Is the Megaboom 3 louder than the boom 3?

Q: How much louder is the Megaboom?

THUNDERING BASS MEGABOOM 3s extra size and larger woofer create intense bass you can both hear and feel – 50% deeper than BOOM. But unlike most other portable speakers, its true to your music.

Ultimate Ears has updated both of its cylindrical Bluetooth speakers. The Boom 3 and Megaboom 3 have a refreshed look, slightly updated capabilities, and a new lower price. The Boom 3 is $150, which is a $30 price drop from the $180 Boom 3. The Megaboom 3 is $200, a whole $50 cheaper than the original Megaboom (yes, this is only the second Megaboom, but UE has named it the Megaboom 3 to keep everything matchy-matchy). Both speakers will ship in September to the US, Asia, and the lucky parts of Europe.

Table of Contents Show

Is the boom 3 or Megaboom 3 better?
Is the Megaboom louder than the boom 3?
Which Megaboom is the loudest?
How much louder is the Megaboom?

The new Booms take some design cues from last year's Blast and Megablast, UE's pair of Wi-Fi-enabled speakers that came with Amazon Alexa onboard. The new Booms share the Blasts' squared-off corners, and the compatibility with the Power Up charging dock accessory that debuted alongside the Blast line. Since the coupler for the Power Up is on the bottom of the Booms, the USB charging port has moved from the bottom of the speaker to the side, where it sits near the speaker's rubber foot. This is a boon for Boom owners without a charging dock, as they can now plug in a microUSB cable to charge the speaker while it's standing up. Of course, with the old Boom, one could just flip the speaker upside-down while it charged and leave the cable sticking straight up. If that bothered you, well, that problem has been solved (and also please seek help).

Touch Me

One of my favorite things about previous UE Booms was the pair of big, chunky buttons that sat in a fat strip of rubber that ran down the length of the speaker. With this new design, that strip of rubber is entirely gone. The buttons are still there, but they're embedded directly into the body of the speaker, where they sit flush with the fabric wrapping. As such, the buttons are no longer chunky. You can still find the volume-up button with a wet hand when you want to increase the intensity of your shower-time Hendrix, but the big plus- and minus-shaped controls aren't as easy to finger in the new design, and they don't feel as rugged. I miss the old, wanna-mash-em buttons.

Also changed is the fabric that envelops the speakers. It's still waterproof, but it's finer and glossier. The fabric also now has a mysterious iridescent quality, sort of like that custom paint job your friend got for his Prelude that looks like one color when you view it straight-on, but changes subtly at the edges when you walk around it. Metallic and shimmering, but not quite sparkly. I think it's fine, though I would love the option to pick up a matte version. The glossy fabric comes in black, purple, blue, and red. There are also some denim colored options that are exclusive to the Apple Store.

Sound Logic

The audio quality of the smaller Boom 3 is unchanged from the previous generation. It still puts out clean, energetic, and deceptively loud audio for such a compact speaker. The Megaboom 3, however, has a new passive radiator that UE says offers improved bass response over the old design. I have an original Megaboom that I was able to test alongside the new Megaboom 3, and I found the change in low-frequency response to be barely perceptible. There's a boost in the low end, but it's not dramatic—at least not with the default settings. Once I opened the Ultimate Ears app and futzed the five-band EQ to nudge the bass up a bit, I could hear more of a thump. I found myself keeping the low end just a notch or two above the default, which was just enough to keep things spicy. Beyond that, the bass tended to overwhelm the sound. If you're fanatic about customizing your audio, you'll like using the app. And if you never open the app, you'll still be impressed with the Megaboom 3's rowdiness.

Pressing Issue

On the top of both speakers is a new thing from Ultimate Ears. It's called the Magic Button, and you can use it to play and pause the music, or to skip tracks. If you open the app, you can sync up the Magic Button with some of you favorite streaming playlists, then summon them with a long press of the button.

So what playlists can you add? If you're on iOS, you can add playlists from Apple Music. On Android, you can add playlists from ... Deezer Premium. And those are your only options. You can't add playlists from Spotify, Google, or Amazon, though Ultimate Ears says that at least Spotify is coming very soon. Until you can use the Magic Button with your service of choice, you'll just have to launch your playlists the old fashioned way—by asking your phone's voice assistant.

Multipoint allows you to link to more Bluetooth devices and switch between them. For example you can easily switch calls from one device to another without having to manually disconnect and reconnect.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.

Device supports fast Bluetooth pairing using NFC so it can communicate with other devices over Bluetooth. You can fastly pair devices without entering a code by simply holding one device next to the device with which it is to be paired.

With a standard mini jack socket, you can use the device with most headphones.

An auxiliary input allows you to play other audio sources by connecting them through a simple audio connection like a 3.5mm jack, i.e for MP3 or portable DVD/CD player.

LDAC is a codec developed by Sony for Bluetooth audio. It is capable of a very high bitrate of 990kbps, which provides high resolution audio. It can also automatically adjust to a lower bitrate of 330kbps or 660kbps to increase stability.

aptx Adaptive is an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that is developed by Qualcomm. It has a variable bit rate (between 279kbps and 420kbps), which means it can adjust the bit rate for different scenarios, such as listening to HD audio or reducing interference from other devices.

aptX HD is an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that is developed by Qualcomm. It supports high quality 24-bit audio (at a bit rate of 576kbps).

aptX is a codec used for transmitting audio wirelessly with Bluetooth. It is developed by Qualcomm, and supports 16-bit audio at a bit rate of 384kbps.

Is the boom 3 or Megaboom 3 better?

The Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 is a better speaker than the Ultimate Ears BOOM 3. The MEGABOOM has a more balanced sound profile, though the extra boom in the high-bass may be overwhelming for some listeners. Also, it has a better build quality and a longer battery life.

Is the Megaboom louder than the boom 3?

Of course, Partyup and other app features are still there, so you can always pair the speakers to make your party louder. Megaboom 3 enables louder volume than Megaboom and has a more powerful bass, which can be adapted as you wish via the five band EQ in the app.

Which Megaboom is the loudest?

The Ultimate Ears Megablast is the largest and loudest speaker available from the company. It features Wi-Fi connectivity and Alexa integration, as well as excellent sound, a gorgeous design, and IP67 water resistance for superb portability.

How much louder is the Megaboom?

THUNDERING BASS MEGABOOM 3's extra size and larger woofer create intense bass you can both hear and feel – 50% deeper than BOOM. But unlike most other portable speakers, it's true to your music.