STEREO GUIDE test verdict
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 is the rugged music grenade for outdoor and beach parties that offers rich, splashy sound.
Pros
- powerful, rich bass for its size
- good dynamics and balanced sound
- radiates sound in all directions
- long battery lif
Cons
- somewhat unwieldy for backpacks and handbags
- doesn't play really fine - no analog input
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Sound: tonal balance / transparency6
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Tone: Bass / Dynamics6.8
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Ease-of-use / Connectivity8.5
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Price/Performance8.5
That the spherical shape stands for maximum volume with given maximum dimensions in all dimensions is known not only to every student from mathematics lessons. The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 manufactured by Logitech also approaches this form. And it promises as much bass as possible with a height of only 10.4 centimeters.
However, it is as wide as it is deep. This means it is not as easy to stow in a purse or backpack as its flatter or tubular counterparts. Carried preferably on a small fabric handle, it convinces at the pool or beach party with water and dust resistance to IP67. It is even said to float on the surface in the pool. Additionally, the manufacturer promises resistance against dropping up to 1.5 meters (we preferred not to try the latter).
Colorful outdoor grenade
We actually wanted to refrain from military insinuations due to the shape. However, the manufacturer never tires of reporting “bomb” and “bomb atmosphere” on the homepage. Pacifists, to dispel such associations, can reach for summer-fresh blue or red. Otherwise, a black and a gray version with fabric cover are still available.
The round music cylinder finally becomes an outdoor package with its promised 13 hours of battery life. The sound is radiated in almost all directions with the help of two small full-range drivers. The Wonderboom 2 is therefore ideal for sound reinforcement of a whole troop on the beach. In contrast to the somewhat bass-poor predecessor, two passive diaphragms provide additional support to ensure that the single-cylinder unit produces enough rumble. These function like bass reflex tubes, but at the same time prevent dust or water from entering the housing.
Operation and functions
The volume buttons are absolutely not to be overlooked. A giant plus and minus sign each stretch across the entire height of the round speaker on the front of the fabric cover. It is much more difficult to use the multifunctional button at the top. It also lacks a clear pressure point and is responsible for several actions simultaneously. Incorrect operation cannot be ruled out here.
The list of playback options is short: Bluetooth. Stereo pairing and party pairing are offered as additional functions. There is also an “outdoor mode” that is supposed to extract some more maximum level while moderately sacrificing bass depth. However, all three of these have to be activated again and again once you have turned off the Ultimate Ears. Recharging is done via a micro USB socket behind a rubber cover. Fully charged, the sound peck promises up to 13 hours of battery life.
There are no other functions like analog input or microphone. The on and off sounds are a bit overly loud, which should be taken into account when using the device at home.
This is how the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 sounds
In the sound test, the Ultimate Ears fully exploited its volume advantage over other mini speakers: It sounded unusually rich in the bass for its size and was also capable of quite good levels. In doing so, he succeeded in creating a sound image that was both wide and well detached from the speaker. A sound characteristic that reproduced impulses but also snappy and sometimes fresh.
With voices or acoustic recordings, however, this sometimes tipped over into thinness, and the brilliant sibilants could get annoying. Also, the detail resolution was not as much as we are used to from the best speakers with a 2-way system in this size class. This makes it less suitable for quiet background sound or hi-fi sessions, but even more so for parties and small groups. The all-around sound actually worked surprisingly well.
Test conclusion and alternatives
The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 positions itself right between the portable flat minis and the tube-shaped party beasts à la JBL Flip 6 with a good price/volume ratio in our test. However, there is also the Tronsmart T7 Mini, which is considerably cheaper and can almost keep up in terms of sound. However, there is something to consider when deciding: The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 really radiates the music in all directions, while the Tronsmart can only adequately cover a narrow area.
Technical specifications Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2
- Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: 100 Euro
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 10.5 x 9.5 x 9.5 cm
- Weight: 420 g
- Battery life up to 13 hours
- Features: waterproof and dustproof according to protection class IP67, stereo pairing, outdoor boost, chain mode, charging via micro USB
- More at: www.ultimateears.com
