My current speaker setup has been referred to as both 'classic' and 'sad' - two words that feature frequently on my Spotify daylist - so when the good folks at Ultimate Ears sent me the brand new Everboom speaker to review, I was absolutely chuffed.
My aforementioned home speaker setup is two sets of the humble Logitech X-230's (RRP$50 on FB marketplace), which have been a staple of the family home since the days of 'computer rooms' and dial-up internet. Stop yapping to your mate, mum, I'm trying to play Runescape. I digress. These speakers famously 'go hard for what they are', but are definitely due for an upgrade having been in production since 2004.
Billed as 'Built For Adventure', the Everboom (RRP$429) caps off the fourth generation of UE releases, and with a tagline like that, I naturally had to throw the kitchen sink at it - or throw it IN the kitchen sink?
The first thing I did after unboxing the Everboom - at 8pm on a school night - was punish my flatmates with HorsegiirL anthem 'My Barn, My Rules' on max volume, testing out the different EQ modes and doing some of the worst improvised choreography known to man.
The EQ presets have become a staple feature of recent UE releases and include their balanced 'Signature' sound, low-end heavy 'Bass Boost', mid-cutting 'Cramped Spaces', 'Deep Relaxation' and a clarity-focused 'Podcast/Vocal' setting to suit the surroundings.
I also tested the 'Outdoor Listening' feature first introduced with last generation's more expensive and slightly larger cousin Epicboom, which bumps the volume up by 1dB. I initially thought a 1dB increase wouldn't be worth advertising, but to my surprise it actually provided a noticeable change if you wanted to give your volume that extra nudge.
My next test was hardiness and durability - one of the speaker's biggest selling points.
I then swore to test out the waterproof feature in the neighbours' pool the next day.
After being too shy to ask the neighbours about chucking this brand new piece of technology in their pool in the middle of winter (I have never given them more than a head nod), I headed for the office, filled a bucket with water and dunked the Everboom in there.
While it definitely floated as advertised and still worked while submerged, sound quality kinda fell off a cliff - but in fairness I don't think it's meant for prolonged periods of underwater listening. Nevertheless, distinguishable sound still came out, it survived the maiden voyage and the material around the speaker (which is 100% post-consumer recycled polyester fabric) dried off pretty quickly.
Tick it off - the Everboom will survive almost anything you throw at it. Just be sure to close the watertight cover for the new USB-C charging port - a long requested feature that is sure to get many listeners across the line for an upgrade.
Now this speaker may be literally 'drop proof' - I actually dropped it outside on concrete a bunch more times just to be sure - but how about musically speaking?
I ran the Everboom through a dance music gauntlet of dubstep, drum and bass and ear-piercing hardstyle and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of sound coming out.
I maxed out the volume and the aforementioned EQ while listening to tracks I thought would really push it to awful levels of distortion, and time and time again, it stood up to the challenge. I didn't notice any of the awful peaking or muddy lows that often come as part of the portable speaker experience and it just made me wish these were invented while I was in high school. Having one of these at the back of the bus would have been a game changer.
After conjuring that mental image, I immediately tested the speaker with a polyphonic ringtone version of Soulja Boy's multi-Platinum former NZ number two single 'Kiss Me Thru The Phone'. No further comments here, apart from 'bring back polyphonic ringtones'.
Note: I am aware most of the target demographic for this article either a) doesn't know what a polyphonic ringtone is or b) is too anxious to have their phone on anything other than silent.
The final touch to hammer home the 'built for adventure' tagline is the carabiner that comes in the box, so you can l?o?o?k? l?i?k?e? a? c?o?o?l?, t?o?e?-?s?h?o?e? w?e?a?r?i?n?g? r?o?c?k? c?l?i?m?b?e?r? fully embrace the Everboom's core functionality of outdoor use and easily hang the speaker from branches, tent poles or even your belt loop, if you want.
One last feature I tested was the 'Megaphone' recently introduced to the UE companion app. I tested this out while simultaneously playing an instrumental through Spotify to give some bootleg karaoke a crack. Unfortunately the delay from input to output meant my karaoke became a sloppy, seconds-delayed fever dream (honestly not far off the standard work-do karaoke night). Maybe next time.
The bottom line is, the Everboom thrives both indoors and outdoors, provides awesome sound quality and would be a welcome addition or upgrade to anyone's personal listening setup. It also comes complete with a 2-year warranty if you happen to drop it from 1.1 metres - don't worry, I won't tell.
It comes in five colours (I got the cobalt blue), offers 20 hours of playtime at full charge and will pair via Bluetooth and NFC at a range of up to 55 metres.
With a price point just shy of $430, it's a little cheaper than the $599 Epicboom, with near-identical features in a slightly more compact form and with that handy USB-C port.
The Wonderboom, Boom and Megaboom have also received 4th generation upgrades and range from NZ$180 to NZ$380 if you're looking for even cheaper alternatives with the same UE sound.
You can pre-order now, with the Everboom set for a July 22 release date.
Ultimate Ears provided Sam with an Everboom for this review.
