Ultimate Ears Epicboom Review | Trusted Reviews

Verdict

One other entertaining, approachable out of doors speaker from Final Ears, the Epicboom has loads of appeal and pleasing sound to make out of doors events and gatherings whizz by – a stable effort in just about all classes.

Introduction

Final Ears isn’t any stranger to the out of doors speaker, it’s bought loads of type from small efforts to large ones, and regardless of the title, the Epicboom falls someplace within the center.

Following within the footsteps of the Sonos Transfer, the Final Ears Epicboom is the kind of speaker that could possibly be used within the backyard or taken additional afield to the park. It’s not as transportable because the Wonderboom 3, however the tradeoff you get is a much bigger sound and extra options.

Is it a tradeoff value making for the Final Ears Epicboom? Let’s see if it lives as much as its title.

Design

• Distinctive seems
• Considerate design
• It floats in water!

The look of the Final Ears Epicboom gives the look that it was, on the very least, impressed by the Sonos Transfer. Although it’s about as tall as both Transfer speaker, and thicker too, it’s not as vast, so the Epicboom is comparatively compact in comparison with its out of doors rival.

It’s additionally not as heavy both – simply shy beneath 2kg to the Transfer’s 3kg – making it simpler to move although it’s not as if this speaker might be accompanying you in your travels wherever you go. It does include a material carry strap that makes it simpler to hold, and I just like the magnetic attachment on the rear of the speaker to cease it from flailing about.

A lot of the speaker is roofed in a material (a selection of white or black). The speaker itself is rated to IP67, which makes it dust-resistant, resilient towards grime, and waterproof. Final Ears claims you might put it in a physique of water and it’ll float, and having examined that declare out, the Epicboom does certainly float quite than sink. Whether it is submerged it will probably survive for about half-hour. Personally, I wouldn’t strive it, the speaker retains water and takes some time to dry out.

Do you have to drop the speaker, it will probably survive a fall of a few metre, with the underside of the speaker constituted of a harder materials. It’s additionally decked with tiny little spots, as if somebody has flicked paint on the backside – a messily endearing contact. Built-in into the underside is a USB-C charging port, and there’s no cradle just like the Transfer to position the speaker in. Battery ranges are represented by three dots above the quantity controls, hidden beneath the material overlaying.

On high are controls for energy, Bluetooth pairing, playback, and Outside Mode (extra on that later). Playback additionally doubles up because the Magic button to serve up music playlists (leap to Options for extra on that). The presses are good and agency, which is precisely what you’d need. The amount controls are on the entrance, writ giant within the ordinary Final Ears vogue to face out. I like how the Epicboom seems – designed to face out quite than fade into the background.

Final Ears, like different audio manufacturers, is taking a extra sustainable method with its merchandise. 59% of the plastics used are derived from recycled plastic, the material coating is 100% constituted of recycled supplies. The battery will also be dismounted and recycled however Final Ears doesn’t have a substitute scheme – that is solely an possibility for when the speaker is on the finish of its life cycle.

Options

• Lengthy battery life
• Robust Bluetooth connection
• App help

First off, there’s no Wi-Fi help – strictly Bluetooth streaming solely. I’m ready for phrase on which Bluetooth codecs the Epicboom helps from Final Ears, and as soon as I do, I’ll replace this overview.

Whichever model of Bluetooth the Epicboom helps, the connection is a agency one. Strolling from one finish of my backyard to a different with music taking part in (properly over 20 metres), the connection to the Epicboom didn’t break up as soon as. Final Ears claims it’s robust sufficient to outlive a distance as much as 55m.

Battery life is alleged to be as much as 17 hours when performed at 45% quantity. Having performed music at round 50% quantity, the speaker dropped 10% in about two and a half hours, which suggests you might get extra from this speaker than Final Ears claims.

You probably have different UE audio system, particularly the Hyperboom, Increase 3, and Megaboom 3, the Epicboom can pair with them to create a much bigger sound by way of the PartyUp function. And in the event you’re accustomed to the Wonderboom sequence, you’ll recognise the Outside Increase mode that redirects a number of the energy from the low frequencies and channels them to the mid and excessive frequencies for a much bigger enhance.

