Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Sunset Red)

It sounds great! To be honest, I don't have anything else to compare it to besides laptop speakers, but it gets the job done. Looks and feels very luxurious! It's quite solid, but has soft materials, like silicon (which is a little susceptible to collecting dust) and durable woven fabric. There's a little stiff, fabric hook for hanging and a snug flap to cover the charging port. It does have that new car/tech smell and its strong enough to last a few days, which might annoy some people. And the charger is a fun fettucine shape. But my unit has a weird problem where it will not stay turned on for more than 5 seconds unless I plug it in first, even if it's been charging all night. It'll go back to "normal" after that and stay on, but that's strange, right? I'll be ... MoreIt sounds great! To be honest, I don't have anything else to compare it to besides laptop speakers, but it gets the job done. Looks and feels very luxurious! It's quite solid, but has soft materials, like silicon (which is a little susceptible to collecting dust) and durable woven fabric. There's a little stiff, fabric hook for hanging and a snug flap to cover the charging port. It does have that new car/tech smell and its strong enough to last a few days, which might annoy some people. And the charger is a fun fettucine shape. But my unit has a weird problem where it will not stay turned on for more than 5 seconds unless I plug it in first, even if it's been charging all night. It'll go back to "normal" after that and stay on, but that's strange, right? I'll be contacting the company about it and will update regarding the service.

App not available

After reading the reviews and specs, I decided to move from a JBL Charge to the Megaboom 3 (blue because it was $70 cheaper). The sound out of the box was clean, bass sounded decent, highs lacked a little, not very loud but more than I needed, I suppose. Nothing that probably couldn't be taken care on the UE app. However, I could not download the app because it says it was built for an older phone version. After contacting customer service (which was reposnsive and friendly) an app update is needed but not available yet. Before deciding whether to return the MB3, I played it next to my daughters Charge 4, which has been broken in and the Charge had more sound balance. Even though the Megaboom has a 360 degree sound, a solid build and aesthetically pleasing, I think ... MoreAfter reading the reviews and specs, I decided to move from a JBL Charge to the Megaboom 3 (blue because it was $70 cheaper). The sound out of the box was clean, bass sounded decent, highs lacked a little, not very loud but more than I needed, I suppose. Nothing that probably couldn't be taken care on the UE app. However, I could not download the app because it says it was built for an older phone version. After contacting customer service (which was reposnsive and friendly) an app update is needed but not available yet. Before deciding whether to return the MB3, I played it next to my daughters Charge 4, which has been broken in and the Charge had more sound balance. Even though the Megaboom has a 360 degree sound, a solid build and aesthetically pleasing, I think I am going to exchange for another JBL.

Boom 3 review

Boom 3 unicorn colored was my 6 yr old color choice. First use boom 3 was easy to charge and connect with smart phone. Music was as good as i tested in store. Sound was good quality and with terrific beats and distinct tones can be heard clearly. However with good things, comes this issue. Music tends to break due to sluggish bluetooth connectivity. Tried bringing the phone next to speaker, play in offline mode problem continues. Rest the battery showed good promise. Charging could have been better with type C port instead of giving charging port used in old android phones.(dont remember the name) Boom 3 @ aud 149 seemed a nice choice with decent sound quality.

