So, this little speaker right here has been dropped over and over again, but it’s still amazing. So, let’s review it. This is the Ultimate Ears MegaBoom 3. Let’s talk about it.
This review is going to be split into 5 different categories to explain my experience with this speaker.
Device Overview and Build Quality
The Ultimate Ears MegaBoom 3 is a $180 speaker that’s known for its extreme durability. It measures at 8.9 inches in height and 3.4 inches in length. Which, for reference, here is my hand. Which is not especially large, but it gives you a reference of the MegaBoom’s size.
The speaker has a two-tone mesh design that, I quote, is engineered for “motorcycle jackets and fire equipment”. So, this, this is the real deal. And it’s rated for 20-hours of battery life… man.
The device itself sports 3 buttons at the top, power on/off, bluetooth pairing. Which you can use with the Boom App to connect over 150 speakers together. Which sounds ridiculous but also amazing. And it also has the Magic Button. Which honestly is pretty magical. It can be used as your typical play/pause button but also as a skip and a custom one-touch playlist player. Which is pretty sweet.
Moving on to the front of the device, we can see the volume up and down buttons which are quite large and easy to press. And below them, we see the Power Up dock charging port. Which is sold separately. The actual charger for this device is found on the side, MicroUSB under the flap. Which hopefully will be USB-C with the MegaBoom 4.
Overall, though, the device’s build is nothing too glamorous-looking. It looks like a typical bluetooth speaker with not too much to show, except for the fact that it can survive quite a bit of damage. The speaker has an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, so you can drop it in a pool and not have to worry about it. In fact, it even floats in water. Super rad.
Durability and Survivability
Now, in terms of my experience with the device’s survivability, this poor thing has been dropped by a number of us throughout the years. You can see some scuff here and there, but there haven’t been any issues resulting from the drops themselves. Matter of fact, every time we drop these speakers or they fly out of our backpacks, we’re surprised at how they don’t even stop playing the music. These speakers are just that dedicated.
Sound Quality and Range Challenges
However, however, I do have one complaint about this speaker that I’d like to share in the next section, sound quality and range. Now, I don’t think this is a common issue with every MegaBoom 3, but this one, since we got it, has had some range issues. Walking away from this speaker, especially when paired with another, always has some sort of stuttering or disconnects with our phones. From a pretty normal distance too, like 6 to 12 feet. See, even here. The speaker is not too far but also not too close from me, but it’s cutting out after like a certain point right here. So, it’s not the advertised 147 feet of range. It’s not terrible, but it is noticeable.
However, we do have a slight solution. If you have other phones in the vicinity of this speaker, turn off their bluetooth. That should help. But, keep that whole thing in mind. Maybe this one is a lemon. But, take note that, if you like to travel away from your speaker, your music might cut out a little.
But back to the positives, though, the sound on this speaker is great. The bass hits really well, too. I mean, it’s literally called “MegaBoom”. And the sound is always super crisp. Have a listen. It projects sound very well anywhere you put it. Logitech and Ultimate Ears are known for making good speakers, and this one doesn’t disappoint.
Competitive Landscape
Now, next let’s talk about this speaker’s competition. Because at this price point, there’s quite a bit. Like the JBL Charge 5, which has better range and other bonus features, such as the speaker acting as a power bank for your phone. But, the MegaBoom 3, does in my and other people’s opinions, sound a little bit better overall. And there’s also the Bose SoundLink Flex, which is a little bit cheaper than this speaker. And does have support for Siri and Google Assistant, something that this speaker: doesn’t have. However, it doesn’t have as good of sound quality or durability as the MegaBoom 3. So, keep those factors in mind.
Final Verdict and Ratings
Now, let’s get onto the device acclaims and criticisms. The Ultimate Ears MegaBoom 3 was praised for its incredibly loud sound, pairing with other and older Ultimate Ears Boom products, and robust build. And it was criticized for its base levels at higher volume levels, weight, and lack of wired connectivity to your devices. Which, yeah, it should have a headphone jack for those who don’t have or don’t want to use bluetooth.
But either way, let’s get on to my conclusion. So yes, ultimately, what do I think of the Ultimate Ears MegaBoom 3? Well, truthfully, my friends and I would not be using this speaker for so long if it wasn’t good. Despite my complaints, yes, it’s still impressively loud and good-sounding. For aa full rating, it’s probably a 7.5 or an 8 out of 10. Which is great. It’s not half bad, especially when considering how amazingly durable it is. I mean, we have dropped these things so many times. Sometimes, even thrown them from our backpacks on accident when we go running. So yeah, it’s definitely an unbreakable speaker in my experience.
But if you want to learn more about it, I have linked some very insightful article and posts about the MegaBoom 3 down in the description, such as this Reddit post that ranks a ton of bluetooth speakers. So, definitely make sure to check that out as well. And that was my review of the Ultimate Ears MegaBoom 3, the Indestructible Speaker. So, what do you think about it? Anyway, my name is Cyrus. it’s spelled like “Cyrus,” pronounced like “See Rooster,” just take out the “ter”. Thank you very much for reading, and have a wonderful day! Peace.