There may be an app, helpfully titled ‘Increase’ and inside it there’s scope to energy the speaker off, have interaction Outside Increase, modify the taking part in quantity, and test the battery ranges. Maintain down the Magic button and that’ll take you straight to your favorite playlists arrange within the app. Spotify and Amazon Music are supported on Android, whereas for iOS units it’s Apple Music.

You’ve a selection of 4 presets to fill in, edit, re-order or delete; and it’s as straightforward as choosing one, taking part in music in Spotify and saving it within the app. It’s a handy function however I discovered it’s barely complicated getting again to this space to customize it extra. You don’t, as an illustration, press the One-Contact function within the app (it’ll ask if you wish to log off) however press on the playback part on the primary display screen. It’s the one facet of this quite simple app that was unclear to me.

There may be additionally a collection of EQ presets to select from that features Bass Increase, Sport/Cinema, Deep Rest, Signature, and Podcast/Vocal. They do what they are saying on the tin like the plain Bass Increase, whereas Deep Rest is comparable however softens the treble response. In the event you don’t like them, there’s the choice of making your personal EQ preset.

Sound High quality

• Heat, punchy audio
• Not the sharpest efficiency
• Can hit loud quantity ranges with ease

Tonally, there’s a heat to the Epicboom’s efficiency that’s not overly wealthy however doesn’t make for the sharpest or most outlined audio efficiency both.

However, I discover myself liking the Epicboom’s supply. There’s respectable presence and weight to the bass in Mako and Pusha T’s Misfit Toys in each indoor settings and outdoors. Bass typically takes a success in out of doors settings due to the dearth of reflective surfaces to strengthen it, however the Epicbooms’ low frequency isn’t missing for punch.

Excessive frequency notes aren’t crisp in tone however in Flying Lotus’ Parisian Goldfish there’s a transparent timbre/tone to the notes that stands out from the lows and midrange. Even higher is the speaker’s deal with vocals – they’re all the time on the forefront of any observe, clearly intelligible in Fall Out Boy’s This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race, and even higher at ladling Amber Simone’s soulful vocals with readability in Life’s Pleasure.

And regardless of not being the sharpest-sounding effort by Bluetooth speaker phrases, there’s satisfying ranges of readability and element afforded to The Chemical Brothers’ Impress, in addition to an honest stage of dynamism in a broader sense and with vocals. It’s not probably the most sprightly by way of traversing the distinction between quiet and loud, however the Epicboom is ready to talk the vitality of the observe’s rhythm and digital beats.

And whilst you’d take a look at the Epicboom and suppose, like I did, that it’s not going to unfold its sound out vast, there may be a facet of stereo panning in Galvanise regardless of the UE speaker basically being a mono speaker. The sound doesn’t come from one place within the speaker’s physique, it’s truly coming from all components of the higher physique, giving songs loads of area and avoiding sounding bunched up.

The truth is, the Epicboom can push sound away from its physique too. Supertramp’s The Logical Track has the sound of maracas (I feel) firing away from the speaker’s sides and increasing the soundstage. Although Final Ears claims a 360-degree efficiency, that isn’t fairly the case. Sitting in entrance of the speaker gives one of the best sound, and although you get an analogous efficiency from behind, it does really feel extra distant.

The speaker, unsurprisingly, has extra presence and radiates extra vitality at increased volumes, and at high quantity the Epicboom can get loud with out invoking distortion. Activating Outside Increase could make bass sound tougher and flatter with Starkey’s New Cities, however the frequencies from the midrange upwards do get a lift, projected away from the speaker to listen to them higher.

Maybe most of all with the Final Ears Epicboom, I simply take pleasure in its stability. Neither wealthy nor scientific in its method, the Signature EQ works properly throughout a variety of genres from rock to pop, to R&B and electronica. That is an out of doors speaker with an agreeable character, and I feel you’ll prefer it too.

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