Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

Increased battery life, extra bass, plus outdoor and stereo pairing functions, mean that a great Bluetooth speaker is now an exceptional one

Just over six months ago, we gave five stars to the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom, a robust and decent-sounding portable speaker. Despite its success, the Californian firm clearly isn’t one for kicking back. The second generation Wonderboom 2 Bluetooth speaker has just landed, promising a whole new range of features and improved bass.

A lot has changed in such a short space of time. The UE Wonderboom 2 is almost 3mm fatter and a little taller than the original model. This is barely noticeable at a glance, but there have been plenty of alterations on the inside too. A new chipset promises a crisper sound, longer battery life and most notably, 10 per cent more bass than the original.

There’s also a new ‘boost’ button on the underside of the unit for using the Wonderboom 2 outdoors. When pressed, this restricts the bass frequencies, allowing the UE to play louder through the midrange and upwards. This is claimed to make the sound easier to hear when the unit is used outdoors.

Battery life is up by 30 per cent

Battery life has been increased to 13 hours, from the 10 hours on the original Wonderboom, and a full charge still takes just under three hours. With a new IP67 rating, it’s just as waterproof as the first version, and is still designed to float.

The material covering the speaker feels rougher, and is now both sand- and dust-proof, which is handy if the Wonderboom 2 ends up being halfburied on your picnic or beach party.

The design on the top of the speaker has also been tweaked, with a circular button where the branding was – press this to ‘double up’ the sound by pairing two Wonderboom 2s. This feature was available in the original version, but has been upgraded so that pressing the central button on two new speakers means they now pair in stereo mode. You can still pair old and new Wonderboom models in mono (the older one doesn’t support stereo).

The chord loop on the top is now flat and stretchy, with a rubber slider in the middle. We prefer this – as we do with many of the tweaks on the new model. The Wonderboom 2 is available in red, black, blue, grey and a millennial pink, which UE calls ‘Just Peach’, but gone are the tie-dyes and wavy patterns.

That unmistakable yellow charger cable has been replaced with an Apple-like white version but, overall, the Wonderboom 2 looks and feels more premium than the original.

There’s still no built-in voice assistant or microphone, and in terms of ports, there’s just a micro-usb for charging. As with the first model, you can’t operate the Wonderboom 2 via an app. Ultimate Ears has chosen not to over-egg the portable speaker pudding, but as it’s such a winning recipe, it’s not a problem.

We cue up our iphone 7 and listen to The Waking by Kurt Elling on Spotify Premium. The first thing to note is that the extra bass promised by UE is here, and it pays dividends in the mix. Elling’s voice is as forward as we’d expect, but thanks in part to that extra bass injection, it never dominates.

The Wonderboom 2 delivers a sound as cohesive and detailed as we could hope for at the price. The presentation takes a step forward too. There are discrete musical nuances available in the twang of the double bass that aren’t obvious with the original.

We play Aerosmith’s Water Song and the glass harmonica, bullroarer and wind gong instrumental at the top of the track is suitably spine-tingling, as is the strike of simultaneous drums, which comes through brimming with attack. For such a small speaker, the fact that Stephen Tyler’s vocal flourishes and detailed riffs are apparent is no small achievement.

‘Outdoor’ mode is a winner

The outdoor mode is a welcome addition, making the Wonderboom 2 a viable option for the beach or picnic. It’s more than a gimmick, allowing the speaker to focus on sound frequencies that are more sensitive outside.

The Wonderboom 2 is every bit as precise as the original five-star model, yet it delivers a weightier sound and loses none of the musicality.

The second-generation version offers an enhanced bass and the same balanced, pleasing musicality. It also has a longer battery, increased durability, stereo pairing and an outdoor option thrown in to boot. For under a ton, this is where the wise money goes.