Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

The Wonderboom 2 is almost 3mm fatter and a little taller than the original model. It’s barely noticeable, but there have been plenty of alterations on the inside. A new chipset promises crisper sound, longer battery life and 10 per cent more bass than the original.

There’s also a ‘boost’ button underneath, which restricts the bass frequencies, allowing the Wonderboom 2 to play louder through the midrange and upwards. It is claimed to make the sound easier to hear when used outdoors.

Battery life has been increased to 13 hours, from the 10 hours of the original, and a full charge still takes just under three hours. The new model is waterproof and designed to float, and it’s also sand- and dust-proof.

Though it looks and feels more premium, there’s still no 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 app.

We play The Waking by Kurt Elling on Spotify Premium. The extra bass promised 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. There are discreet musical nuances available in the twang of the double bass that weren’t obvious with the original.

We switch to Aerosmith’s Water Song and the glass harmonica, wind gong and bullroarer instrumental in the track are suitably spinetingling. For such a small speaker, the fact that Stephen Tyler’s vocal flourishes and detailed riffs are apparent is no small achievement. The Wonderboom 2 offers enhanced bass on top of the same balanced, pleasing tonality as the original. It also offers a longer battery life, stereo pairing and an outdoor option. For under a ton, this is where the wise money goes.