Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review - Small size, big sound

TweakTown's Rating: 93%

The Bottom Line

For those in the market for a compact portable Bluetooth speaker but still want something that delivers impressive sound for music or listening to podcasts, look no further than the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker.

Pros

• Big detailed sound that's great for music
• Compact and robust design that is waterproof
• Intuitive controls
• Excellent app support with Spotify and Apple Music playlist integration

Cons

• Those wanting big bass, above all, will need to look elsewhere

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Amazon for $149.99

Buy at Newegg for $149.99

Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

How we listen to music and other audio has changed dramatically in recent decades. Once upon a time, to put on some music, you'd grab a vinyl record or CD from a shelf and then place that into a dedicated player hooked up to an amplifier and speakers. Nowadays, the simplicity of firing up an app like Spotify on your smartphone to gain instant access to countless songs, podcasts, and audiobooks is the go-to for most people. And with that, portable Bluetooth speakers have replaced the stereos and stereo speakers of yesteryear.

Ultimate Ears is an American company specializing in custom earphones, wireless and Bluetooth speakers, and the creator of the popular 'BOOM' series of portable speakers. Logitech also owns the company, which probably explains why the app support and other peripheral features of the new Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker are all on point. Portable Bluetooth speakers are convenient for taking anywhere, from a simple backyard barbeque to the beach or connecting to a laptop or TV as a simple wireless audio solution.

The BOOM 4's cylindrical design allows for '360 degrees of audio,' meaning you don't need to be positioned in a specific spot for the optimal listening experience. With custom tuning and presets tailor-made for the modern mobile Bluetooth audio world, plus the intuitive Ultimate Ears Boom app for iOS and Android, the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a definite best-in-class contender. Let's dig in.

Specifications & Close Up

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• Product Type: Speaker
• Product Name: Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
• Interface: Bluetooth, USB-C (Charging Only)
• Drivers: Two 40mm active drivers, Two 46.1mm x 65.2mm passive radiators
• Compatibility: Android, iOS
• Form Factor: Portable
• Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 15 hours of play time
• Dimensions: 73 mm(L), 73 mm (W), 184mm (H)
• Weight: 620 grams
• In the box: ULTIMATE EARS BOOM 4, Bungee (attached to the product), USB Cable, Quick Start Guide ( printed inside the box)

Kosta's Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
• Display: MSI MAG 321UPX QD-OLED 4K 240 Hz
• Cooler: ASUS ROG RYUO III 360 ARGB
• RAM: 64GB (4x16GB) Corsair DOMINATOR TITANIUM RGB DDR5 DRAM 6000MT/s
• SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus-G M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 4TB, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus Plus M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 8TB
• Power Supply: ASUS TUF Gaming 1000W Gold
• Case: Corsair 5000D AIRFLOW Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX PC Case
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit

Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (S00176)

	Today	Yesterday	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$149.99	$149.99	$119.99	$149.99	Buy
	$149.99	-	-	$149.99	Buy
* Prices last scanned on 10/15/2024 at 10:06 am CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission from any sales.

Design & Software and Support

Design

Speaker design has existed for decades, from bookshelf speakers with wood casing and fabric covering to designs with colored woofers. When it comes to speakers, the audio is what you hear, and the speaker design is what you see. Being aesthetically pleasing is a big part of the appeal when choosing a speaker, which rings true for modern portable Bluetooth speakers. The new Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker sports a cylindrical shape available in various colors, with a waterproof mesh covering that is both high-quality and great looking. It's also shock and drop-resistant.

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Outside of the cylindrical shape for '360-degree sound,' the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4's defining visual design feature is the large plus and minus symbols that act as giant volume controls. These symbols look cool and add an immediate visual reference for anyone adjusting the volume in a group or outdoor setting. Outside of this, your only other on-device controls are a large 'magic' button on the top that sits in the middle of the dedicated power button and a Bluetooth pairing button.

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With additional app control, this is pretty much all you need. The 'magic' button is a nice touch, offering quick access to audio control features. Press once to play or pause, double press to skip to the next track, and triple press to return to the previous track. Holding the 'magic' button down offers quick access to a preset playlist in the UE BOOM app. As a portable Bluetooth speaker, a big chunk of your interaction with the speaker will be via smartphone or tablet.

Software and Support

Often, you don't need to install dedicated apps for Bluetooth devices like speakers, but when it comes to the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker, you'd want to pair it with the UE BOOM app immediately. In addition to being fast and easy to use, the BOOM app is packed with excellent features. It allows you to turn the speaker on or off from within the app and pair up to 150 Ultimate Ears speakers in Party Up mode. Not that you'd have access to 150 BOOM 4 speakers, but the Party Up mode is excellent for those looking to expand the somewhat limited sound from a single speaker to create a more encompassing audio experience with a second speaker.

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Turning the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 on or off via the app puts the speaker into a 'standby' mode, slowly draining the battery. Therefore, it is only recommended for those who use the speaker daily or semi-regularly. In addition to changing the EQ between different modes suitable for music or listening to podcasts, one of the app's best features is the seamless integration of playlists across Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify. Switching between the BOOM app and Spotify instantly adds to the overall experience.

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Another fun feature is the MEGAPHONE ability, which lets you use your phone's microphone to broadcast your voice directly to the BOOM 4 speaker, even while music is playing. This adds a basic karaoke-style mode, which is great for parties.

Performance

With its 73mm width and 184mm height, the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 delivers surprisingly loud (booming) sound, with an impressive maximum sound level of 85 dB - perfect for outdoor settings with a lot of ambient or background noise. Of course, when cranked, the bass levels are not on par with speakers with larger drivers and speakers, so the bass lacks a lot of presence. However, the flip side is that the bass response is naturally punchy, with crisp highs and a decent midrange that doesn't distort. You can improve the bass and depth of the sound by connecting an additional BOOM 4; however, this immediately doubles the $129.99 USD cost of entry.

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What impresses me the most with the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 is that the 360-degree sound works precisely as described. No matter the orientation, the sound quality and clarity remain the same if the speaker is sitting in front of you and you spin it around. Like all portable speakers, the BOOM 4 adopts a non-traditional approach to the underlying speaker design, which includes two active drivers and two passive radiators. Passive radiators are essentially speakers that amplify sound, with the positioning here adding up to an impressive and clean 360-degree audio experience.

As for the sound quality, the default preset is excellent for music, with instrument, bass, and vocal detail coming through clean and with some warmth that makes for great listening. However, you do miss out on stereo width and proper directional spacing with a single speaker, and the small size impacts the bass - which is punchy but nowhere near woofer earth rattling. With the BOOM app, selecting the Podcast/Vocal preset is great for podcasts - making the BOOM 4 excellent for listening to The TT Show (TweakTown's weekly podcast) while outdoors or working around the house.

Final Thoughts

Small size, big sound - that's the best way to describe the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker. Throw in a stylish cylindrical design with practical use (the 360-degree sound of the marketing is legit), a brilliant app for both iOS and Android devices, and intuitive controls, and the BOOM 4 is one of the best portable Bluetooth speaker options. However, the $129.99 USD MSRP feels a little high for what you're getting in terms of overall size.

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But it's hard to fault the quality. Great for music and great for podcasts, this small speaker might not be able to compete with dedicated bookshelves for that authentic audiophile experience - but the balanced, punchy, and clean sound carries a groove that most tiny portable Bluetooth speakers can only hope to achieve. And the versatility is here and then some. It's waterproof, drop-resistant, works up to a distance of 40-plus meters, and has a battery that will last for hours.