Professional’s Ranking
Professionals
- 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 incredible purchase.
Value When Reviewed
$99.99
Greatest Costs Right this moment: Final Ears Wonderboom 3
$84.99
$84.99
Final Ears’ Wonderboom 2 was an exquisite 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The moveable powerhouse seems to be the identical, sounds the identical, and even makes use of the identical outdated micro-USB port. In actual fact 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 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 choice 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 seems to be equivalent to the Wonderboom 2. Actually, equivalent – it hasn’t modified within the slightest, apart from a slight refresh to the vary of vibrant, punchy colors it is available in.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
That’s probably not 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 out a second’s thought, mild 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 huge quantity buttons on the aspect that you simply actually can’t miss, which means anybody at a celebration can seize it and determine what to do.
It’s as powerful as earlier than too, with an IP67 mud and water-resistance ranking which means it may survive splashes and brief 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 below the floor. It now makes use of a minimal of 31% post-consumer recycled plastic and is wrapped in a sustainable material created from 100% recycled polyester. Even the packaging is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) licensed.
Sound high quality & options
- Highly effective, well-rounded sound
- Elective ‘Outside Mode’
- Stereo pairing with one other Wonderboom 3 (however not 2)
If the Wonderboom 3 seems to be 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 vibrant, 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 carried out.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Outside Mode additionally returns, activated with a single push of a small button that’s for some cause 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 choice.
Audio is barely dealt with by Bluetooth, now improved with a spread of as much as 40m, and pairing is fast and easy. Once we reviewed the Wonderboom 2 we lamented the dearth of any bodily wired choice to attach, and whereas that’s nonetheless lacking it doesn’t really feel like such an issue any extra – you had 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 amount or create a stereo pair. The large annoyance right here is that regardless of the equivalent audio you can’t pair this with one of many older fashions, a useless frustration for present house owners that’s certain 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.
Meaning it’ll comfortably final all night time at a celebration, and may run for a number of days of occasional use on the trot whereas travelling. There’s no fast visible technique to determine the present battery degree although, so that you’ll wish to high it up now and again if you happen to’re undecided how a lot is left within the tank.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Now the unhealthy information: it expenses through Micro-USB, not the extra fashionable USB-C. That’s one other hangover from the Wonderboom 2, however one which at this level is completely unwelcome.
That is merely an pointless inconvenience.
Not one of the different tech I take advantage of day-to-day expenses 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 critically dated Android gadget 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 think about a funds 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 after all, together with the standard retailers like Greatest Purchase and Walmart within the US, or Currys and John Lewis within the UK.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Try 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 title tempt you into an improve from an older mannequin – this can be a Wonderboom 2 in nearly all however title.
The transfer to eco-friendly supplies is welcome after all, as is the additional hour of battery, however the resolution to stay with Micro-USB is the closest this has to a critical flaw, freely giving how dated the design actually is.
Present Wonderboom house owners shall 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 get pleasure from a banging little Bluetooth speaker.
Specs
- 2x 40mm lively drivers
- 2x 46.1 x 65.2mm passive radiators
- Frequency vary: 75 Hz – 20 kHz
- Outside enhance
- Elective stereo pair (with second speaker)
- 40m Bluetooth vary
- Micro-USB
- 14-hour battery life
- 95.3x104mm
- 420g
- IP67 mud and waterproof