Excellent Speakers for UTV/Side-By-Side

I was looking for an alternative speaker system for our Can-Am X3 UTV. A few things that were really important to me: 1. I did not want to deal with the hassles of wiring in a stereo and speakers. -These speakers were perfect for this point. Party Up mode pairs all the speakers together, run the music right from the phone, and NO WIRING! 2. Looking for something less expensive than standard marine/UTV speakers -I bought 3 of these for $139 each (down to $125 now) for a total of $450. That's about half the cost of where audio systems for a UTV start. 3. Loud enough to be heard over a screaming UTV engine -These things get loud. Modern, high performance UTV engines are really loud and it can be hard to hear music over them. These delivered clear, crisp sound that ... MoreI was looking for an alternative speaker system for our Can-Am X3 UTV. A few things that were really important to me: 1. I did not want to deal with the hassles of wiring in a stereo and speakers. -These speakers were perfect for this point. Party Up mode pairs all the speakers together, run the music right from the phone, and NO WIRING! 2. Looking for something less expensive than standard marine/UTV speakers -I bought 3 of these for $139 each (down to $125 now) for a total of $450. That's about half the cost of where audio systems for a UTV start. 3. Loud enough to be heard over a screaming UTV engine -These things get loud. Modern, high performance UTV engines are really loud and it can be hard to hear music over them. These delivered clear, crisp sound that could easily be heard over the engine without being painful on the ears. I will make an extra comment that I think this is largely due to the fact that we have 3 speakers instead of just one. Having the speakers positioned throughout the inside of the UTV helps to fill it with sound and enhances the music quality. We only had to turn the volume halfway to comfortably heard the speakers. 4. Portable (outdoor) speakers with flexible mounting options -We also use these speakers in our home gym and will also take them on other outdoor activities. These got covered in dust and still sounded great. Simply held them under a running sink and they look brand new. With a few velcro straps, it's also easy to find different places to mount them as the exterior material is very durable and showed no signs of wearing after 12 hours of high speed, off-road driving. Bonus item: the battery life is exceptional. Again, 12 hours of use over two days of off-road driving and the batteries in all three speakers are at ~40%. Con: if you have a lot of other bluetooth or wireless devices around, the phone app seems to pick those up as well and think they are UE speakers when you try to sync them for party mode. I have to find an area in my house free of other devices so that the app only picks up the 3 UE speakers. Also, other devices seem to cause a lot of interference and static noise. I have only experiences this in my home, never out on the trails but it is annoying when one speaker seems to have a weak bluetooth connection and is picking up static. Minus 1 star for these.

Good, but not better than the old one

I love UE Booms and my previous one lasted for almost 8 years before my battery stopped charging. I was really excited for this one being the upgraded version both in sound quality and battery life. While this one is good i figured i would be blown away by the difference and i just wasnt. It seems like they focused more on how water resistant it was and how you can throw it in a pool than user friendlyness. The new design has some features that bug me. You have to have the app in order to pair/use. There are two buttons on the top. The small one you use all the time is the power button, the big "magic button" one pairs when pushed and held to turn on...seems like they could have done this a different way. When you turn on the boom it makes the "on" schwoop/ pair ... MoreI love UE Booms and my previous one lasted for almost 8 years before my battery stopped charging. I was really excited for this one being the upgraded version both in sound quality and battery life. While this one is good i figured i would be blown away by the difference and i just wasnt. It seems like they focused more on how water resistant it was and how you can throw it in a pool than user friendlyness. The new design has some features that bug me. You have to have the app in order to pair/use. There are two buttons on the top. The small one you use all the time is the power button, the big "magic button" one pairs when pushed and held to turn on...seems like they could have done this a different way. When you turn on the boom it makes the "on" schwoop/ pair noise at what sounds like full volume and cant be adjusted. All that said, for the money i dont think you can get a better unit. The only thing is this just left me wishing that my old speaker wasnt broken instead of being happy i upgraded to this one.

Great performance and long battery.

