- Bluetooth wireless speaker: Plays music up to 50-Feet away from your Bluetooth-enabled Smartphone or tablet
- Multi-person access: You and a friend can take turns playing music from your Bluetooth devices at the same time
- Ultimate Ears Sound Signature: Two full-range drivers and a passive radiator deliver clear, big, perfectly tuned sound
- Doubles as a speakerphone: Built-in microphone for hands-free calls in the office, car, house or anywhere
- Ultra-portable: Compact design and 10-hour rechargeable battery make it easy to roam with your music
This unit will live either in my carry on, or in the bag I keep at my hotel.
To give you a sense for the dynamic range I typically listen to, my primary uses are to stream NPR from my home NPR station where ever I am, listen to podcasts (typically voice interviews), Facetime calls, and stream Pandora typically jazz, blues, R&B, up through Dave Mathews. Nothing huge on the bass.
The unit is intended to replicate as much of how I live life at home in a travel sized unit to supplement the speakers on the iPod and iPad.
Bought both the Logitech and Jambox, paired each with an iPhone and iPad, and switched back and forth on songs I know very well. Here are my thoughts. I hope they are helpful to you.
Neither unit really slams out the bass. Physics just doesn't allow that in units this small. I will focus on the sound quality and design of the units.
DRIVER SIZE
The Logitech has two 1 inch drivers. The Jambox has two 1.25 inch drivers. Point to Jambox it can move more air.
ENCLOSURE
Point to Logitech. The Logitech is more box shaped. The Jambox is more candy bar shaped. The Logitech has a larger airbox for its passive radiator. The Jambox is thinner and has less air to move in its passive radiator.
MY PERCEPTION OF MID TONES
Point to Logitech for more sense of presence of the mid tones. There's just a more there, probably due to the larger air box for the radiator. My test was 1) what I perceived, and 2) placing my hand on the table in front of each unit playing the same song. There was more vibration on the table from the Logitech.
MY PERCEPTION OF THE HIGHS
Point to Jambox for being "clearer" in the upper voice and higher tones. The design emphasizes this, and one can tell side by side. Interestingly, I take back half a point for some sharpness on instrumentals, especially high horns, strings, and piano. The Logitech slightly de-emphasizes the highs for a more neutral tone. I liken to the difference between design philosophy between Definitive Technology and Klipsche. My ears are more attuned to a slightly flatter sound scape.
MY PERCEPTION OF THE SPACIOUSNESS
Point to Jambox. Side by side, the Jambox sounds more open, and the Logitech is more linear, straight at you.
BATTERY LIFE
Point to Logitech. 10 hours v. 8 hours. Honestly, in my application, charge once a week and I am good with both units
PERCEIVED DURABILITY
Point to Logitech. It has more coverage by rubber material than metal mesh. That just gives me more confidence. This thing has to survive in a suitcase every week. The Jambox has more metal mesh wrapper than rubber. May account for the difference in the overall sound spaciousness. I also intend to listen to the unit while in the shower and getting ready for the day. I have no proof the Logitech is better in this application, just a feeling.
STYLE POINTS
Point to Jambox. The Logitech is more utilitarian.
WORRY FACTOR
Point to Logitech. It's a more utilitarian design, and just feels more rugged. Because of the style points of the Jambox, I'm less likely to toss the Jambox in a bag to the park or beach. Prettiness has two sides to that coin.
PORTABILITY
No points. Both are uber-portable
PAIRING OVER BLUETOOTH
No points. Both flawlessly paired with iPad and iPhone.
USE AS SPEAKERPHONE
I did not test this feature as it is not its intended use, but good to know it's there. I would assume this is more Jawbones territory.
BUILD QUALITY
No points. Both feel solid
COST DIFFERNTIAL
The Jambox is 30-40% more expensive as of Nov. 2012. I could afford either so no points.
OVERALL IMPRESSION AND FINAL PURCHASE DECISION
I ended up landing with the Logitech. The final test was the live version of Alison Krauss' "Maybe". One of my favorite songs it combines Alison's high pure tone with the mid-tenor of Dan Tyminski, and those bass drum kicks. I personally think the Jambox has slightly better and more spacious sound on the higher end. The Logitech has fuller, more balanced sound all around, and that's what I landed on. If I could combine the two, it would be perfect but I can't. For my intended use of the unit for frequent travel, camping, picnics, take the beach, etc., I landed on a very good sound with more durability and more utilitarian design. If this was going to live in a briefcase or an office, I would more favor the Jambox. As a value proposition for my intended use, the Logitech won out.
What I do know, is I did not waste money on this.
Hope this is helpful.
Best, R
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UPDATE 12/01/12
After using the UE for two work weeks at the hotel, here are some additional observations.
It's a great unit. Straight up. I would compare the sound to a good table top clock radio ipod dock, like my older Sony Sony ICFCS10iP Speaker Dock with Alarm Clock and Radio for iPod/iPhone (Black). I think that's a fair comparison. The shape of the sound is pretty close.
Verified initial observation that the sound is quite linear up close. Three feet away, and the linearity disappears.
Placing it a couple inches from whatever wall really helps the perceived bass.
With the iPhone in the main room, I can stream NPR in the super-steamy bathroom while taking a shower and shaving, which is great, and protects the iPhone. That's just cool.
The unit is plenty loud enough. Hotels tend to be very quiet places in the morning and evening.
Took it to the jacuzzi at the hotel to relax and was streaming Pandora, which was very nice. A couple of other frequent travallers I see all the time, but I hadnt met formally eventually entered the room, and we cranked it up listening to BB King, which was a blast. They each bought one.
