Ultimate Ears EpicBoom Review

Ultimate Ears built its reputation on cylindrical speakers that fire sound in every direction, and the EpicBoom is the idea scaled up: a near-two-kilogram, room-filling 360-degree speaker for gardens, kitchens and everywhere in between. In testing it earned a "good" (1.8), and the shape of that verdict is distinctive — superb sound and radio-grade wireless range on one side, a conspicuously short feature list on the other.

Sound quality is where the EpicBoom earns its keep. The all-round presentation creates a genuinely impressive listening experience, and it particularly flatters genres that benefit from a sense of space — jazz being the test's standout example. The tonal balance drew consistent praise: clear highs, powerful bass and natural, attractive vocal reproduction.

Because the sound radiates in every direction rather than beaming at a sweet spot, placement is refreshingly uncritical — the middle of a table or a lawn serves it better than a shelf against a wall, and nobody ends up standing behind the speaker.

The Bluetooth connection earned a perfect "very good" (1.0) for range — the manufacturer claims up to 55 metres — making this one of those rare portable speakers you can leave in the garden while your phone stays indoors. Multipoint pairing lets several people connect their devices and take turns as DJ, and the EpicBoom will link with further Ultimate Ears speakers for bigger setups. Playback and volume controls work directly on the unit, including volume of the connected source device.

Beyond that, the spec sheet thins out quickly. There is no speakerphone function, no light effects, no powerbank output for charging a phone, no DAB radio, no aux input, no dedicated source button, and no carrying case in the box. Charging runs over USB, and a battery LED reports the state of charge; a mains adapter is not included.

None of these omissions undermines the core job — but rivals at this level increasingly bundle several of them, and the test docked the equipment score accordingly. Audiophiles should note one further gap on the connectivity sheet: there is no aptX support, so codec options stay strictly basic.

What the EpicBoom does carry is full IP67 certification: sealed against dust and submersion-proof against water, so rain, splashes and beach sand pose no threat — and its maker additionally rates it as floatable.

The battery measurement is unforgiving: the speaker plays continuously at a fixed 75 dB — proper listening volume, not background murmur — until it shuts down. Under that regime the EpicBoom lasted 11 hours 40 minutes, a solid result, though well short of the up-to-17-hours its maker advertises, a figure that as ever assumes gentler volumes. Recharging from empty back to 100% takes a measured 2 hours 33 minutes over USB.

At 1,980 grams and 162 × 112 × 241 mm, the EpicBoom is no featherweight, but it remains sensibly transportable — a speaker you carry to the party rather than clip to a rucksack. The tested finish was Charcoal Black; a white version is also sold.

It helps to know how the overall grade is built: sound quality carries fully half the total score, equipment 30 per cent and battery 20 per cent. That weighting suits the EpicBoom's shape perfectly — its excellent sound counts for far more than its sparse feature list, which is exactly how a speaker with this many omissions still lands a comfortable "good".

The scoring is also dynamic — the class leader defines the benchmark and every speaker re-scores as the field changes. First measured in July 2024 and entering the rankings that September at 15th of 42 Bluetooth speakers with a "good" (1.7), the EpicBoom carried a stinging "expensive" (4.2) price assessment. Today it stands 18th of 23 in a consolidated field, and the price verdict has softened to "acceptable" (2.9) — street prices have fallen substantially since launch, and the value case has improved with them.

At the time of writing, Amazon UK lists the EpicBoom in black at £229.99, new, from a marketplace seller — comfortably below the levels that earned that original "expensive" rating. At this money, the sound-per-pound argument is considerably stronger than it was at launch.

The EpicBoom is a speaker with its priorities in exactly the right order: the sound is excellent, the 360-degree presentation genuinely earns its billing with spatially rich music, and the Bluetooth range is about the best you will find on a portable speaker. IP67 sealing and multipoint pairing cover the practical essentials.

What it is not is a gadget. No lights, no speakerphone, no powerbank, no aux-in — households wanting a Swiss Army knife of party features will find better-equipped rivals, and the battery is merely solid rather than outstanding. Buy it for how it sounds and how far it roams from your phone, and — at today's price rather than launch price — it rewards the choice.