lies somewhere in the middle, with a neutral sound that is clear and neatly separated. There are no special codecs you can use, but even then, it’s not a bad way to enjoy your favourite album in the great outdoors. It’s loud — real loud, — and the sound is clean, coming from all directions. I mostly enjoyed listening to rock music here, while electronic tracks lacked a bit of oompf for me.
Still, the longer I listened to it, the more I’ve grown to appreciate its sound. It does not strive to overpower your senses as it treats music with respect, trying to be faithful. That makes it a joy to use, and not only a tool to disturb your neighbours (although with that much power, you certainly can). That makes it one of the best BT speakers I’ve tried in some time. But it’s best for you to test it yourself as everyone has their preferences, and to some, the Everboom’s sound might be a little too safe, a little hard-edged. People have grown used to overly energetic sound that puts bass front and center, and if you need that, this speaker might not be for you.
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The speaker has a weird button on the top for the feature called Outdoor Boost. What it does is it boosts some frequencies while subduing the others, making it a bit louder when outside. But that distorts the sound so I did not make use of it.
Of course, there’s an app. There’s nothing that exciting, but it does its job well. Here you can play with an EQ (and choose one of the presets), control the volume and turn off the speaker remotely. You can also add another speaker to the set.
And don’t forget the megaphone feature that does… exactly what it sounds like.
Verdict
Stylish, compact and powerful, the UE Everboom has a lot going for it. The main problem is the price ($249.99) that puts it against some of the other, more feature-rich alternatives. If you want a fun, waterproof speaker, the Everboom is a great choice. But if you’re on a budget, it might not be for you.