Professional’s Score
Execs
- Wonderful audio
- Sturdy, eco-friendly design
- Good battery life
Cons
- Aged Micro-USB charging
- Can’t pair with the (equivalent) Wonderboom 2
Our Verdict
Little has modified within the Wonderboom 3, however you get nice audio, lengthy battery life, and a sturdy design – what’s to not love? Nicely, the Micro-USB port for one, however in any other case this stays an amazing purchase.
Value When Reviewed
$99.99
Greatest Costs In the present day: Final Ears Wonderboom 3
$84.99
$84.99
Final Ears’ Wonderboom 2 was a beautiful little bit of package, so you may’t blame the corporate an excessive amount of for making minimal adjustments to the third technology.
The moveable powerhouse appears to be like the identical, sounds the identical, and even makes use of the identical previous micro-USB port. In truth all that’s new is an additional hour of battery life, barely higher Bluetooth vary, and the usage of extra environmentally pleasant supplies.
That makes the Wonderboom 3 a bit of tougher to get enthusiastic about, particularly for anybody who owns the final mannequin. However it may’t change the truth that that is as soon as once more a superb possibility for a compact, moveable, waterproof Bluetooth speaker that may take a kicking and carry on ticking.
Design & construct
- Chunky, vibrant design
- Waterproof – and even floats
- Eco-friendly supplies
The Wonderboom 3 appears to be like equivalent to the Wonderboom 2. Actually, equivalent – it hasn’t modified within the slightest, aside from a slight refresh to the vary of shiny, punchy colors it is available in.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
That’s not likely a criticism although – Final Ears nailed it the primary time round, and this rotund little speaker is simply as charming as ever. It’s compact sufficient to throw in a backpack with no second’s thought, gentle sufficient to lug round all day, and feels sturdy sufficient to outlive the expertise.
The actually courageous can throw this into a shower or swimming pool.
It’s pleasant to make use of too, with just a few easy buttons on the highest for Bluetooth, energy, and playback, and two monumental quantity buttons on the facet that you just actually can’t miss, which means anybody at a celebration can seize it and work out what to do.
It’s as robust as earlier than too, with an IP67 mud and water-resistance ranking meaning it may survive splashes and quick dips. It’s even designed to drift, which implies the actually courageous can throw this into a shower or swimming pool, although I’ll admit I haven’t fairly dared.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
The one actual change this yr is that Final Ears has tweaked the supplies beneath the floor. It now makes use of a minimal of 31% post-consumer recycled plastic and is wrapped in a sustainable material produced from 100% recycled polyester. Even the packaging is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) licensed.
Sound high quality & options
- Highly effective, well-rounded sound
- Non-compulsory ‘Outside Mode’
- Stereo pairing with one other Wonderboom 3 (however not 2)
If the Wonderboom 3 appears to be like much like the two, it’s sounds much more alike. Put merely, Final Ears hasn’t modified this speaker’s sonics in any respect.
Once more although, it may get away with that as a result of it just about nailed issues final time round. The Wonderboom 3 delivers shiny, well-rounded sound that’s tuned to go well with most genres. There’s sufficient bass so as to add depth and heat with out overpowering, rounded mids, and barely skinny high-end – but it surely does sufficient to get the job completed.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Outside Mode additionally returns, activated with a single push of a small button that’s for some purpose hidden on the speaker’s underside, with a tree icon to mark it out. This pulls again on the bass and ups the treble, serving to the sound to hold additional in expansive outside areas, and supplying you with a welcome second sonic possibility.
Audio is barely dealt with by Bluetooth, now improved with a spread of as much as 40m, and pairing is fast and easy. After we reviewed the Wonderboom 2 we lamented the shortage of any bodily wired possibility to attach, and whereas that’s nonetheless lacking it doesn’t really feel like such an issue any extra – you have been going to make use of Bluetooth anyway, proper?
Dominic Preston / Foundry
You even have the choice of selecting up a second Wonderboom 3 and connecting the 2 to double the quantity or create a stereo pair. The massive annoyance right here is that regardless of the equivalent audio you can’t pair this with one of many older fashions, a unnecessary frustration for current house owners that’s sure to trigger confusion as individuals choose up the in any other case equivalent audio system and surprise why they gained’t work collectively.
Battery & charging
- As much as 14 hours’ battery
- Micro-USB charging
The excellent news first: Final Ears has added an additional hour onto the Wonderboom’s already spectacular battery life, so it’ll now do 14 hours on a cost.
Which means it’ll comfortably final all night time at a celebration, and might run for a number of days of occasional use on the trot whereas travelling. There’s no fast visible method to determine the present battery degree although, so that you’ll need to high it up now and again if you happen to’re unsure how a lot is left within the tank.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Now the unhealthy information: it fees by way of Micro-USB, not the extra trendy USB-C. That’s one other hangover from the Wonderboom 2, however one which at this level is totally unwelcome.
That is merely an pointless inconvenience.
Not one of the different tech I exploit day-to-day fees by Micro-USB any extra, so bringing this on vacation now means an additional cable I wouldn’t have to fret about in any other case. Except you’re utilizing a significantly dated Android machine there’s no approach your telephone makes use of the identical port. That is merely an pointless inconvenience.
Value & availability
The Wonderboom 3 will set you again $99.99/£89.99, which is just below the road of what we take into account a finances Bluetooth speaker. There are extra reasonably priced ones on the market, however as at all times you get what you pay for.
You’ll be able to choose it up from Amazon in fact, together with the same old retailers like Greatest Purchase and Walmart within the US, or Currys and John Lewis within the UK.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Take a look at our full rating of one of the best low cost Bluetooth audio system we’ve reviewed for extra choices, together with reasonably priced choices just like the JBL Clip 4 and EarFun Uboom.
Verdict
The Wonderboom 3 is a wonderful moveable Bluetooth speaker, however don’t let the identify tempt you into an improve from an older mannequin – this can be a Wonderboom 2 in nearly all however identify.
The transfer to eco-friendly supplies is welcome in fact, as is the additional hour of battery, however the resolution to stay with Micro-USB is the closest this has to a critical flaw, gifting away how dated the design actually is.
Present Wonderboom house owners might be pissed off by the information that regardless of utilizing the identical sonics this may’t be paired with older fashions, however the remainder of us can take pleasure in a banging little Bluetooth speaker.
Specs
- 2x 40mm energetic drivers
- 2x 46.1 x 65.2mm passive radiators
- Frequency vary: 75 Hz – 20 kHz
- Outside enhance
- Non-compulsory stereo pair (with second speaker)
- 40m Bluetooth vary
- Micro-USB
- 14-hour battery life
- 95.3x104mm
- 420g
- IP67 mud and waterproof
