<p><em>The UE Boom portable wireless speakers combine great audio performance with rugged design</em><br><em><strong>by Kunal Khullar</strong></em><br><br>Logitech’s subsidiary brand, Ultimate Ears, is the latest wireless speaker maker to have entered the Indian market offering quality design and great sound. The wireless UE Boom speakers can connect via NFC, Bluetooth or the standard 3.5mm audio jack.<br><br>These speakers come in a cylindrical shape and have a rubber and mesh finish. Offered in a variety of colours, the UE Boom is certainly one of the flashiest wireless speakers in the market today. Although there is a decent amount of weight to it, the portable size makes it easy for you to carry it in your bag. The rubber strip across the mesh has two large and distinct volume controls while the power and Bluetooth pairing buttons sit on top in the same rubber material. The best thing about this speaker is that it is meant to be a rugged device and is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof so you can use it outdoors, in the shower, or even on your next hiking trip.<br><br>The bottom of the speaker houses the ports and a cap to cover them and also a hook in case you want to hang the speaker. The UE Boom also offers a special pairing system where one can easily pair two units and control the equalizer settings via the UE app. This sounds very interesting but, at the same time, makes no sense because it means you have to buy two speakers.<br><br>The sound quality is brilliant. The mids are quite focused and almost any type of music sounds clear thanks to the pair of 1.5-inch drivers sitting inside the mesh. The output is amazingly loud and since it has a cylindrical shape, it offers a 360-degree effect. Given its size, it is certainly the loudest speaker on the block and can definitely be used as an everyday speaker to connect to your PC, gaming console, or even a small home entertainment system. It takes about two hours to fully charge the speaker and provide battery life of about 12 hours. Logitech, however, claims the battery lasts about 15 hours.<br><br>At Rs 14,995, it’s more expensive than most other high-quality portable speakers. But for the little extra money you get a rugged design and who doesn’t want their device to be water resistant? <br><br>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 10-08-2015)</p>