Verdict
Another entertaining , accessible out-of-door talker from Ultimate Ears , the Epicboom has plenty of charm and enjoyable sound to make out-of-door company and gatherings zoom by – a solid cause in middling much all category .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Ultimate Ears is no stranger to the outdoor speaker , it ’s pay back lot of form from small sweat to big one , and despite the name , the Epicboom falls somewhere in the middle .
Is it a tradeoff deserving have for the Ultimate Ears Epicboom ? Let ’s see if it hold up up to its name .
Design
The look of the Ultimate Ears Epicboom gives the impression that it was , at the very least , inspired by the Sonos Move . Though it is about as tall as eitherMove speaker , and thicker too , it ’s not as wide , so the Epicboom is relatively compact compare to its outdoor rival .
It ’s also not as grueling either – just shy under 2 kg to the Move ’s 3 kilogram – micturate it easy to transport though it ’s not as if this loudspeaker system will be accompanying you on your travelling wherever you go . It does come with a textile carry shoulder strap that makes it easy to carry , and I like the magnetized affixation on the tail of the loudspeaker to break off it from flailing about .
Much of the speaker is covered in a framework ( a choice of blanched or black ) . The talker itself is stag toIP67 , which makes it junk - resistant , lively against scandal , and waterproof . Ultimate Ears claims you could put it in a body of water system and it ’ll drift , and having test that title out , the Epicboom does indeed be adrift rather than pass . If it is submerged it can survive for about 30 minutes . in person , I would n’t try out it , the speaker retains water and take a while to dry out .
Should you drop the verbalizer , it can survive a fall of about a beat , with the bottom of the speaker unit made from a tougher material . It ’s also decked with tiny piddling spots , as if someone has flicked pigment at the bottom – a messily endearing touch . Integrated into the bottom is aUSB - Ccharging port , and there is no provenance like the Move to order the speaker in . assault and battery point are represent by three loony toons above the intensity controls , shroud beneath the fabric masking .
On top are controls for force , Bluetooth pairing , playback , and Outdoor Mode ( more on that later ) . Playback also duplicate up as the Magic release to serve up music playlist ( leap to Features for more on that ) . The wardrobe are nice and firm , which is exactly what you ’d want . The volume controls are on the front , writ great in the common Ultimate Ears way to stomach out . I wish how the Epicboom looks – designed to stand out rather than fleet into the background .
Ultimate Ears , like other audio brands , is taking a more sustainable approach path with its Cartesian product . 59 % of the plastic used are derived from recycled charge plate , the fabric coating is 100 % made from recycled textile . The barrage can also be dismounted and recycled but Ultimate Ears does n’t have a refilling schema – this is only an option for when the speaker is at the ending of its life Hz .
Features
First off , there ’s no Wi - Fi financial support – purely Bluetooth streaming only . I ’m waiting for Word of God on which Bluetooth codecs the Epicboom bear out from Ultimate Ears , and once I do , I ’ll update this recapitulation .
Whichever version of Bluetooth the Epicboom supports , the connector is a firm one . walk from one end of my garden to another with music flirt ( well over 20 metres ) , the connecter to the Epicboom did n’t infract up once . Ultimate Ears claim it ’s strong enough to survive a distance up to 55 m.
barrage fire life is say to be up to 17 hours when diddle at 45 % bulk . Having played medicine at around 50 % volume , the speaker dropped 10 % in about two and a half 60 minutes , which indicate you could get more from this speaker than Ultimate Ears arrogate .
If you have other UE speaker , specifically the Hyperboom , Boom 3 , andMegaboom 3 , the Epicboom can partner off with them to create a bigger sound through the PartyUp feature . And if you ’re familiar with the Wonderboom series , you ’ll recognise the Outdoor Boost musical mode that airt some of the power from the grim relative frequency and channels them to the mid and mellow frequencies for a bigger cost increase .
There is an app , helpfully title ‘ Boom ’ and within it there ’s range to power the speaker off , engage Outdoor Boost , alter the performing volume , and stop the battery level . Hold down the Magic button and that ’ll take you directly to your favourite playlists set up in the app . Spotify and Amazon Music are supported on Android , while for iOS devices it ’s Apple Music .
You ’ve a alternative of four presets to fill up in , edit , re - ordering or delete ; and it ’s as easy as selecting one , meet music in Spotify and preserve it in the app . It ’s a convenient feature but I found it ’s slightly confusing getting back to this area to custom-make it more . You do n’t , for illustration , press the One - Touch feature film in the app ( it ’ll need if you want to sign out ) but press on the playback section on the primary screen . It ’s the one prospect of this very simple app that was unclear to me .
