Ultimate Ears Everboom: Two-minute review
It would have been very easy for the Ultimate Ears Everboom to falter. Given UE’s storied reputation among the best Bluetooth speakers around, we knew the Everboom would be a solid speaker, but sandwiched between the Ultimate Ears Megaboom (now into its fourth iteration, launched alongside this model) and the inaugural 2023 Ultimate Ears Epicboom it would be easy to get lost in the noise. Would people opt for the more affordable downgrade or be compelled to bypass this and pick up the beefier party-ready option?
That would be a shame, because the Everboom finds its niche as a near-powerhouse that isn’t a challenge to carry around – in large part thanks to its surprisingly lightweight 960g build and metal carabiner clip replacing the Epicboom’s flimsy strap.
Sonically the Everboom isn’t perfect – at max volume subtle distortions creep in, and audiophiles will notice tunes aren’t as expansive and neutral as when using more premium speakers – but to say it gets the job done would be an understatement. Whether you’re looking to keep guests entertained at a party or kick back to a podcast after a long day, the Ultimate Ears Everboom’s room-filling 360-degree sound has your back. It can do so for hours too, with a decently long 20-hour max battery life.
And if things go awry at the party, the Everboom is designed to survive smaller drops and lengthier dunks – it’s IP67 rated and floats – which makes it the perfect companion on an adventure where anything can happen.
Just note that the Everboom lacks music over Wi-Fi support (unlike the Sonos Roam 2, say) and doesn’t have a 3.5mm aux port, which means your only option is a Bluetooth connection for playing tracks, and you won’t be disappointed.
At $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$349 there’s a lot of competition. For your home you could snag a Sonos Era 10 from our best wireless speakers list, you might like the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) from the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested, or you could go for the more affordable route and pick up the UE Wonderboom 3 (or recently released Wonderboom 4) for $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149.
Then again, the Ultimate Ears Everboom does stand up for itself, boasting a ruggedness and performance combination that many rivals can’t match. Whether you’re after a new best party speaker, or simply want an all rounder audio gadget then you’ll find the Everboom won’t steer you wrong.
Ultimate Ears Everboom review: Price & availability
- Released in US and UK June 26, 2024
- Released in Australia July 22, 2024
- $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$349
The Ultimate Ears Everboom launched in June 2024 in the US and UK at $249.99 / £249.99, landing a little later on July 22 in Australia at AU$349.
This places the speaker firmly between the UE Megaboom models at $199.99 / £169.99 / $349.95 (at least in the US and UK, we’re not sure why the Australian prices of the two models are the same) and the pricier UE Epicboom that released at $349 / £340 / AU$499 in terms of cost, performance, and size.
There are currently two color options to choose from: the Charcoal Black with lime accents, and Azure Blue with light blue accents. Later in the year Ultimate Ears will launch two further colorways: Raspberry Red with light blue accents and Enchanting Lilac with lime accents.
Ultimate Ears Everboom review: Specs
| Weight: | 960g |
| Dimensions: | 11.0 cm (L) x 8.5 cm (W) x 20.5 cm (H) |
| Battery life (quoted): | 20 hours |
| Maximum volume: | 90dBC (normal) / 91dBC (outdoor boost) |
| Connectivity: | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Drivers: | Two 56.6 x 56.2mm active full range transducers; two 49.4 x 87 mm passive radiators |
| Aux in: | No |
| Charger port: | USB-C |
| Waterproof rating: | IP67 |
Ultimate Ears Everboom review: Design
- Big but still portable
- IP67 dust and waterproof rating
- Carabiner clip is a useful tool
As with all other current Ultimate Ear speakers (and plenty of rival options these days), the Everboom has an IP67 waterproof rating. This means it’s dustproof and can survive for up to 30 minutes submerged in water at depth of up to 1m – though because this speaker also floats (I checked; it does in my bathtub) you shouldn’t ever have to go diving deep to find it.
We wouldn’t recommend using the speaker while it’s floating, as the audio quality takes a noticeable hit, but this feature makes it a perfect option for outdoor parties. Has someone accidentally kicked the Everboom into the pool? Has it fallen off your boat into the lake, or has the sky let loose a torrential downpour? With these features it’s easy to rescue the speaker well before it can get damaged – just remember to give it a rinse in clean freshwater if it’s taken a dip, to prevent long-term salt or chlorine damage.
It also has a familiar aesthetic design – especially to the ovaloid Epicboom. It features the same iconic large volume buttons on its front face, and basic controls on its top face – one button each for power, Bluetooth, Outdoor Boost, and play/pause. The USB-C port can be found at the back on its base with a nifty guard to keep water out.
Though the similarities with the Epicboom end when it comes to portability. The Everboom is smaller than UE’s Epicboom at just 11.0 cm x 8.5 cm x 20.5 cm and fairly light – coming in at 960g – though it is nevertheless going to be a challenge to shove this speaker into an already well-stocked bag if you want to travel with it – which is where the nifty carabiner clip comes in.
You can either secure it to a rucksack’s exterior, or (as I’ve frequently used it) clip it onto a belt loop to easily carry the Ultimate Ears Everboom with you wherever you go; with the added benefit of simultaneously enjoying music or podcasts through your speaker without giving up a free hand to carry it.
