Ultimate Ears proved it can put out capable Bluetooth speakers with the UE Boom a couple of years ago, and its output has gotten steadily better with the larger UE Megaboom and the tiny UE Roll ( at Amazon) . Now the original Boom is getting a refresh, and it's the company's best speaker yet. The $199.99 UE Boom 2 is almost visually indistinguishable from the original, but it's now completely waterproof, and has a few tiny, welcome design changes. More important, it sounds better than the first Boom. The same-price Editors' Choice Bose SoundLink Mini II ($170.00 at Amazon) is still an excellent-sounding speaker with more crisp high-end, but the Boom 2 produces a fuller sound and more satisfying bass. Ultimately, your own musical tastes will determine which speaker is the better choice for you, but the Boom 2's rugged build pushes it over the top in the functionality department, making it our new Editors' Choice for portable Bluetooth speakers. DesignThe Boom 2 ($159.99 at Ama...
The new UE Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker from Ultimate Ears packs powerful sound in a colorful, rugged, waterproof build.
Full-sounding bass; Get impressively loud for its size; Waterproof
Tap-based gesture controls aren't very reliable; No playback controls besides tapping