Ultimate Ears has established itself as a leader in the portable Bluetooth speaker market with its Boom line, which includes the excellent Boom 2 and Megaboom. Now it's hitting the smart speaker space, adding Wi-Fi connectivity and voice control to the mix with its new Blast family. UE's Blast speakers look, feel, and perform a lot like their Boom equivalents, but with Amazon Alexa voice control. The $299.99 UE Megablast is the biggest of the bunch, as well as the most powerful speaker for taking Alexa on the go. Design The Megablast is similar to the Megaboom in size, but with starker, sharper contours for its cylindrical body. It measures 9.4 by 3.6 inches (HW), with a cloth grille interrupted by a wide rubber strip featuring the large plus and minus buttons that are now signatures of UE's speaker design. The top of the Megablast features a large power button in the center with an LED indicator, and a smaller Bluetooth pairing button with a smaller LED. The bottom of the speake...

If you want to take Alexa on the go, the UE Megablast is one of the biggest, most powerful smart speakers you can tote and expose to the elements without worry.

Powerful sound; Rugged, portable design; Integrates Amazon Alexa voice control

Can distort on deep sub-bass; Lacks some voice control features; No speakerphone

Bigger. Better. Smarter. That’s the short version of the pitch for Ultimate Ears new Blast and Megablast smart speakers.

If you’re looking for that on-the-go Alexa speaker and like it loud, you’ll probably like the sound of this one.

Great volume; Good battery life;

Portable Alexa is a little clunky; Can't easily pair speakers;

We've long been fans of the Ultimate Ears Boom family of Bluetooth speakers thanks to their rugged yet stylish designs and solid sound quality. The Blast spinoff line adds even more with Wi-Fi connectivity and Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. The Blast and Megablast are effectively Alexa-enabled versions of the Boom and Megaboom, with the same colorful waterproof, cylindrical design and fairly powerful audio. At $179.99, the smaller Blast is a much more wallet-friendly than the Megablast, and can still put out some solid, well-balanced sound. Round and Rugged The Blast is visually indistinguishable from the Boom, with a cylindrical design dominated by a wraparound fabric cover and flat rubber end caps connected by a wide rubber strip running down the length of the speaker. It measures 7.4 by 2.7 inches (HW) and weighs 1.4 pounds. The rubber strip holds the large, signature plus and minus volume buttons, with the remaining controls sitting on the top cap. They include a large, reces...

The Ultimate Ears UE Blast puts Amazon's Alexa voice assistant in a portable, rugged, waterproof Bluetooth speaker.

Amazon Alexa voice control; Rugged build; Generally solid audio output

Struggles with deep bass

While it's expensive and still a work in progress, UE's Megablast speaker is the best-sounding portable Alexa-enabled speaker out there right now.

The UE MegaBlast is a portable, fully waterproof Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker that has Amazon's Alexa voice assistant built in; It sounds very good for its compact size, is durable and offers strong battery life.

Somewhat expensive; speakers can't be linked; no Alexa voice support for Spotify playback (can only stream Spotify via Bluetooth); USB charging port is a little bit of a pain to access, making the optional charging base more of a must-have accessory for home use.

In recent years, Ultimate Ears' Boom speakers have been among our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers. Compact and well-designed, they deliver big sound for their small size and are particularly well suited to outdoor use.

The UE MegaBlast is a portable, fully waterproof Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker that has Amazon's Alexa voice assistant built in; It sounds very good for its compact size, is durable and offers strong battery life

Somewhat expensive; speakers can't be linked; no Alexa voice support for Spotify playback (can only stream Spotify via Bluetooth); USB charging port is a little bit of a pain to access, making the optional charging base more of a must-have accessory for home use

In recent years, Ultimate Ears' Boom speakers have been among our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers. Compact and well-designed, they deliver big sound for their small size and are particularly well suited to outdoor use.

While it's expensive and still a work in progress, UE's Megablast speaker is the best-sounding portable Alexa-enabled speaker out there right now.

The UE MegaBlast is a portable, fully waterproof Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker that has Amazon's Alexa voice assistant built in; It sounds very good for its compact size, is durable and offers strong battery life.

Somewhat expensive; speakers can't be linked; no Alexa voice support for Spotify playback (can only stream Spotify via Bluetooth); USB charging port is a little bit of a pain to access, making the optional charging base more of a must-have accessory for home use.

Alexa inside; Excellent all-around sound; Waterproof

Can't do everything an Amazon Alexa speaker can; Limited app

The smart speaker market is becoming a highly contentious field, more brands are releasing devices with Google Assistant integration trying to out sell the othe

This Bluetooth smart speaker packs musical power, all-day battery life, and Amazon Alexa integration into a sexy and colorful package.

Plenty loud; with good bass response; Amazon Alexa integration; IP67 weather protection

Pricey; Can't charge other mobile devices; No speakerphone feature

Bluetooth speakers may be a commodity at this point, but Ultimate Ears wants to set the new Blast and Megablast apart with Amazon's Alexa. Joining Bluetooth is WiFi, and the ability to speak to Amazon's virtual assistant: whether that be for requesting music, giving your connected home instructions,...

Loud; rugged speakers withstand rough treatment; Alexa without the power cord is great; Megablast lives up to its name in volume; Charging dock is convenient

Services like Spotify over WiFi are missing; Both speakers are expensive; and the dock costs extra; Bluetooth and WiFi don't always coexist well; Many familiar UE features are missing