Excellent speaker with rich, room filling sound. Great battery life and easy to switch between different users. Customizable EQ with the app. Rugged design holds up to minor abuse. I bought this speaker to use while working at a coffee shop and couldn’t be more pleased. When placed slightly above eye level, the sound filled the working area well without feeling overwhelming when you were closer to the speaker. Just nice, even sound throughout the space. I’d even say if you had your back to the speaker, you’d be hard pressed to tell exactly where it was placed in the store. Performs as well, if not better than the multi speaker system we used to have. Battery life and Bluetooth range are great, using it to stream music for around 8 hours a day, I’ve been able to go ... MoreExcellent speaker with rich, room filling sound. Great battery life and easy to switch between different users. Customizable EQ with the app. Rugged design holds up to minor abuse. I bought this speaker to use while working at a coffee shop and couldn’t be more pleased. When placed slightly above eye level, the sound filled the working area well without feeling overwhelming when you were closer to the speaker. Just nice, even sound throughout the space. I’d even say if you had your back to the speaker, you’d be hard pressed to tell exactly where it was placed in the store. Performs as well, if not better than the multi speaker system we used to have. Battery life and Bluetooth range are great, using it to stream music for around 8 hours a day, I’ve been able to go about three days before having to charge it. No worries about keeping my phone near by, I can keep it in my pocket and move freely throughout the whole store and stay connected, even while in the back room. Easy to switch between users so everyone has a chance to play their music, no need to get the speaker down and press a button, anyone who has paired with it can just select it from their settings and connect (could be a problem if you had people fighting over control of the music, but for our purposes it was a convenience). A nice feature in the UE app, is an equalizer to optimize your sound, with several pre sets as well as being fully customizable. As well as being able to connect multiple speakers to use simultaneously. I’m tempted to get another to try it out but honestly the sound is so good I don’t feel like I need it. I haven’t abused it too much, but it has held up great to a couple of falls from around 6 feet or so and deals well in a slightly messy/wet environment. Easy to clean and wipe down if anything gets on it, though I haven’t tested it’s waterproofing/floating features by submerging it. Overall it’s a great speaker with great sound and couldn’t be more pleased with its performance.

I cannot go without!

I bought the megaboom 3 as a gift to myself for Christmas last year and it is my far my most valued and cherished gadget I’ve owned ever haha, I work in mining and that baby comes with me every single day in my machine and provides me with all my awesome music and podcasts! I would die of boredom if it wasn’t for you guys! Thank you a million times! I’ve even hung a giant snap hook from it so I latch it onto everything! (Thanks for adding the little fabric loop at the top) Plus, the battery life is incredible! My poor speaker is probably ready to give up on me after charging day in, day out, for work haha. I will forever buy another once mine packs in. It is the best gift you could give too, I may or may not have gifted about 4 of them hahaha, I am definitely your ... MoreI bought the megaboom 3 as a gift to myself for Christmas last year and it is my far my most valued and cherished gadget I’ve owned ever haha, I work in mining and that baby comes with me every single day in my machine and provides me with all my awesome music and podcasts! I would die of boredom if it wasn’t for you guys! Thank you a million times! I’ve even hung a giant snap hook from it so I latch it onto everything! (Thanks for adding the little fabric loop at the top) Plus, the battery life is incredible! My poor speaker is probably ready to give up on me after charging day in, day out, for work haha. I will forever buy another once mine packs in. It is the best gift you could give too, I may or may not have gifted about 4 of them hahaha, I am definitely your number one fan. Xxx Maddy x

Possibly received a couple of duds

As just a speaker you'd set down on the counter while doing chores or in the shower it'd be worth 5 stars. BUT I specifically bought this speaker with the intention of using the sync mode. I even convinced a good friend of mine to buy one also. We were planning on taking them along on our trips to the river for tubing. First the good: I haven't dropped it yet or anything so I can't speak about how rugged it is. It does feel like it has solid build quality though. It floats in water and can be completely submerged for a short time with no problems. Battery time has been good for me, 6 hrs at max volume per use on a full charge. And the app was straight-forward. As far as sound quality goes, it sounds as good as what you'd except it to sound like for the price but the ... MoreAs just a speaker you'd set down on the counter while doing chores or in the shower it'd be worth 5 stars. BUT I specifically bought this speaker with the intention of using the sync mode. I even convinced a good friend of mine to buy one also. We were planning on taking them along on our trips to the river for tubing. First the good: I haven't dropped it yet or anything so I can't speak about how rugged it is. It does feel like it has solid build quality though. It floats in water and can be completely submerged for a short time with no problems. Battery time has been good for me, 6 hrs at max volume per use on a full charge. And the app was straight-forward. As far as sound quality goes, it sounds as good as what you'd except it to sound like for the price but the bass is nothing to write home about. Volume is a little louder than I expected Now the bad: The sync feature was extremely lacking in terms of connectivity. Any distance greater than about 5 feet made at least one of the speakers start crackling or cutting out completely. This was no good considering the distance between 2 people each holding a speaker is about 3 feet from the getgo while sitting on the float tubes. While floating down the river there's a lot of variation in how the tubes are pulling each other so your physical proximity from the next person is constantly changing meaning bad connection in this case. Naturally our goal of putting each speaker on opposite ends of our group was out of the question. After deciding to only use one, we quickly discovered that if there's any interference at all and the speaker loses signal quality, we would have to restart it completely by cycling power. This was despite the speaker still showing as connected on the connected phone and in the app. For context, you're sitting in a tube floating down the river with your phone in a pouch hanging off a lanyard. Every now and again your phone takes a small dip under water for whatever reason and this constantly cut the connection. This is not an issue we have ever had with any other speaker including a homemade one with a very cheap bluetooth receiver. This review applies to both the speakers we had (my friend's and mine). They behaved exactly the same so I'm not sure if they were part of the same batch and maybe defective or something like that but I'm returning mine for sure. He may also not sure yet. Again, good as just a normal speaker as stated in the intro

