Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 review: small but mighty
Wonderboom is the compact but powerful speaker from Ultimate Ears. Two years after the first model, the American manufacturer announced the second model, the Wonderboom 2, in June 2019 with the promise of more powerful sound, an unparalleled range, superior waterproofing, and wireless stereo sound... In short, the best of the best for such a small Bluetooth speaker. In this review, we'll see if the speaker is as great in practice as it looks on paper.
Good
- Waterproofing
- Battery life
- Outdoor mode
- Small size
Bad
- Incompatible with other Ultimate Ears models
- No USB Type-C
- No headphone jack
- Latency
Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 release date and price
Announced in June 2019, the Wonderboom 2 is Ultimate Ears' flagship mini bluetooth speaker, ideal for taking to festivals, beaches, or even swimming with it. Selling for 99.99 EUR (99.99 USD and 89.99 GBP), it is exactly the same price as the previous generation, the Wonderboom, released in 2017. But the technical specs now promise many new features and improvements!
A colorful and nice look
With its small size, round shape, large buttons and eye-catching colors, the Wonderboom 2 looks a bit like a child's toy. It is available in four colors: Bermuda blue, Deep space black, Crushed ice grey (grey and orange) and Radical red (red and blue).We received the latter color scheme to test for this review.
At first glance, I thought that this red speaker had some pretty boisterous colors (I'm more of a sober person in my audiovisual equipment). But finally, when you take it out to the beach, for example, you think that its look is still nice.
- This is the shelf speaker that was born from the collaboration between Sonos and IKEA
Ergonomically speaking, its size is perfect! I was able to slip it into my pool bag without any worries, almost struggling to find it under bathing suits and towels. It fits perfectly on the palm of your hand, allowing a more than easy grip. Its volume buttons, although larger than usual at Ultimate Ears, are as big as they are practical. On the other hand, on top, we find the power button (shaped like a line), the Bluetooth search button (represented by a dot), and between the two, a larger button without graphics on it: the play/pause button. Be careful not to confuse the latter with the power button, which has happened to me more than once!
Water resistance that has been thoroughly tested
Certified to IP67, the Wonderboom 2 mini speaker is not only waterproof, but also dust and sand resistant. And the water resistance of this one is more than confirmed, since I had fun taking it with me everywhere, especially in the shower, where the sound quality wasn't held back! But before immersing it, I still advise you to check to make sure you have closed the protective cover.
I haven't had a chance to try it, but you can also throw the Wonderboom 2 speaker in the pool or in the sea, and it automatically floats to the surface.
Small size, but powerful sound
For its size, I must admit that the sound quality of the Wonderboom 2 amazed me quite a bit. On
paper, Ultimate Ears delivers a more powerful sound, 360 degrees (thanks to its rounded shape) and powerful bass. As a great lover of electronic music, I must admit that I was not disappointed.
The bass is indeed very powerful (comparable to the model I have at home, the Boom 3). And when you activate the "outdoor" mode, represented by a round button adorned with a pine tree on the bottom of the device, the sound is even more powerful. On the other hand, I am a little disappointed, because outdoors, in conditions of relatively loud ambient noises, some subtleties of some music do not carry.
When operated at full power, the outdoor mode is quite amazing. You'd have no idea that this small device is packing such a punch! But when I pushed the sound a little loud at the beach, which displeased a bunch of young people in the distance, the Wonderboom 2 didn't hold up against the power of my neighbours' JBL Xtreme.
Superior battery life
In terms of battery life, Ultimate Ears promises up to 13 hours on the new generation model, up from 10 hours on the old model.
To be perfectly honest, I only had to charge the speaker once during my fifteen days of testing, knowing that I listen to between 1 and 2 hours of music a day at home. The charging is also very fast. Finally, you can easily use it for a day at the pool, or a camping weekend between two festival concerts, or in the middle of nature! Apart from the absence of a headphone jack and USB Type-C charging, it ticks all the boxes of a speaker in its category.
Final verdict: an ideal companion for the summer
Finally, if we had to characterize the Wonderboom 2, I would say that it is the ideal pocket-sized best friend for this summer!
The Ultimate Ears Bluetooth mini speaker will hold up against dirt, sand, and water from your pool, shower, or even the sea thanks to its IP67 certification. Plus, it is the ideal size to fit in any of your bags and take everywhere. It will last hours and offer quality audio indoors and outdoors. In short, it's the best companion you could ask for, regardless of where you're going.