There is also a selection of EQ presets to pick out from that includes Bass Boost , Game / Cinema , Deep Relaxation , Signature , and Podcast / Vocal . They do what they say on the tin like the obvious Bass Boost , while Deep Relaxation is interchangeable but break the treble reply . If you do n’t wish them , there ’s the option of creating your own EQ preset .
Sound Quality
Tonally , there ’s a warmth to the Epicboom ’s performance that ’s not too rich but does not make for the sharpest or most defined audio performance either .
Nevertheless , I regain myself liking the Epicboom ’s delivery . There ’s decent comportment and weight to the bass in Mako and Pusha T ’s Misfit toy in both indoor stage setting and outdoors . Bass often takes a hit in out-of-door configurations because of the deficiency of reflective surfaces to reinforce it , but the Epicbooms ’ humbled frequence is not miss for punch .
mellow frequency notes are n’t crisp in tone but in Flying Lotus ’ Parisian Goldfish there ’s a clear-cut timbre / spirit to the notes that stand out from the lows and midrange . Even well is the verbalizer ’s focus on vocals – they ’re always at the forefront of any rails , intelligibly apprehensible in Fall Out Boy ’s This Ai n’t A Scene , It ’s An Arms Race , and even well at ladling Amber Simone ’s soulful vocals with clarity in Life ’s joy .
And despite not being the sharpest - sounding effort byBluetooth speakerterms , there ’s satisfying level of clarity and detail afford to The Chemical Brothers ’ Galvanize , as well as a comme il faut level of dynamism in a broader sensation and with vocals . It ’s not the most sprightly in term of traversing the difference between quiet and loud , but the Epicboom is able to communicate the energy of the track ’s regular recurrence and electronic beats .
And while you ’d calculate at the Epicboom and intend , like I did , that it ’s not going to spread its speech sound out wide , there is an view of stereo panning in Galvanise despite the UE speaker essentially being a mono speaker . The speech sound does n’t come from one station in the speaker ’s body , it ’s actually arrive from all parts of the upper organic structure , giving songs mint of outer space and avoiding sounding clump up .
In fact , the Epicboom can push sound away from its eubstance too . Supertramp ’s The Logical Song has the sound of maracas ( I think ) firing away from the loudspeaker ’s sides and expanding the soundstage . Though Ultimate Ears claim a 360 - degree performance , that isn’tquitethe pillow slip . sit down in front of the speaker system offer up the safe sound , and though you get a similar carrying into action from behind , it does experience more aloof .
The speaker , unsurprisingly , has more presence and radiates more zip at mellow volumes , and at top volume the Epicboom can get cheap without evoke distortion . Activating Outdoor Boost can make basso sound harder and flat with Starkey ’s New Cities , but the relative frequency from the midrange up do get a boost , project away from the speaker to learn them better .
Perhaps most of all with the Ultimate Ears Epicboom , I just enjoy its balance . Neither rich nor clinical in its approach , the Signature EQ works well across a range of literary genre from stone to pop , to R&B and electronica . This is an outdoor speaker unit with an concordant type , and I believe you ’ll like it too .
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Should you buy it?
The jump up in toll for the Move 2 has broaden the crack , and with its fun , warm presentation , the Epicboom is a cheaper , worthy alternative
While it ’s more portable than the Move 2 or even theB&O Beolit 20 , if you ’re after something small then Ultimate Ears ’ ownMegaboomandWonderboomspeakers are available .
Final Thoughts
The Ultimate Ears Epicboom is a ok , enjoyable out-of-door speaker for those after a freehanded strait for their gardens or great gather . While it does n’t boast the feature set up of theSonos Move 2 , it is substantially cheaper , and arguably more merriment .
It ’s well - design , easy to use , and offers decent customisation for those who want to individualise the speaker . The Epicboom is the eccentric of utterer that ’s strong to complain about : it count in effect , sounds proficient , but is n’t the best in course of study . It ’s another entertaining and fun outdoor speaker unit from the authentic Ultimate Ears manufacturing plant . Check out ourBest Bluetooth Speakerguide for more options .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every wireless speaker we review thoroughly over an prolonged period of time of sentence . We use manufacture standard tests to compare features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to look back a mathematical product .
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FAQs
While the home battery can be dismounted and recycled , Ultimate Ears does n’t have a scheme in place for the owner to be able to replace barrage fire by themselves . The only reason to take out the battery is once the product has reached its end of aliveness .
