Ultimate Ears

Best little speaker ever I bought

This is the best speaker for under $100. Around a year ago I was deciding between this speaker and the JBL Flip 4. I ended up going with the Flip 4 for around $70 cause I don't think the UE Wonderboom 2 was out yet so this speaker was still retail price at $100 I think. But then my parents both wanted a cheap Bluetooth speaker in December (a while after the release of the Wonderboom 2), so I recommended this one since this is now roughly $25-$30 cheaper than the Flip 4. Throughout quarantine, I've been alternating between both and I prefer this speaker overall Don't get me wrong, the Flip 4 is a great speaker and I used it for my first year of college, but if you're making a similar decision, go with this one. As far as sound quality goes, I think the Flip 4 gets louder and sounds richer with the dedicated woofers, but the UE Wonderboom gets plenty loud and has 360 sound. The Flip 4 on the other hand has noticeably worse sound if (ironically) flipped around. I think the Flip 4 also has marginally better battery life based on their specs but I have not noticed any difference in my usage. The area where the Wonderboom beats the Flip 4 is in portability and durability/adventurability (not sure that's a word). The shape is more compact, so it's less awkward to carry around, and you don't have to worry about orientation of the speaker since the sound is 360. The loop is also short and can easily be attached to a belt loop or backpack with a carabiner clip for walking or hiking. The Flip 4 on the other hand is an awkward long cylinder that has a long loop that causes the speaker to spin and change orientation, which affects the sound quality since the sound is directed for that speaker. For durability, both are water resistant (I've used both in/near bodies of water and in the shower) but the UE Wonderboom floats so you don't have to worry about your speaker sinking to the bottom of the lake or something. If you drop your Flip 4 in deep water it's a goner. The Wonderboom also is drop resistant which I've tested (accidentally), whereas I don't believe the Flip 4 is. As far as multiple speaker support, the Flip 4 can pair with another JBL speaker of the same generation for stereo mode. It can also pair up with up to 99 (or some crazy number like that) for party mode. But JBL keeps changing their pairing system from generation to generation so I don't think you'll be able to use it with newer speakers like the Flip 5. You also need to connect to both speakers and use the JBL app, which is pretty unreliable at times. The stereo mode is pretty dope though. The UE Wonderboom on the other hand can only pair with one other UE Wonderboom speaker I believe and I don't think it supports stereo audio. I must say that the pairing process is far easier as you only have to be connected to one speaker and then you just hold the center button on both speakers til they pair. No app, no hassle. I'm not too sure about it's compatibility with newer UE speakers but I'm guessing it's not compatible. I think the UE Wonderboom 2 is under $100 but with this being half the price, I don't think the marginal improvements are worth the extra money. I'd rather just get two of these. I'd say if you want the absolute best sound quality with thumping base, stereo/party mode for multiple speakers, and you do most of your listening at home or in one place, and you're willing to pay an extra $30, go with the Flip 4. But other than that the Wonderboom I'd say has >95% the sound quality of the Flip 4 while also being great for adventuring and easy pairing with another identical speaker.

Can't believe it was $65.00 five years ago ! This speaker absolutely survived allot . It's been river rafting , boating , submerged in booze lol .. it's a trooper. I'd buy another one . It would have to go on sale tho ! It's way pricier now 😫

Needs recharging chords sold with it

Compared it to a few chinese brand speakers - built quality and sound is so much better here, if you're on the fence I highly recommend spending a little more money and getting this speaker. It sounds great no matter which way it's facing (unlike tube-type speakers). The only negative is It's a bit heavy and kinda bulky, so might not be perfect for bike rides or backpacking.

** Update 3/7/2018 **The speakers small amount of scratchiness has dissipated.I think the break-in period meant some stiffness in the woofers perhaps.Not sure exactly. But I've used it nearly every day since I purchased it and it sounds great.A coworker bought a UE Boom 2 (the long cylindrical cousin of this squat chunky speaker)And we were surprised at the difference.The Boom 2 has no bass at all. It's like they sucked out any Lows.In comparison, the Wonderboom sounds wayyy better.Adding a star for that.Still annoying how the on/off sounds are loud.Also found that it takes forever to charge.**Original Review**I got sucked into their ad campaign I admit.They make the product look cool. GREAT marketing team.The formfactor of their products is very cool and pleasing as well.Very well made, has a good solid feel and texture to it.I'm a collector of cheap bluetooth speakers it seems.Bigger brick style ones, smaller spherical ones etc.The $20-$50 range usually.They either stop working or have very poor sound that's very one directional.I figured it was time to step up to a little pricier/nicer one.I didn't quite want to go with Harmon Kardon so this WonderBoom was a good pricepoint!I do like the multiple woofers (I think there are two inside) so it's not exactly "360" as they say, but it's definitely better than what I've had in the past.The color is perfect lol (black) which I like as it's understated but the colorful ones look cool as well!My gripes and why I took two stars off:The power-on and power-off sounds are always loud.If you have the speaker playing at a low volume, and you want to shut it off, well, you get a big sound as you shut it off.It would be better if the sound effects were either mutable or abided by the sound level chosen for speaker output.The other more prevalent and important issue is the sound.There's certainly a bass quality in the speaker, which is nice; but the highs sound quite scratchy.I do stream 192kbps from spotify sources that have it. The audio isn't wildly scratchy but if listening for it it's noticeable.I'm not sure if that's due in part to the waterproofing layer around the enclosure or if that's just how it comes through regardless.As I wrote this the noticeability became more and more of an annoyance....So this went from a 4 to a 3 star review pretty quickly.In my opinion for $85 which is a bit of a entry level premium price, I'd expect richer, warmer sound with no amount of scratchiness.I'll use it a few more days and decide if it's worth returning and diving into a harmon kardon speaker after all.

I always liked my friends over the years by the pool side. I had purchased other ones but this little speaker rocks. 🔊

My daughter absolutely loves it and can link two togther for some surround sounds

sound quality isn't brilliant. I used it for listening to clips on an iPad.

Great speaker, awesome sound for it's size.

great sound, easy to use, good battery life. Haven't tested the water proof + dirt proof claim yet. Will be taking it to the snow in a couple of weeks, this should answer those questions.

Great product!