Ultimate Ears Everboom review: Features
- 20-hour battery life
- App unlocks a megaphone and equalizer
- No 3.5mm port, or microphones
The Ultimate Ears Everboom is full of neat features, though to access a lot of them you’ll need to install the UE Boom app on your phone (it’s available on iPhone and Android).
This is true for the equalizer – a control panel that lets you choose presets for specific listening experiences such as “Bass Boost” or “Podcast/Vocal”, and gives you the option to customize the Everboom’s sound profile as you see fit; PartyUp that lets you pair multiple compatible Ultimate Ears speakers to play music through them all at the same time, and if you have two Everbooms they’ll work as a stereo pair; and the new Megaphone feature (which has arrived to other UE speakers too) which lets you talk into your phone’s mic to blast a message through your Everboom.
You don’t need the app for every tool though. An in-built NFC feature lets you instantly pair the Everboom to an NFC-compatible smartphone (running Android 8.0 or later) by touching it to the speaker’s top. There’s also an Outdoor Boost mode which diverts power away from frequencies that don’t travel well outdoors so the speaker can get a little louder (reaching a max of 91dBC instead of 90dBC).
The UE Everboom does lack a few features. You won’t find a 3.5mm port, or any microphones (removing any potential for this doubling as a smart speaker) – and it also lacks Wi-Fi connectivity.
Lacking these tools won’t be a deal breaker for many, but the Ultimate Ears Everboom doesn’t do a lot beyond being ‘just’ a Bluetooth speaker – albeit a great one.
Ultimate Ears Everboom review: Sound quality
Having a neat design and nifty features is certainly a bonus to any sound system, but we all know the most important factor to any speaker is its sound; on this front the Ultimate Ears Everboom serves up a storm.
Firstly, this thing can get monstrously loud with its max 90dBC volume (91dBC using Outdoor Boost, more on that in the Features section). This is louder than you’ll ever really need – for context, while using the Everboom in my flat I hover around two-fifths of the max volume and have only ever cranked it louder while I’m outdoors ignoring some tests I did for this review (apologies to my neighbors if you’re reading this weren’t out at work like I hoped you all were when I cranked the Everboom up).
Secondly, the Ultimate Ears Everboom delivers a very compelling audio performance, proving it can deliver quality not just quantity. Admittedly at the loudest volumes we detected a little distortion creeping in, but at most normal listening levels you’re served a well mixed sound buffet.
Sabrina Carpenter’s pop hit Please, Please, Please is crafted with precision – her vocals are bright and crisp; the bombastic Tokyo Drifting by Glass Animals is delivered with an emphatic albeit not overpowering bass; meanwhile the instrumental layers in the jazz standard Caravan (I recently rewatched Whiplash, and the soundtrack has been a recent musical obsession of mine) are simultaneously distinct yet not at war with each other. Though there were occasions I felt the sound could be fuller and more warm.
Lastly, this speaker’s 360-degree soundstage can’t go unnoticed. It’s hardly a unique feature of modern Bluetooth speakers, but its ability to serve the same high-quality performance in every direction is nevertheless commendable.
Ultimate Ears Everboom review: Value
At $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$349 isn’t the priciest Bluetooth speaker out there, but isn’t what we’d call budget either. Materials and design-wise it does look and feel premium, and while it lacks high-end fetaures like Wi-Fi connectivity, that’s hardly the end of the world.
In terms of sound there are speakers that offer a better overall performance at this price (even though the Everboom does a great job), but they lack the portability and/or the ruggedness and waterproofness afforded by the the Everboom making it something of a jack of all trades.
If that’s what you’re after it’s solid value, but if you’re searching for a speaker that is better for at-home sound and can piggyback on your home’s Wi-Fi network, you’ll want something different – perhaps from Sonos, perhaps one of our best wireless speakers recommendations.
Should you buy the Ultimate Ears Everboom?
| Attribute | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | We’ve levied similar critique at other UE speakers; while it’s a solid Bluetooth speaker it’s just a Bluetooth speaker. | 3.5/5 |
| Design | It’s portable, waterproof, looks kinda stylish; what else do you want from a Bluetooth speaker? | 5/5 |
| Sound Quality | Very good sound, though it can struggle a tad when you really push it. | 4/5 |
| Value | The UE Everboom finds a sweet spot between portability and sound, though it feels just a little pricey compared to some of its rivals. | 4/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also Consider
How I tested the Ultimate Ears Everboom
- Tested for two weeks
- Listened against the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom, and Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and Sonos Sub
- Used at home, in a garden, and on the beach
To get a sense of this portable speaker’s energy and stamina, I made sure to test it in a variety of environments to match up with how you might want to use it. I spent a lot of time with it at home but also took it outside into my garden and on a quick trip to the beach to see how it fared sonically and how often it needed charging.
This also included dropping it into a filled bathtub to make sure it floats as Ultimate Ears had promised – and thankfully it did, otherwise this would have been a short review. Quick note, make sure you dry it before leaving it on your desk as I came back to quite the puddle.
Music-wise I made sure to put the Ultimate Ears Everboom through its paces using a wide array of genres – everything from hip-hop to metal, as well as podcasts and a couple of films – to see if this speaker would get tripped up anywhere.
- First reviewed: July 2024
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
