Today is another day for Bluetooth reviews! In this next round we have the UE (Ultimate Ears) Mini Boom Bluetooth speaker by Logitech. UE has been around since the mid-90’s, most popular for their in-ear monitors and other earphone solutions. They bring with them a very popular reputation and eventually were acquired by Logitech in 2008 (a great move on Logitech’s part).
A few of the members in our office also work the live entertainment industry, so we are all very familiar with the quality of UE.
Logitech was nice enough to provide us with one of the Mini Boom’s so that we can bring you a review (stay tuned as we will let you know how you could win this speaker below at the end of the review!).
The speaker is pretty small in size at 4.4in x 2.6in and 2.6in front-to-back, and weighs in at only 0.7lbs. It is small, it is light and it isn’t too intimidating until you turn it on and pair it up with music.
The amount of sound this little speaker kicks out is highly impressive. By impressive, we mean massive. It can fill a very large room (we tested it out in a 40x36ft room and it was very loud). Impressive right? Works great outside and has a great range of sound. The range isn’t perfect but like anything that small…you can only do so well with given technology and with such technology, it is nailing it.
Bass sounds great as the lows are present and very noticeable. We couldn’t find a need for any more bass given it’s size.
We tested this across various genres of music and found that the quality and volume is only limited to the quality of what you are feeding it. Tracks that were recorded with a lower volume eventually distorted a little as we had to max out the volume. Tracks that were recorded with a better gain in volume produced a richer/louder experience without distortion (until you got close to maxing out the volume).
The fact that it is so light means it can be thrown in a bag and you will forget that it is there. Great for camping, hiking, a day at the park, walking the dog, walking grandma, or simply placing on a table or desk to entertain you as you work.
The design is a very simple modern contemporary and looks good just about anywhere (depending on the colors you choose). It is well built and looks like it could take a small beating and still work (although we did not test this theory out). It should also prove to be weather resistant to a point due to it’s design. We wouldn’t recommend spending too much time in the rain though, and keep that theory to small splashes or a light rain as you look for cover.
All the buttons are easy to see and user-friendly. You have 3 buttons on the top for volume up and down as well as initiating/controlling Bluetooth On the back there is a power toggle, USB port for charging the speaker and a 3.5mm line-in.
Battery life lasts up to 10 hours which is pretty common for any of these speakers (and important as you don’t want to buy a speaker that can’t reach that).
Bluetooth range is 50ft (that’s pretty good as the average distance for Bluetooth speakers in this price range is usually around 30ft) and we found this to be true, and it also supports NFC so that you can pair by tapping your NFC compatible device to the top of the speaker. We didn’t have any connection troubles outside of NFC might take a few tries once in awhile to stick before you can remove and walk away with the media device (as seen in the video below). You can also pair two of these speakers together wirelessly as well for stereo sound (this requires a free app for iOS and Android devices).
It does offer a microphone on the top so that you can use it as a speakerphone as well as for voice commands.
*Update (02/15/2015): It has come to our attention from both readers and staff that upgrading to the latest firmware may cause the Mini Boom to stop connecting to your phone. For some reason, by upgrading, it losing all relationships it had with any previously connected devices. The speaker isn’t bricked in any way though. To resolve this, you simply remove/delete/forget the speaker from your Bluetooth list on your phone or device, and then re-add it like you did when you first bought the speaker. Everything will go right back to normal and you can ge back to Booming around with it!
Our Conclusion
We found the US Mini Boom to be super friendly, fun and loud (when needed). It simply “works”. The price is right and the speaker can fit in just about anywhere. We give it a 9/10. You can find the video review and box opening below as well as details on how you can win this speaker!
Video Review & Box Opening:
Video Stress Test:
Product Specs:
MAXIMUM SOUND LEVEL: 86 dB
FREQUENCY RANGE: 130Hz to 20kHz
DRIVERS: Two 1.5-inch full range drivers; one 3-inch x 1.5-inch passive radiator
LENGTH: 11.1 cm (4.4 inches)
WIDTH: 6.7 cm (2.6 inches)
HEIGHT: 6.1 cm (2.4 inches)
WEIGHT: 301g (.7 lbs.)
Additional Images:
WIN IT!
Would you like to win this speaker? We are giving it away so make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for details. It’s super easy and it can be yours to rock out with!
Are you a manufacturer or distributor that would like us to test something out for review? Contact us and we can let you know where to send the product and we will try it out.
4 Comments
Would you recommend one UE Boom or two UE mini Booms?
You question was answered in the other review (UE Boom Review)
Bluetooth technology is a great evolution that makes system connectivity more easier . These speakers are really nice. We can easily carry them anywhere.
Small Simple and quality product . There are a huge variety of wireless speakers in market as the trend is going on . It provide good sound result with strong battery backup .