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With so many options to choose from when it comes to portable Bluetooth speakers, manufacturers have to do something to stand out. the new Ultimate Ears Boom 3 and Megaboom 3 are speakers that are designed to look cool in any space and to pump out great sounding audio. How well do they deliver? I received one of each speaker for a few weeks to test and review in my home.
Setting the speakers up is quite easy. Push and hold the power button on the top of other device and you’ll hear a bit of a drumroll. A robot voice will tell you to download the free Boom and Megaboom app. You can do that of course, or just go straight to your phone‘s Bluetooth settings and look for your speaker. Click to connect and you’re ready to play.
Both of the speakers come loaded with features; they’re both waterproof and they float. While the Boom 3 describes its “bold sound and deep bass” on the package, the Megaboom 3 promises “powerful sound and thundering bass”.
Indeed, this may be among their few main differences; size, and the bass level.
Otherwise many of their features are the same: you can connect up to 150+ Boom and Megaboom speakers with the PartyUp feature, which we’ll get to. Both boast 360° sound, touch controls, and they’re drop-proof. While the Boom 3 has a long 15 hour battery life, the Megaboom 3 provides even more, boasting 20 hours.
If you have more than one speaker, you can switch between them easily enough. Without enabling the PartyUp feature, you’ll do a simple swap. On my Apple iPhone XS Max, I select a song, then simply select the output device from among those I’m connected to via Bluetooth. Your Bluetooth menu should recognize the speakers and allow you to select which one you want to play on. This worked easily during my testing.
The MegaBoom 3 is strong and powerful and delivers clear bass, solid and true vocals and no high end hiss or buzz. Did I get “thundering bass” from this speaker? I’d say no.
While the Megaboom 3 definitely delivers strong bass, it’s not that same table-vibrating bass that I’ve seen from some other Bluetooth speakers. It’s hard to describe; rather than a rattling, buzzy bass, you get what I’d call strong and vibrant bass; it’s more pleasant and enjoyable.
The Megaboom 3 gets loud. I placed it in another room on the other side of the house, and could still hear it clearly. Again, I didn’t notice and distortion or fuzziness.
If there was a downside, it’s that the Bluetooth connectivity got spotty the further away from my phone the speaker was, and the more walls that got between them. Not surprising, just something to be aware of. When the phone and speaker were in the same room, connectivity wasn’t an issue at all.
The speakers are quite compact and also stylish looking. Even the substantially larger Megaboom 3 is still quite small and takes up very little space, thanks to its cylinder-on-end design. Both speakers have touch controls; a power and paring button on the top is accompanied by a small LED light. Enormous volume buttons take up most of the side and are quite responsive.
Overall I like these speakers. They’re compact and good looking and they sound good. They’re easy to set up and use. I preferred the bigger and pricier Megaboom 3