Replaced it.

I bought two of these speakers, I was really happy with the sound and sleek design, I loved the convenience of the app and being able to use the speaker as an alarm clock, turn it on & off via my phone all through the app. It has lots of EQ options and was so easy to pair! It is compact in size and very light in weight too. However I noticed with one of my speakers it was totally water resistant, water ran right off it but the other absorbed it and the sound distorted until it had blasted out 80% of the water through playing music. I found this odd. Through its its great and fantastic features, the battery let it down which is why I swapped them for a new Sony Speaker (XB43). They go flat within 2 hours of playtime at full volume and then when put on charge you have ... MoreI bought two of these speakers, I was really happy with the sound and sleek design, I loved the convenience of the app and being able to use the speaker as an alarm clock, turn it on & off via my phone all through the app. It has lots of EQ options and was so easy to pair! It is compact in size and very light in weight too. However I noticed with one of my speakers it was totally water resistant, water ran right off it but the other absorbed it and the sound distorted until it had blasted out 80% of the water through playing music. I found this odd. Through its its great and fantastic features, the battery let it down which is why I swapped them for a new Sony Speaker (XB43). They go flat within 2 hours of playtime at full volume and then when put on charge you have to wait 15-20 minutes again to turn them on and play music again which would be extremely inconvenient at a party or out at a place like the beach or park where charging the speaker wouldn't be an option unless you had a power bank with you. I like my speakers to sound good and have a long or decent battery life, I understand that they don't always live up to full battery life expectancy unless the volume is really low or the speaker is in Stamina but 2 hours is just not good at all.

Versatile speaker with good sound

This purchase was my second MEGABOOM 3 speaker as I wanted the ability to get a better stereo image from these speakers. A single speaker does put out a surprisingly wide soundstage with a hint of stereo separation but putting two of these together significantly improves the sound, both in terms of imaging and, unsurprisingly, in terms of body given that two units are at work instead of one. I found the sound from a single speaker to be pleasing for a small speaker, but doubled the improvement is more than the sum of the parts. The BOOM app allows for easy stereo integration of the speakers, with balance and left/right swap capability and the portable wireless nature of the units allows you a lot of flexibility in placement. I bought these water-resistant speakers ... MoreThis purchase was my second MEGABOOM 3 speaker as I wanted the ability to get a better stereo image from these speakers. A single speaker does put out a surprisingly wide soundstage with a hint of stereo separation but putting two of these together significantly improves the sound, both in terms of imaging and, unsurprisingly, in terms of body given that two units are at work instead of one. I found the sound from a single speaker to be pleasing for a small speaker, but doubled the improvement is more than the sum of the parts. The BOOM app allows for easy stereo integration of the speakers, with balance and left/right swap capability and the portable wireless nature of the units allows you a lot of flexibility in placement. I bought these water-resistant speakers primarily to use in a small bathroom while taking a bath and it does require a bit of equalizer work to get the best sound as they are designed with outdoor use in mind. But the BOOM app has a useful equalizer built in, plus you can use whatever tone controls your music player supports as well. Battery life is good, I go for days on a single charge. I bought the red speaker here, my previous was blue. This makes keeping track of which is left and which is right for stereo very easy. Very satisfied.