I also like to listen to those ambience apps while going to sleep. Storms, surf, whatever. It REALLY shines here. Sounds so much better than the speaker on the iPad.
Overall, it's great. I'm very happy with it.
Buy Logitech UE 984-000298 Mobile Boombox Bluetooth Speaker and Speakerphone (Black Grill/Black) Now
It doesn't happen all that often, but this product has definitely exceeded my expectations. I figured that it would be nice to have a wireless speaker for my iPhone and iPad, mostly to pump the volume up louder than the onboard speakers will allow. Yes, this is great for that, but it's also bringing a lot more to the table than that. Here are the things I like best about it:* The other wireless speakers I've tried did indeed connect to the device wirelessly, but still needed to be plugged in, which really limits mobility or they are technically rechargeable, but only seem to get an hour or two of playing time. On this device, the rechargeable battery lasts so long that I haven't yet reached any functional limits with it.
* As a result, I can take it places I wouldn't be able to otherwise. I've used it in the bathroom while I'm soaking in the tub -awesome, because my iPhone alone isn't quite loud enough to make it over the fan, and I'd fallen in the dangerous habit of holding my phone while in the tub. This is more sensible, more comfortable, and has better sound. I've used it in the car, as it gives better sound with less battery drain on the phone than the other setups I've tried to play my iTunes while driving in my car with its ancient stereo.
* I can have my iPad and iPhone both hooked up to it at the same time, and swap easily between devices for sound, without having to go through the hassle of reconnecting via Bluetooth over and over again.
* It works well as a speakerphone. I don't know that I'd use it as an in car speakerphone unless I had some kind of dash mount for it, but it works great as a speakerphone at home.
* And finally, it's a good balance between size and sound quality. It is small enough that I can throw it easily in my work bag or carry-on; the volume can go up high enough to rise nicely above a noisy environment like a party or the highway; and the sound quality is definitely better than what I've experienced with other portable devices. No, it doesn't have quite the richness of sound that a full scale setup might have, but it's quite good for what it is.
For the design junkies out there, I'll point out that it gets points for the clean design and it's ability to handle my clumsiness, but the pretty packaging was a pain to get open. All in all, definitely worth it in my book. I may pick a couple of these up to give as Christmas presents this year.The UE mobile boombox is a bit bigger than the old mobile boombox version from Logitech. The design is now more serious and i like the rubber coating more as the shiny plastic on the old one looked very cheap. The new version sounds better than the old one. The old one had most emphasis on treble, while bass was rather deficient. The new one has a more natural sound with better bass and not so sharp treble. It can play quite a bit louder without any distortion, but in reality a Soundmatters Foxl which is quite a bit more pocketable than this and still sounds better, the only problem with the FoxL is that it cannot play that loud.
If i wanted something small and not too expensive, I would also rather take the new JBL Flip over the UE Boombox. The Flip can play really loud, sound is quite different, the UE mobile boombox has more pronounced mids, while the JBL is rather treble-heavy with a tighter bass. The JBL sounds overall more expensive while costing exactly the same. I like the design of both UE mobile boombox and JBL Flip, but if i had to decide on sound quality alone, i would choose the Flip as both cost exactly the same.I'm an electrician and these speakers are the perfect size for me to just throw in my toolbox.
I haven't reached the 10hr playback time the manufacturer claims but so far it can easily last 6-8hrs off a full charge. I'm satisfied with its Bluetooth range, but this will vary based on your surroundings and levels of interference (and capabilities of your mobile device).
As for the sound, I was totally blown away. I'm no audiophile but it can definitely pump out great sound that can easily fill a large room. With the volume maxed out on both the speakers and mobile device, it was still able to produce high, mid, and low ranges without any distortion. Of course for its small size, your not gonna get the bass that you're gonna get from a full size boom box, but it does put out adequate bass and I'm totally satisfied. I haven't had a chance to use the speakerphone function so I can't comment on that feature.
I also looked at the...
Jawbone Jambox but preferred the fit and finish of the Logitech instead, plus the Jambox retails for $129.
Jabra SOLEMATE the sound was comparable to the Logitech but playback time was listed at 8hrs, significantly bigger and retails for $179.
PROS: really portable size, sleek design with quality materials, unbelievable sound, ease of use, reliable battery, solid wireless connectivity, and reasonable price.
CONS: I only wished they included a carrying case of some sort to hold charging accessories and for transportation.
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Overall I am very pleased with this product and would recommend it.Packaging and materials: the plastic container and rubber inserts that housed the device are of high quality, which initially gave me a good feeling about the product's durability. The mini-boombox seems well-made and is wrapped in a slip-resistant rubber coating which is pretty nice because it won't slip out of your hand or off of the counter. The instruction manual is very clear and easy to follow, especially because there isn't much to it. Just turn it on!
Setup: very easy. I usually have some trouble connecting Bluetooth devices, but not this one. Even the most technically challenged person could easily use this product. Just turn on the device and browse to it from your phone and connect it via Bluetooth. The device makes a soft beeping sound once it successfully connects to your phone. You can also use a wire instead of Bluetooth, so you can use the speakers on any audio device with the standard plug hole (like for headsets).
Speakerphone: when I make a call or when somebody calls me, the speaker automatically shifts to phone-mode. Using it as a speakerphone is way better in terms of quality and ease-of-use compared to using my cellphone's speakerphone. It is a nice bonus feature that I didn't expect.
Sound quality: for a small device it certainly packs a punch. I am very pleased with the sound quality.
In summary, this product does what it is supposed to do and should provide users with plenty of audio enjoyment.
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